IBM sets software to solve dull tasks

update IBM has released a free online tool that records step-by-step processes used on the Web and then automatically runs those processes, doing away with the need to repeat the actions.

It is targeted at business users and is available on alphaWorks, an IBM online community for early adopters, as a download for Firefox.

Web users who do repetitive tasks, such as going to a Web site multiple times each day to check updated information, can capture their actions as a script, which will carry out the same processes for them.

The tool uses a technique called 'programming by demonstration' to capture the steps of a process by watching people do it and recording those steps in a script. The scripts are integrated with a wiki, so they can be shared with other users.

Colin Barker reported from London ZDNet UK