Hey Tim,

For several years I have been working on device(s) which I think would be well suited to the open nature of the Internet. After reading the article that you and Esther Dyson wrote, I began to realize that our world is made up of not only software (open or otherwise), but hardware/software combination devices as well.

When you think about it, how much time does the average person (not just computer jocks like you and I) spend in front of a PC? Not too much I would think. But every day those same people set their VCR to record a TV program, jump into their cars and run errands, call people on their cell phone and come back home and microwave dinner. All of these things involve a piece of software embedded in a portable piece of hardware.

It seems to me that having an open hardware/software forum would go a long way towards integrating people who otherwise are concerned about their own ability to use the Internet. Let's face it, many people still consider the Internet a "black hole" into which some people go and then come back out again.

In your article, you mention that Perl is a mess because it maps well to the real world. My premise is twofold:

First; Human beings are not sedintary animals. They need to be constantly moving around and doing things. This does not map to well to the idea of sitting in front of a tube all day. Devices need to be portable to map well to the mobile nature of people.

Second; The best device in the world is one that is not even noticed. A very few years (if not months) after you learned how to drive, the mechanics of pressing on the gas to go and the brake to stop, or steering using the wheel are barely noticable to most of us. The car is transparrent, the destination becomes the thing in the forefront of our minds.

I think it would be a good thing if an open devices forum could be created which would foster not only software, but hardware which would also integrate seemlessly with the Internet. Bar code readers, voice over IP, PDA's etc... There are so many applications out there for good technology that it seems a shame to concentrate only on software while the PC-less world sits by and waits to be told about it.

Steve Ciarcia from Circuit Cellar Ink. magazine has long been a proponent of this idea (since his days with Byte Magazine). It seems that the time may be right (considering the momentum that the open software folks have managed to garner) for a new look at how we use our computing devices and what devices may be needed as we enter the new millenium.

Just a thought.

Later
Howard

Howard,

You're absolutely right on a couple of points. First off, embedded systems in non-computer devices is definitely one of the most interesting areas in computing today. Already, there are more computers used in these devices than there are in all the desktops and servers put together.

And you're right, this is an area that's ripe for Open Source. Cygnus Solutions has been working on an embedded operating system called eCos, which is Open Source. And while Sun's Jini effort isn't Open Source, they are clearly trying to harness the energy of volunteer programmers and the serendipity of evolutionary open development on the Internet with their JCSL license. Because Open Source and related collaborative development methodologies are so effective, there's a good chance that they will plan an important role in the embedded systems space.

I imagine this is an area that you'll be hearing a lot more from us about in years to come.

--Tim

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