After much negotiations, and countless rumors, it is now official: OLPC's XO Laptop, will now be offered with Windows XP.

Sales of the laptop will be offered to some countries in June, and a larger scale release shortly after. Running Windows on the OLPC however, will not have the same "ease" of use. On Linux, the XO has an interface named "Sugar", which is a custom GUI to give children a friendly computer environment. Plans have been made to port the interface over to Windows, however due to complications, it could take some time.

An important question to ask ourselves is: For a laptop aimed for children in developing countries, is XP the better choice?

"When I talk to people and tell them we can run Windows, they are very impressed. You pass a sort of virility test."
said OLPC's founder, Nicholas Negroponte.

Negroponte said the ability to run Windows is a must-have in some countries. For example, he said, Uruguay made it a requirement in its recent solicitation. Even in other countries where Windows is not required, Negroponte said compatibility with the Microsoft operating system still helps give the laptop credibility.


This subject can spark some interesting conversation. I'd like to hear your comments Neowin!


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