OLPC to scrap Linux for Windows
Nick wakes up and smells the coffee
IN A SOMEWHAT shocking revelation, One Laptop Per Child has said that they might dump Linux from their XO laptops in favour of the Vole’s Windows XP. The seeming surrender to the evil corporate world comes just a day after the company’s president tendered his resignation.
OLPC, the educational project which purportedly aims to provide small, cheap laptops for kids has, since its inception, been running its home-made Sugar application, run on Linux, but on Tuesday, OLPC chairman and founder, Nicholas Negroponte, told AP that this was all about to change.
In an attack on pro open saucers, Negroponte slammed “the fundamentalism in some of the open-source community" and reckoned that by pushing the free, open-sauce software on OLPC XOs, the company was scaring people away. "One can be an open-source advocate without being an open-source fundamentalist" he snarled.
Sounds like either Mr. Negroponte has fallen victim to invasion of the corporate body snatchers, or the Vole has told him they’ll be mailing him a very big cheque.
An XO that can run on either Windows or Linux has been in the pipeline for some time already, but the fact that Linux and free open-sauce might be phased out altogether on the childish machine, is sad and disappointing news for anyone who actually believed OLPC was an ideological company, standing up to the software behemoths. Obviously OLPC has now switched sides and is preparing to educate children about the harsh realities of capitalist monopoly giants crushing their weaker opponents instead.
Negroponte used to cry foul at what he saw as Intel’s backhanded attempt to undermine the OLPC project with their Windows based Classmate PCs, but it seems the tables have turned.
Instead of staying true to their goals of helping to overcome third world educational resource obstacles, OLPC’s new strategy seems to be cosying up to richer Western customers, who can afford to shell out more than your average African to buy an XO for their private schooled child.
But then again, with very disappointing sales of only 500,000 XO laptops, when they were originally predicted to sell by their millions, OLPC has had to up their prices to cover manufacturing costs anyway. Instead of an almost affordable $100 (think third world here), the laptops are going for $200, which is probably more than an African family earns in a year.
Switching to Windows XP also means that XO is going to start packing a heck of a lot more disk space than it currently has (1 GB). The XO’s current Sugar and stripped-down versions of Firefox, and other open-source software, only use up a combined 200 MB, which leave 800 MB free.
But Windows XP Home SP2 takes a greedy 1.1 GB of disk space, not including the various patches and updates thought to add another 165 MB each year. Bunging a bigger solid state drive into an XO is going to hike the price even more. Oh well, maybe the company should just change their name to One Laptop Per Rich Child (OLPRC), doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, but, hey, just think of the profits. µ
L’Inq
Computer
World
Comments
Oh well
Oh well, they were too expensive anyway for my liking. I'd much rather have a nice sexier EeePC and install Ubuntu on it.Maybe if the OLPC was $100 each then I would buy one. I certainly won't be buying one now. I want a reliable machine that won't run like a slug so XP wouldn't be on my list of things to run on it.
No source for you!
Fundamentalism - how very diplomatic.I contemplated making the move to Linux a while ago and in my pre-move research I was astounded by the utter contempt demonstrated by the so-called Linux community, on their associated "support" forums, towards every poor sod who dared to ask a simple question without first obtaining a degree in Linux-ology.
Feckin' Source Nazis.
Hey Linux Community.
Repeat after me:
"Linux is not a religion"
Take the money or hit the road
Ideals don't pay the bills.Oh good God no...
This just means a few million more techno-idiots running a vulnerable OS pumping out "Enlarge you penis" emails or whatever else their botnet master wishes.when is the funeral?
It started so well, high hopes all around. Cool technology, solid operating system with community support.How sad to see this end this way, for that this is the start of the end is obvious to me.
What are they thinking. Lets dump linux and install a heavier OS on it, and lets choose an OS that has been declared dead a few times allready. If it wasnt for public demand XP would be dead, and it still might/will be soon.
Soon everybody who wanted one will be better of buying a cheap normal laptop.
What a shame
don't panic
Here's my spin on it:http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/devel/2008-April/013064.html
Enjoy.
Are you crazy?
Are you supposed to be a journalist? Your narrow minded and ignorant view of all this is sickening. First off, do you know their reasons for switching to Windows? Maybe they're using a stripped down version of Windows or for some reason production costs will be less. If you do know these answers you didn't put them in your article, instead you just ranted like a crazy fundamentalist. It sounds like they might also be sick of the fundamentalist base of open-sourcers who have a near religious extremism in justifying some of they're shitty software.To be fair, I like linux, I've used it in the past. In fact I try to use open-source software whenever possible. But I'm sick and tired of the reactionary open-source base acting as if if you use something closed source you're less pure and that you should use open-source software even if it's not as functional and at points doesn't even work the way you need it to. Maybe OLPC has found a way to make them cheaper, maybe Windows is subsidizing something.
Next time try to be a journalist. Remember, journalists report the facts, even in their editorials they try to remain somewhat unbiased. This article reads more like a high school geeks blog (or worse, a high school geeks tabloid).
OLPC RIP VIVAT eee
Seems the OLPC has ditched its last remaining virtue. Looks as if the capitalist pig dogs (sic) have won this round. The eee now looks very competitive for this market.Your Joking?
We don't EAT the OLPC we constantly patch, update and protect from viruses the OLPC!duh
linux is just simply not plug and play-who needs kde and gnome, who needs all the rest of barnacles, make it simple make it easy point and click until then it's just bullshit and an also ranHuh?
Do you guys work freelance? Do you work in the same place? Do you talk to each other? Or do you have a bunch of loose cannons running around, ejaculating what ever strikes you’re fancy on any particular morning.A couple of weeks ago Charlie beat the snot out of INTC because they backed out on the OLPC deal. The way he described it you would think INTC STARVED 3rd world children.
Today, however, Nick NeG. is smelling coffee! If this computing genius can't decide on an OS, how on this earth is he going to decide hardware requirements, putting aside costing this stuff out en mass?
It seems that INTC smelled the coffee a bit sooner than both Nick and Charlie.
By the way, does Charlie know what coffee is? Perhaps he's to busy Dancing in the aisles?
SPARKS
Shit for brains
Negroponte is just a moronic idiot (yeah, I know, I'm being redundant).I still remember when Steve Jobs said that he would give Mac OS X for free to be used in the OLPCs. Negroponte then rejected that option because it wasn't OSS and whatnot. Now they are going after Billy.
How corrupt or idiot can anybody get?
On the bright side, I never held high hopes for this project. Everybody ditch your OLPCs and get the Classmates before it's too late!
I like this author
Damn them!Earth to Inquirer
You're over 3 weeks late for April fools. Without any form of confirmation for your claims (so far), given the Inquirer's tenuous connection with reality I'll wait for more sources.Nice windup piece though.
Perhaps mr Negroponte should have released a more standard OS
OLPC´s problems arise from the fact that the Linux guys designed an operating abomination instead of the typical OS.They tried to invent new paradigms for the sake of it.
People want files, icons, menus and windows.
Just check the Asus EEE pc
R.I.P.
I really thought to buy 1-2 of them for my nephews, to give them the opportunity to learn and experiment in the same way i have done with old spectrum and c64, without bling bling but the fun of seeing code running. This plus the idea of helping developing countries in a different way and satisfaction in seeing a project with no profit goal now are dead.I hope that inquirer's wombats were not joking with this title.
I will start a very particular strike, i will not buy , at least for 2 years, any new electronic gadget, pc component or device.
I will not spend my money greedy bastards.
So long
Jinx
Now for Something Completely Different
If I recall correctly, OLPC is no more tied to Linux than it is to AMD's Geode processor. Linux happens to be an obvious fit, but a Windows-only platform was never out of the question. It may seem odd, but if that's what you have to do to move units and it's compatible with your mission then that's what you do.As I understand it, open source purism has been getting in the way of progress for OLPC, so it's being scrapped as a central part of the project.
As for the specifics of a switch to Windows, I think you can expect a much lighter version that won't take up nearly as much space, won't have so many background processes, and probably won't have any of that WGA nonsense. It might even have some really interesting customization.
windows update
downloading sp3 over dialup sure is gonna be funPartnership à la MS
The idea of having a US company helping developing countries is like putting a wolf in charge of the sheeps' diet. OLPC is bad enough, but with MS as partner the developing countries will learn what a "partner" is. Just take a look at the agricultural market and you will understand why the developing countries have to help themselves.Odor of M$ corruption
OLPC was supposed to be abouteducating and liberating the
developing world, not enslaving
it to Big Brother Bill (Steve).
Now we'll have another bumper
crop of computer illiterates.
Check your logic
I really don't think this is about higher profits. In all likelihood microsoft is providing the software free of charge and might even be donating extra money to the project, this would allow for the prices of the laptops to be lower, thus helping to spread them.Also if the project is going to keep low prices it is going to need a high volume of sales. This is best achieved by having a platform that the large majority of people are familiar with.
Linux is a great idea, but for right now microsoft has a product that is more compatible with more things, which makes things simpler and ultimately that is what most people from a computer.
Feel the powerlessness of the Dark Side!
Yes, Nick, you have alienated all your bright and idealistic employees - many who have left - and you have filled your toy computer with the evil bot-spewing OS of XP. Yes, spew the MS-infection onto the Third World! Enslave their minds! Your journey to the Dark Side is complete!Eee PC Better
And pretty much the same price, and doing much better.Still, this is just sad.
A Computer is a Computer but the UI is an Opinion
I can't help but to think that the switch to Windows is just giving in to the common perception that any "normal" PC runs a proprietary and profitable Operating System created by Microsoft, Inc.I don't mean to sound like a contrarian, but a computer is a computing device, and the operating system is just the means to interface hardware with a user (to be fair, the OS is the opinion of its creator as to what a UI should be).
Affluent users can exercise preference to "MacOS" or "Vista" or "XP" or "Linux" or a host of others. On the other hand, OLPC doesn't offer a choice. If nothing else, OLPC should recognize a simple connection between a PERSON and the greater world of LEARNING offered by ANY combination of computer and OS:
--UNBIASED ACCESS TO THE WWW (especially to the likes of Wikipedia)
--STANDARDS COMPLIANCE to prevent The Web equivalence of a monopoly.
--GENERAL LITERACY in finding, interpreting and using information about the world we live in, without sugar coating or political filtering.
-- ADVANCED TOPICS in INFORMATION PROCESSING with word processing, spreadsheets, databases, programming, etc.
None of these requires any Microsoft product. Open-source alternatives often provide a richer, more versatile and world-fluent alternative. Learn the fundamentals, independent of any OS, and you'll be more fluent in world bazaar of information and computing.
Stick with Microsoft and you'll find yourself in a very narrow chasm of Microsoft's opinion of how the world should work.
Are you sure ???
Read this, from the horses mouth :-http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Windows
Cut off your nose...
Stupid decision on their part. But it's not a big deal in the scheme of things, because a) the momentum departed OLPC a while ago, and moved to the Asus Eee and its competitors, and b) all the hard work that was put into developing the custom "Sugar" interface and other Linux stuff is not lost, being Free Software it can be reused by other projects in future.Game over
You know a project is done for, when:(1) Their original goals have changed dramatically. (open source to closed source).
(2) When you start hearing of Microsoft getting involved.
(3) When you hear about the key people leaving the project!
(4) When you read about the head of the project using an excuse to justify a poorly managed project...Why take responsibility when you can easily blame someone else (or a group), for your screw up?
So I guess OLPC needs to be re-defined in meaning now.
One Laptop Per Child is DEAD.
Its is now...
One License Per Child.
(Microsoft will be very happy!).
Windows XP Home SP2, eh? Doesn't that use Admin account by default? Not exactly safe for kids, is it?
Dereasing choice, upping price to increase desirability. What??!
"...sad and disappointing news for anyone who actually believed OLPC was an ideological company, standing up to the software behemoths."A common misunderstanding. Mr Negroponte is standing up FOR the software behemoths.
Regarding the maths, let me get this straight: they are suffering from low sales figures, so they are decreasing choice to fix this??!
One thing with WinXP is often overlooked. A friend bought an eeek-PC for his son. He was planning to use Linux but got the WinXP version (to get the licence) just in case he'll need it. The first time he connected to the net, he proceeded download a few critical updates. Everything went downhill from there. After some head head scratching, out went WinXP and in came Linux. Father and son are reported to be much happier now.
In a slow device that has tiny memory, WinXP is a killer. Just doesn't work. If you think it does for you, you are welcome to it. You deserve it, too.
Huge Big Mistake for OLPC
YES, it's true that Microsoft's strategy is and has been about anti-competitive behavior. And we can even add, Microsoft has frequently sought to establish proprietary monopolies--and then leverage its dominance into new, adjacent markets...But, the real question isn't even Microsoft here, it's how the economy is based upon IPR. In the U.S. business function under the laws, of which "Intellectual Property Rights" dictate how businesses conduct themselves. Microsoft like many other corporations are just exploiting the given situation.
In lessor developing countries, even such one as mainland China, where rampant economic development occurs, the need for sharing the works of innovation remains a top priority, and NOT the need of maintaining monopolies such as the MPAA and RIAA content distributors.
Does anyone think in Sudan, for example, the need of preventing others from building upon prior innovation is greater in need? Have you recently been to Sudan?
Have you been to many of the third world developing countries? Where even toilets are missing, where people are under oppression and told IPR like in China needs to be adopted. Why or rather for who's benefit?
The truth is, IPR has increasingly become an instrument for securing huge investments. But for a democratic society, that thrives on a large diversity of freely expressed and discussed cultural expressions, it's succumbs to stagnation and regression, all because of some bureaucratic encumbrance of intellectual property rights.
Copyrights are selfish; they place the good of the one (the creator) over the good of the many (the audience). Instead of allowing a work to be improved and redistributed by those who may be more qualified than the original author, works are restricted in the name of monetary profit.
Supporting open source code, allows everyone to build upon and improve technology. People become enablers, not dependent upon such corporations like Microsoft. Whom dictate with pre-loaded PC client machines their EULA draconian stipulations. The public isn't allowed to review the source code.
How is that better? It just establishes a special market niche for Microsoft to hold on to it's monopolistic business practices...
OLPC shouldn't force developing "cheaper growing adults" with software that is ALL proprietary source code.
If you let OLPC become owned, copyrighted and patent, you're going to create even more dependency upon Microsoft or whatever other IPR corporation.
Windows Activation on OLPC?
Don't forget to read this article:http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/04/22/ms-unashamedly-screws-music
When Microsoft 'turns off' it's activation servers for XP, does do the lights go out in the 3rd world countries?
Good Move
I for one applaud the move.WinXP is much more forgiving than any Linux install, and it doesn't take any more resources than Linux, once you load up KDE, Gnome, X-Windows and other desktop stuff.
MS development tools, while they may produce less efficient code, are far more productive than Linux equivalents.
Why should a bunch of self-appointed do-gooders force the 3rd world to use Linux, instead of what the 1st world uses?
Die OLPC, Die
As a third-worlder myself, I've always been baffled by the idiocy of the OLPC. It's an utopian idea that should have dropped long ago in favor of computers for schools and teachers. If this had been the purpose from the start, 500000 of them would have accomplished quite a bit.