DesktopLinux
Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Forum  |  Polls  |  Blogs  |  Videos  |  ITLink

Keywords: Match:
Libya to buy 1.2 million Linux laptops?
Oct. 12, 2006

Libya reportedly plans to purchase 1.2 million low-cost laptops, after signing a deal earlier this week. Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) non-profit association, told the New York Times that the deal had been reached in Libya on Tuesday.

Spread the word:
digg this story
Libya will pay the OLPC $250 million, according to the Times. In return, it will receive 1.2 million OLPC computers for students, one server per school, a team of technical installation advisers, satellite Internet service, and other network infrastructure.

The deal had not been confirmed by either Libya or the OLPC by publication of this story. The Times article was, however, listed among recent OLPC news items on the organization's website.

Assuming the Times report is accurate, Libya becomes the fifth country to express serious interest in the inexpensive student laptop. The others are Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina, and Thailand. Prior to this deal, Brazil, with a reported interest in buying a million of the laptops, was the country that appeared to have the most real interest in these systems.

The OLPC project has the support of AMD, eBay, Google, Nortel, Red Hat, and several other technology companies. While the systems are not yet in production, they are expected to start shipping in November. The OLPC laptops will come with a version of Fedora Linux and Sugar, a modified version of GNOME, for the interface.

Recently, concerns have come up both about the OLPC machine's security and its use of proprietary firmware for its Marvell 802.11b/g WiFi chip. Despite these objections, the OLPC project is continuing to move smoothly on towards delivering the first of its inexpensive laptops to users by year's end.


One Laptop Per Child's Chief Technology Officer Mary Lou Jepsen demonstrates the $100 Laptop to media at the launch of the first working prototype of the computer on Nov. 16, 2005, at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis.
(Source: ITU / H. Dridi)


More about the OLPC Project


For lots of background on the OLPC's Linux-based low-cost laptop project -- including features, specs, and a timeline of announcements -- be sure to visit our comprehensive OLPC special report:

Hot Topic: The "One Laptop Per Child" project




(Click here for further information)


Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.

Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.

Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.

Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.

Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.

Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.

Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.

Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.

 



Got a HOT tip?   please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Popular recent stories:
• Lightweight GNOME alternative emerges
• Linux gains action RPG
• World's cheapest Linux-based laptop?
• WiFi software arrives on Linux desktops
• BeOS-like distro focused on content creation
• Graphics board vendor touts faster Linux drivers
• Linux mini-PC takes two Watts to tango
• Hats off to Fedora 9
• Debian looks to launch lenny in Sept.

All-time Classics:
• Choosing a desktop Linux distro
• Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes
• The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better
• Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu
• Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives
• A simple Linux backup method
• The well-tempered Debian desktop
• What's the best Linux for beginners?
• VirtualBox: The best virtualization program you've never heard of
• Getting to know Puppy Linux
• Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users


Desktop Linux books

Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums:
•  Moving to Linux
•  Linux/Windows debate!
•  Linux Q&A
. . . and more


BREAKING NEWS

• Linux to gain anti-virus software
• Linux gains backup utility
• Testing Lenny
• HP offers Linux on low-end mini-notes
• Dell shipping five Hardy Heron systems
• IBM pushes "Microsoft-free" desktops
• Unified communications groupware comes to Linux
• Lightweight GNOME alternative emerges
• Freespire lives! Goes back to Debian
• gOS 3.0 goes Gadget crazy
• WiFi software arrives on Linux desktops
• Lenovo launches a netbook
• vi guide rev'd
• Netbooks grow two ways
• Is KDE back? 4.1 launches


Linux-Watch headlines:
• Microsoft buys additional Linux support
• SFLC publishes GPL compliance guide
• Linux switch vendor sued over GPL
• Judge Kimball rules -- the sequel!
• Microsoft tactics push India toward Linux
• Bell, SuperMicro sued over GPL
• "Business intelligence" software goes GPL
• Will Atom bomb?
• LF Summit videos posted
• Linux gains "embedded" maintainers


Visit the...


news feed

Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Forum  |  Polls  |  About  |  Contact
 

Ziff Davis Enterprise Home | Contact Us | Advertise | Link to Us | Reprints | Magazine Subscriptions | Newsletters
Tech RSS Feeds | White Papers | ROI Calculators | Tech Podcasts | Tech Video | VARs | Channel News

Baseline | Careers | Channel Insider | CIO Insight | DesktopLinux | DeviceForge | DevSource | eSeminars |
eWEEK | Enterprise Network Security | LinuxDevices | Linux Watch | Microsoft Watch | Mid-market | Networking | PDF Zone |
Publish | Security IT Hub | Strategic Partner | Web Buyer's Guide | Windows for Devices

Developer Shed | Dev Shed | ASP Free | Dev Articles | Dev Hardware | SEO Chat | Tutorialized | Scripts |
Code Walkers | Web Hosters | Dev Mechanic | Dev Archives | igrep

Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.