You know...I read articles like this written by
"experts" and all they end up proving is, 1) they
don't have a clue as to what they are writing about
and 2) They insist on the "Mac uber alles" rallying
cry.
The article started out ok...but comments like this:
"As a starting point, Apple could take the majority of
the Newton OS code and turn it into open-source
project."
Proves that this individual is writing for the sake of
reading his own words.
The belief that the Great Saviour $J would have done
something better with the Newton is laughable. If
anything, he would canned the whole project, and the
iMac in "many fruity flavors" would have arrived years
sooner! Leaving the engineers who want to design the
Newt to flounder or actually help Microsoft's vision
of a PDA (just think, we could all be using the
Microsoft Newton!)
Then this floored me:
"Second, it could create a reference platform based
around the prevalent mobile device microprocessor
architectures: ARM's StrongARM (RISC) chips and
Intel's new XScale. With Arm's upcoming mobile chip 3D
visualization initiatives, such an open-source tablet
reference design could emerge as a viable gaming
platform for wireless gamers who need the larger
screens for advanced 3D games."
Uh...dude...just because it says "StrongARM" Doesn't
make it compatible! Unlike the Intel '86 CPUs, just
because it's a StrongARM, doesn't make it code
compatible.
I found this funny as well:
"Newton X itself could be rewritten by the open-source
community around the same Darwin core and Mach kernel,
with the potential for a Linux kernel development. By
keeping the reference design UNIX/Linux-based, Apple
can be assured that Macs will be ideal connectivity
partners to Newton X devices. And the users listed
above happen to be many of the current target users
for Mac OS X, especially scientists and engineers,
architects and educational customers."
First off, one of the greatest things about the Newton
is that it worked irregardless of the desktop platform
of choice (folks...get out of this "the PDA is a
desktop portal" thinking...read some Arthur Clarke and
see what a 'stylus' does in his stories) The Newton
was developed as an autonomous device with desktop
connectivity added as an after thought...it was
designed to be "the great communicator".
and second, It's not as if the existing "open source"
community isn't fragmented enough...he want's to add
another into the mix?
You know what this open source stuff reminds me of?
The '70s all over again...Everyone with a CPU was
putting out their own OS (we had hundreds and none
talked to another). And some CPUs had a choice of
multiple OS's! I myself wrote my own OS for several
CPUs. Not content to live with what was offered, I
took an open source CPM clone and made modifications
and enhancements to it...the only rule was I had to
release my code to the BBS's (I was on the Virginia
Connection BBS at the time) This open source CPM clone
later became a DOS replacement for several CPUs and
was eventually made for purchase and eventually
purchased by Bill Gates.
I remember reading through Creative Computing, looking
for programs that would work on my 6502 machine with
my hacked together 8000 buss. Sometimes making tedious
"peeks" and "pokes" into the stack just to get some
kind of compatibility. It was frustrating to have to
rebuild your OS just to handle a "new" feature that
some program offered.
The concept of open source is nice, but like the movie
says, "There can be only one". Can you imagine how
great the open source OS would be if everybody
supported a single open source build?
Sorry, didn't mean this to be a rant about open
source, but I firmly believe that the PDA of the
future should be as ground breaking as the first PDA
was. And a layered OS isn't it. I don't know what it
is right now, but to quote a senator, "I can't
describe it, but I know it when I see it"
Ed
web/gadget guru
--- Andy Collins <acollins_at_newted.dyndns.org> wrote:
>
> Hi Folks,
>
> I found this
>
http://www.architosh.com/news/2002-08/2002c1-0829-newton-x.phtml
> link
> though Spymac and thought it made interesting
> reading.
>
> It puts forward a case for a new Newton but makes no
> claims about one
> existing. Nice nonetheless.
>
>
> Andy.
=====
Why is that all of the instruments seeking intelligent life
in the universe are pointed away from Earth?
--Anonymous
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