This is where the current model breaks down since it is essentially
driven by client requests. I'd like to be able for my viewer to put a
"watcher" into a server. Some mechanism, not yet existing, would have
to be invented to let the watcher tell my viewer that something new
and interesting (as defined by my script) is out there. Then my
viewer could have the new document fetched, my coffee brewed, and my
slippers handy when I got up in the morning.
This isn't a wild idea. I get this kind of service from a lot of the
information publishers. For example, Shepards will FAX me updates
as they occur. Yes, I pay extra, but it is a valuable service.
Using the Shepards model -- suppose I'm researching a-b-hydrolithium
as a cure for aging. I'd want to put a script into the servers for a
number of of journals to inform me of any document that is added that
refers to a-b-hydrolithium or any document that had a citation to Dr.
Foo's groundbreaking paper on the use of lithium "A" compounds.
--karl--