$200 Net PC to Close Brazil's Digital Divide

Alexsander writes: "As announced by Pimenta da Veiga, minister of communications, a Net PC costing R$ 400 (around US$ 200) will be available in 120 days. It targets low-income users, and a 24-month paying plan will be considered. The computer will be a Pentium 500 MHz, with keyboard, mouse, NIC, 56 Kbps modem, 14" display, 64 Mb RAM and no hard disk (16 Mb flash RAM instead). The main-board architecture (developed by UFMG) will be open, allowing any company to make it. It will run Linux (probably Conectiva) with KDE, KOffice and Konqueror." The Brazilian government notice is available, as are pictures of the device. Imagine: a government doing something to help poor people get access to the internet.

Comments

But a PC is only the start of internet literacy

[Hairy_Potter]

While a PC is a good start in getting Brazil's masses on the internet, it's only a start in making them internet literate.

The Brazilian government needs to start a massive program of internet cultural literacy for it's citizens before they step onto the info super-highway, in order that they understand the existing culture, and don't destory the existing culture. This program will consist of:

• forced exposure to classic Star Wars and most Star Trek franchises.
  
• Console gaming history, from Atari to PS/2.
  
• Many Lego.
  
• Repeated RPG sessions, starting with AD&D.
  
• Reading and understanding key internet texts, like Lord of the Rings, Stranger in a Strange Land, Neuromancer and Snow Crash.
  

Then, and only then, will Brazilians be able to understand the internet.
Only then

Really poor people can't buy this

[wceschim]

Although it is commendable, I don't think this new computer will help that much.

I'm Brazilian and as such I can tell you: most of Brazil's population will not be able to buy this computer. They wouldn't have the $200, or the telephone line, or the money to pay the phone bill. Pimenta da Veiga is actually helping Brazil's lower middle class.

What they should do is start a real and serious project to connect all schools to the Internet. Public schools in Brazil don't even have computers, let alone computers connected to the Internet.

$200 can be a lot

[Sheeple Police]

According to Library of Congress Country Studies the average monthly earnings of [Brazilians is] US$211, and of this, in 1990, 60% of the nation was making less than that.

So while it is encouraging to finally see a country try to get it's nation online (although, IIRC, wasn't there a country with a traveling "Internet boat" and "Internet vans" prior to this?), you really have to realize that w/o the 24-mo paying plan, this is still nothing more than excess legislation.

Once again, the world misses the point.

[aileon]

I loved your comment by the way, it made me smile already this morning.

Does anyone else see the irony in producing computers that people can get for 200 dollars so that they can close the "digital gap"? I mean, come on, if they can't afford a 500$ computer and a telephone line, they are probably poor enough that they live in substandard housing and/or recieve poor medical attention and/or have crappy schools and/or live on a poor diet and/or etc. etc.
a list of things a thousand times long and each infinitely more powerful than being able to watch pr0n online. Are we to believe that these people will get their 200$ computers that will only allow them access to the web and email and this will solve the rest of their problems? And don't forget, we are talking about Brazil, for the love of pete, they have much more important issues that internet access.

I think some brazilian politian has a buddy who stands to make a crapload off of this.

The other point is, who is paying for this. If the government is sucking up the "loss" in the sales, where is that money coming from, taxxed people? So now you will take other people's money away so that less fortunate won't fall behind on the latest issue of "the Onion" and can keep up with slashdot? WTF?

If an american politician suggested we take money from the rich to buy Power Ranger toys for the poor, or rather, make them available cheaper to the poor, don't you think it would be stopped?

This is sheer stupidity. Folks who are so scared of being thought of as back-woods or less than first world because they aren't all trapped by AOL yet and aren't berated with banner ads for $hit they will never be able to afford that they'll sink valuable resources into a worthless effort such as this. It's a damn shame.

Re:This is what we need to start doing here

[killbill]

With the current shambolic state of education in many places and the huge lack of opportunities for many people, every little bit we can do helps. Otherwise we'll end up losing out to countries which have social programs to try and help the poor, rather than ignoring them as an inevitable consequence of a small part of the population having vast resources

This (and the main slashdot story) seems to assume that the main obstacle to deliverance from low income is simply access to a computer. This is silly, perfectly adequate computers for becoming extremely employable can be already had for just about free (think 486-66 with 16MB ram, 500MB drive, and 14" tube) here in the U.S. Notice we still have poor people.

It has not been my experience that this is the obstacle. Rather, drug abuse, alcohol addiction, chronic bad decision making, illness, immaturity, family of origins, and the like set up high obstacles to overcome. Some people don't, won't, or can't put in the time, blood, sweat and tears to overcome the issues they face.

Design a government program to solve these problems and you will overcome poverty. I suspect the solution to this problem is slightly harder then finding the highest prime number, and slightly easier then the grand unification theory. Not to say we should not try, but don't hold your breath and don't expect a simple solution. And good luck.

In the meantime, the most effective change agent I have seen (other then a person deciding for themselves to do what they have to do come hell or high water) is in the context of committed and genuine relationship between individuals, not by large government programs. I don't contribute to charities that have more then 15% overhead... I wish I could direct the fortune I am paying in taxes that are supposed "help people" to channels that have a less abysmal success rate and a more reasonable overhead.

IMHO of course ;)

Bill

Eat complain!

[Kuja]

really, i'm tired of hear this bullshit of my countryman, weeping about how poor and ignorant Brasil is. the litany (or opera bouffe) is everytime the same: "Let me weep over my cruel fate, And that I long for freedom!" (Rinaldo, Haendel). I know that the brazilian economy is fucked up, but times are changing. this last push of brazilian government is very laudable. you know, open source is a integrant part of social forms! this push will help a lot the work of people like Rodrigo Baggio. Poor peolple from outskirts are longing for rescue their aplomb! I know that! I give all my old computers to local rappers and I can tell you: their very eyes shine before an old box carring a cyrix dx2/66...

i don't think "michael" gets it

[kootch]

"Imagine: a government doing something to help poor people get access to the internet."

hmmm, well lets see what a search on yahoo brings up... for "community computer access"

search results

it seems to me that there are a TON of non profit organizations throughout the united states with the sole purpose of providing cheap computers and cheap/free internet access and training to individuals.

now, considering most are non-profit, that means that they get tax incentives from the government, federal grants and subsidies, as well as local government incentives.

now how can you say something like your above statement?