The Microsoft Approach to the OLPC

[mzkhadir]

Offer the Microsoft Innovation suite for $3

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

remind me why people that still live in huts with no electricity and running water need to have computers.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
remind me why people that still live in huts with no electricity and running water need to have computers.

Because MS is one of the greediest companies ever, and even if it's only $3 a copy, MS feels even the poorest of the poor deserve an equal chance to be milked just like us regular folks. $3 might not sound like much, but I'm sure Billy did his research and to a person living in a grass hut, $3 is probably equal to you or I paying $300 for Office 2k7.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: QueBert

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
remind me why people that still live in huts with no electricity and running water need to have computers.

Because MS is one of the greediest companies ever, and even if it's only $3 a copy, MS feels even the poorest of the poor deserve an equal chance to be milked just like us regular folks. $3 might not sound like much, but I'm sure Billy did his research and to a person living in a grass hut, $3 is probably equal to you or I paying $300 for Office 2k7.

The government will be providing them actually, but bravo on the snap judgement without actually reading the op. We need more of that around here.

 

[QueBert]

I read it, it will be $3 per copy, I'm not talking about the actual computer I'm talking about the software, the link CLEARLY says

Microsoft software will sell for just $3 (£1.50) in some parts of the world in an attempt to double the number of global PC users.

so where is my snap judgement? it's MS tryiing to milk money from the consumers. When the richest company ever is trying to sell a product to the poorest people in the world I have no respect for them, to MS $3 even a million times is nothing, but to most of these countries they're targeting $3 is a whole lot of money even if it is the goverments of these countries they're selling it to. I am going to gather that in these 3rd world countries if the goverment gives up 300 bucks for 100 copies of whatever this software is, they will in turn have to cut back on something, don't see places with grass huts having a booming goverment.

 

[erub]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: QueBert

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
remind me why people that still live in huts with no electricity and running water need to have computers.

Because MS is one of the greediest companies ever, and even if it's only $3 a copy, MS feels even the poorest of the poor deserve an equal chance to be milked just like us regular folks. $3 might not sound like much, but I'm sure Billy did his research and to a person living in a grass hut, $3 is probably equal to you or I paying $300 for Office 2k7.

The government will be providing them actually, but bravo on the snap judgement without actually reading the op. We need more of that around here.

LOL

According to the IEEE article I read this month, both Apple and MS offered their operating systems for free for the OLPC but that they turned them down in favor of RedHat Linux who offered them more control and a specialized support team.