::scr ActiveBuddy / Desktop Dipsy

[Simon Wistow]

Have a squiz at http://www.activebuddy.com (thanks to Simon Batistoni for the 
link). It's basically Dipsy but for Instant Messengers and they claim they've
got Patent Pending so I mailed them. Ok, so they bit about the Jabber is a bit
of a white lie to get a rise but it could probably be done within less than a
day. They also have their own scripting langauge - which technically we do as
well in the form of Perl but it wouldn't be hard to knock up a simplified
Infobot scripting language.

The contact section was a fill in form but here's the text ....

Hi, 

I've just come across your page and noticed the patent pending on the
technologies. I couldn't find your patent application ad I wondered if you
could furnish me with a copy or answers some questions that I have?

I don't know if you're aware of http://www.infobot.org but it's an Open Source
bot that sits on IRC (Internet Relay Chat) and provides much the same
functionality as your ActiveBuddies. 

You can supply them with fact packs, teach them and supply them with plug ins.
For instance we have plug-ins to convert currency, check online information
resources (google, the jargon file, Websters dictionary), check the weather
and the time in various cities round the world, SMS someone and other things.

Since it's also easily extendable there's also been a quick hack to get it
working with AIM and MS messenger and Yahoo IM using the Jabber Transport
protocol.

Does this affect your prior art?

Yours,

Simon Wistow


-- 
: off the wagon and hitching a ride