Microsoft to field test Window-based OLPC XO laptops
Microsoft appears to be serious in getting Windows XP to work on One Laptop Per Child’s (OLPC) low-cost machine as it disclosed plans to test Windows-based XO laptops starting next month.
While Windows XP was originally designed for computers with hard drives, the software company is trying to rework XP to run on the XO, which uses a small amount of semiconductor-based memory for storage instead of a hard drive.
“We want Windows to run on the XO and we are investing significant energy and talent,” James Utzschneider, general manager of Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential Group told The Wall Street Journal.
Microsoft said it will begin its field testing on stripped-down machine in January 2008 in the US, India and possibly Romania. If all goes well, Microsoft said the Window-based XO laptops could be available as early as the second half of 2008.
Utzschneider said the Window-based XO laptop will have to pass muster before Microsoft supports it for volume use. “We really want to make sure we have a quality experience before we make commitments to governments.”
However, Microsoft clarified that there are no plans to offer a version of Windows that is compatible with the XO laptop for retail purchase in the US and Canada.
At present, the XO laptop can only run Linux software, a rival to Microsoft’s Windows.
It seems that Microsoft sees huge potential in making an Window-based OS available for the stripped-down machine. Without a working OS for these low-cost, low-power machines, Microsoft could miss out on an opportunity to introduce Window-based technologies to millions of budding computer geeks all over the developing world.
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December 6th, 2007
First, I’d like to say that Microsoft is showing a distinct lack of class in their dealings with th OLPC. The project is a charity and it is meant to benefit poor people, not shareholders. Shame on them.
Second I’d like to ask what “stripped-down machine” (without an article) means. There’s not much extra stuff on an XO, so what could they take off? The handle? Perhaps the author was just having a bad day, I’ve seen much better writing by him, but the last paragraph needs to be rewritten into proper english so that everybody can understand it.
December 6th, 2007
I would like to ask why Microsoft is reworking XP to work on XO and not Vista. Either it’s a typo or Microsoft believes that XP has a brighter future than Vista? Either way, I congratulate Microsoft on their efforts to build an OS that will run on lightweight hardware.
December 6th, 2007
Why wouldn’t they use a reworked Windows CE? (I’m kidding). Windows is probably the worst OS you could use for something like this, with it’s kitchen sink kernel. BSD-great. Linux-even better. Microsoft is just trying to get a foot hold in emerging countries, and to keep Linux from the same (see Nigeria). It’s a pity they chose to disrupt the roll out with this crap, and after all the hard work has been finished.
June 12th, 2008
I read an article where bill gates said honestly, and perhaps painfully, that OLPC has sold under a million platforms and they are bairly on the radar (paraphrasing) As much as I like the XO, to think they threaten windows in any way is crazy. Same goes for the less then 10% market share that linux/unix has in the OS sphere.
As to foot hold in these markets. I’d love to find someone to take a bet that most of the computers on the desks of the people buying the XO were running something other then windows.
What holds back a sale is that it’s not windows. I’ve told clients point blank that Palm is better then PPC. That they are better in many many ways. (power, memory, speed). “but can they run windows?” was uttered so many times that even palm started putting windows on their hardware. Want kids to get them. Sell them to the policy makers.