On Thursday, Microsoft officials announced that a deal was reached with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project. Its Windows XP operating system will thus be made available on the low-cost notebook computers which are intended to reach developing countries’ students.

According to Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer, the company’s intention is to make technology "more relevant, accessible, and affordable for students everywhere."

OLPC will be charged by Microsoft with a $3 per unit licensing fee, under its Unlimited Potential program. The goal of OLPC is to eventually manage to make the XO available in poor countries for less than $100. As far as the operating systems are concerned, there would be two options: Windows XP and Linux. XP tests on the XO are scheduled to start in June.

The XO laptop runs on a AMD Geode LX-700 processor clocked at 433MHz and comes with a 1200 x 900 screen, 256MB of RAM, and 1GB of flash storage.

Nicholas Negroponte, OLPC founder and former head of MIT's Media Lab, described the goal of his association to be the attempt of using technology in order to transform education. With the fresh Microsoft deal, things appear to be coming along as planned. OLPC also intends to work alongside third parties "to port Sugar to Windows."