He could have been as rich as Bill Gates, but Ken Sakamura says he's fine earning enough to lead an "ordinary life."
In the world of computers, the obscure Japanese engineer stands in the top rank along with Gates, having developed an operating system that is more widely used than even Microsoft Corp's Windows. Sakamura's system, TRON, is used to run items ranging from digital cameras to car engines, just as Windows operates personal computers. What sets the two systems apart -- and the fortunes of Sakamura and Gates -- is that while Windows must be bought from Microsoft, TRON is distributed free of charge.
Had Sakamura decided to charge even one cent to each user of TRON, he would easily be a dollar billionaire by now, possibly even rivalling Gates, reputed to be the world's richest man with a fortune estimated at $43 billion by Forbes magazine. "I'm the engineer type, not a businessman," says Sakamura, 51, a professor at the University of Tokyo who developed the software nearly 20 years ago. "I think Mr Gates is more of a businessman," he laughs, adding that he is happy with the salary paid by the school. "As long as I'm leading an ordinary life, I have no problems."
According to a Tokyo University official, the annual salaries of its professors, excluding bonuses and allowances, range from seven to 10 million yen ($59-85,000). TRON is an "embedded" operating system running inside microprocessors, which control electronic devices ranging from mobile phones to fax machines and even kitchen appliances. Sakamura estimates that it is used in some three to four billion such appliances around the world, far outnumbering Windows, which controls an estimated 150 million computers.
News source: Cnn
In the world of computers, the obscure Japanese engineer stands in the top rank along with Gates, having developed an operating system that is more widely used than even Microsoft Corp's Windows. Sakamura's system, TRON, is used to run items ranging from digital cameras to car engines, just as Windows operates personal computers. What sets the two systems apart -- and the fortunes of Sakamura and Gates -- is that while Windows must be bought from Microsoft, TRON is distributed free of charge.
Had Sakamura decided to charge even one cent to each user of TRON, he would easily be a dollar billionaire by now, possibly even rivalling Gates, reputed to be the world's richest man with a fortune estimated at $43 billion by Forbes magazine. "I'm the engineer type, not a businessman," says Sakamura, 51, a professor at the University of Tokyo who developed the software nearly 20 years ago. "I think Mr Gates is more of a businessman," he laughs, adding that he is happy with the salary paid by the school. "As long as I'm leading an ordinary life, I have no problems."
According to a Tokyo University official, the annual salaries of its professors, excluding bonuses and allowances, range from seven to 10 million yen ($59-85,000). TRON is an "embedded" operating system running inside microprocessors, which control electronic devices ranging from mobile phones to fax machines and even kitchen appliances. Sakamura estimates that it is used in some three to four billion such appliances around the world, far outnumbering Windows, which controls an estimated 150 million computers.
News source: Cnn
Since ALL other holographic storage technology use a spatial light modulator (SLM) which writes one complete page of data at a time. The data must loaded serially to the SLM and is destructively written so any mistakes on the serial loaded SLM means increased wasted write data time. This method is great for WORM data storage but when BIT FOR BIT Erase / Write / and Read of random data to a disk is needed in real time day to day applications the SLM concept will NOT be able to function.
Colossal Storages method for writing is like having billions of vertical spatial light modulated pages in one rewritable ferroelectric track, each track having billions of SLM's. Imagine having billions of SLM on the disk where the data is written / read in bit / byte / word accurately every time at atomic light speeds.
Ferroelectric non-linear photonic bandgap crystals offer the possibility of controlling and manipulating light within a UV/Deep Blue frequency. The small size of ferroelectric photonic bandgap structures makes it possible to fabricate transparent optical devices like volume atomic holographic storage having both positive and negative index of refraction.
Colossal Storage has over 1200 of the world's best scientist wanting to prove the patent and holographic concepts of the infinite rewritable random access nanotechnology.
Patents covers techniques and functions for controlling ferroelectric perovskite high-K dielectric binary dipole molecules properties which can be used for atomic holographic optical mass storage of data. The patents deal with techniques for fast data transfer read/write control of ferroelectric molecules which have a data retention life of >100 years.
Colossal Storage patents for ferroelectric optical storage wants to raise data storage densities > 40,000 terabits/cubic centimeter.
One 3.5 in FeDisk will = 20,000 DVD's or 4,000 Blu-ray disks
NANOTECHNOLOGY using Photon/Laser Induced Electric Field Poling Theory Invented by Michael E. Thomas has many other Non-Contact transparent nanophotonic or nanomolecular uses as per the NanoApplications examples below using our Patented NanoTechnology
- 3D Holographic Interactive Multimedia Storage Tablet
- Multiple different boot operating systems on common CPU platform
- 2D/3D Rewritable Atomic Holographic Removable Disk/Card/Drum/Paper
- 2D/3D Rewritable Holographic Disk/Card/Drum VCR
- 2D/3D Rewritable Holographic Camera/Photography/Profilometer
- 2D/3D Rewritable Atomic Holographic Maskless Lithography and Xerography Tool for 3D NanoPrinting and 3D NanoImprinting
- Programmable 3D Holographic In Circuit Telecommunications, Waveguides and Microwave NanoOptoTransceiver Communication Equipment
- 3D Programmable UV/deep blue Laser Photon Emitter Source
- Re-Programmable 3D Holographic Optical Murals and Window Glass of any size for home, office, museum, skyscraper, and movie theatres
- 3D Holographic Programmable Camouflage Coatings and Programmable Holographic Stealth Photonic Invisibility
- 3D Programmable Holographic NanoSwitch for High Speed Bi-direction Optical Transmission & Receiver Optical Network Telecommunications
- In circuit Re-Programmable Atomic Holographic Photonic Crystal Multiplexers for a wide range of light frequencies
- 2D/3D Programmable MEMS/NEMS and Nanooptical Reflective Switches
- 2D/3D RE-Programmable Transparent Optical Nanomotors, Nanoconveyors, Nanoneedles, Nanosensors, and Nanovalves
- 2D/3D Holographic Programmable Transparent Optical Nanowiring
- 2D/3D Transparent Photonic Optical NLO Crystal NanoTransistor to densities > 40,000 tera-transitors/cu.cm.
- 3D Optical, Laser, Photon, Molecular , or Atomic Computers
- Anthrax / SARS and other molecules bioparticle detection and classification
- 3D Photonic Nanocontrolled Biological Particle/Molecule containing ferroelectric perovskites for detection, sampling, monitoring, counterfeit
- 2D/3D Non-Contact Optical Electrophoresis
- 2D/3D NanoCeramic Extreme High Temperature Coatings
- 2D/3D Holographic NanoIntegrated Circuit Photolithography for rewritable in circuit reformation fabrication of existing Optical Nanocircuits
- 2D/3D Photonic/Molecular/Atomic NanoSwitches for Broadband Telecommunications
- 2D/3D Optical NanoLight Valves and NanoRelays
- 2D/3D Precision Reprogrammable Holographic NanoLenses
- 2D/3D Programmable Atomic Holographic Light Filters having both positive and negative index of refraction.
- 2D/3DProgrammable Holographic Transparent Optical Wiring
- 2D/3D Identification Tags / Badges for Products, Identification Cards for DMV / SSN / INS / Passports / Birth Certificates , Counterfeit Money Protection, Money Orders / Credit Cards / Travellars Checks / Tickets, Music and Film Industry and other Copyrighted sources for 100 % Absolute 2D/3D Protection from Intellectual Property (IT) Theft
- 3D Spintronics and Quantum Molecular Computing.
Michael E. Thomas
Colossal Storage Corporation
www.colossalstorage.net
why would anyone be after my shirt anyway? I mean it's free and readily accessible in the nearest goodwill and such...
Last edited by 11894 on 16 Jul 2003 - 19:59
the money would allow him to do several things to improve the product or whatever, money isn't a bad thing people. maybe gouging people is bad, but just charging 1 cent, come on that can't be bad.
Last edited by 16693 on 16 Jul 2003 - 20:27
"Sakamura estimates that it is used in some three to four billion such appliances around the world"
4 billion times $.01 = $40,000,000 last I checked. Not bad, but that certainly wouldn't make him a billionare, and no where near Gates.
Seriously, TRON? Who uses that? Go try an embedded OS that is actually used by a decent number of people, such as Wind River RTOS, PSOS or QNX.
they use that...
that is so true
then you have Japan, where they usually make the employees sign contracts sayign whatever they develop will benefit the company and not that invidual. instead of 1 person branching off starting his own company and making money, the parent company makes the money of the product. there's still the feeling of as much money as possibe, only difference is America puts it on the invidual and Japan on the greater entity.
another thing that highlights the difference is executive compensation. in American Ceos get paid in the millions, in Japan they don't, but they do just about the exact same thing. i guarantee you that if Mr. Sakamura was American/Europen raised in a more individualstic capitalist society he'd be a billionaire by now.
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