Hopefully I can find copies of PCVR that some library was smart enough to subscribe to. I looked around, and emailed you what I think might be valid contact info for him.
One of the first examples given when learning RMI is a MUD. It works EXTREMELY well for such a situation, since you can transparently be redirected to a different server when you walk through a door. I was thinking of using this model, so that each deck only contained their own part of space -- linking them thus distributing the database.
Yes, the pod I was talking about was Waldern Industries. Unforunately, I only got to play Dactyl nightmare -- but it was far more immersive than the BattleTech/RedPlanet centers.
So, in regards to the tracking for those... So, what it did when I turned around or knelt down was just get stronger/weaker signals off the gun or headset? From what I understand, most of those types of tracking are only really good in 2D (up/down OR left/right)... Although I guess an extra receiver on the pod would fix that.
I agree that it would be kewl wireless. I was only thinking of the pod with the waist-thing to keep people from walking around bumping into things.
I actually have an Edmunds Scientifics, and I agree -- their optics are really expensive (with the exception of things like Frensel). However, I would not be using any of those.
The OLED stuff I was researching showed that a lot of companies are building displays with them right now. The only problem with the EInk version is that it is monochrome -- but the JCPennys chains are all using them. All the pages I went to talked about how OLED displays could be printed with InkJet printers, etc -- and how they are cheaper than LEDs... From what I understand, you get a sheet of polymer/plastic with transistors on it, then spray it with the ink (which contain polarized light-emiting chips)... So, in theory, it would be LESS expensive if I choose the right manufacturer to work with.
The camera/digitizing software has some appeal for the full-body concept, but how expensive would it be to do well? I figure making gloves could be fairly cheap (thin leather motorcycle gloves with the holes in them?)... I remember seeing the schematic for the IR-version.... What ever came of using "Muscle Wires"/piezo? I like the idea of being able to provide force feedback.
If I can design the hardware well (and cheap), and use this PSC1000a chip... I should be able to use Java for the interface to it. I am currently planning on writing my own software (possibly on top of Java3D), but there are already some games out there using Java... There are also utilities to convert different formats (DXF, VRML, etc) into J3D... I realize the software would be a lot of work -- but until I get the hardware done, I don't even know what I am interfacing too....
I have to say though, this discussion feels productive towards those ends.
My favorite teacher would have had to been Craig Wright, my college writing teacher.
I was in his very first class. First day, he walked in (long hair, shades), looked around, and said "Nah. Not doing this. Get in a circle or something." Everyone kinda looked around and moved the desks. He came in a few minutes later, sat on his desk, put his feet up on another desk, and began. He had everyone's attention.
I proceeded to take every class of his -- Fiction Writing twice -- and even had him be my Councelor.
The thing that was kewl was that we were encouraged to stand out -- to NOT be conservative in our writing. I remember when he told us all to write the most erotic thing we could -- then had everyone read them aloud the next day. Quite a few of us were a bit embarrased -- but it made everyone more comfortable with each other.
For my Research Writing class, my final paper was on the feasibility of moving to Oceania, which was still active at the time. No other writing teacher at my college would have allowed that.
I think that my classes with Craig helped me to realize that I can do it -- that I can make a difference -- and that it REALLY does NOT matter what anyone else thinks.
Re:Question and morals...
on
Antitrust
·
· Score: 1
I'd say that it is very doubtful. But, if they don't, wouldn't that show what side of the script/fence they are on?:)
I can just see it now. People getting busted for using DeCSS on Antitrust -- and the movie studio trying to sue over it.... How many articles would mention the NURV of the Studio?
I remember looking at the book and the PCVR a long time ago, but unfortunately don't have any of them (at least that I can find). I CAN actually order Hollands' book - but for $90 to $100. I am considering it, but currently I am waiting for the library to tell me if they can find it. Perhaps I should ask them about the PCVR too. Do you have the info I would need to submit a request (ISBN? Publisher?)
I am actually looking at a distributed concept. I was thinking of VR decks connecting via RMI over fiber (dedicated bandwidth per frequency -- p2p via RMI). I was considering a chip in the HMD so that it could handle OpenGL or Java3D instead of SVGA input. Java3D already has the 3D Audio as well, so it might work for sound too. I was also thinking that RMI'ing the decks would be like distributing the database as well.
I would like to keep the costs low, so I obviously don't want 10-20 of these chips in a single VR unit... But I was thinking perhaps one in the HMD, one in the deck... Perhaps also one for the gloves/body-suit?
Of course, a lot of this would change if we were looking at doing Waldern-style pods. Then we might want one for the "gun" or whatever and one for the tracking system on the ring around the waist. Not sure.
I realize it would be a lot of work to build our own VR from scratch -- but, would it be cheaper? Better? I am not really sure.
Regarding the $1000+ HMDs... See, that is way out of my league for what I am looking at. I want to make something that at least appears to be high-res for $25-30 (total system cost of about $100). I am considering giving the finished systems away, so I can't really spend $1000 per HMD. That's one of the reason I was looking into OLEDs... They are supposed to be cheaper than LCDs... I have looked around for some small LCDs, but all of the ones I found were kinda expensive... Again getting back to the overall costs....
The problem I had with the powerglove was just the bulkiness, really. I was thinking of something more open to air. Besides, they seem to be a bit harder to come by now.
Where is the REAL costs of designing VR systems from scratch? Obviously it is in the time and the LCDs... But is that it? Is almost everything else fairly inexpensive?
I will reply to your email regarding the JOS, website, etc...
But, in regards to your P.S....
I wonder if there would be enough interest out there for an Open-Architecture Open-Source type group for developing hardware around the PSC1000a.
I took a look through the SourceForge stuff.. I didn't see anything with JOS or GRUB that helped...
However, I was thinking about your comment - specifically the part about threading. It looks like WindRiver systems has a port of PersonalJava for the PSC1000a that they licensed to PTSC. I will know when my package gets here whether that comes with the chip.
The peerings is a good point. If the WindRivers stuff DOES in fact replace all of the peerings, I wonder how they replaced the AWT ones? It would seem that all of the peerings would have to be tailored to the specific way in which you decide to hook up your hardware... Even pinouts should change the peering setup, right?
Thanks for the input! I have in fact already looked through your site (and related links), and bookmarked many of them. Since I can not seem to get a copy of Robin Hollands book, I emailed him and he recommended John Iovine to me. I ordered "Step into Virtual Reality", and am waiting for it to arrive.
I realize that VR hardware would need a lot more than a CPU. That is one of the reasons I was looking at this chip. This quote from the datasheet is part of the reason I thought it might be a little easier:
By incorporating many on-chip system functions and a "glue-
less" bus interface, support chips are eliminated, further lowering
system cost. The CPU includes an MPU, a Virtual Peripheral
Unit, a DMA controller, an interrupt controller, bit inputs, bit
outputs, and a programmable memory interface. It can operate
with 32-bit-wide and 8-bit-wide memory and devices, and in-
cludes hardware debugging support. A minimum system consists
of a PSC1000 CPU, an 8-bit-wide EPROM, an oscillator, and
optionally one x8 or two x16 memories.a total of 4 or 5 active
components.
As far as the HMD goes, I am looking into what options are cheaper than LCD -- possibly OLED, etc. Most of the homebrew VR hardware I have seen so far uses outdated hardware (LCD, shutter glasses, etc). Since I would not need to be compatable with any current technologies (x86, software, etc) -- I figured I might as well try to optimize it cheaply. My thought was that a lot of VR hardware is expensive because it is kewl ("cutting edge"?) not because it costs a lot to make.
I agree that the scale makes a big difference in costs (even these chips are cheaper in bulk) -- but I would like something better than a 486 running w/Sega & powerglove -- and I think it would be FUN to make and test.
But, possibly to clarify my original question, how would you drive an HMD and Glove with the PSC1000a? How would you drive a network connection with it? I don't want to create a motherboard -- but possibly an HMD that natively handles OpenGL instead of SVGA input for example... or perhaps something that handles the triangulation sensors for tracking? or something that handles finger movements and force feedback -- without my PC...
Wouldn't it be possible to cheaply make hardware running VR code (in Java) that is tailored to the task (VR) instead of being designed to do anything and just happens to be running some VR software on top of Windows on top of DOS on top of the i386?
I was looking around quite a bit, and could not find the price of the MAJC chip for comparison (PSC1000a is $25 unless in bulk) -- but I think I did find an interesting difference between the architectures.
Although the PSC1000a is a 32-bit chip, it has hardcoded to 8-bit operands (because Java does). The MAJC chip on the other hand seems to be more like the IA-64 (according to articles) and uses the VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) architecture. Considering the fact that all Java bytecodes use 8-bit operands, I am not sure why SUN went with the VLIW -- but that pops out as the biggest difference. How do we even compare processing speed when the instruction sets are different sizes?
I used to keep up with JOS.ORG. When Java1.2 came out, and they were still trying to put Java1.02 on a Linux kernel, I realized that it wasn't really what I wanted. To be a true OS, it shouldn't run on some other OSs kernel. After looking at your post, I tried to search for it on their website, but search wasn't working.
I know SUN has their Java FEE-based OS out as well, but I do not think we would need to use it since Java runs natively -- and their OS would convert the Java bytecodes into local machine code.
This chip will bootstrap and start running your code natively. I am sure that there would have to be some wierd stuff done to make GUI work -- but we should not need an "Operating System" to run the Java.
What I want to do is write my own software (using perhaps Java3D API) that would just get executed directly on the chip. Even if I wrote my own Java OS that sat between the chip and the VR software -- at least I would not be writing i386 to run Java. However, in theory, any Java program should run on it.
I am currently working a full-time year-contract. There were others I turned down before that were part-time, or shorter duration. What do you program? How strong are your skills? Do you have references?
I didn't even know of the consulting firm I got hired through. They found my resume on my personal website and contacted me. I have lost count of how many have called me so far. But -- if you actively want to persue a specific type of job (telecommute seems difficult to get), check out dice.com -- they have a LOT of listings.
One thing to keep in mind -- if there is something you do NOT want to do, turn the job down -- someone else will come along. I turned down quite a few jobs that wanted me to do J++, and I explained to them I was a Java programmer, not a Microsoft programmer. They had already heard it many times and expected as much from anyone who knew what they were doing. But, they in turn called me on other opportunities, and passed my name along to others.
So, in short, search dice.com and don't be afraid to say NO.
Don't just complain -- try to fix the problem!
on
Antitrust
·
· Score: 1
Reading through the articles (Slashdot, the Forum on the Antitrust website, and various reviews) I have to say that I am the most amazed at the Slashdot audience.
I understand when some lame Reviewer says it sucks because of this and that -- since I/we never trust their opinions anyway.
And even comments on the Forum, where people are asking how to get into this or that -- and some people are leaving extremely long commentaries about what hackers are(not). I understand the ignorance some of the posters might have if they are new to all of this.
But those of us on Slashdot should be a bit more open-minded than that. When I first saw the preview, I decided I had to see it. I did NOT expect that it would be a great flick, or all-accurate, or any such nonsense -- it is from Hollywood after all -- but I wanted to see what they came up with. I was ecstatic to go see it, because I thought I would be entertained.
And I was.
Due to the setting being Portland, which is where I am, I was looking for clues about whether they might be alluding to Paul Allen (now the 4th largest cable company) -- specifically when they made comments about Bill Gates as another guy. It probably wasn't, but it kept me looking for little clues. I loved recognizing the snapshot in front of Oracle Corp downtown (where the Portland Java Users Group meetings are held), and was only slightly annoyed at them having Oregonians pumping their own gas (for realism sake).
Startups in Portland? Hell yeah -- all over the place. That is part of the reason why this is nicknamed the Silicon Forest. Since most people here have DSL and not Fiber drops, I assumed that the timeline was slightly in the future.
I did have a problem with them seeking VC for Open Source -- but, most startups look for VC whether they should or not -- so that was acceptable.
All the little Geekish references (including the tail end of the Credits) were quite to my liking. I would much rather they show a programmers environment with toys, lounging, caffeine, etc -- then try to show it as some normal suit/tie business. Even the "surprise" that he had a girlfriend -- I heard many giggles in the theater.
When I saw things like the Alien Kitty moving tapestries -- did I think it was trite? No, I was trying to figure out how to make them.
Admittedly, much of the movie was predictable -- but it was also enjoyable. Some of the posts here are talking about how it is going to hurt the Open Source Movement -- when in fact I heard many people leaving the theater talking about how it was a REAL problem ALREADY. Even my girlfriend, recently being introduced to these ideas, liked the movie and wanted to know more.
So, I say, if everyone is going to bash a movie that tries to appeal to us -- then take up the torch and try to make our own movies. We don't have to have a large budget. Use the local cable access facilities (ours includes a blue screen:> ), 3D modelling, whatever. I am sure there is no shortage of techs who would be interested in helping out. Instead of constently saying "All Hacker Movies Suck", make a real one. Don't think it will get played? Find the Independent theaters.
At my previous job, they just had me sign an NDA and specifically told me that we can not take other employees with us when we leave. That was doing tech support.
When I left there, I went to work for a contracting agency to a large corporation for Java Programming. I signed the NDAs and all, and a lengthy contract between myself and the corporation. I read through the entire thing, but the consulting firm did not give me a copy of it to take home. The non-compete portion specifically, and I had them clarify it, said that I could not compete with the corporation in regards to the project they were hiring me for. It said that they understand that I will work for others (since I am a Consultant, they HAVE to allow it or I would be classified as an Employee) -- just not to compete with this project. It also said that either myself or the corporation could end the year-contract.
Overall, much more lenient than I expected it to be.
Slashdot Mirror
Hopefully I can find copies of PCVR that some library was smart enough to subscribe to. I looked around, and emailed you what I think might be valid contact info for him.
One of the first examples given when learning RMI is a MUD. It works EXTREMELY well for such a situation, since you can transparently be redirected to a different server when you walk through a door. I was thinking of using this model, so that each deck only contained their own part of space -- linking them thus distributing the database.
Yes, the pod I was talking about was Waldern Industries. Unforunately, I only got to play Dactyl nightmare -- but it was far more immersive than the BattleTech/RedPlanet centers.
So, in regards to the tracking for those... So, what it did when I turned around or knelt down was just get stronger/weaker signals off the gun or headset? From what I understand, most of those types of tracking are only really good in 2D (up/down OR left/right)... Although I guess an extra receiver on the pod would fix that.
I agree that it would be kewl wireless. I was only thinking of the pod with the waist-thing to keep people from walking around bumping into things.
I actually have an Edmunds Scientifics, and I agree -- their optics are really expensive (with the exception of things like Frensel). However, I would not be using any of those.
The OLED stuff I was researching showed that a lot of companies are building displays with them right now. The only problem with the EInk version is that it is monochrome -- but the JCPennys chains are all using them. All the pages I went to talked about how OLED displays could be printed with InkJet printers, etc -- and how they are cheaper than LEDs... From what I understand, you get a sheet of polymer/plastic with transistors on it, then spray it with the ink (which contain polarized light-emiting chips)... So, in theory, it would be LESS expensive if I choose the right manufacturer to work with.
The camera/digitizing software has some appeal for the full-body concept, but how expensive would it be to do well? I figure making gloves could be fairly cheap (thin leather motorcycle gloves with the holes in them?)... I remember seeing the schematic for the IR-version.... What ever came of using "Muscle Wires"/piezo? I like the idea of being able to provide force feedback.
If I can design the hardware well (and cheap), and use this PSC1000a chip... I should be able to use Java for the interface to it. I am currently planning on writing my own software (possibly on top of Java3D), but there are already some games out there using Java... There are also utilities to convert different formats (DXF, VRML, etc) into J3D... I realize the software would be a lot of work -- but until I get the hardware done, I don't even know what I am interfacing too....
I have to say though, this discussion feels productive towards those ends.
I am 27 and I don't like NES. I never did though.
:)
However, I recently bought the Genesis3 and some games
I was in his very first class. First day, he walked in (long hair, shades), looked around, and said "Nah. Not doing this. Get in a circle or something." Everyone kinda looked around and moved the desks. He came in a few minutes later, sat on his desk, put his feet up on another desk, and began. He had everyone's attention.
I proceeded to take every class of his -- Fiction Writing twice -- and even had him be my Councelor.
The thing that was kewl was that we were encouraged to stand out -- to NOT be conservative in our writing. I remember when he told us all to write the most erotic thing we could -- then had everyone read them aloud the next day. Quite a few of us were a bit embarrased -- but it made everyone more comfortable with each other.
For my Research Writing class, my final paper was on the feasibility of moving to Oceania, which was still active at the time. No other writing teacher at my college would have allowed that.
I think that my classes with Craig helped me to realize that I can do it -- that I can make a difference -- and that it REALLY does NOT matter what anyone else thinks.
I'd say that it is very doubtful. But, if they don't, wouldn't that show what side of the script/fence they are on? :)
I can just see it now. People getting busted for using DeCSS on Antitrust -- and the movie studio trying to sue over it.... How many articles would mention the NURV of the Studio?
I remember looking at the book and the PCVR a long time ago, but unfortunately don't have any of them (at least that I can find). I CAN actually order Hollands' book - but for $90 to $100. I am considering it, but currently I am waiting for the library to tell me if they can find it. Perhaps I should ask them about the PCVR too. Do you have the info I would need to submit a request (ISBN? Publisher?)
I am actually looking at a distributed concept. I was thinking of VR decks connecting via RMI over fiber (dedicated bandwidth per frequency -- p2p via RMI). I was considering a chip in the HMD so that it could handle OpenGL or Java3D instead of SVGA input. Java3D already has the 3D Audio as well, so it might work for sound too. I was also thinking that RMI'ing the decks would be like distributing the database as well.
I would like to keep the costs low, so I obviously don't want 10-20 of these chips in a single VR unit... But I was thinking perhaps one in the HMD, one in the deck... Perhaps also one for the gloves/body-suit?
Of course, a lot of this would change if we were looking at doing Waldern-style pods. Then we might want one for the "gun" or whatever and one for the tracking system on the ring around the waist. Not sure.
I realize it would be a lot of work to build our own VR from scratch -- but, would it be cheaper? Better? I am not really sure.
Regarding the $1000+ HMDs... See, that is way out of my league for what I am looking at. I want to make something that at least appears to be high-res for $25-30 (total system cost of about $100). I am considering giving the finished systems away, so I can't really spend $1000 per HMD. That's one of the reason I was looking into OLEDs... They are supposed to be cheaper than LCDs... I have looked around for some small LCDs, but all of the ones I found were kinda expensive... Again getting back to the overall costs....
The problem I had with the powerglove was just the bulkiness, really. I was thinking of something more open to air. Besides, they seem to be a bit harder to come by now.
Where is the REAL costs of designing VR systems from scratch? Obviously it is in the time and the LCDs... But is that it? Is almost everything else fairly inexpensive?
I will reply to your email regarding the JOS, website, etc...
But, in regards to your P.S....
I wonder if there would be enough interest out there for an Open-Architecture Open-Source type group for developing hardware around the PSC1000a.
Anyone? I would, personally.
I took a look through the SourceForge stuff.. I didn't see anything with JOS or GRUB that helped...
However, I was thinking about your comment - specifically the part about threading. It looks like WindRiver systems has a port of PersonalJava for the PSC1000a that they licensed to PTSC. I will know when my package gets here whether that comes with the chip.
The peerings is a good point. If the WindRivers stuff DOES in fact replace all of the peerings, I wonder how they replaced the AWT ones? It would seem that all of the peerings would have to be tailored to the specific way in which you decide to hook up your hardware... Even pinouts should change the peering setup, right?
I realize that VR hardware would need a lot more than a CPU. That is one of the reasons I was looking at this chip. This quote from the datasheet is part of the reason I thought it might be a little easier:
By incorporating many on-chip system functions and a "glue- less" bus interface, support chips are eliminated, further lowering system cost. The CPU includes an MPU, a Virtual Peripheral Unit, a DMA controller, an interrupt controller, bit inputs, bit outputs, and a programmable memory interface. It can operate with 32-bit-wide and 8-bit-wide memory and devices, and in- cludes hardware debugging support. A minimum system consists of a PSC1000 CPU, an 8-bit-wide EPROM, an oscillator, and optionally one x8 or two x16 memories.a total of 4 or 5 active components.
As far as the HMD goes, I am looking into what options are cheaper than LCD -- possibly OLED, etc. Most of the homebrew VR hardware I have seen so far uses outdated hardware (LCD, shutter glasses, etc). Since I would not need to be compatable with any current technologies (x86, software, etc) -- I figured I might as well try to optimize it cheaply. My thought was that a lot of VR hardware is expensive because it is kewl ("cutting edge"?) not because it costs a lot to make.
I agree that the scale makes a big difference in costs (even these chips are cheaper in bulk) -- but I would like something better than a 486 running w/Sega & powerglove -- and I think it would be FUN to make and test.
But, possibly to clarify my original question, how would you drive an HMD and Glove with the PSC1000a? How would you drive a network connection with it? I don't want to create a motherboard -- but possibly an HMD that natively handles OpenGL instead of SVGA input for example... or perhaps something that handles the triangulation sensors for tracking? or something that handles finger movements and force feedback -- without my PC...
Wouldn't it be possible to cheaply make hardware running VR code (in Java) that is tailored to the task (VR) instead of being designed to do anything and just happens to be running some VR software on top of Windows on top of DOS on top of the i386?
I was looking around quite a bit, and could not find the price of the MAJC chip for comparison (PSC1000a is $25 unless in bulk) -- but I think I did find an interesting difference between the architectures.
Although the PSC1000a is a 32-bit chip, it has hardcoded to 8-bit operands (because Java does). The MAJC chip on the other hand seems to be more like the IA-64 (according to articles) and uses the VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) architecture. Considering the fact that all Java bytecodes use 8-bit operands, I am not sure why SUN went with the VLIW -- but that pops out as the biggest difference. How do we even compare processing speed when the instruction sets are different sizes?
I used to keep up with JOS.ORG. When Java1.2 came out, and they were still trying to put Java1.02 on a Linux kernel, I realized that it wasn't really what I wanted. To be a true OS, it shouldn't run on some other OSs kernel. After looking at your post, I tried to search for it on their website, but search wasn't working.
I know SUN has their Java FEE-based OS out as well, but I do not think we would need to use it since Java runs natively -- and their OS would convert the Java bytecodes into local machine code.
This chip will bootstrap and start running your code natively. I am sure that there would have to be some wierd stuff done to make GUI work -- but we should not need an "Operating System" to run the Java.
What I want to do is write my own software (using perhaps Java3D API) that would just get executed directly on the chip. Even if I wrote my own Java OS that sat between the chip and the VR software -- at least I would not be writing i386 to run Java. However, in theory, any Java program should run on it.
I am currently working a full-time year-contract. There were others I turned down before that were part-time, or shorter duration. What do you program? How strong are your skills? Do you have references?
I didn't even know of the consulting firm I got hired through. They found my resume on my personal website and contacted me. I have lost count of how many have called me so far. But -- if you actively want to persue a specific type of job (telecommute seems difficult to get), check out dice.com -- they have a LOT of listings.
One thing to keep in mind -- if there is something you do NOT want to do, turn the job down -- someone else will come along. I turned down quite a few jobs that wanted me to do J++, and I explained to them I was a Java programmer, not a Microsoft programmer. They had already heard it many times and expected as much from anyone who knew what they were doing. But, they in turn called me on other opportunities, and passed my name along to others.
So, in short, search dice.com and don't be afraid to say NO.
Reading through the articles (Slashdot, the Forum on the Antitrust website, and various reviews) I have to say that I am the most amazed at the Slashdot audience.
:> ), 3D modelling, whatever. I am sure there is no shortage of techs who would be interested in helping out. Instead of constently saying "All Hacker Movies Suck", make a real one. Don't think it will get played? Find the Independent theaters.
I understand when some lame Reviewer says it sucks because of this and that -- since I/we never trust their opinions anyway.
And even comments on the Forum, where people are asking how to get into this or that -- and some people are leaving extremely long commentaries about what hackers are(not). I understand the ignorance some of the posters might have if they are new to all of this.
But those of us on Slashdot should be a bit more open-minded than that. When I first saw the preview, I decided I had to see it. I did NOT expect that it would be a great flick, or all-accurate, or any such nonsense -- it is from Hollywood after all -- but I wanted to see what they came up with. I was ecstatic to go see it, because I thought I would be entertained.
And I was.
Due to the setting being Portland, which is where I am, I was looking for clues about whether they might be alluding to Paul Allen (now the 4th largest cable company) -- specifically when they made comments about Bill Gates as another guy. It probably wasn't, but it kept me looking for little clues. I loved recognizing the snapshot in front of Oracle Corp downtown (where the Portland Java Users Group meetings are held), and was only slightly annoyed at them having Oregonians pumping their own gas (for realism sake).
Startups in Portland? Hell yeah -- all over the place. That is part of the reason why this is nicknamed the Silicon Forest. Since most people here have DSL and not Fiber drops, I assumed that the timeline was slightly in the future.
I did have a problem with them seeking VC for Open Source -- but, most startups look for VC whether they should or not -- so that was acceptable.
All the little Geekish references (including the tail end of the Credits) were quite to my liking. I would much rather they show a programmers environment with toys, lounging, caffeine, etc -- then try to show it as some normal suit/tie business. Even the "surprise" that he had a girlfriend -- I heard many giggles in the theater.
When I saw things like the Alien Kitty moving tapestries -- did I think it was trite? No, I was trying to figure out how to make them.
Admittedly, much of the movie was predictable -- but it was also enjoyable. Some of the posts here are talking about how it is going to hurt the Open Source Movement -- when in fact I heard many people leaving the theater talking about how it was a REAL problem ALREADY. Even my girlfriend, recently being introduced to these ideas, liked the movie and wanted to know more.
So, I say, if everyone is going to bash a movie that tries to appeal to us -- then take up the torch and try to make our own movies. We don't have to have a large budget. Use the local cable access facilities (ours includes a blue screen
Don't just complain -- try to fix the problem!
I agree. I was thinking we could use them with EInk perhaps. Make a VR HMD out of it.
But since the EInk is only monochrome.... Would there be a way to use multiple layers of these and EInk so that we could get RGB or CYMK?
At my previous job, they just had me sign an NDA and specifically told me that we can not take other employees with us when we leave. That was doing tech support.
When I left there, I went to work for a contracting agency to a large corporation for Java Programming. I signed the NDAs and all, and a lengthy contract between myself and the corporation. I read through the entire thing, but the consulting firm did not give me a copy of it to take home. The non-compete portion specifically, and I had them clarify it, said that I could not compete with the corporation in regards to the project they were hiring me for. It said that they understand that I will work for others (since I am a Consultant, they HAVE to allow it or I would be classified as an Employee) -- just not to compete with this project. It also said that either myself or the corporation could end the year-contract.
Overall, much more lenient than I expected it to be.