Free Like GNU

There has been some conjecture and spin lately about what involvement Microsoft will have with the OLPC foundation, particularly that involving XP booting on the XO. I’ll admit it gives me chills about the prospect of something as closed and proprietary as Windows XP being sent to schools and other organizations. They are in need of a cheap and extensible and maintainable educational device, not a locked-in handout based on premis of what companies like Microsoft deem “emerging markets.” This seems more like a euphemism for a cheaper enty fee to vendor lock-in, to which we are becoming more painfully aware. This is happening at the level of schools, villages or whole countries, so indeed it warrants some discussion.

All the while, even as I rant and the spin doctors spin their tales, cooler heads prevail. One such soul is Ivan Krstić, lead architect of the Bitfrost security software for the OLPC Foundation. In his blog, he dispells much myth and conjecture about what OLPC is actually doing and reminds us all that Freedom is not about closing doors, even to those who would close us out. What we may never know, however, are Microsoft’s true intentions. We can only hope that a little Freedom gives them something deeper to think about than the bottom line.