Penguin Car Earns Indy500 Spot 244
strredwolf writes "Despite generating over $12K in funds, well short of the $250K goal, the Tux 500 Project was able to secure a spot in the Indy 500 with driver Roberto Moreno piloting the Linux #77 Indy car. He's back in the pack in 31st place (only 5.5 MPH separates 31st place from 1st) but was able to secure it by re-qualifying with an average speed of 220.299 MPH. Will Moreno be able to pilot the penguin-tipped Indy car to victory next week at the 91st Indianapolis 500?"
Re:No thanks to you, Slashdot. (Score:5, Interesting)
Linux is doing great, and doesn't need marketing (Score:5, Interesting)
I love making predictions, and here's my prediction for the future of Linux: Linux will never beat Windows in the market place. Instead, a new market will emerge for ultra-cheap computers (as in OLPC). Super-cheap computers with lots of RAM and non-volatile storage will one day cost $100 (in 2007 dollars). When this happens, Microsoft will not be able to compete against free Linux as the dominant OS on these machines. There just isn't enough profit per device to support Microsoft-like company. Instead Linux, or a derivative of GNU/Linux software, will power our new ultra-cheap devices. I think Microsoft understands this low-end disruption threat, and that's why they're so desperate to push Windows CE derivatives. However, the bean counters at Microsoft will always try to kill off unprofitable efforts like Windows CE, as the market, margins, and profit just aren't there compared to selling high-end software for high-end machines.
If you think this idea is crazy, have you heard about the iPhone? It may not run Linux proper, but it's clearly in the GNU/open-source camp. Operating systems are mature technology, no longer worth much money. Apple showed great insight in dumping their own, and running with the free stuff. This gives them a huge advantage over Microsoft in the future battle for smart consumer devices. Others will follow Apple's lead, and dump Windows for GNU/Linux as the super low-cost PC/personal-computing-device market emerges. In the end, GNU/Linux will prevail, but never on the traditional high-end desktop that Joe Sixpack buys for web surfing, games, and porn.
Re:No thanks to you, Slashdot. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Only 5.5MPH behind! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:No thanks to you, Slashdot. (Score:1, Interesting)
Despite the whole going-round-in-circles thing, I'll probably watch the 500 at some point - hoping for a victory for Knaresborough's finest of course, but if that doesn't happen there's still a reasonable chance that a British-built car will come first (http://www.penske.com/ [penske.com]). You can't even find one of those on the road any more...
If it'd been a linux.com logo, then... (Score:4, Interesting)
Then
That'll teach you. Next time, learn how to play the
Re:5 mph is a big difference (Score:5, Interesting)
Since then, the league's emphasis has been on safety. (In fact, the first innovation at the track was in the first race, when Ray Herroun put a rearview mirror on the car since he didn't have a riding mechanic to look back.) They changed the specs, which resulted in reduced speeds, and started requiring more safety features in the chassis. Speeds have gone back up, since the engineers are clever and can figure out how to get more out of less as time goes on. (A couple years ago, someone figured out how to reshape the rear-view mirrors to allow for more downforce, to use but one example.) Tony George also spent his own money on the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers that are now common on tracks; they certainly saved Rolf Schumacher's life at the 2005 USGP. One of the benefits touted about the new ethanol engines is that they get better mileage, so they can reduced fuel load which makes for safer cars. And so on. It's still a dangerous sport, but having seen the wrecks that Davey Hamilton and Kenny Brack, I'm amazed that both of them not only survived but came back to race later.
I took the family to Pole Day qualifications, and there really isn't much difference you can see, sitting in the front row or high up, between 220MPH and 230MPH. I don't know if there will ever be a new track record at the 500, but I can live with that; the drivers are more likely to, as well.
Re:5 mph is a big difference (Score:2, Interesting)
To make matters worse, F1 brings their own safety crew to each track, and their regulations prohibited their one safety vehicle from going against traffic. This meant that the safety vehicle had to traverse practically the entire F1 course to get to Schumacher. So Michael got to drive by his brother's smashed car at least once (twice, if I recall) before anyone even showed up to see if he was dead.
When you watch Indy this Sunday (and I strongly recommend it), and there's a wreck, you'll often see the red IRL safety vehicles on camera before the car even slides to a stop.
I point this out because I think there are a lot of parallels between Windows v. Linux and F1 v. IndyCar. Both Windows and F1 are immensely popular compared to their counterparts, despite the fact that Linux and IndyCar are (IMO) better products. All Windows needs is something like that tire incident from a couple years back.
J
Re:No thanks to you, Slashdot. (Score:1, Interesting)
Ethanol 85? Nope, BEEP, wrong. There will be no gasoline in the Indianopolis 500 and hasn't been since the early 60s when Indy switched to methanol which it ran at basically a 100% mix of till this past year when under polictical pressure they switched to a 10% ethanol - 90% methanol mix and is scheduled in the future to go to 100% ethanol. This switch is basically for the promotion of ethanol [indy500.com]. Many of the race teams would prefer to stick with the more proven methanol. If Indy had chosen diesel many years ago, used by several early winners of the 500, we would probably see them promoting biodiesel now instead. For the enviromentalists though it should be noted that the Indianapolis 500 has been using renewable alcohol fuel for years and they are not the only ones who do, but will leave it to the interested to do their own research.
Nothing compares to MotoGP (Score:3, Interesting)
NASCAR fuel and Ethanol. (Score:0, Interesting)
As a sidenote, I'm really surprised to see Ethanol praised by everyone and their uncle as a great alternative to fossil fuel. Sure, it burns cleaner and results in less pollution, but somehow everyone forgets the impact of large-scale farming (fertilizer pollution, soil erosion). What's even worse is that it takes more energy to produce corn-based fuel than fossil fuel. This energy has to come from somewhere - in the US, it's most likely a coal power plant. Ethanol simply moves the pollution from one producer to another.