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How Does a Poor Economy Affect Tech Innovation?

Posted by kdawson on from the counter-cyclical-investing dept.

sshuber writes "It's no secret that the US and other parts of the world are currently having some economic problems. How is this affecting new technologies under development? With the large numbers of layoffs, are we seeing projects, such as things under R&D, that are being axed? Are companies playing it safe and sticking with what they know sells in lieu of pushing the envelope? Finally, how is this affecting the open source community, either positively or negatively?" A lot of open source work happens with the backing or at least the sufferance of corporations. Do laid-off tech workers contribute fewer cycles to open source projects, or more?

1 of 302 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Depends on how long the downturn lasts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I down a liter of cola...

    I step into the VR room.

    "Tee-hee-hee! Watch me pull an Ed..."

    [off-camera remark]: You don't mean the one in New J{SHUT UP!!}

    "Let me put on long pants and sandals w/o socks..."
    [POOF!] hair to die for! [POOF!] mustache! [POOF!] skintone! [POOF!] accent!

    "Hygiene laws? Health codes? These are politically incorrect. Moreover to the degree that such prevent sickness and death, they violate KARMA!"

    [Anglo enters scene]

    "hey YOU with the chunk of beef in one hand and a mug of beer in the other, keep your boot heels off our necks! We shall purge our land of your god Jesus starting with the Australian and his children [Poppa! Oh No!**SHATTER**-glug-glug-glug-glug--chik-FWOOOMPH!]"

    Oh NO! I'm acting like the real thing! The emulation program is out of control! Shellprompt! Gin and Tonic! [GULP] Gin and tonic did not work. Shellprompt! Fish and chips! [MUNCHING] Fish and chips ineffective. Shellprompt! 0xDEADBEEF! 0xDEADBEEF! I MUST HAVE 0xDEADBEEF!

    [scene ends]

    OK, who slipped Delysid into my cola?