Stallman: Can we rescue OLPC from Windows?

One could easily argue that Stallman's very perceptive analysis is
about helping both the kids and the adults and society they will enter.

"Promoting an agenda" is right up there with "political" as an empty 
term of opprobrium used to dismiss without analysis, and in fact to 
belittle the entire possibility of basing policy on analytical inquiry.  

And what part of helping kids achieve and maintain freedom is not part of helping kids?
Everyone has an agenda - "is the agenda hidden?" is a relevant question.  

While not all the kids are going to want to become programmers - having the software based on
a free platform allows anyone to become involved at whatever level they feel ... insert well
worn list of OSS virtues here.

Currently, OLPC's development problems seem to be more a function of the high degree of
research, on-going design and limited manpower vs the implementation issues of libraries and
underlying OS - although I would wager that the people actually implementing would be loathe
to attempt it using XP even if the XO supported that POS (and yes I'm biased - or have 30years
of experience, your choice).

Your comment would be more appropriate if this were, say, Steve Jobs arguing for OS X to
replace Windows.  There the two agendas would be roughly equivalent:  Building a larger user
base to cement their respective proprietary OSes in the marketplace.  More users == more
network effects == more lock-in.  Like any good pusher, they'll make sure your first hit's
free in the hopes of a paying customer for life.

RMS certainly has an agenda, but it's rather different in character.  He too wants to expand a
user base, with its attendant network effects and resulting self reinforcement.  The
difference?  Rather than leading large numbers of people toward lock-in and a future
dependence on software and features dictated by the whims of a few companies, he'd rather lead
people toward an independent future, where the software and platform are controlled and
evolved by the very people who use it.

The more people who embrace free software, the easier it gets.  Remember when the web was
dominated by websites that only functioned properly on Internet Explorer?  Since the rise of
the next wave of alternate browsers such as Mozilla and Firefox, I haven't seen such a site in
a while.  This wouldn't have happened unless there were enough people demanding it.

I just got back from a talk by Stallman (in Cambridge UK on copyright and sharing).

I didn't glance at the screen to see whether he did just have emacs running, but he doesn't
use the 
OLPC keyboard - he has a USB keyboard he plugs in to it. It wasn't a full sized keyboard - it
was 
maybe 20-30% wider than the OLPC (but fitted well on top of the keyboard [which I assume is 
disabled]). It looked like some kind of funky keyboard, like one with a different key layout
or 
something (it had no numeric pad).

Completely agree.

Purchasers have different tastes and requirements. And whilst the Microsoft options are less
appealing to the alternatives, *it should still be offered as a choice* for as long as some
people choose it.

Honestly, how long have we been fighting for Linux to have an equal footing to Microsoft when
it comes to pre-installed operating systems? 

Now that we're close to achieving that, it makes no sense to me that we're trying to lock
Microsoft out of various opportunities when we should be competing on our own merits. By
attempting to block Microsoft rather than compete fairly with it, not only are we feeding the
"freetard" meme, but also strengthening the widely-publicised "Freetard Football" article Fake
Steve Jobs wrote a while back. Google it, read it, and realise how close to reality it is. 

Now that the "freetard" meme is spreading not just through the IT press but also into the
mainstream, FLOSS's reputation is being tarnished once more - and this time by our own people.

Of course, we could just do nothing. Or shoot the messenger. Or accuse the messenger of being
a shill. Or on drugs. Anything which won't improve matters one bit.

Our position will be strengthened when we can honestly say "Linux is being offered alongside
Microsoft, *and most people chose Linux*". It has a lot more credibility than saying Linux won
by default because Microsoft wasn't allowed to compete with it.