July 18, 2002, 9:47 PM ET
Search engine lets users control its design
This isn't directly related to news sites, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of this soon: AlltheWeb, a search engine that's quickly gaining popularity, yesterday introduced a new feature, Alchemist. The press release gives details, but basically, it lets users design AlltheWeb to their liking, using style sheets. Fonts too small? Make 'em bigger. Don't like the color scheme? Paint it however you'd like. Your style sheet is yours to play with.
It's simple technology -- albeit unoriginal, as Waferbaby has had a similar feature for quite a while -- but it's significant because AlltheWeb is a relatively high-profile site. Perhaps other sites will take notice and realize the benefits of standards-compliant designs that separate content from presentation.
I predict news sites will be strongly hesitant to adapt such a feature -- God knows some are already nervous enough putting their content online for free -- but eventually a site will buckle and the followers will follow.
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