I believe, the main reason that Linux hasn't taken off on the desktop is the lack of mature open source apps. Desktop users tend to use and have invested in many applications to do whatever it is that they do (i.e. productivity, internet, games, photos, etc.). It takes time to offer solutions (Wine, OpenOffice, etc.) that are as robust (or robust enough) and make it inexpensive and easy to tranfer data and the occasional Windows app (games) to a Linux box.
There is cost (which is slowly declining over time) associated with a transfer from Windows to Linux.
Open source software (linux with specialized robotic apps) + open standards robotic hardware (PC with limbs and sensors) + development time (one to two decades) = a revolution whereby most people on the planet can afford a fairly low cost robotic servant (i.e. maid, gardener, farmer, industrial worker, service employee, etc.)
The work being done with OpenOffice is very much appreciated. However, there is still a great deal to be done. For example, the article reports of a load time of 10 seconds for Writer. On my laptop with a slow 4200 rpm hard drive AbiWord takes about 2 seconds and MS Word takes about the same.
The bundling of all the Office components into one mega-app appears to make for a sluggish suite and that is going to take time to fix.
If successful it would be a great accomplishment. However, according to this Wired article http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65671, 00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3,
NASA is "phasing out its hypersonic engine program to free up funding for President Bush's 'Vision for Space Exploration,' which calls on NASA to focus its energy on sending humans to the moon and Mars."
Therefore,
"As of now, next week's X-43A flight is the final flight in the $230 million program."
I can't help but wonder if these priorities are correct as I'm not quite sure what we intend to do after we reach the moon and Mars.
Ion drive technology allows you to explore space in ways that chemical rockets simply can't.
Quoting from the article,
"We have shown that even a small ion engine like Smart's can get us across space. Now we are planning to build space telescopes and robot probes to planets such as Mercury, using bigger and more powerful ion engines. These will take years off space-travel times. Instead of decades-long missions, we will take only a couple of years to cross space for future projects."
But,
"Ion engines need electricity and only solar panels can provide enough at present. So ion engine missions will be restricted to planets and moons near the Sun."
So the solution to deep space exploration is nuclear-powered ion-drives and NASA is working on it.
I'm afraid that the essence of life is not about "being happier". Though it can be a great byproduct. At its core life tends to be about survival of the fittest (i.e. survive and thrive). And if a person with nanobots in the bloodstream is superior to that of a traditional human, he gets the job, money, political power, etc.
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I believe, the main reason that Linux hasn't taken off on the desktop is the lack of mature open source apps. Desktop users tend to use and have invested in many applications to do whatever it is that they do (i.e. productivity, internet, games, photos, etc.). It takes time to offer solutions (Wine, OpenOffice, etc.) that are as robust (or robust enough) and make it inexpensive and easy to tranfer data and the occasional Windows app (games) to a Linux box.
There is cost (which is slowly declining over time) associated with a transfer from Windows to Linux.
Open source software (linux with specialized robotic apps) + open standards robotic hardware (PC with limbs and sensors) + development time (one to two decades) = a revolution whereby most people on the planet can afford a fairly low cost robotic servant (i.e. maid, gardener, farmer, industrial worker, service employee, etc.)
The work being done with OpenOffice is very much appreciated. However, there is still a great deal to be done. For example, the article reports of a load time of 10 seconds for Writer. On my laptop with a slow 4200 rpm hard drive AbiWord takes about 2 seconds and MS Word takes about the same.
The bundling of all the Office components into one mega-app appears to make for a sluggish suite and that is going to take time to fix.
If successful it would be a great accomplishment. However, according to this Wired article, 00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3,
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65671
NASA is "phasing out its hypersonic engine program to free up funding for President Bush's 'Vision for Space Exploration,' which calls on NASA to focus its energy on sending humans to the moon and Mars."
Therefore,
"As of now, next week's X-43A flight is the final flight in the $230 million program."
I can't help but wonder if these priorities are correct as I'm not quite sure what we intend to do after we reach the moon and Mars.
Ion drive technology allows you to explore space in ways that chemical rockets simply can't.
Quoting from the article,
"We have shown that even a small ion engine like Smart's can get us across space. Now we are planning to build space telescopes and robot probes to planets such as Mercury, using bigger and more powerful ion engines. These will take years off space-travel times. Instead of decades-long missions, we will take only a couple of years to cross space for future projects."
But,
"Ion engines need electricity and only solar panels can provide enough at present. So ion engine missions will be restricted to planets and moons near the Sun."
So the solution to deep space exploration is nuclear-powered ion-drives and NASA is working on it.
will we be happier? That's what life is about.
I'm afraid that the essence of life is not about "being happier". Though it can be a great byproduct. At its core life tends to be about survival of the fittest (i.e. survive and thrive). And if a person with nanobots in the bloodstream is superior to that of a traditional human, he gets the job, money, political power, etc.