OLPC, Microsoft to deliver dual-boot XO laptop

by Stephen Lawson

May 16, 2008 —

The One Laptop Per Child Project
and Microsoft plan to make both Windows and Linux available on a version of
the project's XO laptop, the companies said Thursday.

The parties expect to deliver a dual-boot XO system in August or September
that will have both the traditional Linux-based Sugar operating system of the
XO and a low-cost student version of Windows XP, according to Kyle Austin, an
OLPC representative.

OLPC Chairman Nicholas Negroponte has referred in the past to a dual-boot XO
model, but this is the first official announcement of such a system. The XO
was developed by OLPC for children in developing countries. The availability
of Windows on the system will give customers more choice in operating systems
and let them use Windows-based educational software and tools, the parties said.
Customers and partners worldwide have asked for Windows on the XO, they said.

Austin said the dual-boot system will have Sugar and Microsoft's Student Innovation
Suite, a US$3 software offering that Chairman Bill Gates announced last year.
Gates said the suite would include a version of Windows XP, Microsoft Office
Home and Student 2007, Microsoft Math 3.0, Learning Essentials 2.0 for Microsoft
Office and Windows Live Mail.

A Microsoft representative confirmed the XO would have a version of Windows
XP but said the specifics were yet to be determined.

Trials of Windows on the laptops will begin in June in select countries, they said. During the trial, Windows will reside on an SD (Secure Digital) card in the laptop's SD slot, according to Austin, but in the final shipping machine, both OSes will be loaded on the device's flash storage.

OLPC is working with third-party developers to have the XO's distinctive Sugar
user interface placed on top of Windows, but the dual-boot systems coming later
this year will use the Windows interface for Student Innovation Suite, Austin
said.

Microsoft and OLPC did not specify the price of the dual-boot system on Thursday.

IDG News Service