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No Dual-Boot XO Laptop, According to Microsoft
Posted by
Soulskill
on Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:21 PM
from the bringing-bsods-to-the-third-world dept.
from the bringing-bsods-to-the-third-world dept.
Yesterday, we discussed reports of Microsoft and the OLPC project working towards a dual-boot version of the XO laptop. Now, BetaNews tells us that Microsoft has issued statements denying such plans. The software giant has also reaffirmed their intention to develop a Windows-only version of the laptop. Microsoft's statement to BetaNews had this to say:
"While we have investigated the possibility in the past, Microsoft is not developing dual-boot Windows XP support for the One Laptop Per Child's XO laptop. As we announced in December, Microsoft plans to publish formal design guidelines early this year that will assist flash-based device manufacturers in designing machines that enable a high-quality Windows experience. Our current goal remains to provide a high-quality Windows experience on the XO device."
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Hardware: OLPC, Microsoft Working Toward Dual-Boot XO Laptops 231 comments
Ian Lamont writes "The OLPC Project and Microsoft are developing a dual-boot system to put both Linux and Windows on the laptops, according to an interview with Nicholas Negroponte. The article is thin on details, as the OLPC/Microsoft talks are apparently at an early stage. Could this be the end of the OS wars in Nigeria and other developing countries?"
While Microsoft has been working on an OLPC-capable version of Windows for some time now, the interesting thing here is the dual-booting provision, rather than forcing users into an either-or choice.
Firehose:MS says no dual booting OLPC by Anonymous Coward
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Impossible task! (Score:5, Funny)
I think most folks would be happy just to get a high-quality Windows experience on any computer.
Re:Impossible task! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Impossible task! (Score:5, Insightful)
Whereas Steve Ballmer is what we call a fuckingmoron.
Re:Impossible task! (Score:5, Insightful)
After translation: "Our current goal remains to provide a high profit and monopoly extending Windows experience on the XO device."
Simple, honest, to the point. (Whether I like it or not is a different issue.)
Re:sale sauce (Score:5, Insightful)
But, I think the main reason why MS doesn't want a dual-boot XO, is because they don't want millions of kids being informed about non-MS software. They don't want them to know that sure, there is this half-assed Window's OS, that we gave you for free, but there is also this other OS, called Linux [+ the various shells and GUI's on top of it], and it's also free, and you can also get the source code and modify it so that the computer works how you want it to work and do extra things that you just thought of.
I think Microsoft will virtually [or actually] give away WindowsXO, because the target market is poor [and isn't particularly IP-aware] and would at least pirate WindowsXP if they wanted it besides the above reason to keep kids as far away from open-source as possible.
Re:sale sauce (Score:5, Insightful)
Agreed. I think this is precisely the reason Microsoft is trying to engineer a variant of Windows to run on the XO.
Since Microsoft are all about making money, these observations lead clearly to the conclusion that Microsoft are working on the XO and offering a cheap version of Windows for the XO (but not dual-boot) because their ONLY intention is to get Linux off the machine so that the kids don't get exposed to Linux.
I heard... (Score:5, Funny)
-Isaac
Re:I heard... (Score:5, Funny)
Not dual-boot, but a roll-back to Linux feature (Score:5, Informative)
For those who can't click the link:
I just threw up my dinner..... (Score:5, Insightful)
For those who can't click the link: Did he really say "....and have no reason to believe it won't be implemented." ????
I thought he was supposed to be an intelligent and informed kind of person? Call me a troll if you must, but that just sounds so naive that it must be a trap being set for Microsoft to have proven reason to never let MS near another child in the developing world ever again?
Re:I just threw up my dinner..... (Score:5, Informative)
Taken from Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] (emphasis mine):
So, it would appear MS do not have a choice in the matter, since the BIOS cannot be altered without substantial effort (requires a developer key) and that is what controls the fallback mechanism.
Not Windows desktop...hopefully something on top (Score:5, Interesting)
So would any windowing interface, which is why OLPC spent so much time developing an alternative interface that is decent for education.
Let's see what Microsoft puts on top of Windows...let's see if they actually care about children and what is best for education. If this laptop boots into the standard Windows desktop, I'll assume they have no clue about what is good for a child and are just in it to preserve their monopoly.
Re:Not Windows desktop...hopefully something on to (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not Windows desktop...hopefully something on to (Score:5, Interesting)
Actualluy (Score:5, Interesting)
cake (Score:5, Funny)
Why the waste of resources? (Score:5, Insightful)
Be carefull! remember Pen Windows and Go (Score:5, Insightful)
Some changes will have to be made (Score:5, Funny)
There's an edit source button on the XO. In the Sugar environment it pulls up the source code of the current program for editing. In order to teach these waifs proper respect for the sacred and occult art of programming, it will be replaced with a device that delivers a mild electric shock. Of course, no matter how many times they press it nothing else will happen because unlike an operating system the Windows operating environment comes with neither source code nor a compiler.
Before being permitted to operate their Microsoft Enhanced XO systems they must be taught the proper rituals of Windows Update, Antivirus Update, Virus Removal, Patch Tuesday and Troubleshooting Wednesday. These will be provided by a Microsoft authorized Training Center and will be four days of rigorous training followed by a certification exam and be offered for only $2300 per student.
Because some of the XOs might be used in an isolated environment until Microsoft figures out this "mesh networking", the Microsoft Enhanced XO will have its malware preinstalled.
Mesh networking is provisionally anticipated to be delivered in 2012, and a secure network stack is not expected ever.
The Windows Experience? (Score:5, Funny)
I'm still waiting for that on *my* system.
Windows being ported to the XO (Score:5, Insightful)
If you had told me, in the 90s, that it would eventually happen, I would have never believed you.
Re:Microsoft not sharing?! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Don't worry MS, the OLPC will fail (Score:5, Insightful)
Slashdot mods probably won't like it because it's utterly false. They're weird like that.
Here's an article [slashdot.org] from less than 3 weeks ago about exactly that. It's on some site with a weird name ("colon slash slash dot dot org org org" or something), so I don't blame you for not seeing it.
"More established tech" would be an order of magnitude more expensive, not work reliably in the environments where their target audience lives, and be virtually unusable by them as well. To use your space flight analogy, it would be like trying to fly a 747 at an altitude of 200 miles and calling it a space shuttle.
Can only things which make it to low earth orbit be revolutionary? OK, let's compare it to the space shuttle. The space shuttle was built to bring down the price of lifting a pound into orbit from $1000 down to $20-50; even after a few decades, it's well over $100/pound (3x more than planned). Huge failure?
Maybe another personal computer would be a better comparison. The Macintosh was originally supposed to bring Lisa-friendly computing from $10,000 down to $500. They took about 5 years, and shipped at $2500 (5x more than planned). (They're also the only personal computer maker from the early 1980's I know of who is still in business.) Huge failure?
The OLPC was built to bring the price of a laptop from $1000 to $100; in less than 3 years, it's less than $200 (2x more than planned), plus they've actually shipped. That's the kind of "huge failure" the rest of the industry is jealous of.
If I was your wife, I would want a divorce. Fortunately for both of us, both are as untrue as your rant.
Re:Non-sequitur warning (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Non-sequitur warning (Score:5, Informative)