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After reading the articles on Computerworld and the Inquirer, I felt disappointed. Why? Because it seems that the OLPC team is backing off from their original plans. They are now thinking about using Windows XP instead of Linux on the OLPC. Uh… Hey, that’s so weird, dude!
*sigh*
Reasons mentioned:

• Compatibility with Flash sites
• Compatibility with other software

And speculations seem to imply that the move by Intel to sell the Classmate PC for a low price was one of the triggers. Why? Because consumers would buy that. And it seems like this shift to Windows XP would help them sell them machines better.
Here’s the thing: Windows XP would make them change their hardware. They need more harddrive space for the operating system alone. Another: How much would those modified machines cost?
Here are some suggestions which I think could help the OLPC team:

• Why not team up with a group such as Asus? I’d rather see them do that than ditch Linux in favor of Windows. Then again, maybe the teaming up with a particular hardware manufacturer would tie them down further? And after what Intel did, they probably felt really bad already so maybe not this one.
• Prepare other educational materials which would cater to the target audience. There are groups out there who could be tapped as resources for materials if they’re worried about educational sites out there.
• Don’t give up yet! Rather than going with the Windows-way, find out if there are other groups who’d be supporting them in their endeavors. Their project could change the way of the world, so why not go through with the changes?

Maybe I sound idealistic but I don’t think that cheap laptops in the hands of children should be the end-all be-all. There are other benefits of having an open source operating system and applications in the hands of these students. We don’t just want them to have the tools. We want them to have the freedom and power in other aspects as well. I don’t know what else to say except that I am disappointed with today’s news.
Tags: education, laptops, linux, olpcShare This
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