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

Tue Mar 11 17:59:28 EDT 2008

Is there *any* suggestion that the entire "Microsoft on OLPC" story is
anything other than:
1.  A small group of experimenters at Microsoft playing around in the
slack time.
2.  FUD stories to downplay OLPC.

The OLPC corporate needs to respond with a one liner that "we have no
plans to now or in the future".  The story could change, but the
current stance does need to be known.  FUD works kind of like nuisance
law-suits:  failure to say anything is an automatic loss.

Nothing mean, cruel, or chilling.  Just OLPC does not help and support
this effort.  MS is on their own.

Charles

2008/3/11 Todd Cranston-Cuebas <geekhunter at gmail.com>:
> I'm waiting to hear about this one also. On the one hand the OLPC can't be
> shipped with the Flash plug-in but the whole project is going to go to
> Microsoft? Talk about moving between extremes. I'm not sure why a more
> balanced approach couldn't work but then again, I'm more of a supporter
> (bought unit through the G1G1 program) and advocate. I'm not a coder, etc.
> but have been really encouraged by the dramatic grassroots support for the
> unit to take up the need for support, etc. I have to say that I'm a little
> surprised that the actual shipping OS, Sugar interface, activities etc. are
> still very much a work in progress (some bugs, keys not enabled, no "reveal
> code" key, networking problems, etc.), but that's not necessarily bad as
> long as there is healthy support for refinement. It's this titanic shift
> that is catching me off-guard. Let's face it, the OLPC has been both
> enhanced by, and perhaps held back by, a hard line support of just OS and a
> strict constructivist educational approach. Then again, fervent adherence to
> a philosophy and cause has pushed the world to see what could be "possible"
> through this little green machine.
>
> Todd
>
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 11, 2008 at 2:26 PM, victor <Victor.Lazzarini at nuim.ie> wrote:
> > 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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> >
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> >
>
>
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