To say the last couple of weeks have been a PR nightmare for OLPC is an understatement. Some talented members of the initial team have departed while hints of a Windows solution is in the air. This past week they announced a new COO Charles Kane who oversaw the production of Sugar, the Linux based OS for the laptop.
To many the idea of OLPC embracing Windows is a step backward. What we will not know for some time is any “behind the scenes” negotiations between Nicholas Negroponte and Microsoft.
So whats wrong with Sugar anyway? The idea of placing an advanced computer with children who don’t even have electricity in their homes is empowering. The fact that Sugar is based on a custom design to execute one program at a time is designed for children. Lets face it, Windows is not.
Making Sugar’s User Interface makes perfect sense but goes against ‘conventional’ wisdom that you need a successful computer to be Vista driven. Okay, lets downgrade and make it XP to ensure functionality.
Tags: OLPC, sugar, Negroponte, Mary Lou Jepsen, globalization, trends