Palm may well be dead by the end of the year, or at least well on its way. It's a shame really -- I don't feel bad for Palm as a company or Palm's management, but I do feel bad for all the folks who put so much work in to something that turned out so well but just came at precisely the wrong time with horrible leadership. #aressdk
@weatherman: I can not agree more with you. Just when it all started to clear up for Palm, Droid comes in.
However, just for the sake of discussion, what do you reckon might happen if Palm builds their WebOS on top of Android? Could it be possible?
@Pookiewood: things are going to be even rougher for Palm in Europe, I think. They're up against Symbian and Nokia there in a way that they aren't in the US. #aressdk
"Come develop for Palm! Where it's dead simple to make an app that a very small percentage of the population will ever use! Remember, fewer users means less bug reports for you to deal with!" #aressdk
Palm is a bunch of idiots with this Web Developer strategy. Web Developers develop for the web. They should be catering to device developers, who develop for devices. I just don't understand where they expect this strategy to go.
It's like building a racecar that can only be driven by old ladies with vision problems. It might be impressive in a way, but it's not the correct strategy to win races because none of the experienced drivers can operate it.
Not that web developers are old ladies or anything, but they're just not the people who are going to make the next great handheld app. Their skills are tuned for a different kind of experience completely.
@chefgon: I think the "Web" part is throwing you off a bit. It's not so much a half-hearted attempt to get people to develop for the Pre that otherwise wouldn't or couldn't, it's really the next logical step forward in programming. There are two ways to go about it. The traditional way is to have unique set of programming tools and guidelines for a narrow range of hardware. Apple is the prime example. Now Google is going at it from the other angle (I realize Google has nothing to do with the Pre, but they are the biggest ones pushing this model). The idea is, a framework is developed, and the programing is done for the framework, not the hardware. The framework itself has to be uniquely worked onto multiple hardware platforms, but any further software development can be done from within the framework. Anyone familiar with it can develop for any device that uses it. Obviously, given the myriad of hardware platforms, this is particularly appealing to cell phone programming, but in the new world of information, quality comes from quantity, and using a framework that allows a programer to develop for many more devices than he'd otherwise be able to will result in ideas and innovations that otherwise would not have happened. Just not on the Pre. Your TV will have apps. Your car will have apps. Your refrigerator will have apps. No one is going to learn a unique programming toolset to program for my refrigerator, and they won't have to. But my refrigerator will do amazing things. Don't stand in the way of progress, this is the way of future! #aressdk
@chefgon: "Web technologies" is just another framework to write applications for a device, just like Android's Java classes or Apple's Cocoa. Just like any other framework Palm has to be smart about exposing device features.
Some application developers will love working in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Some web *SITE* developers will move their programming skills to writing applications. Web technologies are the most popular in the world, both in terms of users and developers, so both groups are potentially huge.
Palm's strategy is fine, and makes the most sense for a small competitor. #aressdk
The white "cloud" you see around isn't the sonic boom. The vapor cone has nothing to do with breaking the sound barrier, just a drop in air pressure at the nose of the rocket.
However, just like Carl Sagan said at the end of one of his books; "But I could be wrong." #aresix
"Be amazed at the sheer beauty of the mighty rocket as it breaks the sound barrier... "
It is amazing, but not necessarily an indication of breaking the sound barrier. The shock cone in this picture is actually a Prandtl-Glauert singularity which can occur below the threshold of sound. The rocket is going fast enough, with enough moisture in the air around it, to cause a compression-rarefaction-recovery... curve. The negative pressure shock during recovery results in condensation. This phenomenon is not limited to transonic jets and rockets. Even a bullwhip can cause a P-G singularity. Mmmm paste... #aresix
@ripfire: The rocket reached a top speed of 4.7M. This was slightly before MAX-Q (maximum dynamic pressure) and so does show the pressure wave build up from approaching the speed of sound, however it started dissipating before it reached it. #aresix
So what's the difference between this rocket and the ones that they used in the 1970s or so? I'm sure there have been improvements, but it's hard for us civilians to appreciate or understand the technical details. #aresix
@Hello Mister Walrus:
It uses solid repellent and not conventional liquid fuel. Advantages are not likely to explode and can reuse the shell. Disadvantage you can't throttle up or down and once ignited you cant "shut" it off. #aresix
@ripfire:
Solid fuel only burns on the outside surface and as the surface layers burn off the lower layers start to burn and become the surface. So it IS much less likely to suffer a catastrophic explosion then volatile liquid propellants. #aresix
@mwhite66: We lost the technology. We lost the tooling. We lost the pioneering spirit that drove people to literally shoot for the moon.
The Shuttle was supposed to be a superior technology, and in some ways it really was, but from a versatility and cost standpoint it was a loss.
Over 50 years people retire, people die, blueprints get lost, tribal knowledge disappears, and you literally have to re-invent the rocket to get back to where you were back then. Only, updated with all the latest/greatest innovative hardware. #aresix
Note: Yes, I know this is probably getting old but that review is permanently scarring my brain and with terms like "One Spectacular Big Bang", "sheer beauty of the mighty rocket ", "six minute flight was a success", and "the vehicle flew better than expected", I couldn't help myself.
Lite: hates Illinois Nazis promoted this comment
Edited by PurpleMonkeyDishwasher: at 10/29/09 10:12 AM
PurpleMonkeyDishwasher: was starred
PurpleMonkeyDishwasher: was unstarred
@Lite: hates Illinois Nazis: it had a pretty good lean to it right off the pad. As someone who knows jack about what it was supposed to be doing, I was worried. #aresix
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
However, just for the sake of discussion, what do you reckon might happen if Palm builds their WebOS on top of Android? Could it be possible?
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
It's like building a racecar that can only be driven by old ladies with vision problems. It might be impressive in a way, but it's not the correct strategy to win races because none of the experienced drivers can operate it.
Not that web developers are old ladies or anything, but they're just not the people who are going to make the next great handheld app. Their skills are tuned for a different kind of experience completely.
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/09/09
Some application developers will love working in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Some web *SITE* developers will move their programming skills to writing applications. Web technologies are the most popular in the world, both in terms of users and developers, so both groups are potentially huge.
Palm's strategy is fine, and makes the most sense for a small competitor. #aressdk
10/29/09
However, just like Carl Sagan said at the end of one of his books; "But I could be wrong." #aresix
10/30/09
10/29/09
It is amazing, but not necessarily an indication of breaking the sound barrier. The shock cone in this picture is actually a Prandtl-Glauert singularity which can occur below the threshold of sound. The rocket is going fast enough, with enough moisture in the air around it, to cause a compression-rarefaction-recovery... curve. The negative pressure shock during recovery results in condensation. This phenomenon is not limited to transonic jets and rockets. Even a bullwhip can cause a P-G singularity. Mmmm paste... #aresix
10/29/09
10/29/09
10/29/09
10/29/09
10/29/09
10/29/09
pressure waves build up and compress air particles. condensation. #aresix
10/29/09
'pressure waves build up
and compress air particles
hence condensation' #aresix
10/29/09
10/29/09
This is based off of space shuttle tech if I remember right. The first stage boost is supposedly built from the current shuttle's fuel tank.
I would like to know if this thing can make it to the moon as-is, or if they'll need additionaly boosters on top of that. #aresix
10/29/09
10/29/09
It uses solid repellent and not conventional liquid fuel. Advantages are not likely to explode and can reuse the shell. Disadvantage you can't throttle up or down and once ignited you cant "shut" it off. #aresix
10/29/09
Tell me you are kidding.. Right?
[en.wikipedia.org] #aresix
10/29/09
Solid fuel only burns on the outside surface and as the surface layers burn off the lower layers start to burn and become the surface. So it IS much less likely to suffer a catastrophic explosion then volatile liquid propellants. #aresix
10/29/09
10/29/09
The Shuttle was supposed to be a superior technology, and in some ways it really was, but from a versatility and cost standpoint it was a loss.
Over 50 years people retire, people die, blueprints get lost, tribal knowledge disappears, and you literally have to re-invent the rocket to get back to where you were back then. Only, updated with all the latest/greatest innovative hardware. #aresix
10/29/09
10/29/09
10/29/09
So a review from Frucci is pending?
Note: Yes, I know this is probably getting old but that review is permanently scarring my brain and with terms like "One Spectacular Big Bang", "sheer beauty of the mighty rocket ", "six minute flight was a success", and "the vehicle flew better than expected", I couldn't help myself.
10/29/09
10/29/09
10/29/09
09/11/09
Btw, The video is set to private....aka useless
09/11/09
09/11/09
09/11/09
09/11/09
09/10/09