How Classsmate PC Stacks Up Against OLPC

lisah writes "While the One Laptop Per Child project pulled itself together and shipped its first Beta machines, Intel was busy developing its own version, the Classmate PC. Inevitable comparisons will be made between the two (especially since OLPC's chairman Nicholas Negroponte called Intel's move "predatory"), so Linux.com's Tina Gasperson and her kids took a Classmate PC for a test run to see how it does in the real world. The upshot? Good battery life, easy to use, and great with ketchup. 'The Classmate is so adorably cozy it make you want to snuggle up on a comfy couch or lean back on some pillows on the floor while you surf. Good thing wireless is built right in. Too bad the typical Linux foibles apply. The first snag was having to log in as root to check the system configuration because the Classmate wouldn't log on to the network. Something tells me most elementary and high school teachers with nothing but Windows experience aren't going to get that.'" Linux.com and Slashdot are both owned by OSTG.

Comments

Charity turf wars

[Quiet_Desperation]

Nicholas Negroponte called Intel's move "predatory"

Huh? Isn't the point to get 'puters to the po' folks? Shouldn't the response be "the more the merrier?" Is Negroponte looking for monopoly control of this market? Intel has every right to do this.

Re:The test-drive displays massive ignorance

[mrchaotica]

Why not focus on One Meal Per Child...

If you give a child a meal, he eats for a day. If you give a child a way to learn about farming (e.g. looking it up on the Internet), he eats for a lifetime.

Re:and you don't OLPCs won't be laying unused ?

[level_headed_midwest]

But how will we be able to exploit these populations for profit if we don't get them addicted to expensive electronic gadgets?

The corrupt dictatorships that keep the countries third-world but live in massive palaces seem to have figured out that one, why not ask them?