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XP meets XO: Will Linux get an equal shot?
blogs.zdnet.com — "....here’s what gives me pause about XP coming to the XO: There ’s no way Linux will get an equal shake on OLPC’s XO. In fact, I reckon that more XO units will ship with XP than Linux in the not too distant future. Why? Governments are making the buying decisions. Not kids."
skored- 482 diggs
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- UltramegaOK, on 05/17/2008, -6/+43No.
- intellimouse, on 05/17/2008, -11/+2Who's paying for the laptops? The Governments.
I fail to see the problem here.- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -2/+7If they spend $5 million on these, they would have gotten more PC's with linux than they will now with XP.
This means less for the kids. - jpnadia, on 05/17/2008, -0/+5And it's not like the governments in developing countries don't already have debt problems that richer countries won't forgive.
- TobiasParker, on 05/17/2008, -1/+4IMF and WTO ftl
- amirman, on 05/17/2008, -0/+8the problem is that XP on these machines basically turn them into useless crippled laptops when with the OLPC OS they are one of the most unique feature rich low power laptops around.
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -2/+7If they spend $5 million on these, they would have gotten more PC's with linux than they will now with XP.
- intellimouse, on 05/17/2008, -11/+2Who's paying for the laptops? The Governments.
- 4DFX, on 05/17/2008, -19/+39Please stop submitting OLPC articles. The traitors don't deserve the propaganda anymore.
- thorpus, on 05/17/2008, -8/+11While i disagree with the the move to Windows, their goals are still laudable. Calling them traitors is harsh man.
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -4/+12They caved into Microsoft's Pressure, are going to PAY Microsoft $3 per unit and have to UPGRADE their units as well to run XP...
So now it is more expensive, less powerful, and if you want the FREE os you have to pay $7 per unit to get "dual boot" upgrade.
So on a machine built to be $100, now $200, you are gonna have to add on %10 of the original price (%5 of the new one).
So for every 1000000 units MS will make $3 million, it will cost $7 million more if the gov wants linux, etc, etc.
Src: http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/05/15/2 ...- intellimouse, on 05/17/2008, -6/+2If the buyer wants only Linux, there is no extra cost. The governments are paying for the laptops so it's their choice.
Getting a laptop with 2 operating systems pre-installed is more work for the seller so it costs more.
So, what's the big deal again? - theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -1/+5"Updated: The One Laptop Per Child program will put XP on its XO laptop and children in the developing world will have a choice between Windows and Linux."
Sorry, don't know when they added this.
I was worried MS bought them like they did the ISO vote... this is no where near as bad as I originally believed.
- intellimouse, on 05/17/2008, -6/+2If the buyer wants only Linux, there is no extra cost. The governments are paying for the laptops so it's their choice.
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -4/+12They caved into Microsoft's Pressure, are going to PAY Microsoft $3 per unit and have to UPGRADE their units as well to run XP...
- thorpus, on 05/17/2008, -8/+11While i disagree with the the move to Windows, their goals are still laudable. Calling them traitors is harsh man.
- n0odles, on 05/17/2008, -8/+32Disappointing failure.
- renegadeafk, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4***** THING SUCKS!
- timbro1, on 05/17/2008, -29/+4Linux is for douche bags and hairy women.
- Moduliz0r, on 05/17/2008, -3/+9People like you then?
- timbro1, on 05/17/2008, -2/+4i gave you a thumb up for that one
- Moduliz0r, on 05/17/2008, -3/+9People like you then?
- c00l2sv, on 05/17/2008, -3/+23Here we are, where money make rules!
:( - possiblyneil, on 05/17/2008, -6/+28It is terrible that governments will gravitate towards beg faceless corporations rather than dedicated community. When will people and community be more important than money?
- Braddeharder, on 05/17/2008, -14/+4never, because it is not. The best programmers should get payed for their work, not sit in a community of unpaid hippie programmers.
- Phocion55, on 05/17/2008, -3/+8The majority of these "unpaid hippie programmers" actually do work for some great companies and are simply donating code/ideas/bug reports in their free time.
But, by all means, continue on with your pathetic ignorance.- Braddeharder, on 05/17/2008, -9/+2Why donate ideas? I know that sometime that I feel like the only one that does not buy in the concept of "open is the best", but is it really better to give away your ideas for nothing?
I am an architect, my ideas are worth a lot of money. I will not give them to group of people that will not rewarded my ideas, but merely throw them on to the pile.
Their is nothing evil about selling you ideas. To the only ones that would call this idea ignorant, you problebly do not have any good ideas of your own to sell and to not know the time and the effort it takes to make good idea a reality - marx2k, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4I guess when you treat ideas as a finite resource, they can be worth a lot of money. However, smart people have an unending flow of ideas.
- Phocion55, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4I see what you're saying. I guess what it boils down to is personal philosophy so I can't digg you down for that. It's just like asking "why donate money to a charity?" People do it for different reasons and you could probably argue about this for 8 hours.
But contributing could mean simply submitting a bug report or a suggestion - it doesn't mean distributing every piece of code you've ever written.
- Braddeharder, on 05/17/2008, -9/+2Why donate ideas? I know that sometime that I feel like the only one that does not buy in the concept of "open is the best", but is it really better to give away your ideas for nothing?
- Phocion55, on 05/17/2008, -3/+8The majority of these "unpaid hippie programmers" actually do work for some great companies and are simply donating code/ideas/bug reports in their free time.
- Braddeharder, on 05/17/2008, -14/+4never, because it is not. The best programmers should get payed for their work, not sit in a community of unpaid hippie programmers.
- Phocion55, on 05/17/2008, -8/+20Even though the WinXP OLPC is missing a handful of useful features when compared to the original OLPC (ex: mesh networking) and costs more, chances are people will mindlessly drone to it simply because it has a Windows logo burning into their retinas.
Looking at my OLPC now, and overall, WinXP just seems like an awkward fit for the device,- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -2/+16These people have never SEEN a laptop, much less an XP logo.
To them, it is not familiar, it is just weird.
So instead of using an interface designed from the ground up to be easy for new users, they will get a 6 year old interface that people learned because everyone had it.- MrSteamTank, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1The first country in the world that ordered these laptops is Uruguay. Uruguay is hardly a technologicaly illiterate country.
Uruguay is right after Chile and Argentina when it comes to prosperity so really many of these laptops aren't going to the poorest countries but rather the countries that are almost first world countries but simply need to reduce the poverty levels in some of the countries areas.
- MrSteamTank, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1The first country in the world that ordered these laptops is Uruguay. Uruguay is hardly a technologicaly illiterate country.
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -2/+16These people have never SEEN a laptop, much less an XP logo.
- MrTRiX, on 05/17/2008, -21/+8They might as well learn an operating system that is the most used one in the world. No point in teaching them a useless GUI.
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -2/+5They are not going to be playing Crysis on these things.
Anything non-gaming can be done on Linux, even Photoshop (CS1 and CS2 so far) (Which they also can not run on these machines).
Heck, I bet there is a dozen OS's with windows like GUI that will work on this small hardware if the GUI is such a big deal. - mckooiker, on 05/18/2008, -0/+2The point is that Windows is not free. Get the poor children used to Windows and they will be paying license fees to windows the rest of their lives. It's immoral.
The fact that you call the GNU/Linux a useless GUI shows that you probably did not try it very recently, since the OS lagging behind when we are talking about GUI is Windows (XP).
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -2/+5They are not going to be playing Crysis on these things.
- InorganicMatter, on 05/17/2008, -7/+14Sugar OS was an all-around bad idea. It doesn't accurately represent ANY mainstream operating systems. If you're going to teach kids Linux, it needs to be a mainstream Linux distribution, not a proprietary implementation like Sugar. Debian, Slackware, FreeBSD, and all the major players can be heavily slimmed down to XO specs, there was no need to make Sugar OS to begin with.
This isn't the result of Microsoft being "evil," it's the result of a really bad decision to use Sugar OS.- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -3/+7Teach the ideas, the methods, the functions.
Then they can apply it to any OS.
Its like learning the ideas behind C rather than memorizing the rules. - MWeather, on 05/17/2008, -0/+6I think you're confused. Sugar is the desktop environment, like Gnome, KDE or XFCE. The OS is a slimmed down Fedora, IIR.
- Ademan, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3sugar isn't proprietary, and it's not an os...
Those points aside you did bring up something interesting. In the future when these kids transition to 'real' oses, be it windows, osx, linux, bsds whatever, they'll be faced with a huge workflow transition, as sugar is unlike any other mainstream (or even semi-mainstream) os.
But theaceofire brought up a good point as well, teaching ideas rather than specific behaviors, that way these kids will be able to more easily transition between ANY os. (of course, that's an ideal, judging by how few people are able to grasp this concept, it's probably impractical to expect it from kids)
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -3/+7Teach the ideas, the methods, the functions.
- Sabin, on 05/17/2008, -11/+14I fail to see this as being a bad thing. Like it or not, Windows is basically the standard in business and government now. This will give these kids a chance to learn on a system that will be similar to what they may end up using in the future. It seems no one cares that this gives children a better chance to familiarize themselves with something and gaining skills that they can carry over in to the real world. Linux is a great OS but if someone has the choice between learning Linux and Windows I would recommend learning windows first every time.
- Phocion55, on 05/17/2008, -4/+9When I was in elementary school, I was taught everything on an old school Macintosh. I had absolutely no problem figuring out how to use Windows 95 when my family first purchased a computer running it.
Why? Because I learned how to reason with and interpret the UI, rather than memorize where things are. That's why I can't help but completely disagree with these types of arguments. The majority of problems people bitch about with Windows is simply because they *memorize* that a certain button-click SHOULD do this, and if it doesn't they throw up their arms and start cursing at the screen. Very rarely do they stop and think "Ok.....why didn't this work? Am I doing something wrong?" That's why I'm all about teaching people to think for themselves rather than memorization.
Likewise in 2001 when I was first sat down in front of a Linux server and asked to solve a problem. I didn't panic and ask where the "Start" button was.- AmnioticEntity, on 05/17/2008, -2/+3if the diggers read only one thing from your lengthy reply, let it be this:
"Why? Because I learned how to reason with and interpret the UI, rather than memorize where things are."
^^life skills that make learning photoshop cs3 easy and word2007 hard. ironic eh?
- AmnioticEntity, on 05/17/2008, -2/+3if the diggers read only one thing from your lengthy reply, let it be this:
- linuxpenguin, on 05/17/2008, -1/+2These laptops are going to places where there is no standard that these children know of. There are no computers there - so learning Windows has no greater benefit than learning Linux. There'll be no benefit in learning either until one of these (or MacOS, or something else even) becomes commonplace over there.
- Phocion55, on 05/17/2008, -4/+9When I was in elementary school, I was taught everything on an old school Macintosh. I had absolutely no problem figuring out how to use Windows 95 when my family first purchased a computer running it.
- joeanon, on 05/17/2008, -19/+6GET A GRIP
For a low end PC Windows is the choice of logic. It SIMPLY lets the user do more than Linux.
Linux's strength in security and as a sever really are useless compared to MS's use a game machine and it's nearly unlimited software library.
Just think about it without letting your Linux Fanboy thoughts take control of your mind.
XP runs great on low end hardware, it's the MOST computable OS in the world, it runs hosts of educational and entertainment software that SIMPLY DOESN'T EXIST on Linux.
If your asking super low income people to learn Linux AND then run their educational software through WINE...
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUR SAYING. Don't be a Linux geek to the point that your logic skills fail you.
In the big scheme of things, the more the PC is geared toward simple uses the more Windows shines. That's why selling Linux in Walmart as a low end solution WILL NEVER WORK.
Linux needs to be sold as a multimedia OS, with features that the average joe will want that Linux can actually deliver. Since 3D gaming is mostly out of the picture for Linux other trendy features like streaming video and audio are good way to draw in average joe type users.
Still, if I was them, I would NEVER give up the versatility of Windows and the piles upon piles of games for Linux. The features of Linux that fanboys like the most, are simply not appealing to the average user. Security, mission critical security are really just faint desires at most in the average buyers mind. AND, for the most part, they are right to chose the PC based on what they will really do with it. Most of them will PLAY with it and use it for entertainment.
The only advantage for the average joe is your Linux distro probably won't get infected. OF COURSE... if it did... what the hell would they do ? Call a Linux tech ? good luck finding one.
Most of you, Linux fanboys, just can't grasp life through the eye of the common users.
It's sad... that's why Ubuntu failed at Walmart. The people backing Linux are COMPLETELY out of touch with the reality of market demand.
There simply is no demand for a desktop OS like Linux. Maybe in years to come, but Linux's strengths are not in the desktop segment. Linux is a great server OS or embedded device OS.
But, that's it's best model of use, a static device that sits there are works flawlessly for years at a time. A home user has little need for those strengths.
Look at how Mac tailored BSD to this type of user looking for entertainment first and stability and security second. They polished all the apps that people use the most, instead of just allowing the Linux community to slowly fill in the gaps.
Linux must focus on those apps people use in daily life an polish them. On top of that, before they can be considered a marketable desktop. They must offer a lot more gaming support.
Gaming is becoming a part of adult life also, so most people are not growing out of gaming. They may take breaks, but they ultimately still want that functionality. I think that trend shows EVERY possible sign of growing, not shrinking.
That puts Linux in bad spot.
BUT, that's also why I think Linux should really try to get in well with a console maker and perhaps pick up a game library that way since we all know OpenGL is only so popular and DX just isn't happening without congressional legislation to force MS to open, which I think is the quickest and easiest way to do it.
API should be considered national infrastructure as PC's have certainly gotten THAT IMPORTANT, that they are part of our daily lives and national security.
That being the case, the feds should open Windows API's and let the innovation flow.
Other than that Linux is pretty darn far behind in gaming and it's unlikely any majority of the development world is dumping DirectX any time soon.
Linux could use a good game engine like Unity. It should be ported or copied, BUT how can you hope to be a desktop OS with gaming flourishing around you and not have any awesome game creation frameworks.
Unified development frameworks should be a MAJOR direction to fix the Linux gaming vacuum.
But instead MS is drawing more 3D developers with it's intuitive and XNA games on the Xbox along with modeling tools and such.
Top it all off with MS has the best development framework period and that framework is closest to being cross platform.
I just don't think Linux is going their homework when it comes to the market side of things.
Instead they continue to develop features for Linux users, not common users, which they keep acting as if they want to draw in.. WHY... I dunno.
In my opinion the best way to ruin a good platform is invite a bunch of idiots to it.- Phocion55, on 05/17/2008, -2/+10"For a low end PC Windows is the choice of logic. It SIMPLY lets the user do more than Linux."
This line blew a fuse in my brain. WinXP OLPC has less features when compared to the original OLPC if you compare the specs. But I decided to read on....
"If your asking super low income people to learn Linux AND then run their educational software through WINE..."
I stopped reading there. Clearly, you've never touched an OLPC.
The original OLPC comes pre-installed with TONS of interactive educational software. The WinXP version, as far as I can tell, is just a default base installation.
No need to run anything in WINE, since the original Linux OLPC is the one with the native pre-installed educational software. - marx2k, on 05/17/2008, -1/+7joanon, you wrote that article from a standpoint of someone who thinks the OLPC is a powerful desktop computer. Way to give a lengthy argument with the completely wrong set of specs and purpose in mind.
- mckooiker, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1You are the idiot around here with a bunch of non-arguments that make absolutely no sense.
In the first place I agree with the two replies before me, the software needed is there on the OLPC. It has to be there, since not many of these poor receivers of the OLPC will have internet connections to get lots of additional software on their laptop. That is why the Linux version is better adapt than the Windows version: it offers more for less.
Furthermore you are ranting on about gaming, 19 lines of text wasted on your rant about gaming!!
Wake up you idiot!
We're talking about the OLPC! not a game console! Playing games will not help children grow up in this world! Besides: don't think that the OLPC with a slimmed down version of XP will ever be able to run any of the fancy 3D games.....
- Phocion55, on 05/17/2008, -2/+10"For a low end PC Windows is the choice of logic. It SIMPLY lets the user do more than Linux."
- Culyt, on 05/17/2008, -6/+11How long will Windows XP get support from Microsoft on this device? These laptops are designed to last the child for years and XP is already coming up for its end of life (despite people clinging to it desperately because of Vista being so crap). Will they still get security updates in 2 years time? Will there be a newer lightweight Windows replacement for it and will it be free?
I think the main problem with this project was actually the Sugar interface, while its got some great theoretical concepts in it, it seemed much too dumbed down to me. I started on MS-Dos 6.22 when I was around 7, and I quickly started to learn really basic programming with bat files and such (well it wasn't much in the way of programming but it was useful). The other system I learned at a similar age was Commodore 64 basic programming (I wish someone had told me what assembly actually was back then). Nither of these systems where setup to be easy to use, simplified interfaces. With the XO Government agents saw an interface that made the laptop look like a toy rather than a real laptop and asked if it could run Windows, the test cases where often getting rival Intel funded Classmate PC ones in the same area, except Intel where throwing money at it with things like digital projectors, but they also had a full unrestricted Windows desktop.
While there where things like a python shell and etoys, these where more sandbox experiences rather than a real full learning enviroment. This laptop could really have done with an actual terminal installed by default.
Another thing that I wounder about is where the online content will come from. While its possible the teachers will create it and share it with other schools they will need to be trained to do so. Explaining things like how tags work on a wiki or what editing is appropriate, how to be a member of the online community when they can barely send emails. And the real useful stuff will need to be in the form of software to be really useful, things like learning the local alphabet or how to write letters, since it will be location specific, someone will need to code it and package it in the XO format.- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3He has a point.
There is no way Vista will run on this, and unless Windows 7 is amazingly small it will be a non-option as well.. - bobartig, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1Sugar has a terminal installed by default. Having said that, there's really nothing in Sugar that can't just be reimplemented easily under windows, save the possibly mesh networking, which may be a moderate effort to implement.
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3He has a point.
- burketo, on 05/17/2008, -8/+3i'm just glad that the project is being taken seriously.
- marx2k, on 05/17/2008, -2/+2Well, it WAS being taken seriously. Now its become an irrelevant cash cow for one company
- burketo, on 05/17/2008, -1/+1actually i'd argue that now that the largest I.T. company in the world is involved it will be taken more seriously.
- marx2k, on 05/17/2008, -0/+0It's hard enough for the 'largest I.T. company in the world' to be taken seriously given its products
- jpnadia, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Stupid big business taking what would have been a really neat idea-- or, well, what might have been a neat idea in about five or ten years-- and ***** it up.
- TobiasParker, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2I don't know why you are being dugg down, that always happens. Corporations exploit genuinely good ideas to make a profit when they are not ready to be produced.
- burketo, on 05/17/2008, -1/+1actually i'd argue that now that the largest I.T. company in the world is involved it will be taken more seriously.
- 4321234, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3Anytime something looks like it might threaten their monopoly, Microsoft always takes it seriously.
- marx2k, on 05/17/2008, -2/+2Well, it WAS being taken seriously. Now its become an irrelevant cash cow for one company
- ha1f, on 05/17/2008, -13/+8What a retarded question? Was XP getting a fair shake one the OLPC before now? Linux community is getting more and more desperate and whiny. Good job guys, keep it up. (And no, I'm not a Windows user)
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -4/+5I was a Windows user.
Xp was not getting a fair shake on the "$100 laptop" because it costs $200 to UPGRADE to XP (From bestbuy.com).
In other words, they wanted a Free OS for price reasons.
This scared MS (Millions of new linux users?? Not buying Windows only *****??), so they bent over backwards, made XP = $3, and forced them to upgrade the hardware to run it.- ha1f, on 05/17/2008, -4/+2So better hardware and a chance to actually get these machine into the hands of the kids who need them is a bad thing? You gotta be kidding me. Microsoft is giving XP at $3, which is likely at a loss, and OLPC is getting the backing of an actual financial entity.
Non profits need money to function. Microsoft is money. It's more important to me that this project succeed then open source anti Microsoft agendas.- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -2/+2More expensive hardware restricting the number a country can afford reducing the number distributable is indeed a bad thing.
Linux is giving their OS at $0, which is defiantly a loss.
Microsoft has not mentioned if any donation/support of the project is included in selling them their stuff. - amirman, on 05/17/2008, -1/+4but are these laptops even fully functional with XP? a lot of what makes this PC special had to do with software breakthroughs like the fact that a kid can look on a screen and see what everyone else in the class was doing and perhaps find a classmate who's drawing a picture and join them. I've never seen XP with this kind of ability and even if it did XP is designed for adults not children. The OLPC OS is designed with children in mind specifically. Putting XP on these PCs is just a good way to make most of the unique features unusable and bore the kids.
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -2/+2More expensive hardware restricting the number a country can afford reducing the number distributable is indeed a bad thing.
- ha1f, on 05/17/2008, -4/+2So better hardware and a chance to actually get these machine into the hands of the kids who need them is a bad thing? You gotta be kidding me. Microsoft is giving XP at $3, which is likely at a loss, and OLPC is getting the backing of an actual financial entity.
- linuxpenguin, on 05/17/2008, -2/+3First of all, the Linux community didn't write the article.
Second of all, the reason this is disconcerting is because of the reasons why Linux was chosen in the first place: cost and the ability for children to learn how it works (open-source). There would be little to no concern if they switched to BSD, or even chose to make their own kernel. The concern is that now they could be throwing away what they were working diligently towards, all because of the wants and hopes of large corporations and governments.
The goal is to help learning with a low-cost PC. A free OS helps the low-cost part, and an open-source OS can help the learning part. Some would argue that only a small percentage of the children would be wanting to look at this code, which may be true - but I would argue that the availability is important. These laptops only help the children learn by the simple fact that they can't learn to use that which is completely unavailable and perhaps even inconceivable to them. A laptop with Windows is better than no laptop, but a laptop with source code that the children can learn from would be better - there's sure to be some children who want to learn what makes the whole thing work and would be interested in seeing that code.- mckooiker, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1And the only reason windows is in it, is because in this way they will have milions of secured future customers that will pay license fees to them in the future......how often did YOU change operating system?
- theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -4/+5I was a Windows user.
- omababy, on 05/17/2008, -4/+19Maybe I'm overreacting but I actually find the XO pic FTA with an XP desktop quite offensive.
- danjal, on 05/17/2008, -8/+5I don't care what OS it runs, so long as they get it out to the kids.. its kinda weird hearing everybody else complain about it, when all in all if they get a laptop to a kid, then they did their job.
- HappyScrappy, on 05/17/2008, -6/+3Whaaaa!!!!
I find it hard to believe a young kid can have fully formed opinion to prefer linux over XP. But hey, if they do, they can install linux. It's free. - amirman, on 05/17/2008, -3/+8this is just stupid isn't it? i mean the OLPC OS is designed to work with the hardware so a lot of the features will be just plain unusable with XP. does XP have activity based networking on their different programs. this is just dumb. who are these people who would rather pay for defective software than have free software that works with the laptop?
- dig1x, on 05/17/2008, -3/+1"OLPC OS is designed to work with the hardware so a lot of the features will be just plain unusable with XP"
Huh? You're trying *way* too hard. There are device drivers in Linux *and* XP. How is it that the "features will be just plaing unusable"?
Thats fiction.- amirman, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1does xp have a solar power , power usage system in effect? also does xp have an integrated map to show you what everyone in your class is doing and allow you to join them in drawing a picture or making a story? nevermind the fact that if they ever did get this stuff to work in XP would it require extra proprietary software? would the GUI be as simple and easy to use for children? you need to learn more about what the OLPC and it's OS are capable of.
- dig1x, on 05/17/2008, -3/+1"OLPC OS is designed to work with the hardware so a lot of the features will be just plain unusable with XP"
- Ev3nt372, on 05/17/2008, -1/+4Why cant Microsoft at least market Windows Fundamentals for laptops like the XO and Eee PC? Something just tells me that regular WinXP wont run smoothly on those things. It also runs faster than Win98 for old PCs. WinFLS is just stripped down XP and it accepts all of the XP system updates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_ ...
http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/sa/benefits/fun ... - danielgreyy, on 05/17/2008, -4/+2*Sigh* Fanboys...can't live with them, and they damn sure won't go away.
- shanesemler, on 05/17/2008, -2/+2Look on the bright side, OLPC is such a massive failure they'll be shipping XP on all the computers no one is ordering.
- dig1x, on 05/17/2008, -3/+4Wow, look at how the cheerleaders have turned on OLPC. It used to be a wonderful success, and the governments were buying them and the hardware looked great and and and and.
Then, the project leaders decide to put XP on them, and *instantly* the tone changes.
Shanesmemler: "OLPC is such a massive failure"
omababy: "I actually find the XO pic FTA with an XP desktop quite offensive"
possiblyneil: "It is terrible that governments will gravitate towards beg faceless corporations rather than dedicated community."
skored: "Governments are making the buying decisions. Not kids."
A sader collection of zealots and their epic whining. "failure, offensive, beg" all sour grapes. And, to respond to skored's submission; do you *really* think children would choose SugarOS and exclude themselves purposefully from the 95% of the world's desktop users just to support some empty rebellion against MSFT?
Perhaps they'd rather join the real world instead.- linuxpenguin, on 05/17/2008, -1/+3Perhaps you'd like to connect them to the real world so that they can see that everyone else uses Windows.
We can give them Windows, but they still won't know that everyone else uses Windows. The Internet and the knowledge that comes with it require the Internet, whether they have Windows or not. Without the Internet, they won't know or care what others have.
Kids would rather have candy and toys anyhow. If they were to choose, they'd choose the one that looks more "fun" and easier to use - I'm guessing that would be Sugar.
- linuxpenguin, on 05/17/2008, -1/+3Perhaps you'd like to connect them to the real world so that they can see that everyone else uses Windows.
- trogdoor, on 05/18/2008, -0/+2What happens when XP is EOL'd and Microsoft no longer supports it ( security patches particularly )? Will the kids just be left with an OS that isn't safe to be connected to the internet or will Microsoft find a way to get Vista or Windows CE on it? Will they be able to upgrade to this new version for free or even the reduced price they are offering for XP now?
- clickwir, on 05/18/2008, -1/+3OLPC is NOT using Linux? ***** them then. They used to be awesome. Now they are just going to suck. XP? Pfft.
OLPC XO does not exist to me. - Gregsaw, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1isn't linux about freedom of choice? if they have the chance to boot into whatever they want, why stop them?
- truck87bp, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2Should the $100 laptop be controlled before it too late?
Is the Linux software too far away from the Microsoft Endorsed and Coded Trusted Computing Platform ?
Has it been decided that no one can be trusted and only approved software must be used ?
Has Trusted Computing and Digital Rights Management removed any pleasure recently from you when you use your personal computer to do personal stuff like make a home movie or edit a family photograph or make a DVD?
Does your computer know the owner of the digital camera or scanner or ipod you just plugged in?
Has your software limited you from using a Cannon camera with a Nikon or Olympus camera software?
Does windows stop you from importing MOV files from your $600 camera into Movie Maker?
Has MS software disabled any of your older equipment from working on Windows making you think it is broken but somehow it works fine in Linux?
Is MS also trying to destroying Linux and Apple by enforcing TC and DRM ?
Will Apple and Linux become the computing platform's of the very near future due to pure spite by people that currently use MS Windows and their products ?
Has MS inadvertently destroyed their own business by subjecting freedom to total lock-down and creating hate by anyone who uses proprietary software ?
Is Linux and Apple going to go away because of all of this and why won't it ?
Do you feel that you better get Linux on a computer before its too late even if you don't know currently how to use it ?
Are the Linux users getting close to being afraid of doing automatic updates?
How much are you willing to give up of your personal rights, freedom and happiness?
Does Trusted Computing really mean what it implies ?
Are you feeling totally different why the One Laptop Per Child is going to have Windows installed it ? Why do most new computers have windows pre-installed on them ? - Cryoniq, on 05/20/2008, -0/+1Let them choose XP.. BUT.. when they come crawling back in a while with huge extra costs because of viruses, trojans and tons of problems, then tell them to frack of in a very general direction.. and not to come back untill they got hold of a real OS like GNU/Linux.
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