[PLUG] Intel drops OLPC

[M. Edward (Ed) Borasky]

Richard Lidzbarski wrote:
> Here are some excerpts from the BBC:
> 
> "The chip maker has been promoting its own cheap laptop, the Classmate, in 
> many of the same places as the OLPC."
> 
> "He added that the use of AMD chips in the first XO laptops had not influenced 
> its decision."
> 
> "Prior to Intel's involvement, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte criticised the 
> chip firm for what he called its attempts to undermine the project's work."
> 
> 
> I say good riddance to Intel...OLPC will be better off without them...or 
> Microsoft.

Well ... OLPC can't compete with Intel and Microsoft. As you may know, I
have one of the OLPC laptops as part of the Give One Get One program
that just ended. So I'm on most of the OLPC mailing lists.

I really feel sorry for the OLPC people. First, Intel developed and
*aggressively* marketed -- *really* aggressively -- a competing product.
Then OLPC negotiated some kind of deal with them, and Intel joined in
the project. There was some engineering -- how much, I don't know -- on
an OLPC laptop with Intel chips. And now Intel pulled out of the deal.
That sucks, but then again, that's what near-monopolies do.