A spokesperson for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project on Aug. 22 confirmed to DesktopLinux.com a report that 500 field tests of its low-cost, portable, Linux-powered computers will begin in September, with working devices set to begin rolling off the production line in November.
The OLPC project aims to distribute -- free of charge -- millions of Linux-based laptop computers, complete with their own power sources, to needy children in developing countries around the world.
OLPC founder and project leader Nicholas Negroponte reportedly told ZDNet-UK Aug. 22 that the field trials will begin "everywhere the laptop is required at roughly the same time."
The laptops will be manufactured by Chinese computer maker Quanta, and are widely expected to run a version of Fedora Linux, although that has yet to be confirmed.