OLPC: one virus per child

The great idea is still a great idea. Maybe the implementation needs a little adjustment? Reports from the field show that the end users (kids) are doing just fine, better than anyone expected.

A couple of you wizards should go to the Third-World and start this kind of project. Keep the corporate suites out of the program.

I think a lot of effort is going into sabotaging this project. Even from within the ranks of the "open source community", because they really don't want to see Microsoft get its claws into this one.

Sadly the collateral damage is the children who would be the recipients of these little marvels (the XO Laptops). A lot of things get taken out of context when Nicholas Negroponte speaks. The project itself still generates an open framework for the basic laptop to operate with. What Microsoft does with the hardware is up to them, and what the appear to be trying to do is make it work WITH the stuff that's already been done. I have faith Microsoft will not prevail in hijacking this entire project, and welcome them to try even match the utility of the open source effort.

Quoting:What Microsoft does with the hardware is up to them

But that's not the case here. From all the reports I've seen on this, it looks like countries will be able to choose whether they get a Linux laptop or an XP laptop from the OLPC. So it's not just an MS thing. It's an OLPC thing. And after seeing MS throw it's weight around to bully OOXML through ISO, do you really believe they won;t do the same to make all those countries order the XP variant instead of the Linux variant?

Quoting: because they really don't want to see Microsoft get its claws into this one.

No kidding, because then it's not an educational tool for children built on a completely open, customized platform that encourages investigation and learning, but just another link in the Borg chain. Microsoft has all the money and resources in the world to develop their own One Handcuff Per Child; their co-opting of OLPC is a cynical, depraved move to ride on the coattails of a project they used to laugh at and would never ever contribute so much as a dollar or line of code to. Now they want to exploit it, and in exploiting it will destroy it. Just like everything else they touch.

Hear Hear! Carla!

@tc: I think you should write a full-length article on that line of reasoning. Examples, statements, etc. Buttress the points, and I'll enjoy watching you hit one out of the park.

This sort of thing is typical for Microsoft... they are the kind of people who like to show up late for a party and then claim that they invited everyone.

Oh gus, that's a Wikipedia-sized project. Maybe bigger.

But it could be fun...

At least as I understood MS is together with Ghadaffi/Libya in the Axis of Evil.

The problem here is that by attempting to prevent Microsoft from taking over a project by constantly slamming said project, we are no better than Microsoft itself. The idea of a very low cost machine anywhere is a good one for multiple reasons besides third world countries. Sam Varghese may very well be attempting to play Devil's advocate, but if he is, he is doing a very poor job of it. This reminds me of how others referred to a certain other project as a waste of time, with one person in particular going out of their way trying to get sued. Thankfully, Mr. Varghese is smarter than that.

Quoting:The problem here is that by attempting to prevent Microsoft from taking over a project by constantly slamming said project, we are no better than Microsoft itself.

I'm not slamming the project or it's idea. I'm slamming project management for drinking the kool-aid and entertaining the idea of violating the project charter and selling the OLPC with XP installed. The OLPC board should have laughed MS out of the building as soon as they asked for better hardware in order to attempt an XP port.

Sam Varghese is a Richard Cranium.

Quoting: Sam Varghese is a Richard Cranium.

Giggle. I get it. :)