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VIRTUALISATION OLPC will make children Microserfs: FSF
VIRTUALISATION OLPC will make children Microserfs: FSF | OLPC will make children Microserfs: FSF |
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| by Sam Varghese | |
| Saturday, 29 August 2009 | |
  
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In an article on its windows7sins.org website, which it launched a few days ago to campaign against the adoption of Microsoft's Windows 7 which is scheduled to be released on October 22, the FSF said the OLPC initially held out the promise of being an educational platform which would use free software. "Launched by MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte in 2003, OLPC was supposed to lead children around the world to an advanced education using the combination of information technology and freedom," it said. "Indeed, while it did use a small amount of nonfree software, the XO machine had taken an unprecedented step toward being a completely free software machine by replacing the traditional startup program (called the BIOS) with a free program, giving children control of the devices at a fundamental level." Because of this, the FSF said, hundreds of people from the FOSS community had given freely of their time, skills, and money to help. The OLPC later backed away from this commitment and announced that it would run Windows XP, the FSF said, adding that this was done because of pressure (PDF) from Microsoft. "With this pressure, Microsoft took aim at the low-cost platform as a way to make poor children around the world dependent on its products." It said, due to this dramatic change of policy, many FOSS volunteers quit in disgust. "But Negroponte, desiring the financial support of Bill Gates and Microsoft, ignored them and proceeded with his decision. As a result, it is expected that the main effect of the OLPC project - if it succeeds - will be to turn millions of children into Microsoft dependents. "That is a negative effect, to the point where the world would be better off if the OLPC project had never existed. The project tragically became yet another example of Microsoft exerting its control to ends harmful to society's freedom," the FSF said. |
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