We did the usual Call for Questions thing Monday. We didn't get quite as many as we've had for some other interview subjects here, but sometimes quality is more important than quantity, and we sent Bruce some beauts. His answers are of similar excellence, and are well worth reading even if you have never read any of his work or even if you despise science fiction. So click below, read, and enjoy!

Nils sent a release to the Debian Announce mailing list proclaiming that Linux Laptops Ltd is up and running, and (surprise!) they're whole deal is reselling Laptops with Linux Pre-installed. And they're shipping them with Debian as their distribution of choice. Pre-installed portables are still a hole in the Linux hardware realm, hopefully this will work out.

Bocephus writes "CNET news.com reports in this story that the RIAA, despite its Secure Digital Music Initiative project, will allow MP3 to continue to exist so that portables like the Rio or Nomad may play MP3s. However, MP3s ripped from new CDs will be unusable if downloaded from the Net. " Yeah, essentially the RIAA is saying that current players can still play ones, even the existing illegal ones, once specs from the recording industry has been made. I wonder how long it's going to take them to figure out that they lost.

Mike Rose wrote in to tell us about a revolutionary Photon Chip, which is the first fully integrated optical circuit. Using wave-guides as wires and frequency-dependent quantum tunneling for gate equivalents the chips are 100-1000 times faster and 1000 times smaller than ordinary chips. Power consumption should fall dramatically as well, enabling portables with much longer battery lives. Current waveguides are down to .02 micron (ten times smaller than the wires in current semiconductors). Mike comments "Wonder what their IPO will be like... "

What we have here is a site called Digital Concepts which basically has a bunch of interesting designs for PDAs of the future. A lot of funky Pilot variations, as well as laptops and stuff. Some of them aren't so far off. Others, well, we can hope. Thanks to Luke for sending this one in.

Spencer reported today that nine of Digital's key portables engineers have decided to join Cyrix. This is particularly interesting given National/Cyrix's interest in the portables and Information Appliance markets.