Limited trials of Windows XP on the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) are slated to begin next month in "four or five" countries. The general availability of Windows XP on OLPC's XO laptop will follow and could come as early as September of this year.
Putting Windows on the XO laptop will cost $3 per machine. This is the same licensing fee that Microsoft charges under its Unlimited Potential scheme that it makes available to some developing countries. The decision to consider Windows XP in the first place appears to stem from the reluctance of governments and educational ministries to settle for a machine that does not run Windows, the dominant operating system. As founder Nicholas Negroponte noted: "These people are much more comfortable with Windows."
For more about Windows XP on the OLPC:
- check out the New York Times article [1]
Links:
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/technology/16laptop.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin