Kevin,
First, to clarify a misconception: the goal of the project is kid's
learning; not open source per se'. Fundamentally, this a project to help
the *education* of as many children as possible.
Having stated the goal in these terms, *also* understand that we believe
strongly that a software which kids can take apart and put back together
again is essential to learning computing, which is a key skill in
today's world. We don't believe you can learn much from things you
can't take apart, see how they work, and put back together again. For
these reasons, open source/free software and content are very important
to achieving our goal, but the goal is that kids *learn*. Open source
and free software are an extremely important means to our end.
Second: I was present at Nicholas' keynote. I'm not convinced that the
Wired article is reflecting exactly what Nicholas said yesterday. They
didn't get it badly wrong, but I also don't think they got it exactly
right. But rather than try to quibble with whose memory or writing is
correct, let this third point make it clear:
Third: We've always said, from day one, the machine is a fully *open*
platform, hardware (and from our end, software). This is why the specs
of the machine are up on the web in good detail even before the design
of the hardware is complete. How could our machine not be an open
platform, if we want kids to be able to understand how computers really
work?????
We've stated the hardware platform is open, consistently, from day one,
to everyone, up to and including Bill Gates and other senior executives
at Microsoft and everywhere else. We are not in the discrimination
business, or out to get anyone; we are here to build a machine that can
meet our goals of enabling kids all over the world to learn.
Nicholas has told Microsoft this many times. I was personally present
once when we've told Microsoft this. Whether Microsoft believes it or
not is hard for me to gage, but I can attest first hand that very senior
Microsoft executives were told they were welcome to port Windows CE or
anything else they liked to the hardware, that we made it crystal clear
there were no reservations when asked to clarify these statements, and I
know we mean exactly what we say. The OLPC hardware system is an open
system. How in the world could it be a closed platform and meet our
goals????
If Microsoft wants to put CE on the machine, or Singularity, or DOS on
the machine, it's OK with us, *exactly* as if you want to put *BSD or
Java OS, or TOPS-20 running on SIMH on the machine, or something else
you want to write from scratch. So far, Microsoft hasn't asked us for
help.
Regards,
Jim Gettys
OLPC
On Wed, 2006-04-05 at 17:48 -0700, Kevin Purcell wrote:
> Not a technical question ... but there is a Wired News story authored
> by the AP
>
> <http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70584-0.html>
>
> In which amongst the usual fodder (and errors, it's a 366MHz AMD
> Geode) says:
>
> > Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has criticized the computers' design,
> > including its lack of a hard disk drive — though many people in the
> > tech world believed he was more irked by the laptops' use of Linux,
> > the free, open-source system that competes with Gates' proprietary
> > Windows systems.
> >
> > [...]
> >
> > Negroponte expressed frustration with Gates in particular, saying
> > that the $100 laptop designers are still working with Microsoft to
> > develop a version of the Windows CE operating system that could run
> > the machines.
> >
> > "Geez, so why criticize me in public?" Negroponte said.
> >
> > Microsoft did not immediately return calls for comment.
>
> A second OS for the $100 laptop? WTF?
>
> Given a goal of the OLPC is open source I wonder what's going on
> here. If they changed their mind now and switched to Win CE you'd see
> the external software effort support drop to epsilon (though Squeak
> would still be there with no porting effort :-).
>
> Any comments from people closer to Negroponte? Did he say this? Did
> he mean this?
> --
> Kevin Purcell
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
> --
> olpc-software mailing list
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--
Jim Gettys
One Laptop Per Child
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