TheOne Laptop per
Childproject will now load Windows onto its
cheap XO machines, as an alternative to Linux.
The aim of the non-profit project is deliver £50 laptops to poor
countries.
Trials of Windows machines in key emerging markets will begin as
early as next month.
The intention is to create a version of the XO laptop that
provides the ability to host both Windows and Linux operating
systems, giving users the ability to run either.
"From the beginning, the goal of OLPC has been to use technology
to transform education by bringing connectivity and constructionist
learning to the poorest children throughout the world," said
Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of OLPC.
"Today's announcement, coupled with future plans for a dual boot
version of the XO laptop, enhances our ability to deliver on this
vision. In addition, OLPC will work with third parties to port its
user interface, called Sugar, to Windows."
Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft,
said, "By supporting a wide variety of affordable computing
solutions for education that includes OLPC's XO laptop, we aim to
make technology more relevant, accessible and affordable for
students everywhere."
Another PC maker joins £60 laptop project >>