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[News] OLPC Core Team Protests Against Windows on the Laptops

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Sic Transit Gloria Laptopi

,----[ Quote ]
| OLPC should be philosophically pure about its own machines. Being a 
| non-profit that leverages goodwill from a tremendous number of community 
| volunteers for its success and whose core mission is one of social 
| betterment, it has a great deal of social responsibility. It should not 
| become a vehicle for creating economic incentives for a particular vendor. It 
| should not believe the nonsense about Windows being a requirement for 
| business after the children grow up. Windows is a requirement because enough 
| people grew up with it, not the other way around. If OLPC made a billion 
| people grow up with Linux, Linux would be just dandy for business. And OLPC 
| shouldn’t make its sole OS one that cripples the very hardware that 
| supposedly set the project’s laptops apart: released versions of Windows can 
| neither make good use of the XO power management, nor its full mesh or 
| advanced display capabilities.            
| 
| [...]
| 
| Nicholas knows quite well that Sugar won’t magically become better simply by 
| virtue of running on Windows rather than Linux. In reality, Nicholas wants to 
| ship plain XP desktops. He’s told me so. That he might possibly fund a Sugar 
| effort to the side and pay lip service to the notion of its “availability” as 
| an option to purchasing countries is at best a tepid effort to avert a PR 
| disaster.     
| 
| In fact, I quit when Nicholas told me — and not just me — that learning was 
| never part of the mission. The mission was, in his mind, always getting as 
| many laptops as possible out there…  
| 
| [...]
| 
| Nicholas’ new OLPC is dropping those pesky education goals from the mission 
| and turning itself into a 50-person nonprofit laptop manufacturer, competing 
| with Lenovo, Dell, Apple, Asus, HP and Intel on their home turf, and by using 
| the one strategy we know doesn’t work. But hey, I guess they’ll sell more 
| laptops that way.    
| 
| [...]
| 
| So here’s to open learning, to free software, to strength of personal 
| conviction, and to having enough damn humility to remember that the goal is 
| bringing learning to a billion children across the globe. The billion waiting 
| for us to put our idiotic trifles aside, end our endless yapping, and get to 
| it already.    
`----

http://radian.org/notebook/sic-transit-gloria-laptopi

Bender did have a look at this document.


Recent:

Can we rescue OLPC from Windows?

,----[ Quote ]
| Proprietary software keeps users divided and helpless. Its functioning is 
| secret, so it is incompatible with the spirit of learning. Teaching children 
| to use a proprietary (non-free) system such as Windows does not make the 
| world a better place, because it puts them under the power of the system's 
| developer -- perhaps permanently. You might as well introduce the children to  
| an addictive drug. If the XO turns out to be a platform for spreading the use 
| of proprietary software, its overall effect on the world will be negative.     
`----

http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/can-we-rescue-olpc-from-windows/blogentry_view


OLPC: Nigeria's Registrar Finds No Proof KONYIN Registration Was Extended

,----[ Quote ]
| I know. The dog ate it.
| 
| It is also a matter of record that Oyegbola was convicted of bank fraud in 
| Boston in 1990 and served a year in prison. 
| 
| OLPC Nigeria already told the court that the Extension of Design was invalid, 
| but the court ignored them. I don't think it will do so now. If there is no 
| valid extension, an injunction based upon it would be improper, obviously. 
| The court will have another opportunity to get it right, as this letter will 
| now be presented to the court. That's if it *wants* to get it right, which I 
| am not at all convinced it does.      
`----

http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20080306053914116


Related:

Local OEMs boycott Microsoft, Intel

,----[ Quote ]
| The local Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the country may have 
| commenced boycotting of placing orders on the Operating System (OS) 
| dominantly supplied by the software giant, Microsoft Corporation and computer 
| processor manufacturer, Intel Corporation offices in the country.   
`----

http://itrealms.blogspot.com/2007/11/local-oems-boycott-microsoft-intel.html


OLPC Tells Nigerian Court: We Don't Use LANCOR's Keyboard

,----[ Quote ]
| Here's what OLPC says was hidden from the court:
| 
|     * LANCOR has no valid patent
|     * OLPC hasn't sold any XO laptops in Nigeria
|     * it's a non-profit
|     * the beta XO laptops tested in Nigeria were not for sale and were not 
|     given away 
|     * OLPC never signed a EULA
|     * OLPC never reverse engineered anything
|     * its keyboards that will be distributed use all public domain techniques 
|     and not LANCOR's Konyin keyboard 
`----

http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20080103211653578


,----[ Quote ]
| That [Linux] software effort does not have the support of Mr. Otellini, who
| is concerned about incurring Microsoft's wrath, the executive said.
| The two companies have a long history of tension over who controls
| the hardware and software direction of the "Wintel standard." Intel
| has said it is supporting both operating systems.
`----

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/technology/16chip.html?ex=1177560000&en=2ef52cee6b1fb0e3&ei=5099&partner=TOPIXNEWS


Nigerian Patent Infringement Lawsuit: Scam or Shame?

,----[ Quote ]
| After reading that story I went to look for the Nigerian Patent Office's 
| website, unfortunately according to the WIPO (World Intellectual Property 
| Organization) directory there's no such thing. Probing further I found that 
| the Nigerian Industrial Property Offices use a @yahoo.com e-mail address. 
| That was the point where I stopped my search for an online-version of Patent 
| # RD8489 even though I would really liked to take a look at it!     
`----

http://www.olpcnews.com/hardware/keyboard/olpc_patent_infringement_scam.html


[Mandriva CEO:] An open letter to Steve Ballmer

,----[ Quote ]
| Wow! I’m impressed, Steve! What have you done for these guys to change their
| mind like this? It’s pretty clear to me, and it will be clear to everyone.
| How do you call what you just did Steve, in the place where you live? In my
| place, they give it various names, I’m sure you know them.  
|
| Hey Steve, how do you feel looking at yourself in the mirror in the morning?
|
| Of course, I will keep fighting this one and the next one, and the next one.
| You have the money, the power, and maybe we have a different sense of ethics
| you and I, but I believe that hard work, good technology and ethics can win
| too.  
`----

http://blog.mandriva.com/2007/10/31/an-open-letter-to-steve-ballmer/


LANCOR's Adé Oyegbola Answers Groklaw's Questions About OLPC

,----[ Quote ]
| PJ: Thank you for responding. I think you misunderstand then one thing about 
| OLPC. OLPC is a recognized charity under the law. Selling a laptop for cost 
| does not make them commercial, Ade.  
| 
| Many of my readers have been asking me, and I hope you do not feel insulted 
| if I ask on their behalf, but is there any connection or have you had any 
| contact with Microsoft or Intel?  
`----

http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20071203061340580


OLPC's Nigerian patent suit being waged by a man convicted of bank fraud

,----[ Quote ]
| The Boston Globe is reporting that LANCOR, the Nigerian-owned company that 
| has filed suit against the One Laptop Per Child project for patent 
| infringement, is actually helmed by a man convicted of bank fraud. He spent a 
| year in prison.    
`----

http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9827611-16.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=TheOpenRoad


Lessons from Africa: How to Kill Your Own FUD

,----[ Quote ]
| So, even as Microsoft claims superior quality over Linux, they act as if they 
| don't even buy their own FUD. If they really believed that Windows was 
| superior to Linux, they wouldn't have to bribe people with “marketing help” 
| to get them to choose Windows.   
`----

http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2007-11-09-030-26-OP-MD-MS


,----[ Quote ]
| [PJ: I thought you might like to see the keyboard that LANCOR's thinks is 
| being infringed by the OLPC. Here's the page for the entire world. Ah! 
| Innovation. It certainly is an amazing technical advance to have 4 shift keys 
| so you can do accent marks. What genius could ever think of a keyboard that 
| can do an accent aigu? Genius, I say. Innovative genius. Nothing obvious 
| here. So you can certainly understand why LANCOR claims it must safeguard 
| with their lives the keyboard driver source code. For contrast, here is the 
| OLPC's Nigerian keyboard. So different I start to wonder if this was about  
| advertising a keyboard.]       
| 
| [...]
| 
| ...Dr Aja-Nwachuku said he was now assessing OLPC alongside other schemes 
| from Microsoft and Intel. 
| 
| [If you don't want a laptop from OLPC, because you feel you need schools, 
| uniforms and chairs first -- not that any of that makes sense since the kids 
| can sit outside under a tree and study with OLPC or at home -- why would he 
| be considering the Classmate from Intel or a "scheme" from Microsoft? You 
| tell me.] -    
`----

http://www.groklaw.net/newsitems.php


Lagos Analysis Corp. (LANCOR) Files Lawsuit Against Nicholas Negroponte and
OLPC Association for Patent Infringement. Negroponte's OLPC Accused of
Unauthorized Use of LANCOR's Multilingual Keyboard Technology Invention in XO
Laptops

,----[ Quote ]
| Lagos Analysis Corporation, a United States-based Nigerian-owned company with 
| a subsidiary called LANCOR Management Limited, in Nigeria (LANCOR) announces 
| today that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Federal High 
| Court, Lagos Judicial Division holding at Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria against 
| Nicholas Negroponte, One Laptop Per Child Association (OLPC) and its enablers 
| in Nigeria.     
`----

http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=796745


Intel: doing the dirty on OLPC

,----[ Quote ] 
| Intel’s agreement with the OLPC Foundation included a ‘non disparagement’ 
| clause, under which Intel and One Laptop promised not to criticize each 
| other, according to Nicholas Negroponte in the latest article in the Wall 
| Street Journal.   
| 
| Still Intel tactics have violated that repeatedly to kill OLPC efforts in 
| Nigeria, Libya, Pakistan, India, China and Intel is also still trying to pull 
| those tactics in Mexico, Brazil.  
| This is simply disgracefull of Intel, scandalous.
| 
| But Negroponte has signed an agreement saying that he is not allowed to 
| criticize Intel, so he is not allowed to talk about these shameless tactics 
| even though Intel is the one violating the agreement.  
| 
| So only independant voices on the Internet can get those messages of truth 
| out about Intels tactics. 
| 
| In Nigeria, Intel came and donated 3000 laptops to counter OLPC efforts, then 
| sells 17 thousand Classmates to Nigeria at a loss. 
| 
| Then Microsoft corrupted Nigerian officials with 400 thousand dollars to 
| install Windows XP on those instead of Mandriva Linux. 
`----

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/14124


Poor Kids' Laptop Cranks Up

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates earlier this year told the Microsoft
| Government Leaders Forum, "Geez, get a decent computer where you can
| actually read the text and you?re not sitting there cranking the thing
| while you're trying to type" (see Bill Gates Mocks $100 Laptop).
`----

http://www.redherring.com/article.aspx?a=17302 


One Laptop Per Child - Production Delays Caused By Microsoft, Intel?

,----[ Quote ]
| I sincerely hope that no matter what the people who are running the
| OLPC project decide, that their project will continue and not get
| bogged down in a play of corporate greed and ambitions.
`----

http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/2007/04/28/one-laptop-per-child-production-delays-caused-by-microsoft-intel/


Negroponte says Intel should be "ashamed of itself" 

,----[ Quote ]
| He is furious that Intel's CEO Craig Barrett called the One Laptop a
| gadget. The Negroponte initiative is caught in the middle of a vicious 
| fight between AMD and Intel, he said.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=39733


Not Such a Harsh Toke, Actually

,----[ Quote ]
| This is socially, economically, politically and otherwise innovative. It is 
| good for democracy too in some of the few remaining places that good thing is 
| having trouble getting hold. We regard that thing too lightly, I fear.  
| 
| The Gates | Otellini axis directly hurts us deeply. To me, it is a 
| particularly American shame. 
`----

http://fussnotes.typepad.com/plexnex/2007/11/not-such-a-hars.html


EC says Intel influenced bids for computer projects

,----[ Quote ]
| The third type of allegation, however, was new, and sounded like a variety of 
| predatory pricing. “In the context of bids against AMD-based products for 
| strategic customers in the server segment of the market,” the commission 
| press release said, “Intel has offered CPUs on average below cost.”   
`----

http://legalpad.blogs.fortune.com/2007/08/03/ec-says-intel-influenced-bids-for-computer-projects/


Negroponte says Intel should be "ashamed of itself" 

,----[ Quote ]
| He is furious that Intel's CEO Craig Barrett called the One Laptop a
| gadget. The Negroponte initiative is caught in the middle of a vicious 
| fight between AMD and Intel, he said.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=39733


AMD chief condemns Intel 'abuses'

,----[ Quote ]
| In 2005, after the Japan Fair Trade Commission found Intel guilty of 
| offering illegal rebates to Japanese PC makers, AMD filed an anti-trust 
| suit against its competitor in the U.S. District Court in Delaware. The 
| case has not been decided.
`----

http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/06/21/amd_ceo_condemns_intel_abuses/


AMD: Intel Destroyed Evidence in Antitrust Case

,----[ Quote ]
| In an unpublished statement to the U.S. District Court of Delaware,
| AMD alleges Intel allowed the destruction of evidence in pending
| antitrust litigation.
`----

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6352


Video: Henri Richard comes out swinging at Intel during AMD press conference

,----[ Quote ]
| [AMD's Henri Richard:] "I am sick and tired of being pushed around
| by a competitor that doesn't respect the rules of fair and open
| competition."
`----

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Berlind/?p=363


Investors sue Dell on payments from Intel: WSJ

,----[ Quote ]
| An investor lawsuit seeking class-action status accuses Dell Inc. of
| improper accounting in its relationship with chip giant Intel,
| according to a media report published Thursday evening.
| 
| [...]
| 
| The suit alleges that Dell received at times as much as $1 billion
| a year in "secret and likely illegal" kickbacks in the form of
| "e-Cap" or "exception to corporate average pricing" payments"
| from Intel to ensure that Dell used no other chip supplier,
| according to The Journal.
`----

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/investors-sue-dell-payments-intel/story.aspx?guid=%7B400315B0%2DE375%2D4920%2DB300%2D784220BEFE35%7D&siteid=yhoo&dist=yhoo


Lenovo got financial help from Intel, claim 

,----[ Quote ]
| Journalists on the title said Lenovo is being paid a "pretty
| penny" from Intel to use its chips.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37670


,----[ Quote ]
| In 2005, a unit of Shenzhen Donjin countersued, saying Intel engaged
| in monopolistic practices.
`----

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070514/china_intel_settlement.html?.v=7


Intel's anti-trust memos started vanishing from the top

,----[ Quote ]
| Chairman Craig Barrett, CEO Paul Otellini and sales chief Sean Maloney
| have appeared on a list of Intel employees thought to have deleted 
| e-mails possibly relevant to AMD's anti-trust lawsuit against its
| larger rival. The missing e-mails have thrust a livid state of mind
| onto AMD's lawyers who have very serious problems with Intel's
| rather lax document retention policy.
| 
| [...]
| 
| CEO Otellini appears to have been one of these troublesome employees.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/11/intel_tortellini_episode/
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