$175 OLPC deals blow to open source, guarantees Microsoft’s continued dominance

[mehulved]

Yesterday Nicholas Negroponte, former director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab now head of the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child project, gave analysts and journalists an update on the OLPC project. Two big changes were announced - the $100 OLPC is now the $175 OLPC, and it will be able to run Windows.
The OLPC was seen as a way for open source Linux distributions to achieve massive exposure in developing countries, but now Negroponte says that the OLPC machine will be able to run Windows as well as Linux. Details are sketchy but Negroponte did confirm that the XO's developers have been working with Microsoft to get the OLPC up to spec for Windows.

This new information by Negroponte pulls the announcement last week from Microsoft that it was planning on releasing a $3 Windows/Office software bundle into focus. Microsoft clearly doesn't want to see millions of OLPC machines running Linux and has now offered an alternative. There no confirmation as of yet that these two announcements are in any way linked, but I'd be very surprised if they aren't. Microsoft doesn't want millions of OLPC systems running Linux and open source software, the OLPC will seem more credible with Microsoft on board (no matter what you think of Microsoft, this is true, business is business and having Microsoft on board will be a boost to the project.

This I believe will be a severe blow for open source community. Think about it this way. Many of the countries that have expressed an interest in the OLPC are countries where there are high rates of software piracy, especially of Microsoft IP. Even in a free and open market where there are free and legal alternatives to using Windows and Office, there's a huge demand for Microsoft software because this is seen as the "industry standard." Based on this, my guess is that governments will choose cheap Microsoft software over free open source and this will make sure that Microsoft gets a firm foot in the door into these emerging economies. Since the $3 bundle will feature special editions of Office and Windows, and since Microsoft will be seen as offering a helping hand, all rumors of monopoly will be defused. Check to the king.

Like I said, $3 for a Windows and Office bundle and cheap hardware is a deal that will be hard to refuse.

source: *blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=379
Also see, *hardware.slashdot.org/hardware/07/04/28/0658206.shtml

 

[Pathik]

100 to 175$ is too much.. And seems like the olpc project ll flop now.. Btw wat s the price of intel classmate?

 

[mehulved]

If I remember right, it costs $400 right now.

 

[Zeeshan Quireshi]

it's better to build ur own PC , Rs 10k desktops with amd processors n 256MB ram r available here in lko.

 

[gxsaurav]

Re: $175 OLPC deals blow to open source, guarantees Microsoft’s continued dominance

Pwned, & few days ago Open Source followers were touting OLPC a lot .

Face it, MS is everywhere. You cannot defeat the undefeatable, insted colloborate with them. The Cost of OLPC is just incresing, damn a better idea would be to give the kids Texas Instruments latest calculatars + oxford dictionary

 

[Sykora]

I'm deeply disappointed. I actually thought that this project had some potential, but now...

Soon, someone else will pick up the initiative, and then we'll see.

 

[aryayush]

This is precisely the reason why Microsoft has become what it is. It isn't good software (c'mon, we are talking Windows here!), it is all friggin' business.

 

[Zeeshan Quireshi]

Re: $175 OLPC deals blow to open source, guarantees Microsoft’s continued dominance

This is precisely the reason why Microsoft has become what it is. It isn't good software (c'mon, we are talking Windows here!), it is all friggin' business.

ahh then what is Office 2007(you gotta agree it's great) and from the programmer's point of view MS is simply great , just try programmin for windows n ny other platform , then u'll see what MS has done .

 

[aryayush]

Office is the only good software Microsoft has ever produced.

As for programming, I know you won't agree but Apple's Cocoa is the easiest programming API out there and XCode is the best development application available. Look at any Windows software and the Mac counterpart. In almost every case, the Mac version looks and works better.

Of course you will say it is fanboyism and all. I doubt you have ever seen XCode so please do not say something you have little knowledge about.

 

[gxsaurav]

Re: $175 OLPC deals blow to open source, guarantees Microsoft’s continued dominance

As for programming, I know you won't agree but Apple's Cocoa is the easiest programming API out there and XCode is the best development application available. Look at any Windows software and the Mac counterpart. In almost every case, the Mac version looks and works better.

Of course you will say it is fanboyism and all. I doubt you have ever seen XCode so please do not say something you have little knowledge about.

Now what to say

LIke I said previously, you are not the only one with access to Mac .

Have u ever opened VIsual Studio or XCode? XCode can make apps for Mac only, but Visual studio can compile apps even for linux. XCode is the best, only for Mac.

& Who told u, XCode does anything for looks? lolz....bhai mere tu computer par kaam karna chor de. Programming is not equal to desigining. Apple Apps look good on Mac not cos they are made in XCode but cos the UI is designer by designers with better BMP & png's as icon etc,

 

[eddie]

OLPC: Fading or stronger than ever?

Recent events -- $3 Windows for the developing world, competition from Intel, and a $175.00 pricetag for OLPC's $100.00 laptop -- have some reporters and analysts suggesting the project may be in trouble. But are those dire forecasts credible or are they simply wishful thinking by the Wintel faithful?

Walter Bender, who writes the weekly OLPC community newsletter, took a contrary view to the doom-and-gloom meme and told us by email:

I would say that the meme of one laptop per child is stronger than ever. The fact that Intel has decided to "compete" with the XO is an example of how industry is moving towards our mission. That Microsoft has lowered the cost of Windows in response to OLPC means there is more choice and opportunity for children.* The fact that we can build such an extraordinary machine for only $175 is a miracle and the price will only go down over time, which is completely consistent with what we have been saying all along. I know the press loves to put a negative spin on things, but I think all of these are positive events for the mission of one laptop per child.

* Please note that even though Microsoft has stated that they are porting Windows to the XO, OLPC has no intention of abandoning Linux and the principles of FOSS. One corollary of being open is that anyone, including proprietary software manufacturers, are free to develop for our platform.

So don't give up on OLPC just yet. It may still prove beneficial to millions of children around the globe in spite of the negative attention it has drawn by some in the press.

OLPC: Fading or stronger than ever?

I am quite startled by those who predict gloom and doom because Windows (embedded) will be able to run on a general purpose OPEN computer like the XO. Is our goal a protectionist society where an elite group tells you what you can or can not use on your computer? Or, is our goal an open society where we win on merit and innovation? For our part, the Red Hat Sugar team believes it is building a best of breed OS for the target audience. How many systems will allow you to download activities just because you want to collaborate with a friend? A proprietary system won’t allow that. How many systems will allow you to hit the view source key and see exactly how the current activity works? Again you lose out if you run a proprietary system. Whether or not educators wants to allow for exploration and teaching children how to adapt to the ever changing world or just want to teach static skills is really up to them. I personally am not in the business of forcing people to use my products but rather developing the product for specific needs and letting the customer choose. I’m in the business of building better systems, period.

Windows and the OLPC XO

 

[freebird]

this is bad :

 

[infra_red_dude]

yeah, actually i feel if there is a dire need to run windows then why not run an older version on it? this will keep the costs low and also run windows! u can't haf everything in this world!!!

 

[chesss]

it is all friggin' business.

Eggjactly! Business!
in the end it all comes to just plain business.

 

[gxsaurav]

Re: $175 OLPC deals blow to open source, guarantees Microsoft’s continued dominance

yeah, actually i feel if there is a dire need to run windows then why not run an older version on it? this will keep the costs low and also run windows! u can't haf everything in this world!!!

Umm,....Microsoft Windows for legecy PCs

But then again, the only reason I like linux is that the kernal is open source which gives a benifit that it can be compiled to run anywhere, even XBOX 360. This is very helpful in case of such devices where speed is really optimized.

Even with closed source, MS should go with a modular approch. Add what u need & remove what u don't.

 

[Zeeshan Quireshi]

Re: $175 OLPC deals blow to open source, guarantees Microsoft’s continued dominance

Office is the only good software Microsoft has ever produced.

As for programming, I know you won't agree but Apple's Cocoa is the easiest programming API out there and XCode is the best development application available. Look at any Windows software and the Mac counterpart. In almost every case, the Mac version looks and works better.

Of course you will say it is fanboyism and all. I doubt you have ever seen XCode so please do not say something you have little knowledge about.

dunno bout XCode but developing COMPLEX apps with .NET is a very very easier task than using C++ for developing apps for linux .

also .NET contains a very very huge library of classes for every imaginable task from XML parsing , to interacting with internet , to reading and writing to databases to even embedding a browser .

u're onnly concentrating on the looks part , but when it comes to complex application development C# is a lot easier than C++ .

 

[mehulved]

Umm,....Microsoft Windows for legecy PCs

But then again, the only reason I like linux is that the kernal is open source which gives a benifit that it can be compiled to run anywhere, even XBOX 360. This is very helpful in case of such devices where speed is really optimized.

Even with closed source, MS should go with a modular approch. Add what u need & remove what u don't.

Before that the kernel and apps have to be ported to that architecture.

 

[gxsaurav]

Re: $175 OLPC deals blow to open source, guarantees Microsoft’s continued dominance

Even when it comes to the looks part, seting up png & jpg for use in buttons isn't any hard in .net.

 

[aryayush]

Re: $175 OLPC deals blow to open source, guarantees Microsoft’s continued dominance

dunno bout XCode but developing COMPLEX apps with .NET is a very very easier task than using C++ for developing apps for linux .

also .NET contains a very very huge library of classes for every imaginable task from XML parsing , to interacting with internet , to reading and writing to databases to even embedding a browser .

u're onnly concentrating on the looks part , but when it comes to complex application development C# is a lot easier than C++ .

I'm not saying .NET is difficult but it is far behind XCode's level. I once read a blog entry of an accomplished Windows developer who visited Apple's WWDC event and he had described how shell shocked he had been on seeing the level of advancement Apple had attained with XCode. Here's a screenshot:

*images.apple.com/macosx/leopard/images/xcodehero20060807.jpg

It makes coding easy and lets you design wonderful user interfaces for your applications, being very easy to use all the while.

 

[iMav]

coming to the topic i agree with what walter bender says ... accepted tht open source is good has its benefits over windows but giving the students the option to choose the os they want is rather good for the compuiting industry as a whole .... atleast in a few years no 1 will say either has a monopoly ... increasing the price bad ... giving windows support good