I got into Arduino last year while looking for interesting toys to play with my kid. Even I got a EE as part of my double CS/EE major 15 years ago, I haven't really done any electronic after college. Arduino provides a quick way to get started. Out of box with easy to use IDE, I can make stuffs entertaining my kid and myself in no time.
The experience getting into Arduino reminds me a lot of the beginning days of Linux. There are more mature commercial options out there (e.g. Solaris, IRIX, even HP/UX) and other competing open source like Net/FreeBSD. Even GNU/Hurd was making progress. But one thing Linux got was a friendly community of beginners. Going through the Arduino forum gave me the same feeling of going through Linux forum back in 95: a lot of excitement about this and willingness to help each other and share. That's defintiely one thing other communities lack. One gets "did you real the source?" reply posting anything to a BSD group.
That's almost parallel to where Arduino is today. There are no lack of better or cheaper alternative but most of them are either established embedded communities or serious lack of documentations. Not friendly at all for the beginners. Arduino gives the beginners a friendly place to get started.
And Arduino goes behind just a AVR based board. It's really a ecosystem with standardized IDE and peripherals. Most people's first critics of Arduino, especially those already in the hardware hacking, is the use of AVR and often cite 8bits and the shortage of AVR last years as problem with Arduino. However, I don't really see that as a short coming of Arduino. I just got a Leaflab's Maple which is a ARM based board with Arduino compatible pin layout and IDE. Getting my projects over to Maple from Arduino is smooth. I don't see Maple as a competitor to Arduino but a member of Arduino family.
The article is right on. There will be a lot of competitors now Arduino is on the spotlight but most of them will fail because they don't get the point of Arduino. It's not about raw CPU power or fine point of the system components, it's about community. And ones don't win the hearts of the community by belittle the community's core.
They don't need to design the whole cars. Most of cars today are designed on the shared platforms designed and developed by the suppliers to the automobile brands. BYD just have to build good enough batteries and cores engines and the automobile supply chain is ready to be tapped for the rest.
Yes but have you actually seen an android phone ad? I sure haven't.
Or it's just Google/T-Mobile/HTC are too cheap to put the money where their mouth is? Apple spent 150 millions on the development of iPhone and probably same amount to advertising it. What's the commitment level Google/T-Mobile/HTC has on the first Gphone? I guess both T-Mobile and HTC are waiting for Google to do something and Google is too cheap to commit real resources to it just like all their other products.
Probably because T-Mobile and Google don't have the Apple hype-machine/blogosphere/rumor sites going insane over unreleased products?
Hmm... I think Android has a lot of those rumors/blogs going for it. It's the promised iPhone killer with insane speculation on the impact this phone will have on World Peace. I think it does take over iPhone's title as Jesus phone.;)
Too bad that it's short on delivery and Paris/Lindsay would rather be caught dead without underwear than holding a Gphone.
Third time may be the charm?;)
I can see that could be useful now a day. I use Powerbook. I want to get a Mac Pro for home. Trying to maintain data in two machine is a pain in the butt.
When Jobs brought out NeXT in the 1990, he refused to have harddrive in NeXT and insist everything on the 250MB Optical/Magnetic disc. The idea was the students can carry everything they have on the disc and use any machine available.
How easy is it to get attention in Slashdot with keywords like "China proxies and freedom?" I live in China and work in IT field. I never heard of Marthon until I heard of it in CNet podcast and saw it on Slashdot. Slashdot effects are used to promote the very browsers supported by the authority. Somehow a 1984 moment...
By the way, just figure out how to turn this into gold with a friend running blog site in China. China on one hand wants to monitor the Internet and on the other hand wants to ensure the college graduates Internet proficiency. So, the business model is to run joint blog service with schools and ask school to mobilize their young communist parties members to monitor the blogs as well as posting blogs. This serves to increase the traffic and register bloggers and VC only look at number. So, the profit is actually possible.
Well, in the interest of full disclosure. I am not American. I studied computer science in the US until 96 and that's the best decision I have made. I consider myself lucky as Internet had not taken off when I started in 90s and computer science was still considered a small major. Also, I was lucky to have a good advisor who are knowledgeable in theoretical computer science as well as wide range of interest. I would have gone on to get my Ph.D if it wasn't for Interenet. Did the fashionable and drop out of the program for the gold rush.:( I currently work in China and Japan.
I totally agree with you that it's not necessary to know the theory in order to use those framework or applications. However, that's also the good reasons those jobs got outsourced since they can be standardized and easily train less knowledgeable workers to use them. The outsourcing of the jobs are inevitable. That's just a simple fact of globalization. I am not arguing that knowing about those theories make a programmer more competitor in building those type of applications.
However, let's look at game industries. Writing up an good game engine requires very solid background in math and other theoretical knowledge. If we look at ACM and its publications as the core of computer researches, game programmers are the fastest to adapt a ACM paper into an actual products then any industry. Well, of course, there are factors like less "mission critical" for the adaption. A bug in game is less likely to cause major problem. Game industries are fact in realizing researches into applications and most of the game programming jobs remain in the US.
The more general education approaches of the US universities also educate students in more disciplines. In my college days, I went to classes outside of my major with the students of other majors. I have to study biology as hard as the biology major to maintain my grade. The professor would not give me special treatment just because I was computer science major. This does not happen in the Asian college. There are easy liberal arts classes just for engineering majors which basically just hand out easy grades for the engineering major. 4 years of intensive training on single subject get these graduates suitable for the standardize jobs. They are good at what they are trained for but that also makes the narrowly focus.
The decline of computer science was already happened when I was in school back in the early 90s. There was not much demand for programming works and the major was small. The Internet boom created a surge demand of programmers but died out in the early 2000s. In the mean time, the Y2K problems were at the door step and India got a boosted because one could go there to take the top graduates in college over there to fix the COBOL codes. Just like pyramids building, once you amass the team, they just have to keep on building. The easy web system and standardized enterprise backend were the low hanging fruits. Indians march on.
However, those get lost were just tedious and laborious low level programming jobs. One does not need an education in computer science to get those jobs and that what gets outsourced these days.
American remains the best education ground for the real computer science for the next paradigms. All of the major projects, genome, protein folding, nanotech, space exploration, and other. US are leading in these fields and the demand of programmers are high. However, these fields need real computer science who can actually do algorithms that makes a difference and there are plenty of those jobs out there for real computer science graduates.
The popular press in the US are falling into the trap and concentrate on the losing of laborious jobs oversea and few are concentrate the promising fields for computer science. However, there are few starting to pay more attention to the subject. Stanford, MIT and CMU all have campus wide cross discipline projects under way and I think
Well, in the interest of full disclosure. I am not American. I studied computer science in the US until 96 and that's the best decision I have made. I consider myself lucky as Internet had not taken off when I started in 90s and computer science was still considered a small major. Also, I was lucky to have a good advisor who are knowledgeable in theoretical computer science as well as wide range of interest. I would have gone on to get my Ph.D if it wasn't for Interenet. Did the fashionable and drop out of the program for the gold rush.:( I currently work in China and Japan.
I totally agree with you that it's not necessary to know the theory in order to use those framework or applications. However, that's also the good reasons those jobs got outsourced since they can be standardized and easily train less knowledgeable workers to use them. The outsourcing of the jobs are inevitable. That's just a simple fact of globalization. I am not arguing that knowing about those theories make a programmer more competitor in building those type of applications.
However, let's look at game industries. Writing up an good game engine requires very solid background in math and other theoretical knowledge. If we look at ACM and its publications as the core of computer researches, game programmers are the fastest to adapt a ACM paper into an actual products then any industry. Well, of course, there are factors like less "mission critical" for the adaption. A bug in game is less likely to cause major problem. Game industries are fact in realizing researches into applications and most of the game programming jobs remain in the US.
The more general education approaches of the US universities also educate students in more disciplines. In my college days, I went to classes outside of my major with the students of other majors. I have to study biology as hard as the biology major to maintain my grade. The professor would not give me special treatment just because I was computer science major. This does not happen in the Asian college. There are easy liberal arts classes just for engineering majors which basically just hand out easy grades for the engineering major. 4 years of intensive training on single subject get these graduates suitable for the standardize jobs. They are good at what they are trained for but that also makes the narrowly focus.
The decline of computer science was already happened when I was in school back in the early 90s. There was not much demand for programming works and the major was small. The Internet boom created a surge demand of programmers but died out in the early 2000s. In the mean time, the Y2K problems were at the door step and India got a boosted because one could go there to take the top graduates in college over there to fix the COBOL codes. Just like pyramids building, once you amass the team, they just have to keep on building. The easy web system and standardized enterprise backend were the low hanging fruits. Indians march on.
However, those get lost were just tedious and laborious low level programming jobs. One does not need an education in computer science to get those jobs and that what gets outsourced these days.
American remains the best education ground for the real computer science for the next paradigms. All of the major projects, genome, protein folding, nanotech, space exploration, and other. US are leading in these fields and the demand of programmers are high. However, these fields need real computer science who can actually do algorithms that makes a difference and there are plenty of those jobs out there for real computer science graduates.
The popular press in the US are falling into the trap and concentrate on the losing of laborious jobs oversea and few are concentrate the promising fields for computer science. However, there are few starting to pay more attention to the subject. Stanford, MIT and CMU all have campus wide cross discipline projects under way and I think the fact should be highlighted. Few other countries have the kind of researches base as US to
Ok. I like the series when I first saw it 10 years ago. I picked up the DVDs two months ago and spent a weekend and watch it again. Just so happen that I was doing some readings on Intelligence Design. I felt that there are some implications of Intelligence Design embedded in the series. Well, regardless, the series is pretty entertaining for manga fan.
Computer Science should not be able Enterprise Information Service. It should be about computation. With the Computer Science in the US rushing to "meet" the market demand of Web programmers which are easily outsourced to more focus education in China or India.
Computer Science for the 21st century should be able how to design algorithm to the emerging new computation media like biology, nano machines and other which will require a real understanding of computation and how to design algorithm for them.
There are after all a migration path in the information service sector. Like the migration of farming and labor intensive jobs to low cost countries like India and China, America can still maintain its edge in the field by looking at the real meaning of computer science.
My favorite quote is "Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes" from Edsger Dijkstra.
I think this is simply a show for the US congress. Does anyone seriously think Chinese government actually care where google put its records when they ask for it? Google China will be operating under the Chinese law and Chinese laws are flexible. How does moving the records away from China make a difference?
I think Intel need acquire Apple for the following reasons:
Intel is losing against AMD in both performance and OEM, even Dell is considering AMD. Intel will need something to keep OEM with Intel. Being able to offer OEM the Mac OS X would be a possible way to maintain OEM royalty.
Microsoft is losing the ground of driving the demand of more computing power. On the lower end, Linux is eating into the Microsoft market. Vista has a tough requirement; however, when Vista is shipped in 2007, that would be a mid-level configuration and Microsoft Office can't eat up any more CPUs. Hey, Mac version runs just fine in Rosetta on Intel Mac. On the other hand, iLife (photo, video and music) are going to drive the demand of raw CPU power; thus keep the demand for CPU to be progress at the speed of Moore's Law.
Steve Jobs. In the CES, Intel is clearly targeting at home entertainment as its future market of growth. However, Intel can't rally Hollywood studio behind it's proposal. Intel needs a Hollywood insider and Steve Jobs is a heavy weight Hollywood executive!
Intel needs a charismatic leaders. Few in Silicon Valley can fill Andy Grove's shoe. Come on, Paul Otellini? Jobs is up for the, well, job!
Well, don't need China to set up those "English" language school. Quite a few American schools have already entered China to establish joint venture operation. MBA today and Ph.D tomorrow!
iPod proves that Apple can potentially become a consumer electronic powerhouse. iPod put Apple in the pocket of the mass. TiVo may be the way for Apple to get into everyone's living room.
Right now, living room are packed with VCR, DVD, TiVo, and etc. The next generation consoles: Xbox2, PS3 and Nintendo Evolution will all provide a integrated platform in the living room coupled with the HDTV. Who really needs a computer when you can do pretty much everything with TV and a console box?
Online games are not just addictive, it's also driven by economic factor. WOW Sweatshop in China has caused some concern in the European WOW servers. These are professional traders of virtual items.
It looks like they are moving toward the direction of Mac OS X (Open GL accelerated, Vector Graphics 2D backend). Why not put the effort on GnuStep and make it easier for Mac OS X app developers to bring Mac OS X apps to Linux and extending Linux developers' access to a more commercial market of Mac OS X applications.
It's very entertaining to read/. comments on China. These Internet cafes are shutdown to plow the way for bigger, better and nicer franchised Internet cafe chains bankrolled by IBM and Intel!.
There is a lot of confusion in the discussion. First, Cell won't be used for graphic performance. Nvidia is developing the next generation GPU for PS3. Second, the 250 GFLOPS archived by the 'magic' Cell at 4.7 Ghz can be archive by overclocking the current GeForce FX at 500 Mhz a bit higher. GeForce FS at 500 Mhz already can reach 200 GLOPS.
The excitement about Cell is probably the high communication bandwidth it will bring with Rambus technologies.
All of these technologies are available today. High bandwidth switching bus has been used in high performance workstation and servers for year.
The real contribution of Cell is probably to bring these wonderful to a mass market level with Sony's PS3 launch.
Slashdot Mirror
I got into Arduino last year while looking for interesting toys to play with my kid. Even I got a EE as part of my double CS/EE major 15 years ago, I haven't really done any electronic after college. Arduino provides a quick way to get started. Out of box with easy to use IDE, I can make stuffs entertaining my kid and myself in no time.
The experience getting into Arduino reminds me a lot of the beginning days of Linux. There are more mature commercial options out there (e.g. Solaris, IRIX, even HP/UX) and other competing open source like Net/FreeBSD. Even GNU/Hurd was making progress. But one thing Linux got was a friendly community of beginners. Going through the Arduino forum gave me the same feeling of going through Linux forum back in 95: a lot of excitement about this and willingness to help each other and share. That's defintiely one thing other communities lack. One gets "did you real the source?" reply posting anything to a BSD group.
That's almost parallel to where Arduino is today. There are no lack of better or cheaper alternative but most of them are either established embedded communities or serious lack of documentations. Not friendly at all for the beginners. Arduino gives the beginners a friendly place to get started.
And Arduino goes behind just a AVR based board. It's really a ecosystem with standardized IDE and peripherals. Most people's first critics of Arduino, especially those already in the hardware hacking, is the use of AVR and often cite 8bits and the shortage of AVR last years as problem with Arduino. However, I don't really see that as a short coming of Arduino. I just got a Leaflab's Maple which is a ARM based board with Arduino compatible pin layout and IDE. Getting my projects over to Maple from Arduino is smooth. I don't see Maple as a competitor to Arduino but a member of Arduino family.
The article is right on. There will be a lot of competitors now Arduino is on the spotlight but most of them will fail because they don't get the point of Arduino. It's not about raw CPU power or fine point of the system components, it's about community. And ones don't win the hearts of the community by belittle the community's core.
http://makezine.com/ would be the modern day Byte.
Am I the only one surprised by the fact that Linux could run on an Asus notebook? ;)
They don't need to design the whole cars. Most of cars today are designed on the shared platforms designed and developed by the suppliers to the automobile brands. BYD just have to build good enough batteries and cores engines and the automobile supply chain is ready to be tapped for the rest.
Yes but have you actually seen an android phone ad? I sure haven't.
Or it's just Google/T-Mobile/HTC are too cheap to put the money where their mouth is? Apple spent 150 millions on the development of iPhone and probably same amount to advertising it. What's the commitment level Google/T-Mobile/HTC has on the first Gphone? I guess both T-Mobile and HTC are waiting for Google to do something and Google is too cheap to commit real resources to it just like all their other products.
Probably because T-Mobile and Google don't have the Apple hype-machine/blogosphere/rumor sites going insane over unreleased products?
Hmm... I think Android has a lot of those rumors/blogs going for it. It's the promised iPhone killer with insane speculation on the impact this phone will have on World Peace. I think it does take over iPhone's title as Jesus phone. ;)
Too bad that it's short on delivery and Paris/Lindsay would rather be caught dead without underwear than holding a Gphone.
Third time may be the charm? ;)
I can see that could be useful now a day. I use Powerbook. I want to get a Mac Pro for home. Trying to maintain data in two machine is a pain in the butt.
When Jobs brought out NeXT in the 1990, he refused to have harddrive in NeXT and insist everything on the 250MB Optical/Magnetic disc. The idea was the students can carry everything they have on the disc and use any machine available.
How easy is it to get attention in Slashdot with keywords like "China proxies and freedom?" I live in China and work in IT field. I never heard of Marthon until I heard of it in CNet podcast and saw it on Slashdot. Slashdot effects are used to promote the very browsers supported by the authority. Somehow a 1984 moment...
By the way, just figure out how to turn this into gold with a friend running blog site in China. China on one hand wants to monitor the Internet and on the other hand wants to ensure the college graduates Internet proficiency. So, the business model is to run joint blog service with schools and ask school to mobilize their young communist parties members to monitor the blogs as well as posting blogs. This serves to increase the traffic and register bloggers and VC only look at number. So, the profit is actually possible.
Now, I wonder if this is how China will get to have 100 millions bloggers in 2007
- Little Sister monitor the Net
- Slashdot boys visit the Net
- Boys meet the girls
- ....
- Profit!!!
Come, my Slashdot brethren. Learn Chinese and let's go meet some little sisters in China!Well, in the interest of full disclosure. I am not American. I studied computer science in the US until 96 and that's the best decision I have made. I consider myself lucky as Internet had not taken off when I started in 90s and computer science was still considered a small major. Also, I was lucky to have a good advisor who are knowledgeable in theoretical computer science as well as wide range of interest. I would have gone on to get my Ph.D if it wasn't for Interenet. Did the fashionable and drop out of the program for the gold rush. :( I currently work in China and Japan.
I totally agree with you that it's not necessary to know the theory in order to use those framework or applications. However, that's also the good reasons those jobs got outsourced since they can be standardized and easily train less knowledgeable workers to use them. The outsourcing of the jobs are inevitable. That's just a simple fact of globalization. I am not arguing that knowing about those theories make a programmer more competitor in building those type of applications.
However, let's look at game industries. Writing up an good game engine requires very solid background in math and other theoretical knowledge. If we look at ACM and its publications as the core of computer researches, game programmers are the fastest to adapt a ACM paper into an actual products then any industry. Well, of course, there are factors like less "mission critical" for the adaption. A bug in game is less likely to cause major problem. Game industries are fact in realizing researches into applications and most of the game programming jobs remain in the US.
The more general education approaches of the US universities also educate students in more disciplines. In my college days, I went to classes outside of my major with the students of other majors. I have to study biology as hard as the biology major to maintain my grade. The professor would not give me special treatment just because I was computer science major. This does not happen in the Asian college. There are easy liberal arts classes just for engineering majors which basically just hand out easy grades for the engineering major. 4 years of intensive training on single subject get these graduates suitable for the standardize jobs. They are good at what they are trained for but that also makes the narrowly focus.
The decline of computer science was already happened when I was in school back in the early 90s. There was not much demand for programming works and the major was small. The Internet boom created a surge demand of programmers but died out in the early 2000s. In the mean time, the Y2K problems were at the door step and India got a boosted because one could go there to take the top graduates in college over there to fix the COBOL codes. Just like pyramids building, once you amass the team, they just have to keep on building. The easy web system and standardized enterprise backend were the low hanging fruits. Indians march on.
However, those get lost were just tedious and laborious low level programming jobs. One does not need an education in computer science to get those jobs and that what gets outsourced these days.
American remains the best education ground for the real computer science for the next paradigms. All of the major projects, genome, protein folding, nanotech, space exploration, and other. US are leading in these fields and the demand of programmers are high. However, these fields need real computer science who can actually do algorithms that makes a difference and there are plenty of those jobs out there for real computer science graduates.
The popular press in the US are falling into the trap and concentrate on the losing of laborious jobs oversea and few are concentrate the promising fields for computer science. However, there are few starting to pay more attention to the subject. Stanford, MIT and CMU all have campus wide cross discipline projects under way and I think
Well, in the interest of full disclosure. I am not American. I studied computer science in the US until 96 and that's the best decision I have made. I consider myself lucky as Internet had not taken off when I started in 90s and computer science was still considered a small major. Also, I was lucky to have a good advisor who are knowledgeable in theoretical computer science as well as wide range of interest. I would have gone on to get my Ph.D if it wasn't for Interenet. Did the fashionable and drop out of the program for the gold rush. :( I currently work in China and Japan.
I totally agree with you that it's not necessary to know the theory in order to use those framework or applications. However, that's also the good reasons those jobs got outsourced since they can be standardized and easily train less knowledgeable workers to use them. The outsourcing of the jobs are inevitable. That's just a simple fact of globalization. I am not arguing that knowing about those theories make a programmer more competitor in building those type of applications.
However, let's look at game industries. Writing up an good game engine requires very solid background in math and other theoretical knowledge. If we look at ACM and its publications as the core of computer researches, game programmers are the fastest to adapt a ACM paper into an actual products then any industry. Well, of course, there are factors like less "mission critical" for the adaption. A bug in game is less likely to cause major problem. Game industries are fact in realizing researches into applications and most of the game programming jobs remain in the US.
The more general education approaches of the US universities also educate students in more disciplines. In my college days, I went to classes outside of my major with the students of other majors. I have to study biology as hard as the biology major to maintain my grade. The professor would not give me special treatment just because I was computer science major. This does not happen in the Asian college. There are easy liberal arts classes just for engineering majors which basically just hand out easy grades for the engineering major. 4 years of intensive training on single subject get these graduates suitable for the standardize jobs. They are good at what they are trained for but that also makes the narrowly focus.
The decline of computer science was already happened when I was in school back in the early 90s. There was not much demand for programming works and the major was small. The Internet boom created a surge demand of programmers but died out in the early 2000s. In the mean time, the Y2K problems were at the door step and India got a boosted because one could go there to take the top graduates in college over there to fix the COBOL codes. Just like pyramids building, once you amass the team, they just have to keep on building. The easy web system and standardized enterprise backend were the low hanging fruits. Indians march on.
However, those get lost were just tedious and laborious low level programming jobs. One does not need an education in computer science to get those jobs and that what gets outsourced these days.
American remains the best education ground for the real computer science for the next paradigms. All of the major projects, genome, protein folding, nanotech, space exploration, and other. US are leading in these fields and the demand of programmers are high. However, these fields need real computer science who can actually do algorithms that makes a difference and there are plenty of those jobs out there for real computer science graduates.
The popular press in the US are falling into the trap and concentrate on the losing of laborious jobs oversea and few are concentrate the promising fields for computer science. However, there are few starting to pay more attention to the subject. Stanford, MIT and CMU all have campus wide cross discipline projects under way and I think the fact should be highlighted. Few other countries have the kind of researches base as US to
Ok. I like the series when I first saw it 10 years ago. I picked up the DVDs two months ago and spent a weekend and watch it again. Just so happen that I was doing some readings on Intelligence Design. I felt that there are some implications of Intelligence Design embedded in the series. Well, regardless, the series is pretty entertaining for manga fan.
Computer Science should not be able Enterprise Information Service. It should be about computation. With the Computer Science in the US rushing to "meet" the market demand of Web programmers which are easily outsourced to more focus education in China or India. Computer Science for the 21st century should be able how to design algorithm to the emerging new computation media like biology, nano machines and other which will require a real understanding of computation and how to design algorithm for them. There are after all a migration path in the information service sector. Like the migration of farming and labor intensive jobs to low cost countries like India and China, America can still maintain its edge in the field by looking at the real meaning of computer science. My favorite quote is "Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes" from Edsger Dijkstra.
I think this is simply a show for the US congress. Does anyone seriously think Chinese government actually care where google put its records when they ask for it? Google China will be operating under the Chinese law and Chinese laws are flexible. How does moving the records away from China make a difference?
Linux community should take another look at GnuSTEP. It's an open source implementation of OpenSTEP which is the base for Cocoa.
Wow! A Apple Zealot in denial? ;) Here is the official press release: Apple to Use Intel Microprocessors Beginning in 2006
Well, don't need China to set up those "English" language school. Quite a few American schools have already entered China to establish joint venture operation. MBA today and Ph.D tomorrow!
iPod proves that Apple can potentially become a consumer electronic powerhouse. iPod put Apple in the pocket of the mass. TiVo may be the way for Apple to get into everyone's living room.
Right now, living room are packed with VCR, DVD, TiVo, and etc. The next generation consoles: Xbox2, PS3 and Nintendo Evolution will all provide a integrated platform in the living room coupled with the HDTV. Who really needs a computer when you can do pretty much everything with TV and a console box?
Online games are not just addictive, it's also driven by economic factor. WOW Sweatshop in China has caused some concern in the European WOW servers. These are professional traders of virtual items.
It looks like they are moving toward the direction of Mac OS X (Open GL accelerated, Vector Graphics 2D backend). Why not put the effort on GnuStep and make it easier for Mac OS X app developers to bring Mac OS X apps to Linux and extending Linux developers' access to a more commercial market of Mac OS X applications.
It's very entertaining to read /. comments on China. These Internet cafes are shutdown to plow the way for bigger, better and nicer franchised Internet cafe chains bankrolled by IBM and Intel!.
There is a lot of confusion in the discussion. First, Cell won't be used for graphic performance. Nvidia is developing the next generation GPU for PS3. Second, the 250 GFLOPS archived by the 'magic' Cell at 4.7 Ghz can be archive by overclocking the current GeForce FX at 500 Mhz a bit higher. GeForce FS at 500 Mhz already can reach 200 GLOPS. The excitement about Cell is probably the high communication bandwidth it will bring with Rambus technologies. All of these technologies are available today. High bandwidth switching bus has been used in high performance workstation and servers for year. The real contribution of Cell is probably to bring these wonderful to a mass market level with Sony's PS3 launch.