AfterTek

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project stated this week that they would by adding the Microsoft Windows XP operating system onto their XO laptops as well as the open source Linux operating system. These new computers are scheduled to be sent off within the next few months. 

The OLPC project was designed to provide easy to use and inexpensive laptops to countries where they could not afford the more expensive ones. Unfortunately the project itself has been facing many prolems and difficulties since they first began making it hard for them to make much of an impact. They are hoping that the new software change will help to get things up and running smoothly again.

Many people are not sure if this is actually a good idea or not or whether or not it will even make a real difference. With this change the XO laptops will now cost $200 - which is twice as much as the starting price that the OLPC project quoted.

The task of porting OLPC’s Sugar education software system to Windows will fall to third-party developers.

“From the beginning, the goal of OLPC has been to use technology to transform education by bringing connectivity and constructionist learning to the poorest children throughout the world,” said OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte in a statement. “Today’s announcement, coupled with future plans for a dual boot version of the XO laptop, enhances our ability to deliver on this vision. In addition, OLPC will work with third parties to port its user interface, called Sugar, to Windows.”

Former OLPC security director Ivan Krstic is afraid that Negroponte is lying about his true intentions. Krstic suspects that OLPC will fund a token porting effort that will go nowhere while plain Windows computers are sold to governments. Negroponte’s assertion that the port will be done by third-party developers might be seen as supporting this accusation, but information about OLPC revealed by Krstic indicates that the software could very well be the least of the project’s concerns.