Microsoft goes after OLPC.

[Jannus]

Microsoft Corp. has announced plans to port its Windows XP operating system to the OLPC. Since the announcement of the OLPC/XO project by the United Nations and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, many, many conflicting reports have surfaced regarding Microsoft's intentions concerning the OLPC project. Microsoft repeatedly denied plans to port Windows to the OLPC.

Microsoft has now issued a statement in which they announce "plans to further expand flash-based Windows XP support for low-cost hardware computing devices. This builds on the success of similar support for devices such as Intel Corporation’s Classmate PC and ASUS’ Eee PC..." The announcement further indicates "there will be limited field trials in January 2008 of Windows XP for One Laptop per Child’s XO laptop." Microsoft advises "Governments evaluating purchases of the XO should continue to consult with Microsoft regarding possible Windows XP availability date, pricing and support policies."

Hold onto your hats, JUBbers, it's going to be all out warfare between the UN and Microsoft.

Looks like Microsoft plans on keeping XP around for a long, long time.


http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2007/dec07/12-05FlashBasedDevices.mspx

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1015

 

[Apollo]

Microsofts OS wont be on the olPC. The creator said he would not put it on there, because it would cost money. They will be putting a educational version of Linux onto the olPC. In fact, it is already.

Now as for Intel and one other company. They have made their own super cheap laptops for poor countries and the olPC is dieing a tragic death.

 

[Jannus]

"There will be limited field trials in January 2008 of Windows XP for One Laptop per Child’s XO laptop."


"Governments evaluating purchases of the XO should continue to consult with Microsoft regarding possible Windows XP availability date, pricing and support policies."



(Microsoft is doing this without necessarily the consent of the OLPC project, BlackWolf. But you're right, Nicholas Negroponte didn't want a proprietary OS on the OLPC. He was trying to avoid DRMed textbooks and dependence of the third world upon US companies and US technology for their educational programs. That's why they insisted on open source throughout the project, even after both Apple and MS offered the use of their OSs free.)



http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2007/dec07/12-05FlashBasedDevices.mspx

 

[Apollo]

But it still wont be on the thing. They can test all they want.

 

[Jannus]

This is speculation, but, in Nigeria, Microsoft managed to convince the Nigerian government to wipe Mandriva Linux off of several tens of thousands of Intel Classmates they had agreed to buy with Linux on them, and replace Linux with Windows XP (at considerable extra cost to the Nigerians, BTW).

Presumably, what Microsoft plans to do is have private contractors erase the XO's native open source OS ("Sugar") and replace it with Win XP. That is, unless the OLPC project agrees to ship the computers with XP installed at the factory.

 

[justgofaster]

Bully for Microsoft!

With all those little antenna "ears" linking the little kiddies to the Internet, now the third world, too, can enjoy the many advantages of WGA!

 

[_AJ_]

Hopefully this means there will be a portable edition of xp to buy for olpc's and the eee pc and the new ones which will undoubtedly follow

i really dont see microsoft as being bad here they are giving people a choice if apple were doing the same thing i wonder if the comments would be negative i doubt it

 

[Jannus]

^ I don't think Apple would dream of doing such a thing. Apple depends too much on its reputation.

The "choice" thing is exactly what Microsoft is arguing, of course. And that would be great, if it weren't so obvious that their real intention is precisely the opposite - to stop the third world from ever obtaining a choice!

The open source community is predictably outraged by Microsoft's behavior. Online blogs and bulletin boards are going crazy with new hatred for Microsoft. But trust me, if Apple were doing this, you would see an outpouring of hatred for Apple the likes of which that company has never known (which is, of course, why they would never try it).

 

[WYSIWYG]

Also Intel has dropped support for the One Laptop per Student program as of a week or two ago.

 

[Apollo]

Also Intel has dropped support for the One Laptop per Student program as of a week or two ago.

Intel never really supported it. When the OLPC was announced, Intel put it down and immediately designed and made their own super cheap computer for third world countries. I forget what it is called. But they have already undermined the OLPC in a few African countries.

 

[_AJ_]

ok well since the olpc wont support xp at all i guess ill just buy an eee pc to run it and say sorry kids in other countries but since i have no choice you get nothing

 

[Centurion]

Also Intel has dropped support for the One Laptop per Student program as of a week or two ago.

Yeah, Intel's representative on the OLPC board left after it became apparent that an Intel salesperson was trying to sell some third world country Intel Classmates (instead of OLPCs) by badmouthing the OLPC. It's pretty awkward to sit on a foundation's board at the same time you're trying to compete with that foundation's charitable pursuits!

I am certain Nicholas Negroponte and the UN had no idea the hornet's nest they would stir up, just by trying to offer third world students a better education by giving them cheap access to computers and the internet. They did their job too well. By coming up with such an innovative new design, they created a whole new product market, which is now seen as ripe for exploitation. Huge commercial interests now want to exploit that market, and they don't appreciate having the nonprofit OLPC (whose ideas they basically copied) getting in their way. A couple years ago, you couldn't have begged Intel or Microsoft or Asus or anyone else to develop educational products for the third world - there was clearly nothing in it for them. Now, they're beating each other up to be exclusive providers.

All this would be great if it meant that the students were getting better computers at less cost and with more options. But that doesn't seem to be happening. Everyone seems to be ignoring the students (except, of course, the UN/OLPC - but even they seem to resent the competition, since it drives their costs up, and limits what they can offer).

I feel sad that such a worthwhile plan is in danger of becoming compromised, just because the UN (and MIT) did their jobs so well. Who'd have believed that a $100 third world laptop would prove so threatening to first world enterprise?

 

[Centurion]

ok well since the olpc wont support xp at all i guess ill just buy an eee pc to run it and say sorry kids in other countries but since i have no choice you get nothing

You can't buy an OLPC, anyway. The UN has specifically tried to limit its sale in developed countries, so as not to threaten first world commercial interests. (Talk about a good idea that went awry!!)

 

[mike_n_herrin]

i don't see why a government would expend more money to put a OS on these laptops when they are all ready getting an OS for "free?" seems to me that somewhere along the line someone is getting kickbacks!

 

[Jannus]

^ Yep Yep Yep

A lot of people are very concerned about what is happening with Intel/Microsoft/OLPC/etc. because it is feared that third world government officials may be more vulnerable to temptation than even first world politicians. There were lots of allegations about what Microsoft did in Nigeria, but evidently hard proof of bribes has "avoided" investigators.

That's partly why Negroponte has been so upset.


Mandriva Linux's CEO, Francois Bancihon, wrote an open letter to Steve Ballmer:

Dear Steve,

Hi, this is François, from Mandriva.

I’m sure we are way too small for you to have heard of us. You know, we are one of these Linux company who is working hard to make its place in the market. We publish a Linux Distro, called Mandriva Linux. Mandriva Linux 2008, our last edition, has a pretty good review and we’re proud of it. You should try it, I’m sure you’d like it. We also happen to be one of the Linux companies that did not sign an agreement with your company (nobody’s perfect).

We recently closed a deal with the Nigerian Government. Maybe you heard about it, Steve. They were looking for an affordable hardware+software solution for their schools. The initial batch was 17,000 machines. We had a good deal to respond to their need: the Classmate PC from Intel, with a customized Mandriva Linux solution. We presented the solution to the local government, they liked the machine, they liked our system, they liked what we offered them, especially the fact that it was open, and that we could customize it for their country and so on.

Then, your people get in the game and the deal got more competitive. I would not say it got dirty, but someone could have said that. Your team fought and fought again the deal, but still the customer was happy with the CMPC and Mandriva.

We actually closed the deal, we took the order, we qualified the software, we got the machine shipped. To conclude, we did our job. And, the machine are being delivered right now.

Now, we hear a different story from the customer : “we shall pay for the Mandriva Software as agreed, but we shall replace it by Windows afterward.”

Wow! I’m impressed, Steve! What have you done to these guys to make them change their mind like this? It’s quite clear to me, and it will be to everyone. How do you call what you just did Steve? There is various names for it, I’m sure you know them.

Of course, I will keep fighting this one and the next one, and the next one. You have the money, the power, and maybe we have a different sense of ethics you and I, but I still believe that hard work, good technology and ethics can win too.

cheers

François

PS: a message to our friends in Nigeria: it’s still time to do the right thing and make the right choice, you will get lots of support for it and excellent services!

http://blog.mandriva.com/2007/10/31/an-open-letter-to-steve-ballmer/

 

[_AJ_]

You can't buy an OLPC, anyway. The UN has specifically tried to limit its sale in developed countries, so as not to threaten first world commercial interests. (Talk about a good idea that went awry!!)

http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/usa/olpc_xo_laptop_sale.html

 

[Centurion]

http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/usa/olpc_xo_laptop_sale.html

The OLPC was temporarily offered to North Americans only, in a scheme to promote distribution in the third world. This scheme developed out of the project's frustration that commercial interests were preventing them from reaching the volume numbers necessary to make the project economical. As I stated above, the UN has specifically tried to limit its sale in developed countries, so as not to threaten first world commercial interests.

 

[D-Base]

If Microsoft ships it for free I don't see the problem, XP is the better choice anyway. Because when those kids grow up, they will have to use a MS OS at least more often that Linux or Mac OS chances are.
If MS wants money for it, fuck them, stick to Linux or anything else that's free...

 

[Centurion]

As for the whole Nigerian corruption angle on this - that was debunked months ago (by me). We've been down this road several times now guys. Dr. Aja- Nwachukwu the Nigerian Education Minister admitted that MS had offered him a bribe but he actually went on to say that the Nigerian government probably wouldn't even buy the OLPC never mind worry about MS versus Linux.

Since you have proven that no money exchanged hands, you should present your proof to the UN. They don't seem to believe this. Send your evidence also to Francois Bancihon, so he may publish an apology to Microsoft and a retraction.

And the Nigerians didn't buy the OLPC. They bought Intel Classmates with Mandriva Linux on them. They debated the merits of Mandriva vs. XP for a few weeks, finally settling on Mandriva, and signing a contract with same. The next day, they announced that they would honor their contract with Mandriva, but that they would also buy Windows XP and pay to have Mandriva stripped off the Classmates, and XP installed in its place.

XP may be a better choice for the Nigerians. But the manner in which events transpired appears very, very suspicious.

It really never ceases to amaze what people will say and who they will blame when their preferred platform or OS isn't hugged and kissed by everyone else.

This thread isn't about being "hugged and kissed." It's about some people breaking the law to exploit the defenseless, and to try to prevent those defenseless from ever having a choice. You see this as an OS war. We see this as an abuse of human rights by people who would prefer that certain of the world's underprivileged remain underfoot, and dependent on Western interests.

That 'open letter' by Francois Bancihon is simply a blogger's rant - there are no links anywhere to prove anything that was said - without hard evidence there's no substance to anything that was said in it. In fact it reads of sour grapes, like something a petulant schoolchild would say.

Bancihon is the CEO of Mandriva, not some "blogger". He's not in a position to conduct an investigation of the Nigerian government. He has only the evidence of what his salespeople in the field told him transpired. It is precisely because he lacks hard proof that he uses the language that he does in his letter.

Personally, I think the whole OLPC idea was a noble one but completely impractical and unworkable. It will fail miserably and not just because Intel or Microsoft have bribed or cajoled or threatened people. Give the kids tables, chairs, books, fresh water and food first.

Microsoft and Intel don't seem to agree with you on this. They now seem to see the third world as a hugely important marketplace. Microsoft in particular seems to see the OLPC as a major revolution which threatens its business model, simply because it offers people an alternative.

The UN already has projects in place to give the students and people of the third world "tables, chairs, books, fresh water and food." But we have, in 2008, arguably also the ability to give them access to information. And that is something that can really change their lives.

 

[Centurion]

If Microsoft ships it for free I don't see the problem, XP is the better choice anyway. Because when those kids grow up, they will have to use a MS OS at least more often that Linux or Mac OS chances are.
If MS wants money for it, fuck them, stick to Linux or anything else that's free...

Microsoft isn't shipping it for free. They offered it free at one time, but now seem to be interested in selling their OS.

Even if it were being offered free, however, the OLPC project would not likely be interested. They have struggled valiantly to keep proprietary software out of the OLPC. That is not because they hate commercial interests, but because a proprietary OS raises the possibility of exploitation of the project by vendors insistent on DRMing their textbooks, or locking a school system into a particular source of media or software. The UN does not want the OLPC to become a glorified iPod, dependent on some version of a Western iTunes store for its function.

Commercial interests seem to feel that their profits get maximized when the customer's choices get limited. That idea is antithetical to the philosophy of the OLPC, which is empowerment.

M.I.T. and the OLPC project put a great deal of effort into coming up with an open source OS and a suite of applications for the OLPC which would not - indeed, could not - be used to exploit the end users by making them dependent on any company or country or system. This is not an OS war. M.I.T. could have written their own OS from the ground up, if Linux had not been conveniently available (and possibly if Red Hat had not conveniently been located across the street from M.I.T.!). This is about handing people tools they can use to make their lives better - not making them dependent on tools that the West provides, with restrictions, and for a price.