== Bernie's brain dump as of August 2009 == === Aug ??th: Lack of clarity === The Windows 7 Sins campaign web site ([[http://windows7sins.org]]) mentioned, as one of the seven sins, the pressure put by [[Microsoft]] on [[OLPC]] to switch to Windows. Many of my friends at OLPC and [[SugarLabs]] were offended by this association. There were also some factual mistakes, because, contrary to what [[NicholasNegroponte]] had announced to the press multiple times, so far only a tiny (unspecified) fraction of laptops shipped by OLPC were actually preloaded with Windows. According to internal OLPC sources, there are no plans for [[Windows7]]. Moreover, the announced [[XO2]] will be ARM based, which undermines Microsoft's ability to run any version of Windows except for the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_CE|CE family]] crapware. The FSF has now corrected the windows7sins web site, but we are left wondering what's actually going on between Microsoft and OLPC; why would Negroponte tell the press that OLPC is shipping Windows when in fact it's not and when their roadmap would make that highly unlikely? This whole story smells like a huge pile of bullshit, but, so far, nobody has been able to provide a convincing and logical explanation for the inconsistency between Negroponte's press releases and actual actions. It would be really interesting to know, because this conduct is harmful to the public image of OLPC and an embarrassment for Sugar Labs too. === Aug ??th: Windows 7 Sins protest === Today I joined my new colleagues in a protest against Microsoft in [[BostonCommons]]. Throwing Windows 7 and Mac OS X boxes in a giant waste basket was a lot of fun. === Aug 20th: Back to Boston === Today I jumped on a plane from Pisa to Boston through London (where I met DavidWoodhouse for a quick lunch). I'll be staying at the [[Acetarium]], where the rent includes a nice bike, japanese food, and a lot of good company. Over the next 6 months, I'll do an internship at the [[FreeSoftwareFoundation]], take courses at the [[HarvardExtensionSchool]], and of course work on [[SugarLabs]]' infrastructure, community and governance. I don't really know how long I will hold before I'll need to see a good psychiatrist. And I also have no health insurance here!