The Online Daily of the University of Washington
The University of Washington Student Newspaper

NewsOpinionSportsArts & EntertainmentClassified Ads
Thursday, November 7, 1996 News


Students help create Internet programs

Paul Dudley
Daily Staff

Students taking computer science and engineering classes from UW professors Daniel Weld and Oren Etzioni may not need to leave the classroom to network for careers.

Weld and Etzioni have connections.

The two professors founded the expanding Seattle-based NETbot, Inc.

NETbot is short for "network robot." The company produces computer programs based on "intelligent agent technology." Weld likened it to a travel agent on the Internet.

"The idea behind an intelligent agent is a software program that acts on your behalf," Weld said.

According to Weld, NETbot programs can compile a profile on the user that "remembers" the user's preferences so the results of Internet searches are closer to the user's tastes.

Weld said, "[Intelligent agent technology] basically makes your life easier by doing some of the grunt work for you.

"What we're trying to do is take the idea of an intelligent assistant and apply it to the Internet, making software programs that go out over the Internet, help you find things - basically navigate the net on your behalf."

The company, founded in May, has four licensed programs. Some were developed in part by UW students doing projects in classes.

The popular Internet browser "Metacrawler," which is used by more than 100,000 people a day, is one of these four programs.

Another NETbot program is called AHOY. It's a search program that helps users find people on the Internet.

Again, Weld said the idea behind AHOY is to give users greater capabilities but less complications.

"The motto [behind the program] is 'less is more,'" Weld said.

"People are drowning in information on the Internet. All of our network robots are designed to help with information overload."

The company will introduce its newest product to the market during the first part of next year, Weld said.

Although he wouldn't divulge any specifics about the product beyond the fact that it will be the company's most sophisticated "intelligent agent" product to date, Weld did say it will be "very compelling."

"Everyone will be very excited," he said.

NETbot employs 10 people, but Weld said they're looking to double that number in the next couple of months.

He said UW graduates are candidates for the new jobs.

"A lot of the people who work for the company now are former UW undergrads or graduate students," Weld said.

"One of the things that makes the company great is that we've been able to get fantastic people from the university."

Almost three-fourths of NETbot's employees have advanced computer-science degrees. NETbot is looking for people to fill the company's roster: more people with computer science backgrounds, but also employees with skills in other areas of business such as advertising, marketing and accounting.

"We want really bright people to join a very exciting team," Weld said.

Although NETbot offers Weld a lot of opportunities to move into the private sector, he's a professor first and foremost. He said NETbot is a great way to get technology that UW researchers develop out into the working world where it can make a broader impact.

Etzioni agreed that working on technological advances in an academic setting only allows research to go so far.

"We're only able to get [technologies] to the research prototype phase," Etzioni said.

"To get them to the point where they actually help people do what they need to do on the Internet - help people find stuff - that's an activity that's appropriate in the context of a company.

"That was really Dan and mine's motivation for doing this, to take the next step and not have these things die as a paper that's buried in some obscure conference."

Since Weld and Etzioni are both full-time professors, company managers do NETbot's day-to-day business. Weld and Etzioni act as consultants while spending the majority of their time teaching.

NETbot is mostly funded by a group of venture capitalists, but the UW, Weld and Etzioni all own stock in the company.

Some of the students who worked on NETbot projects will receive royalty payments from the sale of products that come from their research.

Even students who haven't worked on projects that NETbot uses gain valuable experience that can make the classroom environment more relevant to the off-campus world.

"I've learned a lot about how a company is formed and about startups and the whole startup economy here," Weld said.

"One problem in academia, I guess, involves the 'publish or perish' business. It's easy to get trapped in the academic rat race and not really understand how your technology does or doesn't impact the world," Weld said.


Copyright © 1996 The Daily of the University of Washington