If you spend any time at all watching Web server logfiles (and trust me, there's nothing like it) you learn that the Web Sucks. By which I mean, there are a lot of computer programs out there creating negative pressure around any remotely-plausible source of anything at all remotely interesting, that they may ingest it and then have it ready to deliver to somone who might care.
I'm sitting up late because I have something interesting to read, and
there's a logfile watcher on an in-view screen, and I see Google and Inktomi
and Teoma and NetNewsWire and Radio and Plucker and NewsGator and Syndirella
and Ask Jeeves and Intelliseek and <entering into real-time log
transcription mode> SharpReader and nntp//rss and RealDownload and
Feedreader and AmphetaDesk and newsisfree and Newz Crawler and NewsMonster and
Genecast and Java/1.4.1_01 (huh?) and Indy Library and RssBandit and
nameless
agents saying “I'm Mozilla/3.01 (compatible;)” and Awasu
and, (you have to love this one, I'll put it in monospace for full effect):
BottomFeeder -- (<BottomFeeder -- (7.43,jamesr)> <TwoflowerBundle
-- (0.4.61,jamesr)> ) and Hatena Antenna and
well... there's more.
Increasingly the Web is not a crowd of people randomly or purposefully stumbling (hah, they say surfing?!?!) from link to link, but instead, those same people sitting back waiting for whatever it is they use to suck to encounter some input and package it up for them.
Hey, I do it too.
