RSSWindows XP lives: Testing begins on new version for OLPC
By Ed Oswald | Published December 6, 2007, 9:10 AM
Copies of Microsoft's former flagship operating system will be placed on XO laptops as part of a limited field trial. As a result, for the first time in a long while, it finds itself in the role of PC hardware tester.
Microsoft says it's testing Windows XP one more time, for deployment in a new environment: the OLPC system for emerging markets.
"We are using an approach that is a little unusual for Microsoft," OLPC marketing general manager James Utzschneider wrote yesterday, "in that we are managing the entire process of adapting and testing an existing version of Windows for a new PC. Usually the hardware vendor does this."
Yesterday, the company said the goal of its trials is to ensure a "high-quality Windows experience" on OLPC's devices. If it goes well, as early as the second half of next year XP could be available for the device.
If governments are interesting in possibly putting Windows on its laptops, Microsoft recommended that they keep in touch with the company. However, those buying the PCs at retail in the US and Canada have been left out in the cold: the company will not make it available here.
Even with the tests, XP on XO is not a sure thing according to Microsoft engineers. One wrote in a blog post that the decision would not be made until after the field tests. Essentially, the future of Microsoft on the OLPC rests in the hands of those who provide feedback.
A Microsoft announcement stated that the company was attempting to back away from statements made by OLPC chair Nicholas Negroponte, which said XP was a go on its devices. But apparently it's not: One of the main problems is actually getting the operating system as well as Microsoft Office on the device: it only has 1 GB of memory, Microsoft claims it needs at least 2 GB to make it work.
The announcement also poses another interesting conundrum: another extension of the lifecycle for XP. Perhaps due primarily to its larger size, Vista appears to be unable to be ported to the OLPC form factor, which uses flash drives.
The Redmond company plans to publish design guidelines for XP on flash-based devices, which essentially means the company will still develop for the operating system it once said it was transitioning away from.
It will take 2GB to run XP on XO. How much more memory to install and run Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, etc? XP will have mesh networks zombied in 3rd world countries in no time if they get XP working on it.
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|Linux gives me the brilliant performance I always wanted when I used Windows and I can customize my OS anyway I want.
Vista runs like a turtle, the proof is when users are always putting their pc on standby because Vista takes so long to boot up. XD
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|They should run XP through nLite first. I bet they could do it then.
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|Ah yes, another chance for Microsoft to embarrass itself. I'm thinking this has zune, MS-OOXML, onecare, Live, WGA, DRM, and Vista written all over it. People are dying to run a 7-year old OS on a new computer!
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|I know a few places still using Win2000Pro, granted in a server 2003 environment, so its the best Microsoft has to offer on this limited platform. Im sure once its stripped to the metal it could belt along quite nicely.
To be honest, with the choice of Linux I would rather have windows any day. Thats one thing I don't want to compromise on.
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|Maybe, but it is still better than their "latest" release.
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|Unless you're gaming, Linux is the best operating system ever created.
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|Absolutely right. After all, the learning curve only take years. I am sure average Joe can spare that much time.
Wait, the Linux "movement" is a decade old, and they still have a single digit market shares? The survey must be lying ;)
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|You're right. It does take years for some people to learn how to put a CD or DVD in their optical drive, boot up Linux and click a button in a GUI to install it to your hard disk if you choose to. It's a wonder how these people managed to get their computer (and components) plugged in and turned on.
In fact, I'll bet most people absolutely love the fact that Windows constantly requires reboots from installing security updates and the fact that Windows crashes a lot (Especially Windows XP with or without Service Pack 2) and has slow performance compared to Linux.
Linux only requires a reboot if the kernel itself is updated. Otherwise, individual services can be stopped and restarted without the need for a complete system reboot.
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|LOL, a tiny Geode processor will need to run a real-time AV. Also, imagine distributing daily updates over the mesh network.
ROFL.
Pretending to run Windows in whatever form in the OLPC is absurd at best.
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|On a more serious note, most "normal" business are not able to pull their old products from the market to force people to buy a new one.
In most "normal marketplaces" the old products are dropped in price and are used by non-prime users.
It just shows Microsoft's monopoly power that it could drop XP in the first place.
XP Media Center edition would be handy to make set-top boxes, just pull out everything except the media bits. Would be great, and cheap. One under every TV...
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|OLPC+XP is going to see computer virus spreading quicker than AIDS in Africa?
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|Is there something in the story that states OLPC's will not have virus protection? I seem to remember an announcement from AVG was making a contribution to the effort.
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