For those of you who do not believe that Linux is making an impact on the PC market, you obviously have not been watching the actions of Microsoft. Every time a country announces they will switch their government computers to Linux, Microsoft is there literally begging them reconsider (by begging, I mean showering them with incentives). When it became clear that the Open Document Format (ODF) would make serious waves in the office software world, did Microsoft adopt it for their office suite? No, they created their own crippled version and swindled under-the-talbe deals to ISO officials to get it passed off as a “standard.”
Now, the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) program, which had the noble goal of trying to provide laptops to children in third world countries equipped with educational software running a customized version of Linux, has come under Microsoft’s scope. They knew what it would mean. Generations of young people would grow up not using Microsoft’s products. They could not allow this. They found it so damaging, so dangerous, that they’re practically giving Windows XP away (notice I said practically — they still intend to turn a profit) to what’s left of the project developers (apparently after the moral few were weeded out) to ensure that windows will make its way into every shack in the developing world.
Now these children will have laptops running bloated, battery hogging, soon to be no longer supported, security hole-filled software with little to no educational value (as you know Windows XP does not come with any office software or much else for that matter).
Thanks Microsoft. Once again you have managed to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
