In the News...
A few years back I worked for Microsoft on bringing Windows XP to the OLPC XO-1. Here's a few news clips involving the OLPC. Much of this work was rolled into other versions of XP for Netbooks. In fact, if you use a Netbook which uses Windows XP - there's a fair chance some of the work our team did is responsible for your netbook working.
Anyway...here's a collection of news blips on some of the stuff we did.
OLPC Team News Continues - sort of ... 6/22/2010
Ina Fried has a nice bit - if a bit critical - on Small PC computing, Microsoft and the iPad. In it she makes mention of some of the efforts done by teams at Microsoft - including those who worked on the OLPC, even if she doesn't know it. ;-) Here's my favorite bit from the article below. Yeah... our team played a pretty big role in that if I do say so. Have to say I've never worked with a better team - anywhere and still incredibly proud of the work we did. :D
Microsoft responded effectively, offering lower priced versions of Windows and working to make XP run on machines with just a few gigabytes of flash memory storage. The company now boasts roughly the same 95 percent market share in Netbooks as it does for desktops and higher-end notebooks, according to IDC.
How Microsoft Foresaw--and Still Missed--the iPad
What was the OLPC, and why was there so much In the Press - and who cares??
The One Laptop Per Child or - OLPC was a small platform PC designed for children in remote parts of the world. It's battery life, screen, design - all light years ahead of anything out there. It was, and some can argue this but from a technical view it's a safe assessment to say (IMHO) - never designed to run on Windows. In fact, the first demos (you see one below) people accused Microsoft of faking because they just couldn't believe it was even possible.
But if you have an incredible team of people who really believe in something ... all things are possible.
Naturally - when given a chance to work on something like this - I dove on it.
So... in 2007-2008 or there I was busy being a Program Manager over at Microsoft trying to make hardware which could never run any flavor of Windows run Windows. Technologically - this wasn't quite up there with the Apollo Moon landing - but from a computing standpoint it ranks up there with one of the seven wonders of the computing world in my book. From the interface to the drivers - everything had to work, but be re-thought, and in some cases redesigned.
It's pretty safe to say the advancements made there allow your PC to use a flash drive media. Allow your PC to last as long as it does with the battery. And because of the stir that the OLPC caused... probably changed the direction of small platform computing forever.
To the world at large - none of this was happening. But for those of us over at the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, working with the Windows Unlimited Potential Program and the Microsoft PC3 Windows COSD groups to put Windows XP Pro on the OLPC XO-1... the face of computing changed the world. To say there were a ton of unsung heroes in any project is an understatement.
We - who worked on it - largely went un-named, and unrecognised. That's because that's our job. That's what we do. We make it work - we don't get parades. You don't give a parade to the man who cooks your dinner at the restaraunt - you give him a tip, you thank him profusely (if the meal was really good) and you move on. So - yeah, we got our recognition every time we see a Netbook or an iPad. Those are an inside story that only we get to know ... and only we get to tell amongst each other.
What was the work you did ... Really do??
You can get an idea of the kind of work we did here...
Microsoft and One Laptop per Child Partner to Deliver Affordable Computing to Students Worldwide
or watch this cool video here...
Or... You can read about it here on James Utzschneider's Inside Up Blog...
Or... about the cool trip to Cambridge where MS got to show off our work to OLPC...
Or... see it here...
There was a LOT of stuff written on this project and a lot continues to get written about it. The idea that one small laptop could have such an impact on how we use computers is still debated over and over. Suffice to say, if you own a netbook, if you've seen a netbook, if you own a iPad, or any small computing device - - the things we did on this project had at least a small impact on how it works, it's design, or the fact that you have them at all.
It was an awesome project and as you can imagine I'm very proud to have worked on it.
What I did on the OLPC Windows XP project...
So what did I do on it? I was the Program Manager working with the Driver Development teams, and also worked with the UPG (Unlimited Potential Group) with the pilots and even some of the work on <statement redacted> I actually designed some of the <statement redacted> (Don't you just hate Non-Dsiclosure Agreements??).
Anyway - I worked under Bohdhan and John, and Dino who you see in the photos and videos on pretty much all of the cool stuff that you see. It was an amazing and wonderful experience and I am beyond proud of all the teams I worked with to help make it happen. Hats off to the everyone - they're literally the best on the planet. Congrats!
Needy Children To Receive Laptops With Microsoft XP, Office
InformationWeek, NY - Oct 6, 2008
East Africa: EAC MPs Want OLPC Adopted in All States
AllAfrica.com, Washington - Oct 4, 2008
OLPC Fires Up Give One, Get One Round Two
Digitaltrends.com, OR - Sep 30, 2008
OLPC eyes 1 mn laptop sales in India
Economic Times, India - Sep 25, 2008
OLPC in sbemail 200
Cnet Asia, CA - Sep 23, 2008
Peru to be first with new OLPC laptop with Windows
PC World Magazine, Australia - Sep 16, 2008
Microsoft Joins One Laptop per Child
BusinessWeek - May 15, 2008
OLPC has long talked about putting a Microsoft operating system on its little green-and-white machine. But the announcement comes at a critical time, ...
Microsoft's $3 Windows fine by OLPC
InfoWorld - Apr 25, 2007
Our mission is not to beat Apple, Dell, or Microsoft." OLPC is preparing to release the $100 laptop to its first customers sometime after September this ...
Microsoft denies dual-booting OLPC
Inquirer - Jan 10, 2008
By INQUIRER Newsdesk: Thursday, 10 January 2008, 3:25 PM. MICROSOFT more or less said, "not on your nelly," to reports that the OLPC's poxy laptop might ...
Microsoft to Try Windows XP Out on OLPC in January
PC World - Dec 5, 2007
Microsoft field trials of Windows XP running on the One Laptop Per Child XO laptop will take place next month. Microsoft said it plans to conduct field ...