Is Microsoft working on building a laptop for the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) program? Yes, but the intended machine will run Windows XP only, rather than both Windows XP and Linux, Microsoft officials said today, refuting an earlier report that made the waves on Slashdot and OSNews.
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Member since:2006-06-21
The point wasn't that it can't dual boot, it was that there isn't enough space in 1 GB to install both XP and the original XO Linux. XP would eat up all that space, in fact it would probably need another GB. And all this for just the base install, without extra software.
So it denies the whole idea behind the OLPC. Frankly, I see all this as just a stunt. Negroponte needs some money and Microsoft will deliver it, but in turn they'll want to bastardize the entire concept just to brag that Windows also runs on the OLPC. Pah.
Member since:2005-07-08
No, I think you misunderstand me. The XOs with Windows installed will have two Flash devices: the original 1GB MTD plus at least another 1GB (probably more) on an SD card. They will add more storage and leave the existing storage unused. That's why there will be enough space for two OS images.
Member since:
2005-07-08
I don't see why it shouldn't dual boot. The XO uses a raw Flash medium (MTD) as its mass storage. This means that the OS has to provide an I/O pathway and filesystem designed specifically for Flash. Linux provides this support in the form of its mtd and jffs2 modules.
Windows XP, as far as I know, has no support for MTD media. All Flash-based devices and add-ons supported by Windows use an FTL. This is a firmware abstraction that exports an ordinary block device to the OS. In order to make Windows run on the XO, Microsoft lobbied the OLPC project to include an internal SD interface.
Accordingly, A Windows-capable XO will have two mass storage media: the hardwired MTD and an SD card. Windows will only be able to see the SD card. The MTD would be idle silicon. Therefore, there is no reason why users shouldn't be able to install Linux and GRUB on the MTD for dual-booting.