Are You Out Of The Loop On ULPC And Cheap XP

Is Microsoft launching a war on Linux? It certainly seems so - read this quote and you’ll see that the availability of the XP at really low prices is no accident:

IDG also quotes an anonymous official at a PC maker as saying that “[Low-cost PC makers] have made some good inroads with open-source, and Microsoft wants to put a stop to it.” The official appeared open to the program, claiming it might stimulate competition between Windows and Linux.

The prices at which the XP are offered are really cheap and this obviously makes the Linux less attractive.

If you like me needed a little explanation about the ULPC then here is a simple one:

ULPCs come up a lot in Ed Tech, partly because the OLPC XO, largely credited with creating this market, is an educational tool and also because ULPCs have the potential to make 1:1 computing realistic (or even to simply make any sort of computing realistic in developing markets). The OS of choice for students today will be the OS of choice in business tomorrow; hence, Microsoft’s concern over the use of Linux.

We can only wait and see how all this influences the use of Linux by such manufacturers in the long run.