PulkoMandy has posted an extensive blog entry outlining what was accomplished at BeGeister 024, the European meeting for Haiku (and once BeOS) enthusiasts. In addition to hosting multiple conferences—on topics ranging from roadmaps to package management—a week-long coding sprint also took place. From PulkoMandy’s blog post:

Overall this coding sprint week was very productive, with several hundred commits improving the Haiku codebase. This also apparently boosted donations to Haiku, Inc. quite a bit. I’m ready to attend the next one.

What are you waiting for? Head on over and absorb all the goodness that is Haiku progress! If you weren’t able to attend, then this post is the next best thing.

Although many like to focus on Apple’s product design excellence, another weapon in their arsenal is complete control over their supply chain. This allows them to sell devices like the iPad at very competitive prices while still earning significant margins. From Businessweek:

According to more than a dozen interviews with former employees, executives at suppliers, and management experts familiar with the company’s operations, Apple has built a closed ecosystem where it exerts control over nearly every piece of the supply chain, from design to retail store. Because of its volume—and its occasional ruthlessness—Apple gets big discounts on parts, manufacturing capacity, and air freight. “Operations expertise is as big an asset for Apple as product innovation or marketing,” says Mike Fawkes, the former supply-chain chief at Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and now a venture capitalist with VantagePoint Capital Partners. “They’ve taken operational excellence to a level never seen before.”

By investing up-front—purchasing future components and services—Apple is able to not only ensure they will not run out of stock, but stifle competitors who now cannot secure required materials and services.

I have written about Samsung’s use of RAND (or FRAND) patents against Apple, describing it “like fighting a forest fire with a water pistol.” Whereas Apple is waging its legal wrath against Samsung on the basis of copying its products, Samsung volleyed with its own suit alleging Apple infringed on their 3G patents. Unfortunate for Samsung, their patents are part of the 3G standard and fall under the FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) requirement.

The European Union’s top antitrust authority has now launched their investigation into Samsung’s use of 3G patents against Apple. From Computerworld:

Samsung has sued Apple in five E.U. countries alleging infringement of its patents on 3G mobile technology. The European Commission will now consider whether the South Korean company is abusing the principle of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing in these cases.

I wouldn’t be surprised to find Apple benefiting from this investigation, and Samsung coming out with a skinned knee.

Have you ever wondered how George Stephenson’s steam engine actually worked? Not just from a static schematic or textbook perspective, but actually see it work in a clear, discernible way. Master glassblower Michal Zahradník took up this challenge, and in 2008 created a working model of Stephenson’s steam engine in glass.

From the description on YouTube:

Highlights: * The crankshaft is glass. The piston is glass. The counterweight that makes the wheel spin evenly is glass. Imagine that everything is made out of glass. * There are no sealants used. All is accomplished by a perfectly snug fit. The gap between the piston and its compartment is so small, that the water that condensates from the steam seals it shut! * Notice the elaborate excessive steam exhaust system next to the piston. * The piston is the most arduous part to make due to to extreme level of precision needed. Its parts have to be so accurate that no machinery is of use here. The piston and its cylinder must be hand sanded to perfection, and they are very likely to crack in the process! On average, three out of four crack.

David Pogue, of the new York Times, has posted his perspective on the newest release of Microsoft’s phone OS, Windows Phone 7.5. He wastes no time discussing its newest features, as well as how Microsoft’s design philosophy is anything but a copy of the iPhone. Even with all the great new features and differentiators, I believe the following two sentences summarize Windows Phone the best:

Now, if this phone had arrived before the iPhone, people would have been sacrificing small animals to it.

But Microsoft’s three-year lag behind its rivals is going to be very tough to overcome.

I feel time is only one aspect working against Microsoft. Apple’s entry into the phone market forced the existing giants to change. No longer could they sit back and offer incremental updates. The iPhone became the new standard and everyone was playing catch-up. Whereas Android did its best to copy the better features of iPhone, Microsoft took a big risk and created something new. Even with the great Windows Phone experience, Microsoft is forced to battle a different beast: its damaged brand. Windows Mobile has left a bad taste in many mouths, and with Android and iPhone offereing experiences that are good enough, what incentive does Microsoft offer to bring users back?