Mandriva Linux pre-installed on Intel's Classmate

boklm writes "Mandriva announced it will have a version of its Mandriva Linux 2007 pre-installed on Intel's new low-end laptop for students in developing countries, the Classmate PC. This laptop comes with 256MB of RAM, 1 or 2GB of flash memory, 802.11b/g WiFi, 10/100Mbps ethernet, 2 USB ports, a 7-inch LCD display and 4 hours battery. Produced in Brazil, shipping is expected to begin in the second quarter of this year, and will be available to Mexico, India, and developing countries."

OLPC Clone?

[Eun-HjZjiNeD]

Certainly looks like an OLPC Clone to me.

But what the hell, WHY NOT.

Re:OLPC Clone?

[cwgmpls]

An OLPC clone is exactly what it is. Most analysts give OLPC little chance of long-term success. But if any aspect of the OLPC experiment reveals a previously unknown market for computers, the big players like Intel and Microsoft want to be prepared to move in. The potential upside is huge. Currently computers are only sold to a small fraction of the world's population; finding a way to turn the billions of non-computer users into new computer consumers would be a market far to big for any computer company to ignore.

Re:

[Cato]

Who are these "most analysts" exactly? OLPC shows every sign of becoming a long-term success, in the sense of delivering a valuable educational tool supporting independent learning as well as school work. The fact that this tool happens to be an innovative laptop is secondary.

Re:

[Nullav]

Yes, it indeed is a clone. But isn't that a good thing? Granted, Dell's probably approaching this more for potential monetary gain than for charity, but does it matter?
The OLPC project doesn't have enough financial backing to supply every underprivileged child with a notebook. Do you think those actually only cost $100 to make?
Even if they can manage it on the first pass, you have to take into account that everything breaks eventually.

If more companies did the same, it means a few more kids can become inter

Re:

[Nullav]

Just correcting myself. I meant to say Intel instead of Dell.

Re:OLPC Memories?

[joe 155]

Bah, what part of "these aren't for the starving people instead of aid" do you not understand? these are for people who have food but lack a complex economy which would be needed to take advantage of the global world's purchasing needs. Maybe if they had these computers they could start to learn SKILLS which will be useful to them in generating money for themselves and their region.

Re:

[Frosty Piss]

Maybe if they had these computers they could start to learn SKILLS which will be useful to them in generating money for themselves and their region.

And then join India and Siberia in taking jobs away from us.

But on a serious note, these people don't need toy computers, especially when the actual cost of a real computer is not that much more. More than likely when these things are given away, they will for the most part end up on eBay after having been converted to something that these people find more usef

Re:OLPC Memories?

[swillden]

But on a serious note, these people don't need toy computers, especially when the actual cost of a real computer is not that much more.

(Note: I'm not sure if you're talking about the Classmate or the OLPC. I'm responding about the OLPC)

You need to learn more about what the OLPC is. It's not a toy computer, and it's certainly not just a scaled-down, limited version of the PC that you use. Unless you're still in high school, it's more powerful than the computer you learned on, and it's a computer that has been designed from the ground up as an educational tool for kids. It provides a toolset for kids ranging from those who can't even read yet (the basic UI is completely icon-based -- no text at all) through those who want to engage in serious hacking, and provides a smooth continuum of computer use experiences in between. Along the way, it also provides a vehicle for electronic texts, computer art, communications, simulated labs, etc. A "real" computer could do most of the latter, but not all, and does a fairly poor job of the former.

There are also hardware-related issues. "Real" laptops aren't nearly as durable as the OLPC, don't provide the same wireless networking infrastructure and pose significant problems in areas where power isn't easily available.

Not only does a real computer not accomplish the goals of the OLPC as well as the OLPC, it also does cost "that much more". To you and I, the difference between a $130 OLPC and a $300 low-end laptop is insignificant, but only because $170 isn't really significant to us anyway. To people to whom $130 is a lot of money, more than doubling the cost is a big deal. Of course, the OLPC project doesn't plan on selling to the people directly, but to the governments, and any large organization buying millions of anything cares about a 130% price difference.

More than likely when these things are given away, they will for the most part end up on eBay after having been converted to something that these people find more useful, money.

Undoubtedly, that's a problem. I don't think it's a large problem, however.

I spent two years living and working with very poor people in Mexico (and they're actually well off by the standards of some of the areas targeted by the OLPC -- they almost all have electricity, for example) and also spent a bit of time with people in similar situations in Jamaica. One thing I noticed was that most of the parents placed a huge importance on their children's educations. They knew very well that the only avenue available for their kids to obtain a better life was to acquire a good education, and these parents sacrificed a great deal to make sure their kids could learn as much as possible. Of course, even with all the parents could do, the opportunities were limited. Only rich kids' schools could afford computers, of course, and many of the kids had to work part time so that the family could eat. They tried to arrange things so that this word didn't interfere with schooling, but sometimes it just wasn't possible.

I really, really doubt that such families would even dream of selling their children's OLPCs, unless they got into a situation where they truly were starving to death. The idea that their kids could jump into the computer age, learning high tech skills that would allow them to compete internationally for high-paying jobs (yes, taking our jobs away) would make it clear that the value of keeping the OLPC and using it for its intended purpose vastly outweighed any short-term monetary windfall they might percieve.

Keep in mind, too, that these parents want their children to get ahead not just because they love their children, but because their own futures depend on the kids' success as well. For better or worse, the industrialized world has moved away from the idea that adult children are responsible for the welfare of their aging parents, but in much of the world the idea is not only prevalent, it's the only way for elderly

Re:

[DragonWriter]

But on a serious note, these people don't need toy computers, especially when the actual cost of a real computer is not that much more.

A computer adopted to the needs of a specific market and that is part of a project including software, support, and related products and services targetted to that markets needs—as the OLPC is, though the Classmate seems less so, at least from what I've heard so far—is not a "toy" simply because it is not adapted for a completely different market's needs.

But, ye

Re:

[xtracto]

these are for people who have food but lack a complex economy which would be needed to take advantage of the global world's purchasing needs.

People in USA or other "developed" countries might just not be able to understand this. But I know the availability of these kind of computers is something beneficial for Mexico.

Take as an example something that happened some 4 years ago (more or less, around 2003). I was somewhere in Mexico in a friend's Internet Cafe who also sells and repairs computers (btw beige bo

Re:OLPC Memories?

[swillden]

But this gives you a panorama for how is there people that do not have a computer but is also not *starving*to death

To add another data point, I spent time in rural southeastern Mexico and the campesinos have plenty to eat -- farmers rarely go hungry except during severe drought and the like, and fresh water isn't a problem in the rain-soaked tropics -- but computers are almost unheard-of luxuries. In many cases, electricity is something of a luxury, too, so a standard PC would be basically unusable, even if it could be purchased. These people would get a great deal of benefit from the OLPC, both because it would help educate their children (who often live too far from a school and have to work too much to make attendance feasible) and because it would provide them with a way to get useful information about farming and markets. I could see a young, computer-savvy campesino taking the bus into town to do research on farming techniques and grabbing a download onto his OLPC so that others could read it back home.

Information is power, and the OLPC is about empowering those who are surviving okay, but don't have the opportunity to rise above their present condition.

Re:

[Pyrex5000]

Silicon chips. They're like potato chips, only slightly crunchier.

One more time around this block

[Mateo_LeFou]

I wonder if some of you realize it's pretty *offensive to assume that everyone outside of your own affluent country is a barely-human organism subsisting on tree bark or whatever. But here's how laptops feed them:

With the right information, you can increase the yield of your agriculture industry, like much of the world did in the mid-twentieth century [wikipedia.org]. You can increase it a *lot.

Re:

[LWATCDR]

I don't that the people questioning these laptops are trying to be offensive. The honest question that a lot of them have is simply is this the best use of resources? Just how valuable is a laptop going to be for a child in elementary or middle school. I question if a child in the US needs a laptop before they get to at least seventh grade.
Your answer about the right information increasing your yield is correct. However you left out that it was done without computers. In the poorest countries it may make

Re:

[AvitarX]

Part of what OLPC does though is make teching cheaper.

In the US all (most) of the schools can afford textbooks. OLPC could very quickly pay for itself and increase the availability of up to date information. These are problems that only the worse of US schools have so there is not a real parallel.

You ask why not use the local people to write the books and print them? I ask why not use local people to write the lessons in HTML?

Things like tests can be distributed for free, instead of written out by hand.

Re:

[LWATCDR]

"You ask why not use the local people to write the books and print them? I ask why not use local people to write the lessons in HTML?"
You could but then you are not creating jobs in country for the people doing the printing, makeing the paper, growing the trees or plants you make the paper from, harvest the plants or trees that you make the paper from, and distributing the text books. Most of the costs of a text book are profits for the publishers. Printing is cheap and every penny kept in country is less d

Re:

[AvitarX]

Point taken about building them in countries that are supposed to benifit from them.

But all the jobs created in text book printing distribution ect. are jobs that could better be spent doing other things (like educating for example). Creating efficiency can be painful, but that is how economies improve. Creating fake work can be a short term solution (see 1930's US) and have great results (see the US 30's era projects), but creating a sustainable economy should be the goal, and creating ineficiencies for

Re:

[LWATCDR]

"But all the jobs created in text book printing distribution ect. are jobs that could better be spent doing other things (like educating for example)."
Well I think creating the text book is educating. The people making the paper and running the press probably are not qualified to be teachers. It was more an example of how one could think that the OLPC isn't a clear cut "great idea".
The real point is that people in the poorest counties need JOBS. They need opportunity. Microloans are a great idea and should

Re:

[Mateo_LeFou]

"The real point is that people in the poorest counties need JOBS."

Alas, no. You're clearly very informed, but this line of argument is just an extended broken-windows fallacy, as another replier points out.

What the people in the poorest countries need is GROWTH. Genuine economic growth, based on economic problems being solved in the most efficient way possible. Which, I agree, is often through microcredits, giving the native population a leg up so they can use their intimate understanding of those economic

Re:

[LWATCDR]

Actually there are many problems. Growth is one but frankly in a lot of third world countries you have a corrupt ore at the best overly bureaucratic governments stopping growth and development. The Congo is a prime example of a country with a lot of valuable natural resources and a lot of misery and poverty. I really wish I was better at writing because my reason for posting wasn't to say the OLPC is a bad idea everywhere or a good idea everywhere. What I was trying to say was that there are logical reas

Re:

[AvitarX]

'It was more an example of how one could think that the OLPC isn't a clear cut "great idea".'

You are correct the OLPC is not a clear cut "great idea" everywhere (or really even a "great idea" everywhere). But that is a far cry from the claims that some make that it is a waste of money, or that the money is better spent on food as blanket statements. The OLPC program has a lot of positive things about it, especialy in areas with some infastructure to allow at least limited internet access.

You don't take yo

Re:

[LWATCDR]

"But that is a far cry from the claims that some make that it is a waste of money, or that the money is better spent on food as blanket statements."
but you see that is the problem. You get blanket statements like the OPLC is a great idea and other that say that it is a total waste. It is really easy to just write a blanket statement and frankly this is slashdot so short messages without depth are to be expected. What I find so sad is that a statement like the OLPC is a waste seem to inspire people that thi

Re:

[Eternauta3k]

Why not pay a little more and build them in say Mexico, Brazil, or any number of countries that are not exactly at the bottom of the economic ladder but also not at the top. That way you would increase their technical level and economy as well?

Maybe "a little more" is "a LOT more". Are you seriously suggesting OLPC set up a chip factory in Brazil or Mexico?

Broken window fallacy

[tepples]

You ask why not use the local people to write the books and print them? I ask why not use local people to write the lessons in HTML?

You could but then you are not creating jobs in country for the people doing the printing, makeing the paper, growing the trees or plants you make the paper from, harvest the plants or trees that you make the paper from, and distributing the text books.

Keeping education based on paper to boost the paper industry is much like vandalizing shops to boost the glass industry [wikipedia.org]. That's not education; that's Animal Crossing. If an XO laptop is cheaper than a set of books, then it is a more efficient use of scarce resources.

Basic grammar and spelling doesn't change

O RLY? See Wikipedia articles Language change [wikipedia.org] and Spelling reform [wikipedia.org].

Why not pay a little more and build them in say Mexico, Brazil, or any number of countries that are not exactly at the bottom of the economic ladder but also not at the top. That way you would increase their technical level and economy as well?

That could very well happen under OLPC as these economies grow.

Re:

[couchslug]

Farmers have a strong presence online, and there is lots of information that someone in the less-developed world can use.

For example, developed-world farmers fab a lot of their own equipment, including converting old buses and trucks into effective tractors.
A new tractor may be just a dream for a poor farmer, but bobbing a truck chassis and adding hydraulics driven from the power steering pump might be doable.

OLPC is for helping people who really leverage information. Most will probably go to waste, but tha

Re:OLPC Memories?

[Anonymous Coward]

These are not in place of food. They are meant to address a bootstrap problem. A good way to get a country from "developing" to "developed" is to introduce a skill-based service economy. There's no carbon emissions except from the power sources for the computers. There's no huge 8-lane highways needed to ship materials. Intel can sell more chips to them once they start buying higher-end replacement machines. ;-)

The problem is, you don't teach people to use computers, administer computers, build computers, repair computers, and program computers if you don't have enough computers to make these viable career choices. Once the people get their hands on these systems and learn to use them, there will be a market for higher-end systems, and a skilled workforce ready to use them. Much of the world skipped wired phone systems and went straight to cellular. This effort looks designed to skip the steno pool and the industrial manufacturing economy. If developing countries can go straight to lightweight manufacturing plus information economy instead of going through the heavy manufacturing phase most of today's big economies did, it'll be faster for them. It'll also be better for the world economy, less polluting, and maybe even cause fewer wars over access to resources.

Re:

[gad_zuki!]

>starving people in these countries,

Yeah! And what of these charities that teach them literacy and give them medicine? What the hell. They need food, not books and healthcare. They dont need condoms, or clean clothing either. Clean water? For what? Like you said they need food only! Schools are for overfed westerners only.

Obviously, the goal of the olpc and 99% of charitable donations in third world countries is not related directly to food. Lets not pretend that it is. Everytime I hear 'they need food'

256MB RAM?

[Anonymous Coward]

Erk. Imagine running KDE/Gnome, Firefox and OpenOffice.org simultaneously on that machine! Not to knock Linux, but it's very weighty on the desktop (although Vista has caught up!) and you really need 512MB if you don't want thrashing.

And no, you don't end up telling students to use TWM, SIAG Office and Links...

Re:

[redelm]

My laptop has 128 MB and runs KDE/FF just fine (no thrashing). One important point: with such a small screen, it's unlikely the users will want to keep too many apps open at once.

Suites also work well internally to share libs. KDe takes less RAM iff you use Konqueror iso FireFox, and KEdit iso OpenOffice. Mixed suites eats RAM.

Re:

[cyclop]

One important point: with such a small screen, it's unlikely the users will want to keep too many apps open at once.

There are virtual desktops.

KDe takes less RAM iff you use Konqueror iso FireFox, and KEdit iso OpenOffice. Mixed suites eats RAM.

Gold truth, but I'd have settled for something XFCE based maybe (Xubuntu comes to mind).

Re:

[bavarian]

>> KDe takes less RAM iff you use Konqueror iso FireFox, and KEdit iso OpenOffice. Mixed suites eats RAM.

> Gold truth, but I'd have settled for something XFCE based maybe (Xubuntu comes to mind).

As far as I know, KDE with Konqueror is more RAM-efficient than XFCE with FireFox. XFCE and other small footprint window managers need less RAM if you run them without apps, but as soon as you need apps, a single toolkit solution (KDE with KDE/Qt-only apps or, to a lesser extent, GNOME with GTK-only apps) w

Re:

[cyclop]

Well, XFCE and Firefox are both GTK based, so it's like KDE+Konqueror. Using GTK apps makes a single toolkit solution under XFCE.

Re:

[bavarian]

Firefox is not GTK based in the same sense Konqueror is Qt-based. It has its own graphics toolkit (XUL) under the hood of the GTK UI, and it does not use GNOME infrastructure to extent Konqueror uses KDE infrastructure.

But I looked up the (somewhat outdated) numbers I remembered, and you are right in the particular case of XFCE + Firefox vs. KDE + Konqueror:

http://ktown.kde.org/~seli/memory/desktop_benchmar k.html [kde.org]

As soon as we add more applications the picture changes though.

Re:

[tepples]

There are virtual desktops.

And it would be expected that when you switch virtual desktops, the apps on one desktop get swapped out and the apps on the other desktop get swapped in.

Re:

[MooUK]

If it's using flash as main storage, rather than a hard drive, then surely disk thrashing would be much less of a problem anyway?

On the countrary

[DrYak]

Flash tends to wear very quickly when enduring repeated writes. There are usually some spreading algorithme that will try to distribute the write stress accross different sectors.

But flash tends to be sensitive to writing-intensive softwares.

Re:

[Eternauta3k]

KDE/Konqueror/Koffice?

Low end?

[glueball]

Why is this a "low end" system? Is it because it is targeted at the non-US, non-EU market?

I'd consider it "efficient" rather than low end. It's efficient because it will not come with a load of hardware that is not needed at a cost that is not needed.

There are people spending $4K on a system with a 7"-ish monitor who will use it only for email. Perhaps this would be a better system for that market.

Re:Low end?

[daeg]

Those same people spend $6.00 for a coffee with a fancy, nonsensical "foreign" name and a 500% markup on designer cigarettes that don't even come with designer cancer.

I doubt you will convince them that a $400 laptop == $4,000 laptop for their purpose. They are impervious to reasoning.

Everything I want, nothing I don't want

[Lockejaw]

I'd consider it "efficient" rather than low end. It's efficient because it will not come with a load of hardware that is not needed at a cost that is not needed.

Agreed. If they were sold on the U.S. markets, I'd probably buy one myself. I've been looking for a "low end" system for quite a while, but nobody seems to want to sell them. All the smaller notebooks have to have some extra special feature so they can still sell for 800-1200 or so.

Re:

[ivan256]

You'd think some up-start low-ed manufacturer would step in and make a killing in the 7" $400 laptop market then...

Re:

[smchris]

Size matters. I'd rather have 7" than a 3" PDA/phone screen.

Since Mandriva presumably wants to make money instead of "just" being a non-profit charity I seriously think they should go the route of FreePlay radio. Market in the first world and charge at an appropriate sweet spot -- if only to help support the 3rd world effort.

Just because I have electricity doesn't mean I didn't love my original FreePlay. They probably sold as many in the 1st world as they did in the 3rd.

Four hours battery?

[Anonymous Coward]

The school day around here is a lot longer than four hours. OLPC paid a lot of attention to the power supply. The spec sheet for this one just shows the battery and mentions an adapter. I'm presuming that the laptop would take the place of text books and as such it would be on all day.

The spec sheet also shows Windows XP pro as one of the operating systems. What up wit dat? I thought Linux was the os of choice because it could be stripped to just the essentials.

Re:

[flyingfsck]

They should put Vista on it too. It would make an excellent demo for Linux, having two machines side by side - one running Vista/XP (and practically unusable), the other Linux.

Re:

[ivan256]

What school-kids have a textbook open all day?

Re:

[Heymdall]

Well, if that notebook is to replace not only textbooks but also (paper) notebooks which you write in, it should last more than 4 hrs... Ofcourse then it'd need some kind of tablet to draw diagrams and sketches with (I can't really imagine someone using only keyboard and a mouse to do all the maths for example... it's much too inconvenient and the kid couldn't keep up with the pace).

Re:

[KozmoStevnNaut]

You can get it with either Linux or Windows XP. And I believe the 1GB version is Linux and the 2GB is Windows XP.

Tiny screens.

[n1hilist]

I for one, welcome our new acquired-myopia suffering young overlords.

Good to see they thought to include essentials...

[StupidKatz]

TPM 1.2 [wikipedia.org]

1.2: now with 50% more potentially restrictive evil! :P

Third world countries

[$RANDOMLUSER]

Heh. Making them use RPM should keep them third world for a long time.

Re:Third world countries

[Ankh]

For what it's worth, Mandriva has for years (OK, from when they were Mandrake) used RPM-format packages, with package management called "urpmi", which you could think of (if you wanted to) as a slightly improved improved apt-get. You can also use apt-get if you like. Or rpmdrake or Smart. All of which, including urpmi, will download packages automatically, including all dependencies.

On the other hand, they are quickly going to need more Mandriva distribution mirrors in the countries where these new computers are sold, and Mandriva is going to need to work on keeping them reliable.

Nothing but control: TPM, remote monitoring

[Anonymous Coward]

When you compare the features and goals of the OLPC with the Intel Classmate PC, it's almost as if Intel is pushing it as an instrument of control. Don't forget that Mandriva Linux is only one of the available options and the unit comes with a TPM as standard, enhanced 'remote surveillance' and censorship software such as 'Teacher Control' and 'Parent Control'. The unit is a complete antithesis to the OLPC and appears to be nothing more than a cost-down PC with 'Big Brother' features. What a shame since I w

Mod parent up

[fang2415]

This AC is right on the money. The only thing way I can add to his comment is by tagging the story treacherouscomputing.

Better for west than OLPC

[abigsmurf]

This seems to be a much better system for Western school kids (and geeks). A 900mhz ULV intel opposed to a 350mhz AMD Geode will be a huge huge difference. Also key is the fact it's using a real life OS, either XP or this linux distro. The OLPC uses a highly customised OS which bears little resemblance in terms of usage to anything else and despite being OSS, doesn't have a great deal of compatibility from what the devs are saying.

I'm sure there are plenty of brits here who used Acorn Archimedes at school and know how useless it can be getting taught on an obscure OS.

Re:

[Ed Avis]

Yes, I would so much rather have been using MS-DOS and Windows 3.0... ugh no wait that's what we did have to use.

Re:

[BertieBaggio]

Yep, I'm a Brit that remembers using an Acorn. I'm not sure of the OS - the newer ones loaded and ran Windows Terminal Services (ugh) which may have been on top of Archimedes (sadly I never paid much attention to the OS back then). I'm surprised at your sentiments about being taught on a so-called "obscure OS" though. I think it's a Damn Good Thing(TM). It's often repeated here that most folk don't learn how to use computers; they just learn to repeat steps that achieve the desired result (eg 'reboot to fix

This is great!

[timjdot]

So is Win-Tel dead now that Intel is selling Linux? Imaginge the millions of people running Linux and contributing to Open Source. Sourceforge is going to have to innovate fast to keep things running efficiently.

When will Linux desktop shipments outstrip Mac OSX? Microsoft Windows? I evaluated as of Oct 24 with the release of Fedora Core 6 that the Linux Desktop is on parity with Windows. Novell SUSE, Madriva, and Ubuntu are all great desktops. Some features are superior to Windows. Some need some polish. W

Re:

[jsight]

This page on your site made me laugh:
http://www.serviza.com/2/Notebooks.htm [serviza.com]

"Price: $2995 USD.

        * Dual Core 2.2MHz Intel processor."

That's a fast processor you've got there. I didn't even think they made dual core 2.2Mhz processors. :)

Re:

[timjdot]

Dooh! That was supposed to be the 8MHz semi-processor. Thanks for pointing out the error.

Tim

Does this still have a M$ tax

[kurt555gs]

No matter what OS comes on this, I will bet that the usual Microsoft Tax is still included.

We should have broken up Microsoft during the DOJ trial, but I think this could be renewed as soon as the White House switches parties. This time , put some real muscle behind it and break up Microsoft.

The USA needs to do this to even think of remaining competitive with the rest of the world.

Cheers

Re:

[Glasswire]

Not likely. Vast majority of these will probably be deployed with the Linux stack.

I'd rather get XP on it!

[spammeister]

One of the screenies has it. Doubles the price though, I suppose.

http://www.classmatepc.com/photos/cmpc-3.jpg [classmatepc.com]

grown up version soon?

[bazorg]

If only they'd kill the toy-like design and fitted these 7" screens on grown up laptops, I'd be one happy email/OpenOffice user. And they even used NAND instead of harddrives for longer battery life.. must be a tease...

and a million little hackers

[chelanfarsight]

are born...

Why can't I get one of these!?!?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why can't I get one (or five) of these! This would be perfect for a low end semi-thin client. Get a single powerful server machine for the house, and run CPU intensive tasks from there, and get one of these for each person in the family. It's still powerful enough to use on its own for tasks outside of the house, and it looks small and light enough to actually take places. If it just had a hand crank for power....

Re:

[onescomplement]

I agree. It would make a great portable network diagnosis tool and also a good walkabout, semi-stateless notebook for everyday use.

OS non exclusive

[feranick]

What the poster forgot to mention is that Mandriva is one of the possible option available for the Classmate, the other being Windows XP. I wonder given the choice how many kids would opt for Mandriva...

Re:

[opkool]

Set WindowsXP on one, Mandriva Linux on the other. Let the kids run both computers, side by side, for a month.

"The survival of the fitest".

My prediction: many (if not all) will choose Mandriva Linux.

Peace!

How do you say Mandriva in english?

[TihSon]

I find it curious that, at the time of my posting anyway, not one person seemed interested in discussing this article from the perspective of Mandriva's future plans. All discussions seem to be based on the value of the OLPC or an OLPC clone, or the value of cheap systems to third world nations, food vs. education, etc, etc ...

Considering Mandriva has attempted to make inroads into certain African nations recently, and remembering that they still have the easiest to install and maintain system out there f

It's a totally offensive colour!!!

[chris_sawtell]

Who is the ignorant insensitive clod who designed this hideous offensive brick?

Do they not know that you just do not package anything coloured turquoise if you wish to sell it anywhere in the Islamic world?

Well they do now.

Re:

[chris_sawtell]

Reserved for Mosques. Some go so far as to say it's blasfamous to use it on everyday things.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/10955124820501667 00BhIQko [webshots.com]

Pre-installed?

[AP31R0N]

WtF does pre-installed mean? They installed it before they installed it? Perhaps they meant "Comes with Mandriva installed". Pre means BEFORE, not ahead of time. The more you know!