Historical Inevitability: M$ set to horn in on OLPC with XP Lite

[nubcnubdo]

I guess it is just a matter of time: Microsoft is working on, investing in a stripped-down version of XP for the One Laptop Per Child program.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/software/0,39044164,62033818,00.htm

[nubcnubdo]

M$ has earmarked $235.5M for educating students and teachers worldwide in the use of Windows XP and Vista, in response to recent successes of Linux on such projects as OLPC.
http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2008/01/22/windows-xp-takes-linux-away-from-our-children/

Chuckle of the Day: Ayala [of Microsoft’s education division] said, "Frankly, we welcome the competition.''

How bout: "We quash the competition."

or: "We purchase the competition."

[tomh38]

B-b-b-but Vista's great if you have the right hardware!!  XP is the best OS ever!  Microsoft is just engaging in free enterprise, is that so wrong!?!

[MikeCindi]

tomh38...stirrin' the pot again...

[Steve_Barker]

  XP is the best OS ever! 

Must be a different XP from the one I endure at work

  Microsoft is just engaging in free enterprise, is that so wrong!?!

Using size and financial clout is not competition - putting forward a good product is.

Using size and financial clout is not competition - it just forces one companies products onto everyone, and in time, if unchecked, at whatever price they want to charge.

[tomh38]

Ding ding ding!!  We have a winner!

Well, two winners actually:

mikecindi for knowing that I was being (um ... is it irony or sarcasm when you mean the opposite of what you say?) ... whatever

and

Steve_Barker for pointing out just a few of the flaws in what I wrote

Just so that I'm clear for people who don't know me:  I hate Microsoft, both for all of the crapware they've put out over the years and for steamrolling all competition, real or potential, that has ever come along.

HATE

[tomh38]

You wanna talk about irony?  I got your irony right here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120113473219511791.html?mod=djemalertTECH

I'm LMFAO over here.

[metvas]

We (Vector) are just one small clog in the Open Source wheel, but strong enough to be part of tide turning. congrats to everyone. M$ would NEVER have done this if we had not worked to diligently to force them to. My opinion FWIW.
Darrell

[nightflier]

I second that. Without the competition from Open Source, the "One OS to rule them all" would by now have been such a huge, inflexible and expensive beast that projects like OLPC, the Eee PC and others could not have evolved.

[tomh38]

metvas, nightflier, you guys are right ...

The funny thing is (and this time I mean funny in the sense of humorous) that Microsoft doesn't really seem to be aware that this is happening.  Sure, they try to drum up some phony patent claims, or they try to horn in on OLPC, but otherwise they act like they're still King of the World.

They are.  For now.

[MikeCindi]

sarcasm - remarks that mean the opposite of what they seem to say and are intended to mock or deride (taken from Encarta Dictionary via MS Word research "plug-in" and that is irony)

[GrannyGeek]

Hey--

Has everyone here forgotten that Microsoft and Linux aren't the only games in town? There is also Mac OS, which has a small but growing market share and poses more competition to Microsoft than Linux does. So get over the paranoia. Microsoft can't take over the world as long as the Mac is around. People have ALWAYS had a choice as long as personal computers have been around. They've chosen Windows by a large majority. Sure, you can argue that they didn't really have a choice because most users are not knowledgeable, they don't know Linux exists, they're used to Windows, probably use it at work and school, they think their operating system is Microsoft Word, and all the computers they see in the store come with Windows installed. But if people really felt under Microsoft's thumb, they had every opportunity to get something else--the Mac has been there, they've heard of it, they can use the same programs they use on Windows, and they can buy a computer with the Mac OS preinstalled.

It was announced many months ago that Microsoft was working on a version of XP for the OLPC. You can't seriously expect Microsoft to pass up an opportunity to get in on this. They owe it to their stockholders. Nick Negroponte was very excited and positive about Microsoft's working on a Windows for OLPC.

I think the ASUS eee and other low-cost computers would have entered the market no matter what. It's not the presence of Linux that enables them, it's the attraction of a low-cost machine that is usable by the masses. The eee is XP-capable, comes with drivers for XP, so we'll see whether buyers are content with the Linux on it or switch it to XP.

There are a number of factors that make this a good time for low-cost computers like the eee and the $200 desktops now available. One is the availability of broadband, which enables the eee to use Web 2.0 applications rather than big locally installed programs. Another is the large number of users whose requirements are mainly Internet, e-mail, IM, photo viewing, and listening to music. For that kind of use, the operating system is irrelevant. Linux has reached the point where it can do those things at least as well as Windows and without a bigger learning curve.

My hope is that the eee and other low-cost computers with Linux preinstalled will introduce the masses to Linux and get rid of the stereotype that Linux is a geeks' OS. You'll never get anywhere by bashing Micosoft. Most people just don't care and they'll probably think you're a fanatic fanboy. But if people get a chance to actually use Linux and see that it's easy to use, looks good, is less expensive than commercial software and OSes, and can do the things they want a computer for, they'll be more willing to take the plunge on their desktop computers, too.

Note I said "is less expensive." I think all this talk about Linux being free as in beer does a disservice to Linux. Most Linux projects are starved for cash. And why is that? Because people think "it's free"--as if developers and the companies behind various distros don't need and deserve compensation. In fact, they can't survive if no cash comes in. So at least pony up the $27 for the Deluxe CD or make an equivalent donation, and if you can't afford that, donate what you can!
--GrannyGeek

[nightflier]

True, Linux is not the only open source competition. Mac OSX is built on an open source foundation.

Still, without Linux, I doubt that the OLPC project could have easily convinced MS or Apple to heavily modify their flagship products to fit a low spec, low cost machine.

[tomh38]

So get over the paranoia.

Is it paranoia if they really have done all kinds anti-competitive things, have broken the law, have plotted to destroy Linux (Halloween letters, SCO, recent secret imaginary patents)?

Oh, and get over the name-calling, GrannyGeek.

If you can't make rational arguments without calling people fanatic fanboys, conspiracy theorists, paranoid, etc., ... that's just sad.

Also, why not bash Microsoft?  They have a chokehold on the personal computer market that they'll do anything to hold on to, and their software sucks.

[tomh38]

A few other things ...

Apple uses closed hardware, and most of their OS X (the important parts, otherwise just run FreeBSD) is also closed.  iPhone and MacBook Air anyone?

Microsoft may feel that they "owe it to their stockholders" to horn in on OLPC, but I think the OLPC people have an even more important duty to keep Microsoft's garbageware out of what is essentially a charitable project to provide poor children with usable computers. Nicholas Negroponte may disagree, and though I have respect for the man, I think that it's a mistake on his part to be "very excited and positive" about XP for OLPC.

Furthermore, I mostly bash MS in here and with a few Linux using friends.  Most other people don't even know what an OS is, nor do they care.

Way back in the 80s, Richard Stallman had this revolutionary idea about software being free as in freedom.  Without that idea, there would be no GNU, and without Linus Torvalds writing the Linux kernel "just for fun" (for a long time anyway) there would be no GNU/Linux.

Microsoft's stockholders can toast in heck for all I care.  Money is important, but there are more important things in life than money.  Should people give up their freedom for money?

Oh yeah ... I bought the Deluxe VL, and I hope a lot of other people will also.