Sorry, quickie example

[Todd Kelsey]

Thank you for alerting me to this article. I will gladly think about it and
try to learn more about Microsoft. I'm also interested in seeing what their
response is. I am cc'ing microsoft -- he probably won't get it -- but I
suppose it is at least worth a try.

To clarify, I am not trying to advocate "support of Microsoft"; instead, I
am trying to think of ways of supporting the xo program; I do not believe it
would be compromising the spirit of the program to help a sovereign nation
to do what *they* choose to do. My understanding of the purpose of the
program is that it is not intended as a platform to tell developing nations
what to do -- but is meant as an offer of a useful product that they can use
how they wish. If a sovereign nation decides that they are interested in
Microsoft Office, and they are on the point of choosing something other than
the xo, for this reason -- then I would respect their choice, and as an
issue of supporting the end user (not Microsoft), I believe it would still
be legitimate to try and find a back up, as a development issue, to abiword
and google docs -- if this would make the difference between a country
adopting or not adopting the xo. I don't know if this would happen, I hope
it doesn't -- but if it did, I would work to help that nation to do what it
wishes to do -- and then I think they might discover that open source
software is a better solution, long-term, for education. And in the
meantime, perhaps open office will slowly begin to have increased adoption.

I do not believe that the project would be ruined by people choosing to do
what they want on the machines. I think it is exactly that freedom and
openness that makes it very strong. Typically the first thing I say about
OLPC is that it is *not* a panacea, but is one way to make the world better,
and if someone criticizes it, usually I say something like "that is great --
please get involved!" And I'm sorry -- I would gratefully accept the help of
any Microsoft employee who would be willing to help, including Bill Gates.
And I won't respond to any further response -- so if you'd like the last
word -- you're welcome to have it -- I write too much as it is anyway.
Thanks for helping me learn more about MS.

On Nov 16, 2007 5:55 PM, Ed Montgomery <edm at rocketmail.com> wrote:

> Just a couple of quick examples, if you care about
> kids, and you care about their education, etc., then
> supporting M$ in any way, shape, or form, is not the
> way to go:
>
>
> http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gatesx07jan07,0,6827615.story
>
> http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-berkshire4may04,0,6075683.story
>
> Development under linux is thus, far, far more
> preferable, and the project would be ruined using MS
> office or anything else related.
>
>
>
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-- 
Todd Kelsey

Good Green Fun: http://www.cftw.com/xoroids/

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"Fascinating for me to sit here and realize the interplay and influence that
music can have -- it is a part of my life, yet I haven't continued as I
could, partly out of thinking "there are more important things". but it has
it's place. i am sitting at olpc offices, and someone is playing pink floyd,
and I think music is a gift of creativity that can inspire an atmosphere of
creativity, and the range of such echoes is infinite." - Me

Free tunes by me: http://www.cftw.com/music
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