Microsoft trials Windows XP on $100 laptop

The OLPC will also be on sale to the US public - providing they buy and donate an extra one too

Microsoft has begun developing a version of Windows XP for the fabled $100 laptop. Spearheaded by the ' One Laptop Per Child' project, the $100 XO laptop actually costs $200 at the moment, and runs a special build of Linux. The XO has been designed to be given away to people in the developing world who have no access to technology.

And now Microsoft wants to give people the option to donate the XO with Windows XP installed.

Microsoft in on the act

"For starters, we are hard at work on the project here, and we are using an approach that is a little unusual for Microsoft in that we are managing the entire process of adapting and testing an existing version of Windows for a new PC," said Microsoft's James Utzschneider on his software blog.

"Usually the hardware vendor does this. And the Windows port to the XO is by no means done. Between Microsoft employees and third party contractors that we have brought into the effort, we have over 40 engineers working full-time on the port. We started the project around the beginning of the year and think it will be mid-2008 at the earliest before we could have a production-quality release."

Read: One Laptop Per Child now in mass production

Read: '$100 laptop' goes on sale for $200

Read: Third-world laptops used to browse porn

James Rivington

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