OLPC $100 laptop project mulls Windows CE

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Apr. 12, 2006

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, which aims to provide between five and 15 million $100 laptops to children in China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, and other countries, reportedly is helping Microsoft add Windows CE to the OLPC's operating system options.

In a keynote at LinuxWorld last week, OLPC project chairman Nicholas Negroponte said that in addition to its plans to use a lightweight version of Linux, the group is "also talking to Microsoft," eWEEK.com reports. "They're going to make a Windows CE version" for the machine, Negroponte said, adding, "We're going to help them make a Win CE version, so geez, why criticize me?"

The initial OLPC machines are expected to be based on a 500 MHz AMD Geode processor with 128 MB of RAM memory for program operation, and 512 MB of flash memory serving as local storage in place of a disk. A unique dual-mode display will support 1110 x 830 pixel resolution in black and white for outdoor use, and 640 x 480 color resolution for indoors, according to the project.

Power consumption is a major issue. "We're going to be below 2 watts [of total power consumption]," Negroponte said, according to eWEEK.com. "Power is such a big deal that you're going to hear every company boasting about power" in the near future. "That is the currency of tomorrow."

Another concern is the tendency of today's software to consume vast quantities of system resources. "I have come to a conclusion that every new release of software is distinctly worse than the other. Why? It's because the fat lady can't sing. There's a natural tendency to add stuff," Negroponte said, as reported by eWEEK.com. "Suddenly it [becomes] like a very fat person -- uses most of their energy to move the fat. We've gotten to the point where we have to completely rethink."

Despite Microsoft's alleged interest in creating a version of Windows CE for the OLPC, Bill Gates recently criticized the project, saying, "The last thing you want to do for a shared-use computer is have it be something without a disk ... and with a tiny little screen," Reuters reported.

"It's the same as the Origami," Negroponte reportedly countered in his LinuxWorld talk. "I don't know exactly what Bill was talking about."

Although the LCD screens planned for OLPC devices and Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPCs, aka "Origami" devices) are similar, UMPCs are expected to sport 30 to 60 GB hard drives.

Further details on the OLPC project are available on the organization's website.

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