Microsoft and FOSS
Microsoft and FOSS (Free or Open Source Software) would often be regarded as mutually exclusive or perhaps a contradiction in terms, but occassionally you would be very wrong. Here are two examples that are interesting:
The first is MARVIN – http://www.marvin.com.au/
Marvin is a development from the agents (einstien and co) in MS apps. Developed by an Australian company, this is an amazing tool now in its second generation. Supported by Microsoft this is a brilliant tool for education.
The second product is a proof of concept release by microsoft labs called TOUCHLESS
http://www.officelabs.com/projects/touchless/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.codeplex.com/touchless
Here is what they say…
Touchless enables touch without touching by using a webcam to track color based markers. Touchless includes two parts:
- Touchless Demo is an open source application that anyone with a webcam can use to experience multi-touch, no geekiness required. There are 4 fun demos: Snake - where you control a snake with a marker, Defender – up to 4 player version of a pong-like game, Map – where you can rotate, zoom, and move a map using 2 markers, and Draw - the marker is used to guess what…. draw!
Interesting. I have downloaded it and will be playing today. It sounds like fun and it definitely has caught my attention.
