Microsoft gets onboard the $100 laptop project
First of all, I apologise for neglecting my blog recently. College has been particularly busy recently; I’ve been trying to get fitter (weight lifting, walking etc.) and I’ve been working on several projects recently too. Consequently, I haven’t been able to post very much on here at all or surf the forums as much as I’d like to - hopefully, I’ll be able to find a bit more time soon to start again.
On to the main topic of the post - the 1-laptop-per-child project has announced that it will be running Windows XP on it’s laptops side-by-side with Linux. The project was set up to give children in developing countries the chance to learn I.T. and enhance their skills and knowledge. Previously, a special light weight version of Linux was planned to be the only OS (Operating System) as it is free and open source, making it ideal for educational purposes on a budget laptop.
However, Microsoft has now entered into the project after the 1-laptop-per-child project faced pressure from governments to install Windows instead of Linux, as this offered children more long term computing prospects, Windows being the market leading OS.
I can definitely understand why developing countries want to get Windows installed on their laptops - Microsoft is by far the market leader, particularly in the business world, so training children to use the software has it’s advantages. Sadly though, it will likely just make the developing world into another region where Microsoft can exercise it’s monopoly over the market. Microsoft’s business practices are highly suspect - it offers massive discounts on it’s education software versions knowing that training users up with it’s software when they are young should end up making them customers for life. While this isn’t illegal, it does seem somewhat unethical to say the least - where do their competitors get a chance in this supposed “free market”?
Thankfully, Linux will still be installed alongside Windows XP on the laptops, although I feel it won’t get much emphasis in the classroom, when it’s competitor is also present. Go to the full BBC article.
May 18th, 2008 at 11:12 am
It’s about time for another blog update Dan, I almost started to write another dark poem (j/k :D)
Although about the topic, I haven’t heard about this before. So from my understanding, it’s that Microsoft’s assisting poorer government to get laptops to all schoolchildren to help their education?
May 18th, 2008 at 11:34 am
The 1-laptop-per-child project is aimed at giving laptops to all children in the 3rd world to help with their education and train them so that they have IT skills they can use in life.
This has been going on for a year or 2 now I believe - however, some governments are now demanding that rather than putting Linux on the laptops, they want Windows on them too.
Linux usage is growing, but Microsoft’s sly sales tactics are constantly working against it (and Apple) so that they can maintain their practical monopoly on the OS market.
If you asked a random guy in the street what he knew about Windows, Mac and Linux, chances are he’d have no idea what you were talking about with the last 2. Microsoft doesn’t care at all about contributing to the computing world (at least anymore) - they are driven solely by profits.
I may be an idealist by saying all this, but I feel it’s a shame that Microsoft’s monopoly will continue long into the 21st century because they’ve got in on the act in 3rd world countries now as well as in the Western world. Competition is a healthy thing - for a long time, the I.T. world has had very little real competition in the OS market