There are several articles floating around the tubes that mention the change . Linux and other free software will be still on it but M$ who originally were not allowed to help are now involved as an alternative to linux on these small laptops.
I feel that its cheeky moves like m$ offering $3 for windows and office a stark reminder that there afraid linux and free software will prevail in the developing world and that they have got to act. I take some cynicalism to this approach and perhaps even wonder if the governments of the developing countries get secret incentives to buy m$ products cheap.
OLPC gets a M$ Blowjob
Moderators: snarkout, Patrick, dann
OLPC gets a M$ Blowjob
Арте́льный горшо́к гу́ще кипи́т
Working as a team produces better results
Russian Proverb
Working as a team produces better results
Russian Proverb
Yeah - I think this is more or less the death knell for the once noble project. Now it's just going to be a target for theft so people can put pirated versions of windows on it, IMO. And no, I don't think Colombian drug lords give a shit if "they aren't supposed to be using them." The price is now also almost double the initial goal. Ah, well, I guess it's just an example of how fickle idealism can be, and how realism will generally kick idealism in the ass, especially where money is concerned.
Shared pain is lessened, shared joy is increased; thus do we refute entropy.
--Spider Robinson
--Spider Robinson
It would be nice to have some actual documentation on this. What I had heard was that Microsoft was developing their own version, or that the company that developed a lot of the technology was developing their own laptop with Windows on it.
Either way, the OLPC laptops are not being sold at a profit, so cloning it will not make Microsoft a lot of money. Doesn't seem like much of a threat to me.
Either way, the OLPC laptops are not being sold at a profit, so cloning it will not make Microsoft a lot of money. Doesn't seem like much of a threat to me.
