Simputer Runs Into Problems

dejaffa writes "It seems that an Indian Linux-based "computer for the poor" is having financial issues. This has implications for the world digital divide. The story is here (MSNBC, I know, I know). There were originally great hopes for it, as seen here, but money is proving to be the stumbling block."

Comments

Plain Insulting..some of these comments are..

[cOdEgUru]

Ok people, Lets get the friggin facts straight.

Despite what Western media and half of what Texas believes, India is not swarmed with people deprived of their basic needs. Although there are still parts of the country where people are under poverty, there are parts of the country where the community is much advanced. Heck! the state that I am originally from (look it up on National Geographic - as "Kerala" was named as the one of the best 50 places to visit), the literacy rate is 100%. Can any other place in the world claim the same ?

Rants aside, the Simputer was intended to help Govt employees, and employees of other corporations who had to send these people out to the remote areas of the country to educate and to help these people. You cant send them out to the far corners of the state with a notebook and a pen. You need them to have access to information, the same information that you would ultimately provide to the people who never had it. Understandably, food and clothing and a roof above your head are the basic amenities.

So please, if you really wanna know more about this country that you are so ignorant about, take a trip. Fsck the trip guides, ask someone who had been there, and take the untread path, and discover the heart of this beautiful country.

And while you are at it, dont miss out on my little South Indian state, learn more about it here

Re:Plain Insulting..some of these comments are..

[RoshanCat]

Ok people, Lets get the friggin facts straight.

Yep lets do that shall we?. If a country has more than 70% living in poverty conditions, it is considered to be poor. 10% borders an exception than a rule. Just because there are rich people living in Somalia, Ethiopia doesn't mean those countries are not poor.

It also helps to check the median salaries of various countries, before shooting someone's mouth off.

Also literacy means poeple can recognize certain symbols as certain sounds. It Doesn't mean people will actually read books are even get an education.

100% literacy is used only for govt employees to get a raise or boast during their appraisal. It doesn't mean a squat if they dont utilise it.

Kerala could be a beautiful state, so are thousands of other states around this world

Fighting FUD with FUD is defintely not a solution

Cheers,
Roshan

Re:Plain Insulting..some of these comments are..

[TrumpetPower!]

Blockquoth the cOdEgUru:

Heck! the state that I am originally from (look it up on National Geographic - as "Kerala" was named as the one of the best 50 places to visit), the literacy rate is 100%. Can any other place in the world claim the same ?

Interestingly enough, Cuba can. According to the CIA, the total population literacy is 95.7%

Cuba is exactly the sort of place I'd expect the Simputer would do wonderfully. Many of its citizens have close ties with Americans--Americans with money. Education is one of the few things the Cuban government got right--very right. (Their medical system isn't that bad. What it lacks in sophistication and material supplies it make up with truly universal coverage with a strong emphasis on preventative measures, or true health maintenance.) Cubans have the skills to put computing to good use and the potential access to computers through those who escaped to America.

Now, all we need is to lift the embargo....

b&

P.S. Communisim is terrible. The Cuban people deserve a representative government and a leader other than Castro. Heck, even true Communisim would be a huge step up from what they have now. That the Cuban people have done as well as they have is a testament to their strength. Lifting the embargo would go a long ways towards destabilizing the Castro regime to the point where a replacement is practical. b&

Which spin on the situation.

[Anonymous Coward]

This was an interesting contrast to this story from just 10 days back. The problems remain the same, but the spin is totally different. Since manufacturing doesn't run on internet time, it is hard to conclude which one to belive.

some clarifications

[tanveer1979]

I belong to the same sity as the simputer, and have been in touch with the progress. Firstly i think a lot of slashdotters are confusing the meaning of third world countries. A third world does country like india does not mean that everybody lives barefoot and goes hungry. Basically the concept here is that for the middle class ie people haveing one car 2 kids who goto school and comfortable life *cannot* afford PDA's because when we convert Dollers to Rupees 1000 Dollars menas 50000 Rs. In India somebody earning 50000 Rs/pm is in the upper class. So currently not only for poor even for middle class and cooperative societies that is steep. The $200 simputer will basically enable cooprative societies to manage their records, order stuff etc. Currently in some places, in the rural areas the internet is used to send request to companies to order products For example in a village in andhra when the farmers have a sufficent quantity of milk they send a email that the vehicle can come and pick up the stocks. This is a very rudimentry examply cheap computer will enable such things on a larger scale. Also it will benifit students who have the basic necessities but cannot afford such things. This is a small step. Maybe this will lead to cheaper computing that will be good for all, developed or underdeveloped