Don’t invent, evolve
,----[ Quote ]
| The inventor’s trial-and-error approach can be automated by software that
| mimics natural selection
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http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9896323
Related:
Virtually clean
,----[ Quote ]
| The smart thing to do is run a version of the free Linux operating system—
| like Knoppix or Kubuntu—in a virtual machine facing the outside world.
`----
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9869417
Peaks, valleys and vistas
,----[ Quote ]
| The launch of a new version of Microsoft Windows, called Vista, is
| not quite the event it used to be. Has the software giant reached
| the pinnacle of its power?
|
| [...]
|
| Some big companies do have the wealth and talent to remain
| competitive even as their industry lurches from one incarnation
| to the next--IBM has done it before, moving from hardware to
| services. Now its old partner probably has to do the same. The
| primacy of Windows and Office is waning, even if Microsoft's
| immediate power is not. "Icebergs melt", as one Silicon Valley
| veteran notes. "But they melt extremely slowly."
`----
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8550569
Bringing free software down to earth
,----[ Quote ]
| Around 80m smartphones were sold last year, up 20% from 2005, and
| Linux is the fastest-growing operating system in the field. "My
| hope is not just that we can achieve parity with the proprietary
| world, but that we can leapfrog it," says Mr Shuttleworth.
`----
http://economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9249327
Hello world - Avoiding punitive roaming charges abroad
,----[ Quote ]
| Unlike the iPhone, the Neo comes with global positioning and navigation maps,
| a slot for a Smart Digital memory card, and a Linux-style “applications
| manager” for downloading, updating or removing software applications. It also
| offers BlackBerry-style instant e-mail along with the ability to synchronise
| with a PC.
|
| A host of applications—from exercise programmes and calorie counters to
| alcohol breathalysers—are being made available by a global community of Linux
| programmers. Check out what’s coming at www.openmoko.org.
`----
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9531007
|
|
