Is Intel becoming a hybrid of a hardware and software company? I don't know, but one thing is clear that Intel is actively moving towards web 2.0 and software market.

Recently, the company has launched CoolSW, a web 2.0 site where members members can post information about an interesting new software company and, more important, the community votes on whether they think a software company is, well, "cool."

While nothing revolutionary is in CoolSW, the fact that Intel has started this type of community is remarkable. The same social voting mechanism applies to CoolSW that we've seen in many different web 2.0 sites. In other words, companies that receive a lot of votes are moved to the site's front page and thus get even more exposure.

As of writing this post there are 535 software submissions and 126 conversations on CoolSW. Join CoolSW to post your favorite software or support already posted.