Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

OLPC Mass Production Begins

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the long-uphill-battles dept.

chris_mahan writes to tell us that mass production of the $100 laptop is finally being ramped up. "Hardware suppliers have been given the green light to ramp-up production of all of the components needed to build millions of the low-cost machines. Previously, the organization behind the scheme said that it required orders for 3m laptops to make production viable. The first machines should be ready to put into the hands of children in developing countries in October 2007. "There's still some software to write, but this is a big step for us," Walter Bender, head of software development at One Laptop per Child (OLPC), told the BBC News website."

147 of 187 comments (clear)

  1. So, can we buy civvie models yet? by jollyreaper · · Score: 3, Funny

    I want to support OLFM, One Laptop For Me.

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    1. Re:So, can we buy civvie models yet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Hmm, me too... BTW the BBC also has a good feature guide (at least by the standards of the mainstream media)

    2. Re:So, can we buy civvie models yet? by lixee · · Score: 1

      I want to support OLFM, One Laptop For Me.
      Patience. The Asus EEE is due in a few weeks. It beats the pants out of this one.
      --
      Res publica non dominetur
    3. Re:So, can we buy civvie models yet? by rcw-work · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Patience. The Asus EEE is due in a few weeks. It beats the pants out of this one.

      Except for two things (for me anyway): a display readable in direct sunlight, and extended battery life (the presenter at LinuxFest Northwest earlier this year claimed he left an XO running for 24 hours once while it was displaying the camera's output on the screen).

    4. Re:So, can we buy civvie models yet? by Hatta · · Score: 1

      Patience. The Asus EEE is due in a few weeks. It beats the pants out of this one.

      Is it as durable? I want to be able to kick it through the mud and still get a shell.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    5. Re:So, can we buy civvie models yet? by jollyreaper · · Score: 1
      >>Patience. The Asus EEE is due in a few weeks. It beats the pants out of this one.

      Sure, taunt me with your vague hints and intimations. So I looked it up.

      http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/05/asus-new-eee-pc -701-joins-the-laptop-lite-fray-with-a-bang/

      Asus' new Eee PC 701 joins the laptop-lite fray with a bang
      Posted Jun 5th 2007 12:41PM by Paul Miller
      Filed under: Laptops

      Asus and Intel seem to be bridging the gap between the fairly humanitarian efforts of the OLPC project and their own Classmate PC efforts, and the recent rash of mini-laptop attempts such as Palm's Foleo and VIA's NanoBook. Specs and launch plans aren't entirely nailed down, but this new Eee PC line has quite a bit going for it, even as crowded as this market is getting. The 7-inch ultraportable is based on an unnamed Intel chipset, and runs regular Windows XP or Linux without a problem, but really shines in its "easy" mode that strips things down to a barebones OS mainly for internet browsing (sound familiar, Foleo?). Asus didn't even leave Palm alone with its Wii comparisons either, stating that the Eee name, which stands for "easy to learn, easy to play, easy to work," also conveniently conjures images of the Wii game console, which is known for being novice-friendly. The Eee line will kick things off with the Eee PC 701, which will sport 802.11b/g WiFi, Ethernet and a modem for connectivity, along with a webcam, 512MB of RAM and a 4, 8 or 16GB flash drive for speedy, reliable storage. The real kicker is that prices for the 2 pound laptop are supposed to start as low as $200, and the Intel / Asus duo won't be aiming this at massive governmental purchases, but instead will be offering it to consumers through traditional retail channels. That's the real kicker. My several year old Tungsten E, purchased as an end of model closeout after the E2's came out, was around $250 and I still had to buy an external keyboard, no built-in wireless supported.

      This is really killer. I hope they can meet their own targets on this one.
      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    6. Re:So, can we buy civvie models yet? by renoX · · Score: 1

      Sure but currently to have this nice display and nice low power hardware, you have to use a keyboard designed for children (small keys).
      Ok you can probably carry another keyboard with you, but that makes a not very portable laptop.

  2. So in a year or so... by Stanistani · · Score: 4, Interesting

    We'll shortly know how this massive social experiment works out. If it's even half as successful as they planned, Negroponte and folks deserve a Nobel.

    --
    You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
    1. Re:So in a year or so... by cromar · · Score: 1

      Hell yeah!

    2. Re:So in a year or so... by elrous0 · · Score: 1, Troll

      Call it schadenfreude, but I'm going to laugh my ass off if this grand noble effort just results in a slew of new ID thieves and scammers in Africa, a Muslim backlash against internet immorality, and a thriving black market in OLPC laptops stolen from kids or redirected by corrupt officials. Throwing laptops at kids in shithole countries may sound like a great idea, but that's making a LOT of assumptions (that they'll only use them for good, that the officials in their countries will actually distribute them rather than sell them, etc.).

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    3. Re:So in a year or so... by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I look forward to exploiting this low-cost labour for click-farms.

    4. Re:So in a year or so... by Stanistani · · Score: 1

      Walter Bender: "Kiss my shiny philanthropic ass!"

      --
      You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
    5. Re:So in a year or so... by lawpoop · · Score: 4, Interesting

      So in a year or so... We'll shortly know how this massive social experiment works out. In a year or so? What exactly do you expect to happen in a year or so? The end of starvation and civil wars in Africa?

      I think a more reasonable time frame is 10 or 15 years. I remember using BBSes in the mid 90s and dreaming about an internet connection and one of those funky email addresses with an '@' symbol in it. I would never, *never*, *NEVER* in a million years predicted technologies such as Wikipedia or Bittorrent. Nobody did -- not Bill Gates, not Negroponte -- not any of the Powerful Old Men in computers. It takes a generation of new kids who can think outside the box and have the free time and audacity to try something that everyone knows could never work. Even now very few wikipedia proponents would ever say that they thought it would be as successful as it is.

      If millions of kids spend their formative years with a completely hackable, programmable, peer-networked computer, we are going to see a complete revolution of computing technology. It doesn't matter that they have brown skin, speak no English, or live in a jungle hut. They will do amazing things with programs and computers that the last generation would never think of. If there are millions of OLPCs distributed, the internet will be totally different 20 years from now.
      --
      Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
      -- Pablo Picasso
    6. Re:So in a year or so... by gradedcheese · · Score: 1

      Uruguay is a shithole country, eh?

    7. Re:So in a year or so... by jeevesbond · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Throwing laptops at kids in shithole countries may sound like a great idea, but that's making a LOT of assumptions (that they'll only use them for good, that the officials in their countries will actually distribute them rather than sell them, etc.).

      Whereas you are quite happy to assume everyone that lives in a developing nation is corrupt, evil and not worthy of a chance at a better life. Of course all of us middle-class people in the West, our business leaders and politicians are all whiter-than-white. We're incorruptible!

      Ever heard of a self fulfilling prophesy? Treat someone like a criminal and you'll generally force them to act like one: but try to help, do some good and a lot of people will respond. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the OLPC--and projects like it--will decrease the amount of crime in developing nations. People will be empowered to work on worthwhile projects, and it will build communication bridges with people in the West.

      Wake up and stop dehumanising the rest of the world. There are arseholes everywhere, but there are plenty of good people too. Yes some OLPCs will appear on e-Bay, no doubt a few will be used to run scams (although most scammers already have computers), but the vast majority will be used for education. The benefits far outweigh any potential problems, it's really sad people like you can't see that and insist on branding whole nations of millions of people as scum (probably without having ever even visited the continent).

      --
      I'm going to transform myself into a mighty hawk. Either that or I'll just go and work at Dixons, haven't decided yet.
    8. Re:So in a year or so... by DogDude · · Score: 1

      Negroponte and folks deserve a Nobel.

      For what, making cheap shit to sell to poor people? So then, what does Wal-Mart deserve, 10 Nobel Prizes?
      All this guy is doing is selling cheap stuff. There's simply nothing at all interesting or remarkable about what this guy's doing.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    9. Re:So in a year or so... by orasio · · Score: 2, Informative

      Throwing laptops at kids in shithole countries may sound like a great idea, but that's making a LOT of assumptions (that they'll only use them for good, that the officials in their countries will actually distribute them rather than sell them, etc.). I don't think my country is a shithole country. It's a beautiful place to live, but a somewhat bad place to try and make a living.
      I don't know where you live, but unless you live in _some_ countries in Europe, your country probably falls better under the standard definition of what is a shithole, than my country.
      Aside from that, we don't have enough money to give equal education to all our kids.
      We have too few teachers for them, and giving the kids access to better forms of communication, and all the reading material they need, I thing we are taking a big step towards making education in Uruguay more fair than it is right now.

    10. Re:So in a year or so... by goldspider · · Score: 1

      ...and if it doesn't, simply chalk it up to the untold billions of dollars already flushed down the third world toilet.

      After all, it's not results that matter, but the perception that you are trying.

      --
      "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
    11. Re:So in a year or so... by Stanistani · · Score: 1

      Remember the Peace Corps?
      Look down at your sig.

      --
      You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
    12. Re:So in a year or so... by Stanistani · · Score: 2, Informative

      He's trying (he might yet fail) to give people the means to more easily educate themselves; to change the dynamics of the educational system in some countries; to enable collaboration between children in said systems through an innovation in applied technology; and give educators a useful tool.

      Not precisely what you said.

      --
      You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
    13. Re:So in a year or so... by Stanistani · · Score: 1

      In a year or so we'll see if this gets scaled up, if the distributions systems get the laptops where they're intended to go, and whether kids are being taught successfully with them. By no means will we know a final answer.

      That, as you said, will take a decade or two.

      --
      You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
    14. Re:So in a year or so... by DogDude · · Score: 2, Insightful

      He's doing it with the biggest PR splash he could possibly make. He's a shameless self-promoter. It's obvious that this project isn't about education. If it were, he'd be busy opening up and staffing actual schools taught by actual local people, not selling plastic gadgets to 3rd world nations. The effect of this project will be negligible, at best for the targets of this "project".

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    15. Re:So in a year or so... by lawpoop · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Well, my personal prediction is that it will be 'successful', but not in the way that the OLPC planners will want it to be. The OLPC project is designed to be some kind of textbook replacement for kids in poor villages going to school. That will be moderately successful in a few areas.

      My prediction is that most of these OLPCs will be 're-purposed' by adults and young, budding geeks in small villages. It's like when cell phones came into rural Africa. Mining companies saw it was too expensive to run phone lines all throughout the jungle, so they threw up cell towers. Villagers got a hold of second-hand cell phones, and low-and-behold, they started lining up buyers to buy their crops as they were harvesting them in the field, instead of dragging them all the way to market only to have them rot in the hot sun.

      So the success won't be village school children learning from them, but the amazing new programs and communication technologies that both adults and children use *for their own purposes*, instead of doing what we think they should be doing with them.

      One of the programming languages that is coming with the OLPC is Smalltalk. That means there will be a new generation of millions 3rd world LISP-like hackers spread all throughout the world. This will be their first computer language. Not c, not BASIC, not visual basic. This, I predict, will lead to amazing new programs.

      --
      Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
      -- Pablo Picasso
    16. Re:So in a year or so... by Stanistani · · Score: 1

      You could be right. I hope you're not.

      I'm crossing my fingers and hoping this will spur a new learning curve.

      --
      You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
    17. Re:So in a year or so... by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      One of the programming languages that is coming with the OLPC is Smalltalk. That means there will be a new generation of millions 3rd world LISP-like hackers spread all throughout the world.

      Since when was Smalltalk LISP-like? They're not even the same paradigm, for crying out loud (huge Common Lisp specification with tacked-on OO notwithstanding)!

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    18. Re:So in a year or so... by lawpoop · · Score: 1

      Sorry, I got mixed up. I was thinking of scheme, which is a LISP-derivative.

      --
      Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
      -- Pablo Picasso
    19. Re:So in a year or so... by The+One+and+Only · · Score: 1

      Whereas you are quite happy to assume everyone that lives in a developing nation is corrupt, evil and not worthy of a chance at a better life.

      No, just their dictators and politicians. And who isn't to say these countries aren't impoverished specifically because of corruption, and not the other way around? In reality, it may be a feedback cycle--corruption leads to further poverty, and poverty leads to further corruption. But as North Korea has proven to us over and over again, simply sending aid to a corrupt regime fixes nothing and strengthens the regime.

      --
      In Repressive Burma, it's not just your connection that dies. slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=314547&cid=20819199
    20. Re:So in a year or so... by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      Ah, yes. Having Scheme on there along with Smalltalk (and maybe LOGO?) would be awesome.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    21. Re:So in a year or so... by oohshiny · · Score: 1

      Call it schadenfreude, but I'm going to laugh my ass off if this grand noble effort just results in a slew of new ID thieves and scammers in Africa, a Muslim backlash against internet immorality,

      So, in different words, there are going to be some people that are going to be emulating US con-men and US religious fundamentalists. So what?

      Throwing laptops at kids in shithole countries may sound like a great idea, but that's making a LOT of assumptions (that they'll only use them for good, that the officials in their countries will actually distribute them rather than sell them, etc.).

      I suspect that, on average, laptops in what you call "shithole countries" are going to be used a lot more productively than in developed nations; thanks to TV and the web, people around the world have seen how the rich countries live, they want their share, and many of them are going to work hard to get it.

    22. Re:So in a year or so... by Snerdley · · Score: 1

      While the term "shithole country" is a bit degrading, I actually have a bit of skepticism about this myself.

      I recently got a real eye opening while watching this documentary from the History Channel about Liberia. It shows how horribly wrong well-meaning "social experiments" can go. I later checked out additional information about Liberia from PBS - America's Stepchild and Wikipedia - Liberia.

      When society breaks down, all manner of tools become weapons. It will be interesting to see how these (quite powerful) tools are used.

    23. Re:So in a year or so... by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Yes some OLPCs will appear on e-Bay
      And they'll only be bought by the sort of people who whine on slashdot about how corrupt poor countries are...
      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    24. Re:So in a year or so... by TheSync · · Score: 1

      That means there will be a new generation of millions 3rd world LISP-like hackers spread all throughout the world. This will be their first computer language. Not c, not BASIC, not visual basic. This, I predict, will lead to amazing new programs.

      Like the world needs a billion more people saying "It would be much easier in Lisp, look:"

      ((((((((((CAR((MAPCAR '(LAMBDA(x) CDR(SETQ CAR(CDR(DEFUN BITEME CAR(CDR(CAR(CDR)))))))))))))))))))

    25. Re:So in a year or so... by foo+fighter · · Score: 1

      How do these fabled African cell towers get electricity?

      It seems to me (naively, I'm guessing) that if you can run electricity to wherever, you probably could have run a phone line along with it.

      --
      obviously no deficiencies vs. no obvious deficiencies
    26. Re:So in a year or so... by syphax · · Score: 1


      It's probably called a diesel generator. Fuel comes in on the same road that carried the tower equipment.

      --
      Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Stories
    27. Re:So in a year or so... by lawpoop · · Score: 1

      Whatever way the mining camps and buildings get electricity, I guess.

      --
      Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
      -- Pablo Picasso
    28. Re:So in a year or so... by grimover · · Score: 1

      > How do these fabled African cell towers get electricity?

      I can't say for sure, but a friend of mine is a solar power engineer and his corporation's best-selling third world product is solar-powered cellular base stations (with batteries and "sleep" modes for smooth 24-hour operation). They are built to last 20 years with annual maintenance, and are usually placed in locations so difficult to get to (like mountain ledges) that petty thievery is unlikely (and the major thieves want the cellular system working). Good thing he's a mountain climber...

      Their second best selling product is solar-powered desalination plants, BTW (which have both battery and diesel backup). Solar power plants run third and have to be customized to the environment and needs of each customer; he mentioned that its often much cheaper to have a solar-diesel hybrid plant than try and build the array and batteries to support 24x7x365 peak usage -- solar-battery arrays cover a bit above average usage and the diesel kicks in beyond that.

  3. Blah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Most of these people would probably better off getting $100 which is like 5 years wages where they live.

    1. Re:Blah by fr4nk · · Score: 2, Funny

      They seem to like the ability to browse porn too.

    2. Re:Blah by LionKimbro · · Score: 1

      I think the idea is that if kids learn how to code, they'll get far more benefit than getting a handout.

    3. Re:Blah by d3ac0n · · Score: 3, Funny

      Heh, I was going to post that link, but you beat me to it.

      Personally, I suggest a new slogan:

      "OLPC, Bringing Internet Porn to horny third world pubescent boys!"

      They could include a complimentary subscription to playboy online and a safer sex care pack!

      In all seriousness, Come on. Did anyone REALLY think that these things would be used for only "educational" purposes? Hell, I'll bet good money that the majority of them hardly EVER end up used for education. Unless you consider learning new sexual techniques "education".

      --
      Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
    4. Re:Blah by metlin · · Score: 4, Insightful

      THAT IS THERE FUCKING PROBLEM
      Quite obviously, western-style education hasn't worked out for you.
    5. Re:Blah by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think they'll be in for a surprise when they learn that women in other parts of the world aren't mutilated via clitorectomy. So, there's your educational benefit right there.

      --
      Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
    6. Re:Blah by madseal · · Score: 1

      Well ... that or take the $3000 for 30 kids and you can probably afford to construct a building,enough used books to teach them all the way through high school and enough left over that you might be able to pay for lunch for them as well for a year.

    7. Re:Blah by DragonWriter · · Score: 3, Informative

      Most of these people would probably better off getting $100 which is like 5 years wages where they live.


      In what is, IIRC, the largest launch country, Brazil, median income for black women (the worst off racial/gender mix) is $156/month. (source)

      Heck, even Rwanda (which is one of the poorest nations that may get it early, through Libya purchasing it for them) has an average per capita annual income of $206 (source), over an order of magnitude higher than you suggested for "most" OLPC recipients.

    8. Re:Blah by markov_chain · · Score: 2, Funny

      Heh, I was going to post that link, but you beat meat to it.

      There, fixed that for ya.

      --
      Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
    9. Re:Blah by markov_chain · · Score: 1

      I don't know, $3000 is a lot easier to pocket than a bunch of purpose-made laptops with all kinds of activation features.

      --
      Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
    10. Re:Blah by that+this+is+not+und · · Score: 1

      A school building full of used books is more difficult to 'pocket' than a bunch of laptops.

    11. Re:Blah by tepples · · Score: 1

      THEY CANNOT COMPILE THEMSELVES SOME GRAIN They can if they compile a program that helps them manage a family farm more efficiently.
  4. When's the "commercial" version coming? by Ant+P. · · Score: 1

    IIRC they were saying something about a "buy 3 get 1" thing a while back so anyone could get one. Are they still doing that?

    1. Re:When's the "commercial" version coming? by charlieo88 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Nope. Scroll down to pledgebank.

      http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Retail

    2. Re:When's the "commercial" version coming? by Selfbain · · Score: 1

      This probably suffered due to lack of awareness. I would have signed up for it but I didn't hear about it until now. I want one of these damn things and I'm more than willing to pay $300 or so for it.

      --
      Well, it has never been successfully tested.
  5. price by dotpavan · · Score: 1
    FTA: "The XO currently costs $176 (£90) although the eventual aim is to sell the machines to governments for $100 (£50)."


    PS: have the queues started yet? with waiting lines being "in", for xbox, iphone and HarryPotter books lately..

  6. kids in the states by jshriverWVU · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Will kids in the states also be eligible for these? Think WV, Kentucky, or any poor state in central US. Or is it limited to just 3rd world countries like Mexico, Africa, etc

    1. Re:kids in the states by Virgil+Tibbs · · Score: 1

      they are ONLY on sale to Government/non-profit entitys. pester your local government about them

      --
      www.tdobson.net #### Dare to Dream #### blog.tdobson.net
    2. Re:kids in the states by Xybre · · Score: 5, Funny

      Africa isn't a country. Oh wait, you went to American public schools? I feel your pain.

      --
      Eternity is a time bomb.
    3. Re:kids in the states by kevin_conaway · · Score: 1

      Will kids in the states also be eligible for these? Think WV, Kentucky, or any poor state in central US. Or is it limited to just 3rd world countries like Mexico, Africa, etc

      Africa is not a country.

      Mexico is not 3rd world

      To answer your question, somewhat

    4. Re:kids in the states by CastrTroy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Since it seems that there are so many people interested in getting one of these for themselves, would it be possible to set up your own non-profit to distribute them to regular people? Possible things include charging extra and donating funds to the OLPC project or other such organizations. Seems like they refuse to sell them to end users, but why miss out on a market that is obviously there? Especially when it means increased production, which will bring down production costs, and allow extra funds to bring down the cost for the 3rd world countries.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    5. Re:kids in the states by squale · · Score: 1

      Neither Mexico nor "Africa" is a third world country

    6. Re:kids in the states by jshriverWVU · · Score: 1

      Since people are being pretty harse. From a lot of references I've read over the years most refer to Mexico as a 3rd world country. As for africa, I was referring to it as a continent since pretty much every country (except for Egypt) seems to be at the developmental state. Besides the nit picking, the point is more important. I'm glad they're doing this, as other have posted, it'll give a kid some way to break behind their social barrier. But we should allow kids in the US the same opportunity.

    7. Re:kids in the states by DragonWriter · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Will kids in the states also be eligible for these?


      There is no such thing as individual "eligibility" for the laptops, so the question is incoherent. Yes, the US Department of Education is as free as any other national education ministry to purchase the laptops for distribution on a one-per-child basis, though of course they aren't the principal target market and the OLPC feature set is designed around use in a very different environment than one of the most developed nations in the world.
    8. Re:kids in the states by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      Mexico is not 3rd world

      Is Mexico a member of NATO? Is Mexico a former Warsaw Pact country? No?

      Then yes, Mexico is considered "third-world" (in the original sense), just like Switzerland, Japan, and a whole bunch of other countries.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    9. Re:kids in the states by lordtoran · · Score: 1

      Or is it limited to just 3rd world countries like Mexico, Africa, etc Mexico is a 2nd world country and Africa is a continent. I think you need to learn more about geography.
      --
      Want to hear the voice of GOD? cat /boot/vmlinuz > /dev/dsp
    10. Re:kids in the states by BertieBaggio · · Score: 1

      Aw, give the lad a break. Even Drew Carey made that mistake.

      "It's also a big continent if you're a geographer."

      --
      If all you have is a grenade, pretty soon every problem looks like a foxhole -- MightyYar
    11. Re:kids in the states by tepples · · Score: 1

      Will kids in the states also be eligible for these? Think WV, Kentucky, or any poor state in central US. they are ONLY on sale to Government/non-profit entitys. Does a state such as West Virginia or Kentucky count as a government entity for this purpose?
  7. So who gets theirs first? by dashslotter · · Score: 5, Funny

    The kids in the factory that makes them?

    --
    I was flipping bits on an abacus, newb.
    1. Re:So who gets theirs first? by metlin · · Score: 1

      Ouch.

      That probably hit a raw nerve somewhere.

  8. Imagine that!! by TheDarkener · · Score: 1, Redundant

    An initiative to better the world.

    You don't see that much these days.

    --
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    1. Re:Imagine that!! by Neil+Watson · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't building better water, road and electricity infrastructures be a better way to help the world? Most of the articles I read about OLPC mention Africa which is a place that often lacks the basic systems I just mentioned.

      --
      UNIX/Linux Consulting
    2. Re:Imagine that!! by TheDarkener · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Wouldn't building better water, road and electricity infrastructures be a better way to help the world? Most of the articles I read about OLPC mention Africa which is a place that often lacks the basic systems I just mentioned.

      Better? I don't know if you can even put them in the same category.

      The fact is, these computer hardware manufacturers and the OSS community are pulling their own resources together for the vision of bringing technology and information to parts of the world that don't yet have it.

      How about asking the major electricity/water industry powers to pull together like Intel, AMD and others are doing to help better the world with respect to their specialties? I'm sure they have plenty of money to spend, and THEY are the experts in those fields, not AMD/Intel/others in the technology market.

      --
      It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
  9. This is very exciting news by cromar · · Score: 1

    OLPC has so much potential for communication and education; I can't wait till this project really gets off the ground.

  10. Poor child turns down OLPC computer by fyoder · · Score: 5, Funny

    "There's still some software to write, but this is a big step for us," Walter Bender, head of software development at One Laptop per Child (OLPC), told the BBC News website. " A 3rd world tyke expressed disinterest in the OLPC initiative, saying "Scratching figures in the dirt with a stick has always worked just fine for me. I'll consider getting an OLPC computer in a few years once they've worked out the bugs."
    --
    Loose lips lose spit.
    1. Re:Poor child turns down OLPC computer by FreakWent · · Score: 1

      That scares me; I hope they get the software ready in time, the quote, taken alone, bleeds a certain naivety.

      We're making 3 million of these, and we'll have the software ready before October.

      I assume that leaves around 2.5 months to plan, design, code, repeat(test-fix), deploy.

      I hope it's not important code.

    2. Re:Poor child turns down OLPC computer by r00t · · Score: 1

      The dirt has lots of bugs. The kid himself probably does too.

    3. Re:Poor child turns down OLPC computer by Stephen+Ma · · Score: 1

      The software is stored in flash memory, and the computer has automatic networking. Updating the software should be easy.

  11. Better ways to spend money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    So how well does this work when someone is living in a grass hut in Africa and they do now have electricity. I guess they could eat the laptop because we all know a laptop is better then food. Also what is the benefit of this? A child has a lap top to use and learn on. My computer has never taught me anything just because it is on and running Linux or Window. It is the power to connect to the internet, download compilers and execute programs and do research online that has taught me. Will these children have the internet in there area or is this just a ti graphing calculator with a bigger keyboard and a few applications. Why not take the $100 and go to that child's town and make a change. Say you have 100 children in a town so, $10,000, take that money and help them redesign the town so crops can grow better. If someone handed me the controls to a Nuclear Reactor I would not know how to use it, much like if you hand a child a computer and the only toy they have is a bike from the 1970's.

    1. Re:Better ways to spend money by LionKimbro · · Score: 1

      I've read about a lot of failures, when people just give money, or send in teachers, and so on.

      I think it is wise to try a diversity of methods, and see what works, especially when traditional failures are being repeated over and over. If this doesn't work, "oh well" -- it won't be the first time someone has failed in an expensive effort to improve the lives of the impoverished. But if it succeeds, it will be (as far I know) one of the first successes.

    2. Re:Better ways to spend money by sleigher · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I am really sick of reading from all you who think this doomed to failure. You know what??? They are not going to drive village to village and hand them out to the kids playing futbol in the street and say " here ya go kids, good luck!" Can we at least wait until it does/doesn't fail and say "I told you so" or "Great it is working"?

      We have been handing money and food to many of these third world countries for decades. Problem is they are still in need. Well I say it's high time we try another method. Maybe this will help, maybe it won't.... but quit the, this will never work and is stupid crap....

      --
      All points of time and space are connected.
    3. Re:Better ways to spend money by yvajj · · Score: 1


      There are numerous benefits to this... sure you could take the money and buy food and / or build a better school, however I don't believe this is the same thing.

      You don't need access to the internet to be able to stimulate interest and growth. Having grown up in South Africa where internet was (and still is) very limited, my first computer had NO internet access (thereafter BBS's came along).

      I had learned to program my first machine (a ZX Spectrum 48k) using Basic, and then machine code.

      I'm sure there are numerous kids with the interest and aptitude to become successful if given the opportunity and the tools. Even if just 2% of these kids end up becoming interested in engineering and / or other disciplines, its a stepping stone for the country as a whole, as their kids will follow in their footsteps.

      Just because *you* could not learn anything from your computer without it being connected to the internet, doesn't mean others can't.

      FYI... these PCS come preloaded with software that allow programming out the box

      http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Software_components

    4. Re:Better ways to spend money by Relic+of+the+Future · · Score: 1

      Oh, gee, you're so right, I bet no one thought of that.

      --
      Those who fail to understand communication protocols, are doomed to repeat them over port 80.
    5. Re:Better ways to spend money by DragonWriter · · Score: 1

      So how well does this work when someone is living in a grass hut in Africa and they do now have electricity.


      I assume you mean "not" instead of "now". In any case, people living in rural villages without regular access to electricity is exactly why the OLPC is designed to use very little power, and to be manually charged.

      I guess they could eat the laptop because we all know a laptop is better then food.


      Well, yes, as an educational tool for people who aren't starving, a laptop is better than food.

      Also what is the benefit of this? A child has a lap top to use and learn on. My computer has never taught me anything just because it is on and running Linux or Window.


      The software and educational content supplied with the XO and developed by the OLPC project is not limited to the operating system (though certainly the desktop environment itself is designed to facilitate learning, though not to "teach" on its own.) But, mostly, its a tool for the education ministries to use to enable them to deliver the content they want and conduct the educational activities they prefer.

      It is the power to connect to the internet, download compilers and execute programs and do research online that has taught me. Will these children have the internet in there area or is this just a ti graphing calculator with a bigger keyboard and a few applications.


      One of the things developed by partners in the OLPC project and being made available for purchase to the participants is a satellite downlink station designed for rural villages; the same provider is donating satellite time to provide internet connections to remote locations. The OLPC project itself will also be making available school-site servers to provide access points, and the laptops themselves can form ad hoc networks. So, yes, the internet will be available (though perhaps not "always on" for most users), and ad hoc networking and other forms of interaction will also be available.

      Why not take the $100 and go to that child's town and make a change.


      Presumably, the national governments that are the only people spending the cost of the laptop (which is >$100), are generally already spending far more than that on other projects. If they expected to get more marginal value by spending money in other improvements than on the laptops, they wouldn't be buying the laptops. Of course, if you have specific complaints about how particular of the governments should spend their money better, feel free to make them.

      Say you have 100 children in a town so, $10,000, take that money and help them redesign the town so crops can grow better.


      Presumably, if the national governments thought they had a way to spend that kind of money that would substantially improve agricultural output (especially in the many OLPC countries where that's the main industry), they would be doing that, whether or not they were buying the laptops. But, if you see areas where particular countries that are purchasing the OLPC are missing opportunities in this regard, feel free to point them out.

      If someone handed me the controls to a Nuclear Reactor I would not know how to use it, much like if you hand a child a computer and the only toy they have is a bike from the 1970's.


      Presumably, governments that are going to be spending, to meet the one-per-school-age-child target, billions of dollars on just the OLPC hardware and that have already had students, teachers, and education ministry staff involved in demonstration projects are going to roll the laptop out with something a little more sophisticated that dumping them on students with no instruction; the whole idea has been to integrate them into the curriculum. Of course, if you know of specific countries that have announced the intention to purchase the laptops and just dump them on school age children, please, feel free to point to them.
    6. Re:Better ways to spend money by LingNoi · · Score: 1

      So your suggestion is that villagers should be poor farmers and not even be allowed the chance to become anything else?

  12. Can I get the African diistribution? by denttford · · Score: 3, Funny

    The one with the preloaded porn?

    It's for a... sociological study in aesthetics... purely educational...

    --

    Leben Sie jetzt die Fragen.
  13. Greetings from the Nation of Africa! by locokamil · · Score: 4, Funny

    COMING AS I DO FROM A NATION OF DEPOSED MILLIONAIRE PRINCES AND BRUTAL MILITARY DICTATORS, I AM EMAILING YOU TO REQUESTING YOUR ASSISTANCE IN MOVING MONEY IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,000,000 (TM) AWAY FROM THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF THE NATION OF AFRICA TO AVOID [SOB STORY].

    IN RETURN FOR YOUR HELP, YOU WILL RECEIVE AN AMOUNT OF NO LESS THAN 120% (POSSIBLY MORE) OF THE TRANSFERRED AMOUNT. PLEASE REPLY AT THE SOONEST WITH NOTIFICATION OF YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS DEAL, BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION AND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.

    YOURS RESPECTFULLY,
    GENERIC AFRICA MILLIONAIRE PRINCE

    1 AFRICA ROAD
    AFRICA CITY, 12358
    NATION OF AFRICA

    1. Re:Greetings from the Nation of Africa! by mgabrys_sf · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually in the Sunday business section of the NYT they were on about how Africa has only 4% coverage as far as the internet.

      Oddly enough - and I'm quite serious - they mentioned the countries along the northern coasts, and south africa (the country - not the general region). Not one - NOT ONE WORD - about Nigeria.

      SSSoooooo please - someone - ANYONE - tell me. HOW are these (insert 500 mindblowingly creative and vulagar epithets here - and a few involving fetuses in microwave ovens just for good measure) Nigerians getting out so much email with so little fucking connectivity?

      Cause I for one WANT TO KNOW. Why can't we just block the whole country? The whole goddamn country? Just shunt the whole IP prefix off the map? Tell the routers that it's a ping flood and dump the bozos?

    2. Re:Greetings from the Nation of Africa! by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      Well, Nigeria has a population of about 140 million. If .01 % of the people in Nigeria have internet, then there's still 14,000 people with internet. 14,000 people can generate a lot of email. Even if it's just 100 individuals that are causing all the problems, then they could still generate a whole bunch of email. Plus, you can't just block all email from an entire country, Umaru Yar'Adua (President According to Wikipedia) would probably be pretty mad if he couldn't send out any email.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    3. Re:Greetings from the Nation of Africa! by lawpoop · · Score: 1

      Cause I for one WANT TO KNOW. Why can't we just block the whole country? The whole goddamn country? Just shunt the whole IP prefix off the map? Tell the routers that it's a ping flood and dump the bozos? Do you really want to cut off a whole country because of some bad apples who are abusing the internet by attempting to commit fraud? What if *you* and the rest of your country were cut off from the rest of the world on the internet because the majority of spam originated from your country?
      --
      Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
      -- Pablo Picasso
    4. Re:Greetings from the Nation of Africa! by NachtVorst · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It seems a large amount of these 'Nigerian' email originates right here, in the suburbs of Amsterdam, from where it's probably sent through open relays worldwide, so it's not much use blocking Nigeria. Every Nigerian Internet cafe has 'No 419!' signs all over the place anyway.

      And please don't block us either ;) . We're trying to make at least a bit less easy for them here. Arrests of scammers are quite common, though they are mostly caught by immigration officers and returned to Nigeria instead of being prosecuted for fraud.

      To make this less off-topic: no, OLPC won't increase the amount of 'Nigerian' email. But it could educate a whole new generation around the world, it's a daring but hopefully noble cause!

      NachtVorst

    5. Re:Greetings from the Nation of Africa! by denttford · · Score: 1

      While I agree that there is no need to cut off Nigerian IP blocks, to claim that it is a "few bad apples" is disingenuous. According to this article, 419 represents the 3rd-5th largest industry in Nigeria.

      Additionally, if any country had spam as its 3rd-5th largest industrial sector, I would understand (though disagree with) suggestions of cutting it off from the internet.

      Of course, If a private company blocked Nigerian IPs in house, well, that is their prerogative, for all the good it would do.

      --

      Leben Sie jetzt die Fragen.
    6. Re:Greetings from the Nation of Africa! by mgabrys_sf · · Score: 1

      Didn't you hear? Because we have a marketplace other than scams. The summ total internet output I've seen to date from Nigeria - IS - scams. Obviously routed to other locations.

      I was so hoping that Bush would blow a fuse and send a few dozen missiles to Nigeria but so far this doesn't seem to be feasible. I've set my router to block all amsterdam (thanks for the tip) and Nigerian traffic.

      I've also sent word to one of my ISP's (a small one that's privately held) that this also might be a good idea.

      Feel free to do the same. If Nigerians found out that no one was listening to them - at all - EVER. Perhaps that might be a better tool for change than missles.

    7. Re:Greetings from the Nation of Africa! by 1u3hr · · Score: 1
      Cause I for one WANT TO KNOW. Why can't we just block the whole country? The whole goddamn country? Just shunt the whole IP prefix off the map? Tell the routers that it's a ping flood and dump the bozos?

      For every African 419 scam, I get dozens of stock, viagra and penis enlarger ads from American spammers.

    8. Re:Greetings from the Nation of Africa! by Vintermann · · Score: 1

      Those scams have been going on for a lot longer than email. I have recieved them in snail mail with postage indicating that they were sent from the UK. My guess is that the people in this business have made a fair profit for many years, and can easily afford the infrastructure necessary to spam, open small offices in foreign countries etc.

      --
      xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
    9. Re:Greetings from the Nation of Africa! by Vintermann · · Score: 1

      ?

      Anyway, it goes way beyond that, too. My wife's great-grandfather had an oyster company, some years after his death (and many years after the closing of the oyster company), his daughter recieved a nigeria letter adressed to the company.

      We are talking about advance payment scams here, not herbal viagra.

      --
      xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
  14. How did this get in production so quickly? by mpapet · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Anyone that's done any business in government would anonymously back me up when I say that this whole project moved into mass production so quickly I find it hard to believe. From the olpc wiki, they list some countries.

            * 2.1 Romania--No
            * 2.2 Argentina--Yes
            * 2.3 Brazil--Yes
            * 2.4 Korea---driven by a few citizens
            * 2.5 Libya--Yes
            * 2.6 Nigeria--Yes
            * 2.7 India--No
            * 2.8 Uruguay--Yes
            * 2.9 Rwanda--Yes
            * 2.10 USA--Talking

    Anyone that's worked government IT would tell you that it's incredibly difficult to get paid in a timely manner. On top of *just* getting paid, they've been paid so much the entire OEM chain is ready to mass-produce?

    Someone somewhere has a lot of influence (e.g. money) to get this going because OEM's certainly don't work for free and governments rarely, if ever, are enlighted enough to see a good thing an let it pass. Who's pushing this and where's the money coming from?

    --
    http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
    1. Re:How did this get in production so quickly? by griffjon · · Score: 1

      Not to mention, the laptop's yet to be piloted in any real-world implementations, so wherever this money's coming from, it may not really be going anywhere.

      --
      Returned Peace Corps IT Volunteer
    2. Re:How did this get in production so quickly? by CAIMLAS · · Score: 2, Interesting

      My opinion is that there is something more going on than what we see on the surface. That much money doesn't just fly around unless Human Nature is involved. Someone, somewhere, is going to be making money off of this; companies don't just operate humanitarian efforts for fun, effectively wasting valuable resources which they could be better putting to use increasing their stock value (stock holders would have a fit if it wasn't otherwise). And I highly doubt they'll be "creating a new market" with these at this price. The overall shitty nature of Africa will remain the same, because they're not fixing any of the underlying social problems which have attributed to the poverty, lack of education, and warfare. (Same goes for the free food programs.)

      Just wait: 6 months to a year after they make their way to Africa, there will be a huge scandal.

      At the very least, we'll see a lot more "Nigerian scams" popping up. For school children my ass! (Like the adults wouldn't just take them...)

      --
      ~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
    3. Re:How did this get in production so quickly? by Wesley+Felter · · Score: 1

      Someone, somewhere, is going to be making money off of this...

      Duh. The component vendors and Quanta are all making money; only OLPC itself is a non-profit organization.

    4. Re:How did this get in production so quickly? by DragonWriter · · Score: 1

      Not to mention, the laptop's yet to be piloted in any real-world implementations, so wherever this money's coming from, it may not really be going anywhere.


      While it hasn't been used on a large scale, it has been piloted in real-world, classroom implementations in several of the participant countries (including, at a minimum, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Nigeria, and Thailand [the last of which backed out of the project after the recent coup]).
    5. Re:How did this get in production so quickly? by griffjon · · Score: 1

      And? did it work? How many OLPC staff were there handling the implementation? How many trained people per school will a full roll-out require? What hiccups occurred, what's being done to fix them? What is being done about Internet connections for the laptops (without which, bitfrost is not very able to deactivate stolen machines)? It's great that a few classrooms have had OLPC days, what are the results?

      --
      Returned Peace Corps IT Volunteer
    6. Re:How did this get in production so quickly? by DragonWriter · · Score: 1

      And? did it work?


      Yes.

      How many OLPC staff were there handling the implementation? How many trained people per school will a full roll-out require? What hiccups occurred, what's being done to fix them? What is being done about Internet connections for the laptops (without which, bitfrost is not very able to deactivate stolen machines)? It's great that a few classrooms have had OLPC days, what are the results?


      The pilot sites, except for Thailand where participation has ended, are ongoing and expanding, and intended to be absorbed into the full deployment of the systems in the countries where it is being piloted. For example, the Nigerian pilot site was initially 3 grade levels and expanding to 6; the Uruguay pilot is a full school.

      Responses from parents, students, and teachers have been positive, and some issues have been identified and resolved through the process, so I'd say its worked. If you want more details, you probably need to go through the OLPC website yourself and, failing that, ask them.
    7. Re:How did this get in production so quickly? by marcosdumay · · Score: 1

      OLPC is a non-profit. It is easy for the governments to give money to non-profits.

      And governments are on it because the press is on it. The press is on it, obviouly because those companies that will manufacture the OLPC need publicity...

      At least that is what is happening around here, at Brazil.

      --
      Rethinking email
    8. Re:How did this get in production so quickly? by griffjon · · Score: 1

      Last time I asked Nick about pilot projects he went on a long rant about how they were irrelevant and unnecessary.

      --
      Returned Peace Corps IT Volunteer
  15. Critical mass for sapience by 4/17/08 by StefanJ · · Score: 4, Funny

    Millions and millions of little processors hooked up by a ad hoc wireless network . . . I figure we have nine months until it gains consciousness and starts organizing legions of Third World kids.

  16. Re:Will it... by yvajj · · Score: 3, Insightful


    When did porn become a bad word? Society's today seem to be fixated on how sex is bad for you.

    I don't see how having access to porn should deter these users from eventually using it for learning. Its pretty much the same as when we first got access to computers and the internet (or in my day, bulletin boards). The first thing you do is look for porn, and once you've exhausted yourself, start learning to use the computer for other stuff.

    As for illegal activity... the users who would normally gravitate towards this will do so whether they have access to these PCs or not.

  17. ha ha by fattmatt · · Score: 1

    Put me on the list of people who will be laughing at this when we reminisce about the Web 2.0 bubble burst.

  18. Re:Will it... by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

    I think some time around 1837

  19. heh. by apodyopsis · · Score: 1

    "The first machines should be ready to put into the hands of children in developing countries in October 2007..."

    Not the only thing to be in their hands according to reports of them checking out www.filthyinternetporn.com.
    http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/ 21/1353241&from=rss
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070720/od_nm/nigeria_ pornography_dc;_ylt=A0WTUfF176FG8XwBExgZ.3QA
    http://digg.com/tech_news/OLPC_Brings_Porn_To_The_ Third_World

    Why the grubby wee bastards. Oh wait, this is slashdot and I'm preaching to the choir. Shock horror, boys are the same everywhere...

    1. Re:heh. by CaffeineAddict2001 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, considering it has a "pull-string power charger", one could argue that the laptop is actually fueled by porn.

  20. The Diamond Age by MobyDisk · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The OLPC project reminds me of "A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" found in The Diamond Age. In the book, a poor girl is given a nanotech book that basically teaches her everything should could ever want to know. Later on, it gets mass-produced resulting in an army of intelligent young girls. The OLPC is kinda like that.

    1. Re:The Diamond Age by nuzak · · Score: 2, Funny

      > The OLPC is kinda like that.

      Fiction?

      --
      Done with slashdot, done with nerds, getting a life.
    2. Re:The Diamond Age by wall0159 · · Score: 1

      I've thought about this too, and I agree wholeheartedly.

      At risk of sounding starry-eyed, I think it's an incredibly exciting prospect -- computers providing a tailored education to children would do more for human society than probably any technological advance since agriculture. Imagine a whole planet of people who had been educated by their own personal tutor!

      There are projects working on the development of a dynabook (the illustrated primer) - one is squeek (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeak) and it looks like it's got potential. Get onto it kids!

  21. Not really by WindBourne · · Score: 3, Insightful
    1. if they produce electronic text books on this, that it will be lower cost education than what is currently happening. IOW, the country will have more to spend on improving total education, on health factors, etc.
    2. This is a case of give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish. It is difficult to get an education in many countries. If this raises education levels, then it will raise the country as well.

    Considering that you are a brave AC, I am guessing that you already know this, and are just opposed to THIS project.
    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  22. Nigeria by Superevil · · Score: 2, Funny

    can we opt out of sending these things to Nigeria? I get enough junk email as it is.

  23. Hmmm by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    If Mexico is NOT 3rd world, then what is your definition of such?

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:Hmmm by Shag · · Score: 1

      If Mexico is NOT 3rd world, then what is your definition of such? That's an easy one, seriously.

      The UN maintains a nice list of Least Developed Countries. (That term is, by the way, the politically correct equivalent of the politically incorrect "third world.")

      I've only been to one of them, and it's one that is on its way toward getting off that list... and Mexico looks positively futuristic by comparison.

      If your capital city has electricity that stays on for 24 hours straight at least once a week... you're probably not "third-world."

      If you live 5 miles from Parliament and still have hot running water... you're probably not "third-world."

      If most of the new vehicles on the road belong to anyone other than UN agencies and international aid agencies... you're probably not "third-world."
      --
      Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
    2. Re:Hmmm by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Thanx for the head's up. I thought that were slightly off base, but after Googling it, it appears that what I was taught as a kids, is now incorrect.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  24. I would guess that thtat is the same list.... by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    that said that NSCA web server and then this a patchy server joke would NEVER take off.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  25. Re:So, can we buy civvie models yet? Please by jollyreaper · · Score: 2, Funny

    Seriously though, I really do want one & would be prepared to cough up 200 squids for one. Where do I sign up? `0.o Er, do you appear on one of those Japanese competitive eating shows? I'll give you the laptop for free so long as you promise not to do that.
    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  26. ebay! by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

    We'll shortly know how this massive social experiment works out.

    Yes, I'm going to try to pick one up on eBay for cheap, too. Wonder how much they will end up fetching?

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:ebay! by networkBoy · · Score: 1

      Why not buy them from the program its self? Or are they not offering the buy one for you and one for "them" yet?
      I want one as a WiFi monitor alone. It'd be perfect as it's already ruggedized and low power.
      -nB

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
  27. Mod parent up by IgLou · · Score: 1

    You really have stated the whole point of this project quite nicely.

    I'm guessing this is going to be high risk but considering how (IMHO) education is the root to solving so many problems I'd say it's worth the go. Seriously, can it get worst for them??

    --

    Oops, how did this get here?
    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    1. Re:Mod parent up by WindBourne · · Score: 2, Informative

      Sadly, it will. The countries with the lowest education levels are those closest to the equator. And it will get MUCH worse if even a partial of the global warming models come true. As it is, darfur is a glimpse at what we are going to see (new comers wanders over owners lands that is currently suffering due to drought). The best (and probably only) way out of all this is via education. Funny thing, is that education helped to create EU, America, and Russia. Now, it is helping to lift China and India out of the abyss. Education IS the key. And yet, you have so many who fight not just moving to LOW cost computers, but the very education that will help. Considering that AC is likely a fellow countryman of mine, it is sad. I guess many ppl prefer a case of "let them eat cake".

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  28. That does not compute by davmoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why do all these stories keep calling this the "$100 laptop", when it actually costs $176 even in quantity?

    --
    I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
    1. Re:That does not compute by delphi125 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Probably because all these stories call this One Laptop Per Child, and only a few of them mention a $100 target cost.

      Considering what a 1GB storage laptop would have cost 10 years ago, let alone 20, I think we can safely say that the COST target will be reached relatively soon - within 2-5 years.

      As for the "per child" target, it may take a bit longer. Maybe 20-50. Consider the ever-increasing changes since 1945, less than a lifetime ago. If Nigeria has a million OLPCs next year, it will have close to a million times the processing power of Bletchley Park in WWII.

    2. Re:That does not compute by curty · · Score: 1
      From TFA:

      The XO currently costs $176 (£90) although the eventual aim is to sell the machines to governments for $100 (£50).

    3. Re:That does not compute by Xeth · · Score: 1

      It seems to me that it's been largely replaced by the "OLPC" acronym.

      --
      If your theory is different from practice, then your theory is wrong.
  29. Where's the LiveCD? by Qubit · · Score: 1

    Ummm... there's no LiveCD there.

    All the article mentions are "a pre-configured VMWare image of the OLPC OS" and some information on how to "download the OLPC OS from Red Hats [sic] servers...and configure it in Parallels."

    A few months ago I downloaded a LiveCD of one of the OLPC builds and couldn't figure out why it wasn't booting on my desktop... of course, then I realized that my desktop hardware was just a wee bit different from the OLPC's hardware... :-)

    Does anyone has a GENUINE link to a x86 build of OLPC OS/Sugar?

    --

    coding is life /* the rest is */
  30. Sign of project failure by WrongMonkey · · Score: 1

    So they couldn't get 3 million orders, so they decided to go ahead with production anyway? That might sound like a good plan from a cheery-"We're going to save the world" point of view, but that would be a bad sign in any business situation. They've basically tested the market, found that there's not as much demand as expected and chugged ahead regardless. Along with the failure to meet the actual goal of a $100 laptop, this has all the earmarks of a sinking project.

    I'm surprised Microsoft wasn't involved because this is exactly what happened with the Zune and Vista.

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: the OLPC will end with a massive taxpayer bailout when congress is asked to spend $300 million on laptops that no one wants.

    1. Re:Sign of project failure by DragonWriter · · Score: 1

      I've said it before and I'll say it again: the OLPC will end with a massive taxpayer bailout when congress is asked to spend $300 million on laptops that no one wants.


      Why would Congress bail out either the asian manufacturer or the nonprofit? Congress' boondoggle bailouts are generally restricted to for-profit US firms.
  31. Education project by this+great+guy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You idiots honestly believe that some laptops and an internet connection will help them.

    Of course it will.
    Nicholas Negroponte: "It's an education project, not a laptop project."

    1. Re:Education project by TheSync · · Score: 1

      Nicholas Negroponte: "It's an education project, not a laptop project."

      If so, the OLPC should come with a e-textbook on economics, because that is what the developing world really needs to learn before it can fully utilize other knowledge.

  32. Communication by sssssss27 · · Score: 1

    It was my understanding that these laptops can form mesh networks so while they might not be able to connect to the Internet they can still connect to those around them. It is my opinion that the best way to bring about change is through communication. If you can unite people and allow information to flow freely then these people will be empowered.

  33. No duh. by mpapet · · Score: 1

    -Quanta wouldn't put up the **significant** investment required to get a production sample out the door.

    -Quanta doesn't control or otherwise have much influence with the component vendors.

    -No one is getting rich in a $200 unit.

    -Your premise suggests a massive cooperative effort the likes of which has never been seen in history. Unlikely :(

    --
    http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
    1. Re:No duh. by foo+fighter · · Score: 1

      -No one is getting rich in a $200 unit.

      What to know one way to become a millionaire?

      Sell for $2 a million loaves of bread that cost you $1 to manufacture.

      Here's another: Sell for $200 a million laptops that cost you $199 to manufacture.

      For the record, I still consider a $1 million net worth to be rich.

      --
      obviously no deficiencies vs. no obvious deficiencies
  34. Re:Will it... by lordtoran · · Score: 1

    Society's today seem to be fixated on how sex is bad for you. What are you talking about? Given that you don't live in some weird country in Northern America.
    --
    Want to hear the voice of GOD? cat /boot/vmlinuz > /dev/dsp
  35. get in early, volume, and low standards by r00t · · Score: 1

    Imperfections, like dead pixels, are OK.

    This is volume, big time. It stabilizes a company.

  36. how many will be sold? Merrill Lynch takes a guess by AaronZ · · Score: 1

    Merrill Lynch takes a look at the market potential (their forecast of less than 40 million units in 2010 is considerably less than the estimate of over 60 million by TRI) and then recommends some companies that stand to benefit. Here's a link to the report.

  37. A lesson in economics. by mosb1000 · · Score: 1

    Isn't is strange how the cost of 1GB of storage has has gone down orders of magnitude over the last decade, and yet a computer still costs about half of-what it did then? Sure, you can put more transistors on a piece of silicon, but it still costs the same to put all that silicon together into a computer and get that computer into someone's hands.

  38. OLPC in Uruguay by Acer500 · · Score: 1

    I'd like to point you out to the Uruguayan OLPC blog, http://olpc-ceibal.blogspot.com/ (English version), which has been keeping up with the developments in my country's project, which aims to give a laptop to every school-age kid, and has started with one of the 19 subdivisions - "departments" - in the country, with a trial already being ran.

    This was covered by Slashdot under the heading OLPC Project Rollout Begins In Uruguay: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/12/077205

    --
    There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
  39. If you are right... by StarKruzr · · Score: 1

    I suspect it's cultural, not "genetic."

    Want to give any more details?

    --

    +++ATH0
  40. BillyG, are you worried? by theolein · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If there is any one thing that will end Windows dominance amongst the teeming masses of people who don't live in developed countries and who, if they can afford it, usually run pirated versions of Microsoft software, then the OLPC is it. The machine looks like a wonderfully designed machine with some extremely practical features that make it useful in harsh environments where there is little power or infrastructure. It stands to very quickly make Windows a non consideration because the millions of pupils who use the OLPC will ask for siilar environments, and above all, the legal freedom to view and modify the source of the software they are using.

    People seem to think that all third world people are criminals who couldn't care whether the software they use is pirated or not. This is, in my experience, not the case. Most of them simply don't know. If, when the OLPC is used in classrooms, children are made aware of the fact that the software they are using is freely modifiable, then the chance of them looking for the same legal freedoms is much larger. The danger to Microsoft is that in the future, any attempt by Microsoft to buy favours in developing countries will be met by demands that their software provide source and be freely modifiable, something that Microsoft will not agree to.

    Given that any one of these countries where the OLPC is to be implemented could become a large developed country in the future, Microsoft should start worrying, and probably already has. The OLPC would even be an enormously practical machine for technicians and others in developed countries, where power saving is a premium due to enhanced energy costs.

  41. I'm waiting for the OLTRA... by Vintermann · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... the One Laptop To Rule them All

    --
    xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
    1. Re:I'm waiting for the OLTRA... by wild_berry · · Score: 1

      ...and with DNS h4x BIND them.

  42. Mexico and all African countries by tepples · · Score: 1

    Neither Mexico nor "Africa" is a third world country Mexico did not fight in the Cold War (WWIII); therefore, Mexico was in the Third World. No country on the African continent fought in the Cold War either.
  43. Re:Will it... by tehcyder · · Score: 1

    The first thing you do is look for porn, and once you've exhausted yourself, start learning to use the computer for other stuff.
    But the supply of pr0n is effectively inexhaustible.
    --
    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  44. There needs to be a commercial version of this by DrXym · · Score: 1
    People who just want a cheap laptop for the coffee shop / train / bus or plane would kill to own one of these things. Preload it with Linux, Openoffice, Firefox and a few other things and these things will sell like hotcakes.

    I really don't understand why they don't do it. Selling a consumer version would fund development of the educational version. It might also lessen demand for the educational ones. Bitfrost or not, you just know these things are going to be cropping up on eBay with frightening regularity.

    1. Re:There needs to be a commercial version of this by DrXym · · Score: 1

      It would be great if true. I'd be happy for the consumer version to be identical to the educational one, except maybe for having function keys and a not so garish colour. The whole appeal of the educational one is it's an extremely rugged, power sipping laptop that can be thrown into a bag or case without the hassle of a normal laptop and literally used anywhere.

  45. Re:Lisp as default coding language. by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

    Yeah, functional languages are good (at least, for some things -- one of which is introducing novices to programming). I wouldn't want to start kids off with Common LISP itself, though; they're better off with cleaner, simpler implementations such as Scheme or LOGO.

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz