clarification of the OLPC and Microsoft situation

Ars technica published a story that exposes the reports by Reuters and AP earlier in the week about OLPC ‘supporting’ Microsoft Windows as, well, a load of nonsense.

Says Walter Bender of OLPC:

“We are a free and open-source shop. We have no one from OLPC working with Microsoft on developing a Windows platform for the XO. MS doesn’t get any special treatment from OLPC”.

and

Microsoft has not contacted OLPC regarding its $3 software bundling program, nor have any governments requested that the XO be outfitted with Windows.

Pfew.