Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Fri 27th Apr 2007 07:10 UTC
"The founder of the ambitious "$100 laptop" project, which plans to give inexpensive computers to schoolchildren in developing countries, revealed Thursday that the machine for now costs $175, and it will be able to run Windows in addition to its homegrown, open-source interface." More here.
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Member since:2006-10-11
torbenm: One of the risks of subsidized computers in poor countries is that they easily "disappear" and resurface on the black market. Making it possible to run Windows on the computers makes them much more valuable for such a market.
If I remember correctly, the OLPC was specifically designed to really stick out, so that anybody seeing this machine knew that it was an OLPC. Together with social engineering -- spreading the word that only official bodies can buy this device for educational use only -- they hope to cement the image that anybody using a OLPC who is not a child should probably not have the OLPC in the first place.
So to reduce the risk of misuse, these OLPC machines should use a CPU that can't run Windows. Even Windows CE is a bit dubious, but probably hard to avoid.
While I understand your concerns, I want to point out that the idea of the OLPC was to open up the IT world to children whose countries mostly havn't an established IT infrastructure. It should be of no concern if the OLPC can run MS Windows, this target audience lives in a world where MS Windows is not synonymous with Home-PC. Even if the GNU/Linux based OS wouldn't do all they can hope to do with the OLPC, they won't necessarily see MS Windows as an alternative.
Given the goal of reducing power use, x86 also seems odd. For similar compute power, an ARM with integrated LCD controller would probably use less. I haven't seen the power figures on the AMD CPU that is used in the design, so I can't be sure, though.
It is an AMD Geode, which certainly is a quirky X86 but it also is one of the least power-hungry CPUs out there. The LX700, which is used in the OLPC runs at 433MHz and uses about 0.8 W/h under load. The whole platform, which includes a VESA compatible graphics adapter, is somewhere around 2.0 W/h.
Member since:2006-03-12
there is an anti theft mechanism built in.
http://lwn.net/Articles/221052/
Member since:2005-07-06
Given the goal of reducing power use, x86 also seems odd. For similar compute power, an ARM with integrated LCD controller would probably use less. I haven't seen the power figures on the AMD CPU that is used in the design, so I can't be sure, though.
AMD Geode LX CPU is designed to fit that task. Unlike other x86 and ARM, it is on component used to run the LED screen used by the XO machine and consume only 1 watt. Check out the full specification of AMD Geode LX 433 Mhz
http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/DownloadableAssets/333...
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Member since:
2007-04-23
One of the risks of subsidized computers in poor countries is that they easily "disappear" and resurface on the black market. Making it possible to run Windows on the computers makes them much more valuable for such a market.
So to reduce the risk of misuse, these OLPC machines should use a CPU that can't run Windows. Even Windows CE is a bit dubious, but probably hard to avoid.
Given the goal of reducing power use, x86 also seems odd. For similar compute power, an ARM with integrated LCD controller would probably use less. I haven't seen the power figures on the AMD CPU that is used in the design, so I can't be sure, though.
But I guess Linux on an x86 is the easiest choice.