No Windows on OLPCs

In contrast to reports from the likes of the Associated Press, the OLPC XO laptop may never have Windows preloaded, according to Software and Content president Walter Bender. Ars Technica is told there is currently no agreement for a Windows version of the computer, even one with Microsoft's $3 version of XP. The confusion may be attributable to Microsoft's participation in the OLPC developer program, which should see applications developed for the XO, but not necessarily an operating system.

Existing XO systems are based on the open-source Linux platform, specifically Red Hat's Fedora Core 6. "We are a free and open-source shop," says Bender. "We have no one from OLPC working with Microsoft on developing a Windows platform for the XO. MS doesn't get any special treatment from OLPC."

By Electronista Staff