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Programs to the People

January/February 1999

Could an insurgent band of programmers, motivated not by profit but by the ideal of “free software,” undermine Microsoft´s control of the computer desktop?

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Features

  • Categorized in 17036

    Software’s Ultimate Sandbox

    It’s put-up time at Microsoft Research. Seven years after its founding, the lab has yet to make any real breakthroughs. Can a company built on others’ creations start innovating?
  • They convened in the mountains, formed a new society, and signed their declaration. Meet the folks who want us to go to Mars.
  • Categorized in 17032

    The Tide of Prints

    The FBI has struggled for decades to automate its vast and cumbersome collection of fingerprints. A new system is set to come online in July…but it could be obsolete even before it’s introduced.
  • Plastics that emit light could revolutionize everything from wristwatch displays to TV screens. Armed with patents and scientific prowess, a British startup is leading the charge.
  • Categorized in 17035

    Ideas Are Like Children

    They used to call him crazy. Now they call him smart. Chemical engineer Robert Langer crafts cures from plastic.

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