We reported months back, to the dismay of many Linux and Sugar lovers, that One Laptop Per Child had officially teamed up with Microsoft to port over Windows XP to the OLPC XO. According to ZDNet, Microsoft has finally now released to manufacturing the version of Windows XP that it has tweaked to run on the One Laptop Per Child XO computer.
JkonTheRun put up a single shot of the OLPC XO running the customized XP (see an enlarged picture below). We don't have many details at the moment on how the XP interface has been tweaked but we do know that it will run many of the programs that were designed for the Sugar operating system. The system hardware has also had to be changed to run the Microsoft OS and now includes more RAM. But rest assured, we will be getting a peek at the new XP for the green system in the coming weeks.
Foley of ZDNet reported that Microsoft has no plans to make Windows available for individuals who bought an XO in last year's Give 1 Get 1 program. The program allowed U.S. and Canadian consumers to buy the XO laptop, but only if they bought one to donate to a developing nation.
It looks like the public will have to wait until this year's Give 1 Get 1 to get an XO running Windows XP. According to Nicholas Negroponte, the non-profit will ramp up its next Give 1 Get 1 in November of this year. He tells us that he is trying to have dual-boot machines, running both Windows XP and Sugar, ready for the new G1G1.
