Comments on: Microsoft slithers toward Windows XP-only OLPC laptop, scorns Linux

By: Hugh

Hugh — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:42:55 +0000

@Baash05, the reason that “MS [is] the devil” is because of the way they conduct their business. I won’t go into chapter and verse here, because their is no need – anyone who wants to do a little research can find out the ugly truths surrounding this most obnoxious of corporations.

You say that “OLPC is not about linux or windows”, but to the management at Microsoft, that is *EXACTLY* what it is about. They are charging outrageous prices based on their monopoly, and they have been doing this for a long time. They act only out of self interest, and they will do anything to maintain their position. They don’t give a fig about teaching kids or any such thing – the word altruism is simply not in their vocabulary.

Anyway, this is no great cause for concern, because what we are seeing is the desperate flailing of a doomed company, and, when Microsoft is gone, OLPC laptops can be installed with Linux – as was the original intention.

By: Baash05

Baash05 — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:44:59 +0000

I don’t get it… Why is MS the devil.
Yeah of cours they want MS to work on OLPC. There are millions upon millions of coders capable of writing software for MS and perhaps a tenth of that with the chops for Linux.
OLPC is not about linux or windows and I really wish people would stop going there. I hope MS does get on the XO then I won’t have to learn a freaking slow ugly scripted lang. I could write a flash card app in an afternoon now for PPC or windows. There are already tons and tons of apps that teach kids windows ready. Why would you not leverage those apps in favor of a small handfull of apps. Open source.
ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD vs Open source… I’d be happy to publish my source or include it in the install file.
Save costs. If it takes me a saturday to write a little app then free is good enough as long as I know it’s being used.

The goals are teach the kids and the more people you can get to support them the better.

By: raindog469

raindog469 — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:12:30 +0000

Of course Microsoft wants to work with the OLPC project. Have you looked at how Bitfrost (the abovementioned “security and theft deterrence model”) works? It’s like their wet dream, except that they think the thieves are their customers, and have for 30 years.

By: Ken

Ken — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:17:03 +0000

“Our current goal remains to provide a high-quality Windows experience on the XO device,” according to ZDNet.”

Oxymoron. Any company who somehow missed all the extend, embrace, extinguish history of this company deserves what they get.