Microsoft Takes On the OLPC

A number of readers sent us links to a BBC story on Microsoft's plan to provide the "Microsoft Student Innovation Suite" for $3 to governments around the world, for use in schools. The suite contains Windows XP Starter Edition and Windows Office Home and Student 2007, along with other educational software. To qualify, a government would have to provide free PCs to schools. Microsoft's stated goal is to double the number of PCs in use (and running Windows). An unbiased observer might wonder about an agenda of slowing the OLPC project and the spread of open source in general.

Re:Hmm...

[ShorePiper82]

This is clearly a philanthropic move with no agenda to push whatsoever. clearly.

An unbiased observer might?

[MECC]

An unbiased observer might wonder

might...?

Re:XP - Why not Vista?

[r_jensen11]

Probably so they can collect X*$3 on Jan 1, 2009 from all of the "upgrades."

The value of Windows and Office

[Endo13]

Finally we find out the *real* value of Windows and Office: about $2.75, leaving another twenty-five cents to cover the "other educational software."

Sounds about right to me.

Re:XP - Why not Vista?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why not Vista?

Because you would need a Beowulf Cluster of OLPC's to run it!

Re:Unbiased my arse.

[drinkypoo]

And the person I replied to could have commented without saying anything incredibly fucking stupid, but we don't live in a perfect world, now do we? By the way, I don't find my language offensive. There is no objective standard of what is and is not offensive. So you might as well stick your objection up your ass sideways, and whistle.

measure for measure

[MaggieL]

I guess the name of this program lets you know how much the coin of "innovation" has been debased, that this kind of stunt dares call itself "innovation".

I do hope when MSFT and the BSA tell us how much money is lost to the scourge of piracy in the future, they price out the software in this bundle at $3 a copy.