Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Takes On the OLPC
A number of readers sent us links to a BBC story on Microsoft's plan to provide the "Microsoft Student Innovation Suite" for $3 to governments around the world, for use in schools. The suite contains Windows XP Starter Edition and Windows Office Home and Student 2007, along with other educational software. To qualify, a government would have to provide free PCs to schools. Microsoft's stated goal is to double the number of PCs in use (and running Windows). An unbiased observer might wonder about an agenda of slowing the OLPC project and the spread of open source in general.
Are you a shill, or just incredibly stupid and/or naive?
Microsoft has stated repeatedly that Open Source is the enemy and in so many words. If you missed that, you are simply not informed enough to be qualified to contribute to this discussion.
Now, Microsoft is saying that they are prepared to work with Open Source. But based on Microsoft's past record of falsehood, fraud, abuse of their monopoly position, price fixing, illegal dumping and bundling, and the laundry list of other complaints, you would have to be some kind of idiot to trust them now.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
A think a fear of the OLPC is a little compatibility. Governments might spend a little more, 200, for a PC. M$ is definitely in fear of the OLPC, Linux, and Macintosh. If they can get em while they're young, M$ will have created a market in which they dominate entirely. M$ is afraid, and they want to crush the "uprising" of open source. So, how will they do this? Just create an even smaller percentage of "linux" and "mac" users by giving out the OS for three bucks. What does that cover, the cd, shipping, and a slight profit.
I still think the OLPC is a better idea. Cheaper, and less likely to crash.
Support the source, Open Source! An entire site developed with OSS