OSNews

" The idea of using prizes to spur creativity and research is a technique that is known to be very effective. Witness the recent DARPA Grand Prize and the X-Prize tournaments. While the OS-Newsproposed contest is partially meant to be a promotion for OS-News (nothing wrong with that), it will also be beneficial in publicizing alternative OSes. Question is, does the world really need another me-too operating system? "

Does the world need more than one kind of car? Does the world need more than one color of car? Model airplane kit? Yo-Yo? Cable-knit sweater? Dishwasher design? Depends on end-user demand and idle time for development. If yet another "me too" OS improves the breed, I'd say so. Remember, all software is an incrementally improving effort, just exactly as all hardware is. It's easier to reach a pinnacle in hammer design, but software is a tad iffy-er.

" I don't think so. This contest runs the risk of being just another appeal to a relative small community of alternative OS fanatics who are in it mostly for the fun of it. "

Pray tell, who else other than a fairly lunatic fringe would even start to care? Look at us, Man! We're reading OSNews.com! Can't you see our pain?

" What would be nice is a contest that offers a substantial prize ($millions a la X-Prize) for the development of a new OS that solves a particularly pressing problem in the industry. "

First pressing problem: getting $millions!!

" I suggest that the most pressing problem faced by the computer industry is not power management or processing speed. "

I still kinda think it's getting the $millions.

" The biggest problem in the industry is software reliability. How about a $10-million prize "

Would you believe $145 and a free ride in the "Geek Squad" Volkswagen Beetle?

" for the first comprehensive OS that is guaranteed 100% bug-free? "

Define comprehensive. Define 100% bug-free. Would an ugly brown interface be considered a bug? Inability to read my thoughts? Being packaged in a box that is ridiculously huge for its contents?

" Not an easy thing to do "

Plausibly impossible to define, yet.

" and the rules would have to be worked out so as to be unambiguous on the meaning of bug-free."

Define unambiguous, and be precise as possible.

" Let me suggest that OSNews get together with the X-Prize commitee (or DARPA, or whoM, whom whom whom whom!!

(fist "whom" fix is free)

ever) and convince them of the potential bebefits of such a prize. "

Yes, like essentially re-inventing the wheel. You have me convinced, now get on the horn with DARPA, you sexy genius you! Oh, and I'm letting "bebefits" slide because I think you just sneezed while typing and it's VERY fun to say.

" I'll be frank (shameless plug), "

You're shamelessly plugging Frank? I sure hope he works at DARPA.

" I am proposing this contest because I believe I could put together a team to win it. It has to do with my faith "

My favorite quote on faith is: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV), and buddy, you have it in spades. You honestly believe in a comprehensive computational system that is bug-free. Of course, you also seem to believe that for the world to deserve this system, they must first give you a poke at a few million dollars, as opposed to the lovely folks at itty-bittyOS who do it for free.

" in non-algorithmic, signal-based, synchronous software. "

Odd that you mention this. I have one of those lying around here somewhere. Methinks it's called "Leisure-Suit Larry"

" I don't believe that unreliability has to be an essential charateristic of complex software systems. "

Define reliability. Define essential. Define complex. Oh, yeah, this contest is off to a boiling start already. Tell you what, just MAKE the thing and you'll be a guarateed $millions-aire by my sister's third trimester. Then you can tool about in your Murcielago and laugh deep, throaty laughs at the peons still struggling along with their algorithmic, something-else-based, asynchronous software.

" Louis Savain "

And remember, folks. It's not software, it's Savain-ware!

(Hey, if you get rich and use the slogan, I'd like $million for thinking it up.)