Webware 100 winner: Joost

Joost is a video-viewing service that runs on Windows and Mac. It was created by the founders of Kazaa and Skype and has a sizable library of free programming that's supported with small bits of advertising before and after video viewings. The service made a splash before opening up to the public by holding an extended private beta that made use of invite tokens in a similar fashion to Google's Gmail.

Now some of the excitement for Joost has faded, but the service is still a fantastic way to get access to free TV and film content. It's also got some built-in social networking features such as live user chat, a built-in blogging tool, and user created channels where Joosters can create their own video programming.

The service is expected to release a browser-based version that will let users watch Joost programming without the software later this year.

Winner: Joost (Joost.com)
Category: Video