Linux Solutions

In a move which has angered as much as surprised many in the industry, the third world campaign to promote the use of laptops as a tool for education, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) have attacked the creditability of Linux and the Open Source sector in general. So what is happening?

There seems to be a lot of confusion and many will not be surprised to see the name of Microsoft and the Windows operating system very much at the fore. While many viewed the Linux based operating system as perfect for such a cost conscious campaign, it seems that all is not well with the founder of OLPC. Nicholas Negroponte has accused the open source community of pushing Linux into this new area of the market, stressing that many people were aware of Microsoft and wondering why they were not involved in some way.

We are getting to a situation now where it seems to be more of a marketing disagreement with OLPC seemingly a little aggrieved that Linux has been able to benefit from the increased profile which the OLPC campaign has given them.

However, those in the know are a little surprised that the OLPC has taken this tone as surely a free open source operating system has as much to offer those who have never even seen a computer as a commercial package? Introducing something like Microsoft Windows would add millions of pounds to the cost of the OLPC campaign. Then there is also the knock on affect of software costs and the fact that Microsoft would stand to gain financially in the long run.

In years gone by this type of spat would not normally have received a mention in the press but the fact that Linux is growing in use and in profile seems to be upsetting some people. But surely a service which needs to cut costs to the bone would need to use Linux, rather than paying for a commercial package?