Microsoft? (was Re: OLPC seeks a CEO -- who was your favorite CEO elsewhere?)

[victor]

More worrying is this bit from the article in the link

"OLPC will hand more of the development and support of its XO laptop and its 
core software to technology companies, (...), and Microsoft (MSFT), which is 
just now putting the finishing touches on a version of Windows for the XO 
machine."

I didn't know Microsoft and Windows were going to be there.  So why all the
effort if in the end a closed OS is going to be used?

Is this true?

Victor

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Gilmore" <gnu at toad.com>
To: <devel at laptop.org>; <gnu at toad.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 8:47 PM
Subject: OLPC seeks a CEO -- who was your favorite CEO elsewhere?


> http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2008/tc2008035_429837.htm
>
> OLPC is looking for a CEO.  Nicholas is more of an "idea man", and he
> plans to continue as Chairman and cheerleader.  But he appears to have
> realized that with its current management, the organization can't
> outgrow its early chaos.  (For this I give him every credit; most
> founders who aren't suited to manage a larger, more structured
> organization resist installing a steady hand at the wheel.)
>
> There are probably a few people on the devel list who are actually
> qualified to be CEO of a nonprofit tech company like OLPC.  I
> encourage them to apply (it's not clear how, which shows you how far
> things have degenerated).  But I'm more interested in asking the
> software developers on the list:
>
>  ==>  Who's the best manager or CEO you ever worked for?
>
> Suggest to that person that they consider the job.
>
> OLPC has plenty of resources, and also plenty of challenges.  We on
> the outside have only seen a fraction of them (like schedules sliding
> out of control; botched distribution; support handled only by the skin
> of the teeth; key people dragged around to fill big holes, leaving
> other big holes behind them; diminished expectations in both sales and
> technical achievement).  OLPC has already changed the world in a small
> way, by teaching us that there's a vibrant world market for low cost,
> high function portable computers, and reminding us how much leverage
> there is in third world educational improvement.  OLPC still has a
> chance to change the world in a big way, by satisfying that market,
> rather than leaving it to commercial companies to half-assedly pick up
> the pieces.  Steering OLPC back on to the rails before it crashes and
> burns will be a job your favorite CEO or manager will never forget.
>
> Give 'em a call...
>
> John
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