OLPC Inspires Open Source Projects

Don Marti writes "A loose network of developers representing many commonly used open source projects are working to develop a new generation of low-memory, efficient code. This targeted code is being designed for a system, of which only 500 prototype boards now exist: the 'Children's Machine 1' from the One Laptop Per Child project." From the article: "Gettys says measuring existing performance has to come before trying those changes. 'We've been pulling in every decent performance tool Linux has so we can optimize when and where it really matters,' he says. A key automated testing tool is Tinderbox, a build and test management tool originally developed for Mozilla, that new OLPC developer Chris Ball has installed, to build and test OLPC software. And, after Red Hat kernel developer Dave Jones gave a standing-room-only talk at the 2006 Linux Symposium titled, Why Userspace Sucks (Or, 101 Really Dumb Things Your App Shouldn't Do), his reports of suckiness, which include kernel-based measurements of wasteful behavior, are helpful, Blizzard says."

Mommy, I'm bloated

[wsanders]

Finally, an antidote for sloppy bloated code - exploit child labor in 3rd world countries to test your product. Its elitist, I tell ya!

Huh.

[Anonymous Coward]

No Java then, I take it?

Getting rid of caps lock

[Anonymous Coward]

Towards the end of the article they imply the final keyboard will not have the caps lock key. WHICH MAY SOUND LIKE A GOOD THING. But then remember these laptops are for kids, and who knows if in the future they will be faced with KEYBOARDS THAT HAVE CAPS LOCK. And that may be confusing for a couple of hours until they get used to it and learn to live with it. LIKE WE HAVE.

Tiny hands write tiny apps!

[khasim]

If you want a smaller footprint, hire someone with smaller feet!

I for one welcome our new prepubescent, code-writing overlords.