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Open-Source Soft{ware,drink}: "OpenCOLA"
Rahoule writes: "The National Post reports that a Toronto company will release the first open-source cola with its open-source software: 'Steelbridge Inc. will announce today it [will] develop openCOLA, a new software program which automates the selection, discovery, and evaluation of Web sites.'"
FAQ question
2.2:
"Ain't this just a publicity stunt?" Answer: "Sure. But ..."
They describe an interesting-sounding distributed Napsteresque Web crawler, but there's just one thing missing from this open-source project: source. "You'll start seeing code after Labor Day," says today's press release.
this is so trendy it's pathetic.
BTW - i'll be open sourcing my ass next week for all of you who'd like to get a look at it. I figure if i get enough venture capital and go IPO/Open-Source with it, i'll be able to make millions off it. (Yes, that's pronounced GNU/Ass)
FluX
After 16 years, MTV has finally completed its deevolution into the shiny things network
"It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." -David Hume
I can just see it now... /. trolls"
"The official beverage of
-Earthman
Earthman
Say it to me face w/ out wasting space...
Nutmeg and lime, mostly. No "cola nut" flavor to speak of, nor coca leaf, the original raison'd'etre of CocaCola. Some orange juice, perhaps, in Coke, and perhaps a hint of chocolate in Pepsi.
At least that's what I've read in published "decompilations" of the sodas. The label will be interesting, but then who knows how close it'll taste to the Real Thing.
Not a surprise - would YOU want your first rough are-you-sure-we-can-do-this cut at the code exposed for the universe to dissect? I think NOT...
At least they give a date... if they were a game company (or M$), I wouldn't expect anything from them until sometime in 2002....
I love vegetarians - some of my favorite foods are vegetarians.
Again an example of how pathetic Slashdot can be. Put the words "open" and "source" into something and Slashdot will jump right on it. Gee guys, we're not trend followers in the least...
Heh, the source isn't even availible yet for this product.
Why is this here?
Its only a publicity stunt if dumbasses like you post it. Hmmmm....i seem to recall a certain burrito with a stupid cartoon gimmick..hmm oh yea...it was on slashdot too. Hey if i make linux penguin bendy straws, you'll post it on here right? morons.
It better have more caffeine than Jolt..
-
air and light and time and space
Actually, even though Open Source Cola is mere publicity stunt, the idea of Open Source Food itself is pretty good. I think consumers would appreciate knowing what ingredients and processes are involved in producing what they eat. GNU vegetables would only use open-sourced genetic modifications. You would be able to use GNU vegetables in your food, but only if you open-source your recipe.
Mmmm... washing down your yacc and perl onion stew with a glass of OpenCola.
To quote
Or this little gem in the boilerplate:
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of openCOLA! It could quench the thirstiest finite-element analysis researcher!
-- ;-)
Kuro5hin.org: where the good times never end.
- Does it have as much caffeine as Jolt, and does it taste as good? (Hey, I like Jolt. Deal with it.)
- Since the recipe's open-sourced, I presume it's OK to grind up a whole mess of No-Doz or other caffeine supplement to make something even better than Jolt, right?
(Mmm, all the sugar and twice the caffeine of JoltThe company behind this - steelbridge - is making a distributed search engine similar to the one mentioned in a previous post.
:: "The project is deeply cool: a "Gnutella for search" that uses distributed, autonomous, collaborating search agents to keep its users abreast of relevant new Internet documents as they appear, allowing them to modify their queries by training their agents." (their site)
To quote one of their pages
Gnutella-type technology is taking over the world - woohoo!
The world may never know...
--
--
E2 IN2 IE?
openCola(TM) is a Cola style softdrink that will be produced and distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License.
That just sounds so messed up, it just might work!
The FAQ is here: http://steelbridge.com/softdrink.html
It's a shame though....According to the article, the only way to GET the cola is at trade shows, conferences, and the like. No going down to the Gas Station and picking up a copy--ahem, Can. (Although wouldn't that be SO COOL?!)
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon? :P)
(If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't.
I do like the idea of Perl scripts on the can. Though I would put actual working scripts that do something useful rather than "cute" scripts.
nojw
[5]Their wishful thinking
[7]and a dollar will get them
[5]open cola can.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I certainly hope they roll this product out soon. Before long, some white guy in a black suit will outlaw peer to peer networks because of the RIAA. Dispite how my stomach turns with the kitsch involved here, I hope these guys are successful.
Why?
Because if they are a success and pull down a couple billion dollars real fast, it'll grab the lawmakers' attention. They, as we know, tend to value money over most everything else. Therefore, in a lawyer/lawmaker's mind, these must be good guys. If they read in Newsweek that this super-hip (cooler than the Gap) and totally legit tech is a cousin to Napster and Gnutella, they may realize that banning "Technologies Related to Napster" may be a bad idea.
Of course, I may be wrong. If so, I hope these guys go the way of Linuxcare.
Gah
I can picture a friendly-looking moustacioed nerd passing out cans of openCOLA...
Nerd: Want some free openCOLA?
Kernel Hacker: Is it free like "free speech" or like "free cola"?
Nerd: Umm... both, I guess... just try some...
Kernel Hacker: Does it have lots and lots of caffeine?
Nerd: This stuff makes Jolt(tm) seem like rainwater in comparison!
K.H.: Is that normal rain or acid rain?
Nerd: Just try it. Come on... the first one's free... everyone's doing it... don't you want to be '1337?
K.H.: Not particularly... but that stuff sounds powerful... lemme try some...
Nerd: (snickering, hands over a can)
K.H.: Ahhhh... this stuff is goo-- URRk! (Plop! The poor Kernel Hacker falls to the ground...)
Nerd peels off fake moustache revealing that he is actually Bill Gates.
Bill: Mua ha ha ha! That's what you get for writing xbill back in college!
A Large, Bald Goon (Ballmer?) drags the corpse of the poor hacker away, then eats it.
Stay up hacking each weekend. Sleep is for the week.
Well, open sourcing cola makes sense. Open Source Software can be bloated, and Open Source Cola can make you bloated.
Time for my medication again...
Feed The Need[goatse.cx]
But if you create mixed drinks with openCOLA, you have to distribute your entire formula! That darn GPL strikes again!
And what about those people who don't like cola. I'm going to announce my new beverage here and now for non-cola drinkers, and it will be called...
(you have to see this one coming from a mile away)
openJAVA!
ATTN: Slashdot d0Rks
/. guys!). As for the money-making angle of this, I can only see one direction: selling these supreme URLs to search engines and the like.
Re: You don't want to miss this one!
Geez, guys. Forget the stupid cola, did any of you read the article? This looks like Google on wheels to me.
Who cares how many times some other person has viewed a page? Has anyone tried to search for something specific on Google? NADA.
Even if this distributed links deal works, who would give up their surfing privacy to participate in something like this? Do you have to click on some annoying button every time you go to a page that is "interesting"? Will the OPENcola guys get a huge archive of excellent pr0n sites? (Will this be such a bad thing?)
I think they have a WAAAAY lot more thinking to do before they continue. Heck, these guys make actually want to get someone with a computer-related degree to help 'em out (oh, I forgot: they have YOU
Good luck boys. Wake me up when you have something I can chew on.
----- rL
At least in russia the process and ingredients of all food (and food like) products have to be disclosed to the goverment... With a little western influence and an american freedom of information request (or a well placed bribe, a certain well fed penguin comes to mind) I'm sure we could review the recipe for JOLT and brew our own.
Assuming the process does not require a chemistry set large enough to have the goverment think you are setting up a serious drug lab.
TastesLikeHerringFlavoredChicken
TastesLikeHerringFlavoredChicken
Actually, Coca-Cola was originally a coca-based wine product (no kola nut), when the anti-alcohol movement made the company take the wine out (leaving the coca in) and market Coca-Cola as a "temperance" beverage. Coca-based products, including pure cocaine, were extremely popular at the time in the US. The company removed the coca from the product sometime around 1905 I believe. Of course, the Coca-Cola archives have much of this information but from what I hear the company is very strict about making people sign a contract agreeing they won't say anything without the company's permission once they get a look at the archives....
maybe that's what they mean by "root beer"
Yeah, but you know that Microsoft will just want to be part of the openCola movement. So they'll get the recipe, modify it *slightly* so that it uses some patented, closed-source ingredient, and then start competing.
I'm sure some enterprising young geek can get their hands on the recipe and post it on Slashdot. After all, what could they do to us?
;)
-W
1. Most Cola comes pre packaged closed to keep contaminents out of the can.
2. An Open Cola is more susceptible to doing harm by "bad" people who poison it. It is less secure than closed cola. (This statement paid for by Microsoft)
3. An Open Cola is more consuming on resources, and management, as improper handling techniques could lead to an unexpected spill, leak, or even crash. Closed Cola somehow magically circumvents this effect.
4. Open Cola is, by it's very nature dangerous stuff. Due to it's high citrus and sugar content, it can and does regularly damage teeth. It is also carbonated, which could allow for the unexpected to inhale through the opening, and suffocate. Closed cola, while also carbonated, high in citrus and sugar content, and generally no better than Open Cola, cannot be tested as thoroughly, due to the restricting "One Tab" EULA agreement vendors place on their customers.
5. An Open Cola is more apt to go stale quicker than a Closed Cola. Unless, of course, you enact the EULA of the Closed Cola.
krystal_blade
It will be easy to motivate our fellow man; there is hardly anything people treasure more than not being annihilated.
It's good to know that someone is reading the fine print.
#!/usr/bin/perl
.{redmist}.
open(COLA, "cola") || die "No cola for you: $!";
if (/rumourTrue/) {
print "Good god this is dumb\n";
}
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
then they have to put the "source" on anything they sell for money? So the complete recipe is given with each can. So we can modify it, resell it, and give our recipes. Uh huh. Except I'll never be able to find Guar Gum at my local Stop and Spend, but that's beside the point, right? At least all the people saying "Better have more caffeine than Jolt" will get to see exactly how much there is per serving.
I like music
If anyone happens to care, the perl script supposedly on the can happens to have some errors. Most notably is an incorrectly placed semicolon (should be directly after $sip, not after the brace). Oh yeah, and what's the point of a scalar without a context of any sort (aka the $chug and the $sip)?
There's no way they can make money off this. Why would somebody go to the store and buy a can of openCola when they could just download a can?
Corporations aren't going to use openCola because there is no technical support for it. There is nobody to hold liable if the tab comes off of the can or if the contents explode when shaken.
If you choose to go with openCola you are putting your compatibility in jeopardy. Your current cups, straws, pitchers, and other serving devices have not been certified by the manufacturer to be openCola compatible and using them with openCola may void their warranties.
-----
Free P2P Backup, Windows & Linux
At least the article uses the correct definition of "hackers" !
I don't drink cola : I just don't like the taste. Too sweet. I prefer orange juice, and the recipe is already more than open : take one or two oranges, press, pour, drink, enjoy.
-- javaDragon is an instance of JavaDragon.
pimply employee: We need more special sauce! go put some mayonaise out in the sun.
be careful, sometimes I don't finish my sent...
"A witty saying proves nothing." -Voltaire
"A witty saying proves nothing." ~Voltaire
"d'Oh!" ~Homer
But we would never do that, because we haven't bought the album...
And, yes, those are the actual words. I overheard an interview with Eminem, where he thought it was funny that, just because he was constantly insulting "faggots", the world thought he was homophobic.
Publicity stunts aren't limited to OpenCola. Maybe we'd like a little OpenHipHop?
grind up some penguin mints, and dump them in a bottle of jolt. and while that is chock full of caffeine, there's no way to insult RMS by not calling it "Free Soda".
Bad things often happen to good people,
It is up to them to see that they remain good.
That should read "will be brewing up a few thousand cases of cola." It's not ready yet.
National Post: Open Source is a model of software development in which the creators release the source code to a product for free and encourage others to share it, copy it, and modify it, with the caveat that it cannot be sold.
I'm still wincing from reading this, and that was hours ago. I am certain beyond doubt that nobody at the company told them that.
National Post: ...John Henson, the 24-year-old chief technology officer...
John is 27. He only acts like a 24-year-old.
On the label of almost everything I buy, the source code is right there on the package.
Now all I need is a compiler and I'll be all set.
http://crummysocks.com
In the past, when attempting to explain open-source software to non-computer people, I've struggled to find a good analogy to software development and source code.
Recipes for food works qutie well as such an analogy. Anyone with the recipe and some minimal resources can reproduce the product. Those with some skill in cooking can improve/modify it. And once it's out there, no one can stop those activities.
In that vein, I think that it's cute that they're working on the open-source cola in tandem with openCOLA.
But I bet that the perl scripts on the can will be more useful than the recipe.
Solution to blink tags: wrap them in another blink tag, with a javascript delay loop, so they cancel each other out
http://www.penny-arcade .com/view.php3?date=2000-05-26&res=h
=)
Pablo Nevares, "the freshmaker".
Pablo Nevares, "the freshmaker".
It's too bad it's not open source beer... I'd like to see all the "free as in beer?" people get screwed over by that ;)
-- Dr. Eldarion --
It's not what it is, it's something else.
It reverts back to vapourware upon heating.
I'd like to see them put together a full working program, but print various parts of the code on different cans. When they start selling the stuff, the "users" can buy lots of cans and might wind up with a new server or something. Maybe even have a "greatest hits" open source and print something like Apache on the cans.
"The acronym COLA, incidentally, is more an inside joke. In a pamphlet he wrote about the project, Mr. Doctorow says COLA could stand for Collaborative Object Lookup Architecture or Cory On Lotsa Acid or Cows Orbiting at Low Altitude"
Shouldn't it be "COLA object Lookup Architecture", or something like that? Anyone? Bueller?
--
Red Hat Orange Soda (Has an automatic "twist off" and is very easy to drink with it's non-drip opening. All focusing on selling to large business because it has a good distrubation system)
Slackware RootBeer 7 (Comes in a glass bottle without any whimpy twist off cap. You have to use a crowbar to get it open. Not sold in cases, only sold in single bottles, this rootbeer don't have a package system. Because package systems are for the weak.)
Turbo Cola (jolt rip off, note the "TURBO". Comes with the cans "soldered" together so you have to drink 6 at a time. Very usefull for large thrist)
SuSE Green Juice (each case contents 6 times the cans of that of a normal case. Has more soda per case than any other openCola distrubation manufacter)
OpenBSD Cola (Comes with a combination lock based on 1 of 2 million differant encodings instead of a pop top or twist off cap.)
Debain LemonLime (Packaged and distrubated by volentars to the project. The drink is free, but you need to bring you own cup)
Coral Grape (The company used to compete head on with the softdrink giants (Coca-cola, pepsi), but moved it's drink over into OpenCola project and is going on the attack again with an easy to use "twist off")
Solaris Blue (Claims to be OpenCola, but isn't really. Due to a length license agreement printed on the inside of the can, the ink makes the cola near toxic to most indivuals.)
SlashCodeCola (Ever time you ask for the formual it automatically closes the can and you have to wait 24 hours before taking another drink)
"`Ford, you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.'" -THHGTTG
I loved OK soda when it was available around '94. Besides tasting good, you could call 1-800-I-FEEL-OK.
So what ARE the ingredients? I couldn't find them on the web site. If it's really open source, they should be releasing early, often, which means now. And it better be full of caffeine!
Actually, the approximate number of licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop is 2440. I know, I did it myself. That is assuming I took 40 licks per minute (counted over a few one-minute spans over the course of the time interval) and it took just over one hour to complete the Tootsie Pop.
BTW, the flavor was cherry, which may or may not affect the outcome.
I did this when I was 11. I was bored. Don't look at me like that.
I went to
Thanks to the efforts of some meatspace uber-hackers we can now RE most popular trademarked foods, click here.
As soon as they release the source on this soft drink, I plan to fork it, slap a different "label" on the bottle and distribute under a new name. If absolutely necessary I'll add some herbal concoction to keep it buzzword compliant. IANAPS, but IIRC this is what Open Source is all about. Or has become about. Or something.
I do not have a signature
and without the can, you can't get the source on the can.
and without the source, you can't brew your own version of the soda.
It's a conspiracy by the creators of trade shows i tell ya! Only hope they have some at DefCon. All I know is that I can't download their cola source from their web site. `8r/ OPEN SOURCE THE COLA RECEIPE NOW!
(and I don't mean the buggie perl script that assumes that once you start drinking a soda, the variable $reallyThirsty never changes. and I would most likely make a subroutine &recycle() that would be portable, for if you're drinking in your car, etc.)
--
Gonzo Granzeau
Gonzo Granzeau
"Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for.." -Roy Batty
All my beer is open source.
I include the recipe and production notes on the label, and anyone that I give a beer to is welcome to produce their own version based on mine.
Unfortunately, I have a personal policy as a technical writer. I test a product, and test it hard, while documenting it. So my beer labels are often about as comprehensible as code comments written at 3 A.M.
Our secret is gamma-irradiated cow manure
Mitsubishi ad
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Steelbridge, is it? Located on Bloor St. E as they claim to be (mmm, south of Rosedale), this name inevitably invokes the Bloor Viaduct, but a few hundred meters away.
The only bridge in North America from which more lives were ended last year was the Golden Gate. This I would not deem a propitious symbol.
*+]Strange moods are the validation of the universe.[+*
Hi. I'm Allan Cox, Open Source advocate, Linux advocate, and primary coder for Linux's TCP/IP stack. I hope I'm welcome in the SlashDot forums, as til this point, I've been a totally arrogant, antisocial bastard to the community which barely pays for my lifestyle.
In regards to the TCP/IP stack in Linux and my arrogant attitude, I must apologize: as you all already knew, and I just recently admitted to myself, FreeBSD's TCP/IP stack is far superior to Linux's, and to top it off, Microsoft has proven many a time that even the TCP/IP code found in Windows NT functions better than the drivel I have generated myself. Boy, what a humbler that is! It was like RMS and ESR yelling at me on my own front porch (well it's not really my front porch, it's the landlady's, in front of my one-bed, half-bathroom hovel, but you get the point)!
I'd also like to say, in regards to those who read and post in SlashDot's forums... I am sure I will be seeing Allan Cox. [note the period], Alien Cox, Allan Cocks, Allan Coox, and the like. Please, please, please, for those of you who take SlashDot posting seriously (as I do now, amen!) do not let these crank posters (heretofore to be called "trolls") ruin CmdrTaco's bountiful SlashDot experience! "Trolls" take some delight in confusing the populace and causing disparity in the community. Take the time to learn the real from the fake, as I have (re: how I admitted to myself my TCP/IP stack for Linux actually sucks)!
Thank you.
That's the National Post's misspelling, not ours. But what do I know? The last time I saw the expression dy/dx, I tried to simplify it by saying "Hey look! The d's cancel out!"
I think diffs in receipes will be an interesting venture... heh
Best of luck to this venture!--
Gonzo Granzeau
Gonzo Granzeau
"Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for.." -Roy Batty
Ah, an admitted expert. I moderate when my turn comes around, although I seldom moderate downwards. In spite of carefully reading the FAQ, I do not have a crisp definitions.
:)
Would you please compare and contrast TROLL versus FLAMEBAIT ? I really don't know the difference. It seems to me that both attempt to incite a response based on an outrageous statement. Is a TROLL based on a positive statment such as "Windows rulez" while FLAMEBAIT is based on a negative statment ("Natalie sux")? Or is that positive
Furthermore, seeing as the apocryphal Ms Portman was mentioned, please indicate exactly why OFFTOPIC and REDUNDANT are inappropriate. Thank you.
It's like the GNU/Coke. It'll be around forever.