"In this whitepaper, Hewlett-Packard Labs researcher
Wesley Chan introduces the embedded Linux community to the
innovative R&D activities taking place within HP's 'Cooltown'
program. Chan defines the initiative's philosophy and goals,
describes several key open source software and hardware components
that have been developed, and explains how developers and companies
can join in creating the Cooltown vision of a world in which
'humans are mobile, devices and services are federated and
context-aware, and everything has a web presence.'
A quarter century ago, computer visionary Alan Newell gave a
talk in which he saw an "enchanted world" where "instruments would
converse with their users" and "streetlights care about those who
walk under them, so no one gets lost." Back then, such visions were
no more than a fairy tale; it was a far-off place that people only
imagined.
Newell's enchanted world, however, is now closer than ever. As
part of HP's Cooltown program , created at HP Labs, we've built
museum exhibits that engage and talk to you, conference rooms that
automatically recognize and reserve the room for you if you haven't
done so already, and even radios that know and automatically play
back your favorite songs when you walk into the room."
