With OpenStreetMap, you can clone the maps (get dumps and install the software) and use them on your own servers. If you're serious about using maps on web sites, you either give Google a few bucks (with the special API for those who wants to pay) or you use your own servers. On the browser, you can install special libraries like leaflet to have pretty maps like Google.

I installed Firefox 7.0 recently because I needed a SQLite manager and it's available as an add-on. But I'll stay with Chrome for the moment to browse the web, it's fast, stable and has all the features I need.

The Arduino IDE can be used on Windows, Mac and Linux. If I want to try this Gadgeteer, I would have to install Windows and some kind of Visual Studio. The last time I installed Windows it took me a whole afternoon and I wasted a lot of time fixing all kind of problems and had to fight their serial number scheme (even when my copy was valid). I'll also say that this project will most likely be killed in less than a year so I don't know why I would waste my time with it.

If 100% of the code was written inside the company then they own the copyright and can do whatever they want with it

It depends on his contract with the company. It's not "their code" automatically.

Android is now available on tablets, incredible isn't it?

Don't forget that with the new Objective-C 2.0, reference counting is a thing of the past thanks to auto-released objects, and properties which are automagically created for you. Objective-C may not be the easiest OO language, but it sure is easier than ever (and I am an Android fan BTW).

Somehow related but is there an open-source, cross-platform adventure game engine scriptable with a language like Lua. I haven't found one yet and always wished I could write new adventures for Guybrush Threepwood (or create somethin else completely new ). Most of the existing projects are using closed-source win32-only engines which is disappointing. I could help such a project if there is one.

I've said this a thousand times. Android would be the perfect testbed for golang. It's statically typed, small, and its syntax is easy to learn and to use.

Apple is actually merging both interfaces in Mac OS 10.7 (Lion) with the Launchpad. They want to converge the 2 experiences for some reasons.

Thank you my good man for correcting this young fellow with such a high ID number. I'm not english at all and was very curious at your suggestion, but I knew that the internet would settle your disagreement once and for all, for it seems that "In American English go is sometimes followed directly by a bare infinitive" (source).

No, I'm not drunk.