iTNews Australia reports that netbooks running Windows could be considered for New South Wales’ promise to give every student a school laptop.

The admission, made by a Department spokesperson to iTnews, follows  reports this week that open source-based computers  may be the only way for the Rudd Government to make good on its promise.

The spokesperson said that alternatives to the Microsoft operating system are on the table.

“The Department’s current standard operating system is Microsoft,” the spokesperson said.

“The Department is always investigating new and more cost effective operating systems.”

The NSW Department of Education and Training said no decision had been made on the viability of one operating system over another.

While this is disappointing, it is worth noting that this is not a final decision by the NSW Department of Education to use Windows machines.

• iTNews Australia [Print Version]
• Slashdot

iTunes error. Source: http://arstechnica.com/

Ars Technica reports that Apple’s new line of MacBooks contains a new Mini DisplayPort. This port also contains a DRM scheme that breaks compatibility with unapproved display devices when select videos from the iTunes Store are played.

When my friend John, a high school teacher, attempted to play Hellboy 2 on his classroom’s projector with a new aluminum MacBook over lunch, he was denied by the error you see above. John’s using a Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter, plugged into a Sanyo projector that is part of his room’s Promethean system. Strangely, only some iTunes Store movies appear to be HDCP-aware, as other purchased media like Stargate: Continuum and Heroes season 2 play through the projector just fine. Attempts to play Hellboy 2 or other HDCPed films through the projector via QuickTime also get denied. Other movies that don’t work include newer films like Iron Man, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and Love Guru, but older films like Shawshank Redemption are restricted as well.

This was first reported on November 18th.  I apologize for this post being so late.

• Ars Technica
• Electronic Frontier Foundation

OLPC Give 1 Get 1 Program. Source: http://amazon.com/xo/

OLPC News reports that the One Laptop per Child “Give 1 Get 1″ program will be offered in Europe as well as the United States and Canada.

Details are still thin on the ground but here are the initial answers to some of the most important questions about a G1G1EU that we asked back in October:

1. When will G1G1 v2 be available in Europe? Monday, November 17, just like in the United States.
2. At what price?Around $399 | £254 | €312 (No VAT will be applied only shipping costs!).
3. Which countries will be included? The 27 member states of the EU, plus Switzerland, Russia and Turkey.
4. Will we get customized keyboards? No, there will only be English/International keyboards.
5. Which power-plugs will be available? European and UK.
6. How will I be able to order or donate? Also via Amazon’s online-store at amazon.com/xo from where you will be redirected to amazon.co.uk.

This is good news for Europeans, although it would be nice of the keyboards came in other layouts to better suit the locality.

• OLPC News
• Amazon
• Slashdot

OLPC Logo. Source: http://laptopgiving.org/

Good Gear Guide reports that Columbia has now launched a trial program where some of their shipments of OLPC XO-1 machines will be running Windows.

Schools in the towns of Quetame and Chia will be outfitted with the small green XO laptops developed by the OLPC. The pilot programs are expected to expand over time.

Microsoft and OLPC will donate the XO laptops and work with teachers on how to use them in schools. The groups did not say how many laptops would be handed out as part of the trial nor when it would start.

The decision to put Windows on the laptops came about because officials in some countries feared a non-Windows laptop would ill prepare students for the real world, in which Microsoft software dominates. OLPC ultimately decided to ignore the controversy and follow its mission of delivering laptops to kids in developing nations, no matter which OS countries ask for.

While I do not approve of this idea, it is at least worth noting that most of the laptops ordered by Columbia are not running Windows:

Last month, OLPC announced that several towns in Colombia were in the process of buying or deploying its XO laptops, most of which use a Red Hat Fedora Linux OS core customized by OLPC and a graphical user interface aimed at kids called Sugar.

• Good Gear Guide
• Slashdot

PC Authority reports that Mandriva has released a special edition of their operating system that runs on “netbooks” such as the ASUS EeePC called “Mandriva Mini.”

Mandriva Mini is aimed primarily at vendors of so-called ‘netbooks’, and is customised for this category of small form factor device, Mandriva said.

It features a fast boot-up, comprehensive connectivity support and multimedia codecs, and is adapted to work on key netbook platforms such as Intel’s Atom.

It’s nice to see more operating system diversity on this new platform.

• PC Authority [Print Version]
• Slashdot

Source: OLPC wiki

Computerworld Australia reports that Peru will conduct the first trial of OLPC laptops with Windows XP instead of the custom Fedora build. The trial is to be conducted over the next nine months.

Kids and their teachers in the country will use the laptops as part of efforts to introduce more technology into classrooms in Peru, including Microsoft’s Student Innovation Suite of software, which includes Microsoft Office 2003 as well as Learning Essentials 1.0 for Microsoft Office.

The decision to put Windows on the laptops came about because officials in some countries, such as Egypt, feared a non-Windows laptop would ill prepare students for the real world, in which Microsoft software dominates.

The group now offers XO laptops with either Linux or Windows XP. Within the next few months, laptops armed with both operating systems will be available.

I’m pretty sure that if the idea behind OLPC was to train children for using non-XO machines that GNOME or KDE would be used instead of Sugar.

• Computerworld
• Slashdot

After 8 months of trial, Lenovo has decided to drop their preinstalled GNU/Linux option.

Lenovo’s executive director of external communications, Ray Gorman, denied in vague terms that the current situation marks a strategic shift, though he did admit the company is “refining its Linux strategy.” He added, “Lenovo is not abandoning its commitment to choice of operating system, and actually is increasing the role of the Linux operating system in Lenovo’s product portfolio.”

…

Actually, Lenovo already announced its Linux-based S9 netbook models, when it launched its Netbook line about a month ago. However, the company provided pricing and availability information only for the Windows XP-based “S10″ model, saying that the Linux-based “S9″ model would be limited to overseas education markets.

It’s kind of odd how they are one of the best laptop manufacturers to pick if you want to use free software, but they seem to be the slowest in adopting this trend.

• Desktop Linux
• Practical Technology
• Computer World
• Slashdot

Despite previous rumors, the G1G1 has been confirmed and there will not be a dual boot or XP option.  Only GNU/Linux based OLPCs will be available

No Windows XP for G1G1 v2

While details on major questions such as price are still unknown we’ve now received confirmation about another issue that had many people (and journalists) confused: the G1G1 laptops available via Amazon will be using Sugar, there will be no dual-boot or Windows XP version.

And the lovers of freedom rejoice.

• OLPC News

A Chinese company called HiVision has created a laptop that sells for less than $100.

HiVision makes the worlds cheapest Linux laptop at $98 using a new cheaper MIPS based processor, WiFi, 1GB flash storage, it runs Linux, has 3 USB ports, Ethernet, SDHC card reader, audio in and out, voice-chat, skype, multi-tabbed Firefox browser support and Abiword for word processing. Automatic and secure online software updates. Their current model is running a smooth and pretty snappy Linux user interface.

It’s about time. OLPC has failed to deliver on their promise of a $100 laptop. MIPS might cause some problems, as most everything these days is compiled for x86. How well this will fare in the market is yet to be seen.

• TechVideoBlog
• HiVision
• Slashdot

Dell’s long-rumored Inspiron Mini has arrived. The Ubuntu version is $349, but it is only available for preorder (shipped within 15 days). The Windows XP version is $439, but is shipping now.

Other than being a little off about the release date, rumor mongers also got the name wrong: Rather than being dubbed the Inspiron 910, it’s actually called the Inspiron Mini 9. Not a big deal, because most of the leaked information was spot on. The specifications are as follows:

• 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Processor
• 8.9-inch glossy LCD panel
• Up to 1GB of RAM
• Up to 16GB capacity solid state drive
• 802.11G Wi-Fi card
• Operating System options: Windows XP or Mini OS powered by Ubuntu

Starting prices range from $349 to $504, depending on the options you choose. The $349 Ubuntu version is only available for pre-order; the $439 Windows XP version is shipping now.

Weighing only 2.3 pounds, The Inspiron Mini 9 is Dell’s first mini notebook. Given the specifications, it’s clear Dell is directly competing with Taiwanese company Asus, who offers the very similar 8.9-inch Eee PC 900 notebook for $550. Asus was the first company to adopt the Intel Atom processor — a chip optimized for power efficiency in ultraportable devices — propelling it ahead of other manufacturers in the mini notebook market.

I think this is the first computer that Dell has sold where the Ubuntu version is cheaper than the XP version (haha…XP).

• Wired
• Slashdot