____/ nessuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on Wednesday 23 January 2008 23:30 : \____
> PJ on latest Microsoft "philanthropy".
> <Quote>
> Here's some repulsive news from Microsoft, in an article on Yahoo!
> News titled, "Microsoft pledges cash for IT in developing world" but
> which I would more accurately, I think, call, "Microsoft Finds New Way
> To Be Anticompetitive":
>
> [In the announcement, MS will spend $235 million worldwide, but
> schools must use Windows...]
>
> "Microsoft is still working through some of the 'technical
> limitations' that remain in putting XP on the XO, the green PC from
> the One Laptop Per Child project, Ayala [MS spokesman] said."
>
> So, to compete with Microsoft, Linux needs to be able to spend 235
> million to buy a market? There are also some interesting details on
> deals being made in Russia, Mexico and Libya:
>
> [Details of Russia, Mexico and Libya deals...]
>
> Of course, they can't put that honking Vista on these laptops. So,
> it's XP forever, I guess, for the third world. Indeed the article says
> XP will be the supported platform on low-cost PCs such as the
> Classmate and Asus EEE, this despite the fact that Windows XP will
> stop being available to OEMs in June 2008 according to what I've seen
> announced. I hope those governments have figured out a plan on how
> they will upgrade someday. Hahahaha. Their only hope is if Microsoft
> can pick OLPC's brains fast and then figure out how to get a smaller
> footprint.
>
> [ Update: It's not just in the third world. A reader just sent me this
> link, about Microsoft offering Finland free Live.edu software for all
> Finnish schools, and the software enables "community features such as
> a discussion forum students can use to discuss with each other". Sort
> of like what XO meshing enables? More, if you can read Finnish.]
>
> So, bottom line? I read it as meaning that Microsoft would like to
> join Intel in killing off One Laptop Per Child's XO laptop, because it
> runs Linux on AMD, and because OLPC identified a new market in the
> third world, and monopolies are like the grave -- they never say,
> "Enough".
>
> Please remember this day, next time someone tells you how
> philanthropic Mr. Gates is. Monopolies these days not only crush
> competition, they're willing to crush a charity to make a buck. I
> would say any apparent cooperation with OLPC, therefore, is just for
> show, folks. Those "technical" difficulties won't be solved, I figure,
> until this new market is glutted with Microsoft on Intel Classmates
> and Asus EEE's, loaded with XP, that old-fashioned operating system,
> and none of their laptops can do for those children what the OLPC XO
> can do. P.S. Children don't need training to use an OLPC XO. It's
> designed to *not* need it. I hope OLPC patented everything before they
> show Microsoft a thing. For real. Otherwise, someday we'll be looking
> for prior art to overturn a Microsoft patent or two.
>
> Yoohoo, EU Commission! Are you watching these maneuvers?
> </Quote>
>
> http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20080123114324664
Nothing new here really. I gave her some more examples. Microsoft even tries to
derail Linux in Kerala.
Gates' charity is just a proxy bank account for Microsoft. It does a few good
things, too.
--
~~ Best of wishes
"I don’t understand how IE is going to win. The current path is simply to copy
everything that Netscape does packaging and product wise."
--Jim Allchin, Microsoft
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