and are saying 'thankyou sir, may I have another'. So is there any surprise that Microsoft is deciding to beat them with a stick also? Microsoft is not REALLY beating them, they're beating themselves and paying Microsoft for the honor.
What's Microsoft got to worry, once they purchase the MS Vista upgrade and try to fix their existing system, they own it. And like what was mentioned, their only option is to re-install the previous MS OS and then, since they already have an paid for MS Vista, they might just as well flog themselves...I mean install that too.
Here Gates goes again, talking to clueless business persons as if he's got a crystal ball or something. There has already been a good amount of debate on if HD DVDs will really take off or if downloaded content will make the new DVD format far less 'interesting' than its predesessor, STD DVD. The debate tends to be short lived since the conclusion is obvious. But, the timeframe might be up for debate.
So there's really nothing here except THE modern-day snake oil salesman is at it again. IMO
I've been wondering how Microsoft is going to handle the THREE Windows platforms they are pushing and some schizophrenic moves are surely going to be a result. The three are the game console, media center, and PC systems and the lines are really blurring between them all. I'll bet that restructuring Microsoft every 2 years to keep Wall Street guessing where the money is coming/going doesn't help. Not to mention Sony's PS marketshare is a massive threat as it also looks to move toward media center capabilities. Linux and OSS being found in more CE devices and getting worldwide support growing daily on the desktop and server is pushing two of Microsofts marketing mechanisms in a direction they'd not wanted. That being removal of OS subsystem interdependentcies. And then there's Apple with it's growth from the tiny iPod productline moving into media center markets via a massive branding machine not to mention incredible UI work.
I can't help but thinking that Microsoft, by believing that one platform will rule them all, is going to find it very difficult to make Windows everything to every sector. Atleast Apple is willing to move to products outside of their Mac OS specialties but then again, Apple OS X doesn't have the hold on the market like Windows does. It's also hard to get stuck using one hammer on everything because that hammer has been a trusted competition crusher in the past. Obviously I'm talking about Windows here. Will game developers take getting pushed around as a tool for Microsoft to limit them from developing for the Sony console? Will CE vendors feel the same way as they try to move MS MCPC into livingrooms and find Microsofts hand if they even look at developing a Linux based CE devices. What about MS MCPC vendors supporting Apple CE devices?
No wonder Balmer is throwing chairs around. Something akin to Prozak has been holding them together but it is having a weakening effect on Microsofts product and marketing moves. Maybe we are seeing that in the many directions Vista is pushing developers, OEMs, service vendors, etc? Hey, they're going to spend BILLIONS marketing it so watch for the fun soon. Didn't the MS Zune device no work with Vista?
From what I've read, DirectX sucked until Microsoft got the lead SGI developer out of SGI's hands.
Microsoft diverted SGI's attention away from OpenGL and toward the Fahrenheit project, failed to provide the product required to make the joint project work on Windows, and then, after 5 years of dragging their feet, they terminated the project and hired SGI's lead developer away to the MS DirectX project.
Typical MSFT 'innovation' technique. Come to think of it, didn't they hire away all the lead tools designers from Borland just before announcing something called MS.Net? That should ring a bell with some.
Microsoft is a marketing company first and foremost. Remember that and the fog will clear. Given that, they will do whatever it takes to force customers to purchase new product. Look at how they handled USB support years ago. They wouldn't provide updates enabling USB to their existing OS's but made sure that something like "Supports USB devices" was a marketing point for the 'new' OS. I wonder how many millions of MS Windows 95 users spent the ~$100 to upgrade for USB support? IIRC, MS Windows 2000 was leveraged this way too. There is no way there was any technical reason why USB support could not have been added as an OS fixpack/patch.
So, it's a marketing tactic Microsoft is well known for and anybody who plays in the Micrsoft Windows world should be aware of this since it's your money they are taking. No surpises seen here.
The project was called Fahrenheit and was initiated around 1997. Knowing, from history, how Microsoft works it would appear that Microsoft wanted to teach their developers a thing or two about 3D graphics and steer 'the competition' in another direction to slow their momentum. IIRC, there was a bit of interest in 3D on the desktop in the mid 90's with SigGraph and Comdex vendors showing VRML and even some OpenGL extensions to Java. Definately enough motivation for MSFT to throw a million or two at a diversionary project. At the same time, they're likely to also have driven any of their development 'partners' like gamers or CAD vendors away from OpenGL and toward D3D. I think even Carmack was getting pressure from MSFT to use D3D instead of OpenGL around that time but I'm just guessing there.
Oh, and ZDNet has always been a Microsoft mouth piece and you've got to put on some thick filtering glasses when reading their articles/marketing materials. DataQuest was very good at putting together 'reports' tuned to shine a good light on Microsoft and darken out the competition. I've seen them called DataGuess more than a few times.
IMO, Microsoft did get involved with OpenGL and used their time tested methods of pushing it sideways as it found ways to market and purchase marketshare for their replacement product(s). I've been impressed with how resilient OpenGL has been. Xgl/Compiz run quite nicely on a little laptop and I've seen more than a couple of Java applications using Java3D with performance being quite good.
where are you going to get a $200 Windows PC? Heck, at a minimum, Microsoft might charge $50 for the OS license and the OS is going to be XP Home at the very least. Then, you've got another $50 for the monitor and $10-$15 for keyboard/mouse. That leaves under $100 for the whole box.... memory, cpu, mobo, ps, hd, cd, and case. It's more likely to be $300-$400 minimum and you still have to have it connected to a network for grant submission( ActiveX in MS IE ) and if you think people are going to leave the box alone and use it just for grant submission then you are kidding yourself.
I'll repeat what I said earlier, the cheaper and easier solution is to sandbox Windows in a VM. The only cost is about $40 for a full copy of MS Window 98 and can easily be brought up and down as needed in almost any PC around the office.
TFA stated that they obtained the source code from the state of Iowa under the agreement that they would not and could not commercialize the product. This should have been the end of the story but it seems this trooper is not playing with a full deck.
Somehow, this brilliant trooper thinks that even after he was paid to customize the software for his org, if he put in more of his own time on this and submitted all that to his org, he owns the rights to all the changes. That's just dumb IMO. If anything, he should have only provided to his org what he completed on salary and then approached the owners of the product in Iowa to see if they would allow him to market his additional changes.
Sounds like what we'd hear/see on Judge Wapners "The People's Court" and not/. IMO.
agreed but a 'stink' should still be made about the requirement. Too many just go on jumping through hoops put up for them instead of screaming abit before jumping.
Oh and it's easier than purchasing a $300 machine with a Microsoft tax for Windows XP. Get and old copy of Windows 98 and install it in a virtual machine via the free VMware GSX server. Then just run the VM image file on any PC using the free VMware player. It's so easy that Microsoft prevents this in their EULA for the two low priced versions of MS Windows Vista.
So if you MUST RUN WINDOWS, put it in a sandbox where it belongs. IMO.
If Microsoft OS designers took the Operating Systems Design 101 classes many universities provided over the years, they wouldn't be in this situation. Think about it. Why do Windows users think that when an application crashes or has problems, it is the operating system causing the problem. And if THAT is still the case for their latest OS release, they deserve getting blamed for the failures.
Device drivers are another story but still, tech support should be able to troubleshoot the problem instead of telling most people to reinstall the OS.
Forcing developers to get MS certification is just another way to control the development market and allow Microsofts own developers advantages when they feel they want the market. It is interesting how Microsoft is already concerned about who will get blamed for poor user experiences with their NEW operating system. I guess businesses must be having a grand time with it already.
it probably could make alot of the parts it is made of except the metal ones ofcourse. But one problem would be that it's unlikey that the layered parts will have the strength of the original. If you look at the pictures, most of the device is made of sheet plastic of some kind.
So it's not likely but yes, it would be pretty cool if it could.
Maybe they should have thought about that 8 or so years ago when SOMEBODY decided that Windows was going to be the standard for ALL DoD systems. Sure some DoD engineers screamed at that and the document was changed to allow some embedded systems and realtime systems to use non-Microsoft operating systems. But it took no 'rocket scientist' then nor now to understand Microsoft is a marketing company above all else and that its operating system software designs were flawed.
Now, for the past 6 years they've found their systems being hacked and broken into left and right, from servers to desktops and still they continue...
But there's hope. They might "fix" Windows like they've "fixed" Iraq....
BTW, maybe SOMEBODY should have looked into it when Bill Gates purchased a huge stake in a NewPort News shipbuilder and only months later THAT shipbuilder was "awarded" the contract to install Microsoft Windows on new aircraft carriers such as the USS Ronald Reagan. What next, public libraries and public schools?
THIS is definately going to be a problem for anybody who thought that Linux and/or opensource was going to rise to the top because of better design and security.
With the US government is so 'bent' on sticking with( and paying Microsoft for ) running its systems on Microsoft software, they are willing to lend their experts to Microsoft in order to improve the systems design and security as a way to improve the governments already poor security rating.
Such a shame. Where is the free market cause I don't see it?
Your answer can be found in a simple question: Why do companies sell stock?
hint: it has something to do with money and the ability to then do SOMETHING with that money.
And just do a search on "socially responsible investing" if you want to know something about what THAT is all about. I do agree that consumers ALSO have a responsibility but it surely does not end or start there.
Do you think Bill Gates is really thinking social responsibility when picking his investments? Look how he's run Microsoft for a clue to THAT question. He's looking for profits and ROI and it's doubtful he directs his investment managers to be concerned with social consequences of his investments. IMO.
You know, they've had a ICE/Hybrid project going since the mid 90's and showed a prototype in 1999. They've also shown hydrogen vehicles and a whole bunch of other stuff which has NEVER been put into production.
So I'll believe it when they actually release the thing and just showing it is meaningless when it's GM. IMO.
BTW, I read an article on this where it said that GM had a fully-electric car called the EV1 but the public would not buy it and so it was discontinued... Yea, right.
1) Another option is to reduce the 3 PCs to 1 PC running multi-head multi-user: ex. http://linuxgazette.net/124/smith.html if you NEED windows then run inside of free vmware server. If you don't want a DIY solution, there's a commercial version at http://userful.com/
2) I'm guessing your fans blow in since you said the cable hole is at the top. The cable hole should be more than just and inch or so in diameter and probably atleast the size of one of the fan holes.
3) to reduce the fan noise, mount the fans inside the box and run curved(noise baffle) ducting to the holes.
for no good reason? What about making it look different enough to justify calling it a new version? You know that if the only major change was the native file format(again), who would justify the cost/expense of upgrading? Now, there's all these BIG changes and wow, they've got to be worth the money.;-)
Written in Java and leverages Java3D and has scripting via python along with a couple of extensions: Neural Network library (PicoNode) and Evolutionary Algorithms library (PicoEvo)
Seems like a good start for the graphical simulator tool.
remember, Microsoft has already said that they are going to spend something like $2 billion on marketing and other market growth efforts. I would not doubt that Microsoft purchased space for these articles since it's well known in the tech sector that Microsoft is not where new stuff happens. By purchasing these articles in such a rag as Sci American, they'll win mindshare from all those lazyboy techies who believe the marketing material presented.
Yup, sure looks like Microsoft purchased advertising space for the Bill Gates marketing piece. The content is simplistic and naive while he goes on and on about Microsofts new robotics effort. And putting Mundie on the project just stinks of opposing current GNU/Linux open source efforts in robotics.
BTW, notice the ads for Microsofts 3D rebotics kit?
As if this guy and his clowns are experts on standards which promote sharing and progress. I don't think so.
It's pretty obvious that he's seeing Linux and opensource software spread in the robotics field and he wants to purchase his way into this market with his proprietary Windows platform. Pretty soon, bloggers will be getting free robots running Windows and a proprietary Microsoft framework and the bloggers will go gaga over it. On the other hand, developers will have to deal with memory leaks and work-arounds just to get their bots saying 'hello world' and they'll wait and wait for the next version of the framework which fixes some bugs and causes hundreds more.
If the world wants to see progress in consumer based robotics, open source is the only way to go. May the best APIs win. And I don't mean the one with the best marketing. IMO.
Slashdot Mirror
Given the numbers coming out, I'd think that it sure can't hurt for these guys to post the number they are.
e ctor=Briefings
Here(2nd page ) Mark Shuttleworth mentioned Ubuntu having 8 million active users:
http://redherring.com/PrintArticle.aspx?a=20497&s
Now what are the hardware vendors waiting for? Permission from Microsoft?
LoB
and are saying 'thankyou sir, may I have another'. So is there any surprise that Microsoft is deciding to beat them with a stick also? Microsoft is not REALLY beating them, they're beating themselves and paying Microsoft for the honor.
What's Microsoft got to worry, once they purchase the MS Vista upgrade and try to fix their existing system, they own it. And like what was mentioned, their only option is to re-install the previous MS OS and then, since they already have an paid for MS Vista, they might just as well flog themselves...I mean install that too.
LoB
Here Gates goes again, talking to clueless business persons as if he's got a crystal ball or something. There has already been a good amount of debate on if HD DVDs will really take off or if downloaded content will make the new DVD format far less 'interesting' than its predesessor, STD DVD. The debate tends to be short lived since the conclusion is obvious. But, the timeframe might be up for debate.
So there's really nothing here except THE modern-day snake oil salesman is at it again. IMO
LoB
so what's the big deal? ;-)
LoB
I've been wondering how Microsoft is going to handle the THREE Windows platforms they are pushing and some schizophrenic moves are surely going to be a result. The three are the game console, media center, and PC systems and the lines are really blurring between them all. I'll bet that restructuring Microsoft every 2 years to keep Wall Street guessing where the money is coming/going doesn't help. Not to mention Sony's PS marketshare is a massive threat as it also looks to move toward media center capabilities. Linux and OSS being found in more CE devices and getting worldwide support growing daily on the desktop and server is pushing two of Microsofts marketing mechanisms in a direction they'd not wanted. That being removal of OS subsystem interdependentcies. And then there's Apple with it's growth from the tiny iPod productline moving into media center markets via a massive branding machine not to mention incredible UI work.
I can't help but thinking that Microsoft, by believing that one platform will rule them all, is going to find it very difficult to make Windows everything to every sector. Atleast Apple is willing to move to products outside of their Mac OS specialties but then again, Apple OS X doesn't have the hold on the market like Windows does. It's also hard to get stuck using one hammer on everything because that hammer has been a trusted competition crusher in the past. Obviously I'm talking about Windows here. Will game developers take getting pushed around as a tool for Microsoft to limit them from developing for the Sony console? Will CE vendors feel the same way as they try to move MS MCPC into livingrooms and find Microsofts hand if they even look at developing a Linux based CE devices. What about MS MCPC vendors supporting Apple CE devices?
No wonder Balmer is throwing chairs around. Something akin to Prozak has been holding them together but it is having a weakening effect on Microsofts product and marketing moves. Maybe we are seeing that in the many directions Vista is pushing developers, OEMs, service vendors, etc? Hey, they're going to spend BILLIONS marketing it so watch for the fun soon. Didn't the MS Zune device no work with Vista?
LoB
From what I've read, DirectX sucked until Microsoft got the lead SGI developer out of SGI's hands.
.Net? That should ring a bell with some.
Microsoft diverted SGI's attention away from OpenGL and toward the Fahrenheit project, failed to provide the product required to make the joint project work on Windows, and then, after 5 years of dragging their feet, they terminated the project and hired SGI's lead developer away to the MS DirectX project.
Typical MSFT 'innovation' technique. Come to think of it, didn't they hire away all the lead tools designers from Borland just before announcing something called MS
LoB
Microsoft is a marketing company first and foremost. Remember that and the fog will clear. Given that, they will do whatever it takes to force customers to purchase new product. Look at how they handled USB support years ago. They wouldn't provide updates enabling USB to their existing OS's but made sure that something like "Supports USB devices" was a marketing point for the 'new' OS. I wonder how many millions of MS Windows 95 users spent the ~$100 to upgrade for USB support? IIRC, MS Windows 2000 was leveraged this way too. There is no way there was any technical reason why USB support could not have been added as an OS fixpack/patch.
So, it's a marketing tactic Microsoft is well known for and anybody who plays in the Micrsoft Windows world should be aware of this since it's your money they are taking. No surpises seen here.
LoB
Didn't Microsoft get SGI to start working on a new, joint path for OpenGL? 'google'ing for it I found this:
y _dumps_windows_opengl/A PI
http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/11/29/ms_quietl
and this nugget on the joint project:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_graphics_
The project was called Fahrenheit and was initiated around 1997. Knowing, from history, how Microsoft works it would appear that Microsoft wanted to teach their developers a thing or two about 3D graphics and steer 'the competition' in another direction to slow their momentum. IIRC, there was a bit of interest in 3D on the desktop in the mid 90's with SigGraph and Comdex vendors showing VRML and even some OpenGL extensions to Java. Definately enough motivation for MSFT to throw a million or two at a diversionary project. At the same time, they're likely to also have driven any of their development 'partners' like gamers or CAD vendors away from OpenGL and toward D3D. I think even Carmack was getting pressure from MSFT to use D3D instead of OpenGL around that time but I'm just guessing there.
Oh, and ZDNet has always been a Microsoft mouth piece and you've got to put on some thick filtering glasses when reading their articles/marketing materials. DataQuest was very good at putting together 'reports' tuned to shine a good light on Microsoft and darken out the competition. I've seen them called DataGuess more than a few times.
IMO, Microsoft did get involved with OpenGL and used their time tested methods of pushing it sideways as it found ways to market and purchase marketshare for their replacement product(s). I've been impressed with how resilient OpenGL has been. Xgl/Compiz run quite nicely on a little laptop and I've seen more than a couple of Java applications using Java3D with performance being quite good.
LoB
where are you going to get a $200 Windows PC? Heck, at a minimum, Microsoft might charge $50 for the OS license and the OS is going to be XP Home at the very least. Then, you've got another $50 for the monitor and $10-$15 for keyboard/mouse. That leaves under $100 for the whole box.... memory, cpu, mobo, ps, hd, cd, and case. It's more likely to be $300-$400 minimum and you still have to have it connected to a network for grant submission( ActiveX in MS IE ) and if you think people are going to leave the box alone and use it just for grant submission then you are kidding yourself.
I'll repeat what I said earlier, the cheaper and easier solution is to sandbox Windows in a VM. The only cost is about $40 for a full copy of MS Window 98 and can easily be brought up and down as needed in almost any PC around the office.
LoB
TFA stated that they obtained the source code from the state of Iowa under the agreement that they would not and could not commercialize the product. This should have been the end of the story but it seems this trooper is not playing with a full deck.
/. IMO.
Somehow, this brilliant trooper thinks that even after he was paid to customize the software for his org, if he put in more of his own time on this and submitted all that to his org, he owns the rights to all the changes. That's just dumb IMO. If anything, he should have only provided to his org what he completed on salary and then approached the owners of the product in Iowa to see if they would allow him to market his additional changes.
Sounds like what we'd hear/see on Judge Wapners "The People's Court" and not
LoB
agreed but a 'stink' should still be made about the requirement. Too many just go on jumping through hoops put up for them instead of screaming abit before jumping.
Oh and it's easier than purchasing a $300 machine with a Microsoft tax for Windows XP. Get and old copy of Windows 98 and install it in a virtual machine via the free VMware GSX server. Then just run the VM image file on any PC using the free VMware player. It's so easy that Microsoft prevents this in their EULA for the two low priced versions of MS Windows Vista.
So if you MUST RUN WINDOWS, put it in a sandbox where it belongs. IMO.
LoB
If Microsoft OS designers took the Operating Systems Design 101 classes many universities provided over the years, they wouldn't be in this situation. Think about it. Why do Windows users think that when an application crashes or has problems, it is the operating system causing the problem. And if THAT is still the case for their latest OS release, they deserve getting blamed for the failures.
Device drivers are another story but still, tech support should be able to troubleshoot the problem instead of telling most people to reinstall the OS.
Forcing developers to get MS certification is just another way to control the development market and allow Microsofts own developers advantages when they feel they want the market. It is interesting how Microsoft is already concerned about who will get blamed for poor user experiences with their NEW operating system. I guess businesses must be having a grand time with it already.
LoB
it probably could make alot of the parts it is made of except the metal ones ofcourse. But one problem would be that it's unlikey that the layered parts will have the strength of the original. If you look at the pictures, most of the device is made of sheet plastic of some kind.
So it's not likely but yes, it would be pretty cool if it could.
LoB
USS Yorktown is correct.
s h+divide+by+zero
http://www.google.com/search?q=yorktown+towed+cra
LoB
Maybe they should have thought about that 8 or so years ago when SOMEBODY decided that Windows was going to be the standard for ALL DoD systems. Sure some DoD engineers screamed at that and the document was changed to allow some embedded systems and realtime systems to use non-Microsoft operating systems. But it took no 'rocket scientist' then nor now to understand Microsoft is a marketing company above all else and that its operating system software designs were flawed.
Now, for the past 6 years they've found their systems being hacked and broken into left and right, from servers to desktops and still they continue...
But there's hope. They might "fix" Windows like they've "fixed" Iraq....
BTW, maybe SOMEBODY should have looked into it when Bill Gates purchased a huge stake in a NewPort News shipbuilder and only months later THAT shipbuilder was "awarded" the contract to install Microsoft Windows on new aircraft carriers such as the USS Ronald Reagan. What next, public libraries and public schools?
LoB
THIS is definately going to be a problem for anybody who thought that Linux and/or opensource was going to rise to the top because of better design and security.
With the US government is so 'bent' on sticking with( and paying Microsoft for ) running its systems on Microsoft software, they are willing to lend their experts to Microsoft in order to improve the systems design and security as a way to improve the governments already poor security rating.
Such a shame. Where is the free market cause I don't see it?
LoB
Your answer can be found in a simple question: Why do companies sell stock?
hint: it has something to do with money and the ability to then do SOMETHING with that money.
And just do a search on "socially responsible investing" if you want to know something about what THAT is all about. I do agree that consumers ALSO have a responsibility but it surely does not end or start there.
LoB
Do you think Bill Gates is really thinking social responsibility when picking his investments? Look how he's run Microsoft for a clue to THAT question. He's looking for profits and ROI and it's doubtful he directs his investment managers to be concerned with social consequences of his investments. IMO.
LoB
You know, they've had a ICE/Hybrid project going since the mid 90's and showed a prototype in 1999. They've also shown hydrogen vehicles and a whole bunch of other stuff which has NEVER been put into production.
So I'll believe it when they actually release the thing and just showing it is meaningless when it's GM. IMO.
BTW, I read an article on this where it said that GM had a fully-electric car called the EV1 but the public would not buy it and so it was discontinued... Yea, right.
LoB
three comments to offer:
1) Another option is to reduce the 3 PCs to 1 PC running multi-head multi-user:
ex. http://linuxgazette.net/124/smith.html if you NEED windows then run inside of free vmware server.
If you don't want a DIY solution, there's a commercial version at http://userful.com/
2) I'm guessing your fans blow in since you said the cable hole is at the top. The cable hole should be more than just and inch or so in diameter and probably atleast the size of one of the fan holes.
3) to reduce the fan noise, mount the fans inside the box and run curved(noise baffle) ducting to the holes.
LoB
for no good reason? What about making it look different enough to justify calling it a new version? You know that if the only major change was the native file format(again), who would justify the cost/expense of upgrading? Now, there's all these BIG changes and wow, they've got to be worth the money. ;-)
LoB
There's a pretty cool 3D robotics simulator( open source and GPL'ed ) called Simbad at:
http://simbad.sourceforge.net/
Written in Java and leverages Java3D and has scripting via python along with a couple of
extensions: Neural Network library (PicoNode) and Evolutionary Algorithms library (PicoEvo)
Seems like a good start for the graphical simulator tool.
LoB
remember, Microsoft has already said that they are going to spend something like $2 billion on marketing and other market growth efforts. I would not doubt that Microsoft purchased space for these articles since it's well known in the tech sector that Microsoft is not where new stuff happens. By purchasing these articles in such a rag as Sci American, they'll win mindshare from all those lazyboy techies who believe the marketing material presented.
LoB
Yup, sure looks like Microsoft purchased advertising space for the Bill Gates marketing piece. The content is simplistic and naive while he goes on and on about Microsofts new robotics effort. And putting Mundie on the project just stinks of opposing current GNU/Linux open source efforts in robotics.
BTW, notice the ads for Microsofts 3D rebotics kit?
Too bad they didn't mention the opensource 3D robotics simulator called Simbad( http://simbad.sourceforge.net/ ).
LoB
As if this guy and his clowns are experts on standards which promote sharing and progress. I don't think so.
It's pretty obvious that he's seeing Linux and opensource software spread in the robotics field and he wants to purchase his way into this market with his proprietary Windows platform. Pretty soon, bloggers will be getting free robots running Windows and a proprietary Microsoft framework and the bloggers will go gaga over it. On the other hand, developers will have to deal with memory leaks and work-arounds just to get their bots saying 'hello world' and they'll wait and wait for the next version of the framework which fixes some bugs and causes hundreds more.
If the world wants to see progress in consumer based robotics, open source is the only way to go. May the best APIs win. And I don't mean the one with the best marketing. IMO.
LoB