Microsoft Windows in indeed on a roll in its quest to conquer the ultra low-cost PC market, and now MS has successfully penetrated the market for One Laptop Per Child’s (OLPC) iconic XO laptop. Previously offered with the open-source Linux, the inexpensive notebooks aimed towards developing countries now have Windows XP available as an OS option.
The XP option does not come for free, however. Those who opt for Microsoft’s operating system on their XOs have to shell out an extra US 3 for Windows XP, as well as another US 7 for hardware. Nicholas Negroponte of OLPC anticipates the demand for the XO to jack up, however, once the more user-friendly OS becomes available for XO. “There is no question that demand goes up when you offer dual boot,” said Negroponte.
In fact, a number of countries have requested for XO units to come with Microsoft’s operating system, such as Egypt. Many people around the world praised Negroponte’s decision, including Colombian governor Andres Gonzalez Diaz. “Windows support on the XO device means that our students and educators will now have access to more than computer-assisted learning experiences,” he stated.
Of course, there are detractors. One of them, OLPC’s former security architect Ivan Krstic, said that he’s apprehensive about Windows eventually becoming the only choice of OS in the future, eschewing Linux. “[OLPC] should not become a car for creating economic incentives for a particular vendor,” Krstic wrote in his blog.
source mobile.qj.net