Re: Microsoft to limit capabilities of cheap laptops

[Nathan Andelin <nandelin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've been following the development of the "One Laptop Per Child" 
because it puts a tool in the hands of children that could revolutionize 
the way they learn.  The device would be used for curriculum, books, 
assignments, test, communication with teachers, and perhaps even 
programming.

Analysts predicting unit sales in the tens of millions per year sounds 
credible to me.  Students would be a new market for ultra low-cost PCs.

Low-cost PCs are an ideal client for Web applications, where most of the 
complex computing runs on servers, which is where computing is headed. 
If there were a need for local applications and data, they could be 
stored on a plug-in USB drive.

If Linux were to gain the hearts and minds of school children, it's 
likely that they'd keep Linux as they upgraded to mainstream PCs.

I wasn't prepared for Microsoft trying to extend their monopoly to this 
emerging market, because Windows and particularly Microsoft Office 
applications don't run well on scaled-back hardware, but now it's more 
clear how aggressively Microsoft is going to fight for it.

I don't know if there's any legal remedy to stop Microsoft from 
extending their monopoly.  Microsoft killed Netscape by embedding their 
browser in Windows.  But as a consumer, I plan on going with Linux when 
I get a low-cost laptop.