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David Pogue Reviews the XO Laptop
Maximum Prophet writes "David Pogue, technology reviewer at the New York Times, has taken a first-hand look at the XO laptop, also known as the 'One Laptop Per Child' project, or the '$100 Laptop'. His reaction is very favorable, having tested it out via several criteria. And ultimately, he writes, the laptop is about more than just technology for the people. 'The biggest obstacle to the XO's success is not technology -- it's already a wonder -- but fear. Overseas ministers of education fear that changing the status quo might risk their jobs. Big-name computer makers fear that the XO will steal away an overlooked two-billion-person market. Critics fear that the poorest countries need food, malaria protection and clean water far more than computers. But the XO deserves to overcome those fears. Despite all the obstacles and doubters, O.L.P.C. has come up with a laptop that's tough and simple enough for hot, humid, dusty locales; cool enough to keep young minds engaged, both at school and at home; and open, flexible and collaborative enough to support a million different teaching and learning styles.'"
...welcome our new laptop using child hacker overlords.
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" -Alfred North Whitehead
What these well-meaning folks never seem to consider is that not all these kids are going to use their laptops for education and nice stuff like that. A third-world kid, given the internet might well decide to use it for things like scams (especially when he is exposed to the vast wealth of the first-world) and, of course, porn.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
"Pogue" is the spelling.
If you take a path no-one has taken before, you're basically risking your reputation (and I guess in the countries in question your life as well) on something that isn't proven to work. Or, in the case of Windows, isn't proven to sort of work.
The real question becomes, then, how afraid are you? Innovation always involves fear. But it involves ridiculous rewards when you're right.
When you consider that the course of action in question involves the betterment of an entire generation of children, and quite possibly their children as well, you can't be faulted for at least trying something new. Even something untested, because face it, your old and busted way isn't working very well.
What is is all that is. Isn't that obvious?
Maybe they should even sell a proper commercial OLPC (in black perhaps) to consumers expressly for this purpose. Use the profits to subsidize the educational version.
In all seriousness, though, the OLPC comes with OpenOffice and Gimp, which seem like fine alternatives to me for a bunch of African kids getting the laptop for free.
How can you "steal away" something that is being overlooked?
It sounds like they may be defining a new marketspace that others will be free to join and compete in.
...and let lose the dogs of war!
After all, children do not stop needing cool, rugged laptops just because they have clean water and no malaria. Many US families are by no means reach and those pedal/crank/cord charging schemes would come very handy on scout trips. It's a bonus that the laptops will not run most viruses or "mature" 3D games. A modest market at somewhat higher price in US will lower costs through mass production as well as directly subsidize free - not even $100 - laptops for truly poor countries.
The fact that the OLPCs are not offered in US toy stores even before pushing them abroad makes me suspect that they are seriously underpowered machines without much available software and are not as fun and cool as the project leaders would have us think.
What does this have to do with tits/ boobs, exactly?
FTFA: "The laptop is now called the XO, because if you turn the logo 90 degrees, it looks like a child."
90 degrees in which direction? If you turn it the other way it looks like a skull and crossbones.
I read Slashdot for the headlines, because the headlines, unlike the articles, are usually original and never duplicated
And porn is a bad thing because...?
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
Despite some of my reservations (some of them in common with Pogue) I really hope that this "little laptop that could" becomes widely adopted. If it is, it will be game changing on so many levels. It is so much more than a teaching tool. Not only will it redefine who gets to participate in the market of ideas, it will change the pricing for laptop prices across the board. Perhaps even quicken the convergence between cell phones, PDAs, laptops, and other media centers. The little device is just wicked cool.
However, there are some darker sides to it. Online addiction is epidemic in China. Also, if the OLPC is actually successful, some suggest that their owners would man a CAPTCHA solving army.
In the end, I think these risks are worth the benefits. And wide adoption is the least of the project's worries. It seems as if adoption is taking off a little too slowly.
A rather thin article to be sure, but this machine does offer something appealing - less of everything.
More and more, after years of Windows, then a Mac, then dabbling with various Linux distros, I find myself questioning just how much of the junk on my computers is essential or even useful.
Less moving parts, simpler and fewer applications, and limited capabilities, all sound like positives, not negatives, if only because it could slow the endless stream of updates and fixes, each of which seems to introduce other problems.
I can see an OLPC machine as really good daily machine for e-mail, browsing, and some everyday tasks like word processing, at least with a bigger hard drive. With the option of maintaining a desktop PC, even a generation older, to handle the heavy lifting of Adobe and similar tools, I could probably get by nicely with this little unit.
Three Squirrels
Yes, in fact an ideal "change the world" computer should come with a complete schematics. Local tech industry can then get off the ground by manufacturing clones costing way less than $100 and eventually making more powerful versions for adults and even businesses.
FTFA:
The laptop is now called the XO, because if you turn the logo 90 degrees, it looks like a child.
It looks more like the symbol on poison labels and pirate ships, if you ask me.
I have found there are just two ways to go.
It all comes down to livin' fast or dyin' slow. -REK, Jr.
Critics fear that the poorest countries need food, malaria protection and clean water far more than computers.
'Cause there's no way that you could possibly use one of these things to learn about sustainable agriculture, malaria prevention, or safe drinking water, right?
than my Osborne I.
Oh- wait, Adam Osborne was from Thailand.....
---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
Nah, an ideal "change the world" computer should come with self-replicating nanoassemblers so it can then produce more copies of itself from garbage as well as provide food, shelter, electricity generation and anything else the user might need.
Sounds too good to be true. Hope I'm wrong...
virtually all ham radios, even the new ones with the tiny pitch SMT soldered components, come with schematics. I'm on a mailing list for the Yaesu FT-817and people have broken it open to swap out resistors to improve performance. Ham radio operators complain that nowadays we are just 'appliance operators': computer users haven't been experimentalists/hobbyists for the most part for 20+ years, although a few still do tinker. I wonder if it will come full circle someday and computers will be more of a hobbyist build, with schematics and more possibilities.
The skull and crossbones is the child. See the website.
How is any local tech industry going to manufacture clones for less? As Negroponte has pointed out, assembly costs for the XO are only ~$1 per machine. They'd need to import all the individual components, anyway.
A post a day keeps productivity at bay.
If the dollar continues its current trend then it will be even more affordable, maybe the project will be renamed to NLPC!
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
And if you turn it the other way, it looks like an O with an X on its head.
:)
Or maybe John Madden was trying out as spokesman and had too much fun with the telestrator
I'm still trying to figure out what social ill these things are supposed to cure. I won't perpetuate the popular stereotype of straw huts and rampant starvation and disease, but I don't buy into this assumption that African progress is being hindered by a lack of cheap computers, of all things.
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
The XO is a way for teachers to stay in touch with illiterate parents. The XO is textbooks that won't be burnt for heat. The XO is exposure to the same kind of ability to learn valuable skills that first-world children have been enjoying for decades. The XO is, in short, a chance at a better future.
My five year old Palm has become unreliable, and i'm replacing it. I've purchased a Nokia 770. It was about $150, but there were deals as low as $130. It's on closeout - the 800 is out. That's something like $100. It runs Linux. It's not a laptop. It's more shirt pocket form factor.
It comes with a video player, audio player, web browser (it does WiFi, BlueTooth, and USB), email, chat, PDF reader, wordpad (HTML instead of RTF), games like chess, mahjong. There are a bunch of apps that can be downloaded for free, so, presumably, it could be distributed with a good collection.
OK, so there's no keyboard. There's a microphone, but no voice recognition. But that's just a matter of software, right?
More serious is that there does not appear to be a word processor. You can deconvolve Word and read it...
Anyway, with some serious software porting, this device could really kick.
64 MB RAM, 128 MB flash onboard. A slot comes with a 64 MB flash card. I've got a 2 GB flash on order...
You might say that it isn't a laptop. But for me, it is. I intend to use it as i used my old laptop.
-- Stephen.
Price has been nearly constant in Euros since the project was conceived :-)
"the OLPC comes with OpenOffice and Gimp" No, it doesn't. They both fall into the "bloated" software category, and they would run really poorly on the device (possibly the GIMP, for sure openoffice.org.
I can't help but being reminded of this guy. I think this is a strong enabling sign for children -- he represents a symbol of someone who doesn't need to take crap from scrawny weaklings like you people.
Okay. Seen reviews of the software, the hardware and the man behind the project. I'll pay 300-400 dollars for one Right The Hell Now. So where do I get one?
Triv
Maybe *you* should leave your air-conditioned apartment in Leblon or Morumbi and learn first-hand what poor people really need.
I'm happy to see this getting off the ground, finally. And I'm happy to see a limited US run. I hope many of the well-to-do schools decide to sponsor a Third-World school and do some fundraising to that end. I mean, seriously, Little Suzy can raise thousands of dollars so her Girl Scout group can go to Disneyland... I'm sure at least a few benevolent people will try to do something a little more valuable to the world.
And to all the damn naysayers out there... Information is Power. Even a little bit helps a lot. Even one laptop and a little bit of internet in a village will help that village learn, will help them find answers to their problems, and will help them communicate with the outside world. Things like the solar panel add-on and the pull-cord power generator are just plain smart, and the Mesh network is also a great idea. I hope this takes off enough for someone to develop a simple cell-network-based dish assembly (with solar power and pull-cord generator) to provide internet access. Sure, it may be dial-up slow, but who cares? For many of these people, this may be the first real exposure they have to technology, and the first real chance to experience something outside of their little slice of the world.
Plus, now there's a chance for better learning, even for those who don't have net access. There's always relief orgs and missionaries crisscrossing the continent. Now, instead of having to carry piles of books... bring a pack of memory cards loaded with some useful books and teaching materials. It's a whole new chance for people to learn a whole new world. And whether it sells millions or just thousands, it doesn't matter. At least a few people will benefit, at least some parts of the world will change for the better. Everyone whining about the specs or the market or the "I can buy a better Compaq" is missing the point entirely.
I only wish I had $400,000,000, and the extra $$ to distribute these to the neediest sections of the world and train everyone up on it. That, unlike Disneyland, or Save the Dolphins, or Sweet-16 breast implants, really is a way to chance the world.
And on a seperate note... I hope they do take off a bit in the US. It'd be nice to see schoolkids with a platform like this for collaboration and learning. With the low cost, robust construction, and targeted software, it'd be a great way for kids to learn about computers without sitting in front of a quad core p4 playing a stupid Flash game while secretly browsing Victorias Secret in the background.
If I knew the wedgies I gave you back in 6th grade would have resulted in this . . . I might have taken a moments pause.
The reason for giving these to people in 3rd world countries is to allow access to information. Information that can help them improve their lot. Educated societies are needed to have continuous and reliable infrastructure.
"No where on the lists is the fastest Comcast download speed, a cool car, or any of the other techno-pushed bullshit that people think is important."
oh really?
Lets see:
Being online allows one to communicate with LOVED one. -- Love
It gives a person options to improve you FAMILIES lives. -- Security
It allow you to educate yourself -- Learning
Can be used to pool resource of food -- eating
Can be used to find out what your government is doing, tell you what water sources are bad -- Long term safety.
By helping you improve you, and your families lives improves gratification.
You think you thinking is about some enlightened state, but really you just lack imagination.
Online reputation is meaningless. It's to easy to mess with. Astro-turfing being the most blatant example. The only reputation that matters is the same as always: How they treated you, or people you trust.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
There will be plenty of takers for the foreseeable future. The program caters to peoples vanity, allowing the giver to flaunt their generosity. Nothing appeals more to the western world than gadgets and vanity, and if our obsessions can fuel third world education, then that would be the best thing since sliced bread.
Governments could also benefits from a relatively low-cost rugged PC. Try to get a reasonably equipped, rugged piece of hardware for $400. You can't.
However, the laptops for sale should be of a different colour, for instance red. This would alleviate one of the biggest concerns of the program --- that stolen green laptops became a major source of revenue to corrupt government officials, or to parents who found a few dollars more tempting than their child's education. The goods will eventually end up in the hand of westerners who act like Santa Claus but are actually stealing from the kids --- a disturbing thought.
Selling the standard green laptop is a gigantic mistake. By all means keep the production line the same, but please change (at least) the colour of the enclosure for the resale variant. Help keep the green XO in the hands of its intended users.
-- Fortes Fortuna Adjuvat --
Pogue brings up the point of using the device as an eBook reader. I think this would be a great idea. It beats the likely DRM enabled Sony readers that are to arrive on the market.
The screen looks big enough to read a lot of text, turn the display to B&W, buy cheap batteries, run with a solar panel, and by buying one are helping children in a developing country.
BTW - if you find the NYT video slow, its on YouTube as well.
"...one keystroke reveals the underlying code of almost any XO program or any Web page. Students can not only study how their favorite programs have been written, but even experiment by making changes. (If they make a mess of things, they can restore the original.)"
This makes these things the coolest thing ever! Every application is fully customizable. That's software freedom at it's most beautiful.
I'm well aware of that, but read the quote from TFA.
But I live in Brazil, one of the mains backers of this project, at least vocally. And I know that many kids here could benefit from these computers. But I am sure that this money could be spent elsewhere, because even in this country, which has in general better living standards than many others, there are still a lot of desperate people. People that don't have enough to eat. Millions of people still don't have access to clean water and basic sanitation. I say they should be a priority.
This project is a blessing for corrupt politicians, and we have plenty of them here. They will hand them thinking only in their electoral benefits. They will not care if the laptops will be taken care of, whether there will be proper maintenance or if the kids will be subject to robberies because of the computers. They won't lose a minute of their time wondering if teachers are prepared to deal with computers in the classroom.
I am all for technology, and I do believe they can be of great help to a student. But I believe first that everyone should live in humane conditions, and that the money that's somehow left from corruption should be spent *very* wisely.
The problem with that is, for some children, the $150 they can get from it would be worth more then the computer. For example if you can use that $150 to buy food or medicine or other needs. I'm all for this project (The more Linux users the better) but if your trying to stop them from reselling them, it has the same effects of the RIAA/MPAA trying to stop you from reselling music/movies. It should be the children's property, not the government's, if they want to sell it to us westerners fine, if they want to use it like they intended let the do that.
There is no "disagree" moderation, and troll, flamebait and overrated are not valid substitutes
'1st start' computer for 100 bucks. Make them bright black, yellow, pink, or purple.
Once the kids friends realize how much power they will have, they all will want one. By the time the parents realize what's up it will be to late.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
"There are also three programming environments of different degrees of sophistication. Incredibly, one keystroke reveals the underlying code of almost any XO program or any Web page. Students can not only study how their favorite programs have been written, but even experiment by making changes. (If they make a mess of things, they can restore the original.)" OK, you were asking for open hardware, but still I think that is pretty amazing.
Argh!
[thud]
I'll be picking up at least one of these machines -- well, two, since if I buy one for $400, they send another one to a kid somewhere who needs it.
I hope the distribution isn't limited to third-world countries; there are some poor areas right here in the U.S. that could use these machines. Certain Indian reservations come to mind...
I need a computer with decent outdoor screen and great battery life, one that's cheap enough I can afford to let it sink into a swamp without diving in and fighting the alligators and leeches for it (I do wildlife research in Florida). This machine may be just the ticket.
All about me
A complete schematic probably wouldn't help much. There isn't much mystery any more in putting together a computer. The challenge is in the layout -- placing high-speed narrow-pitch bus lines, etc. Heck, given a week or so I can research data sheets and put together a schematic for an ARM-based machine with PS/2 for input, LCD for display, and USB/IDE for storage. Slap Linux on it and there you go.
> At the risk of getting flames from a tech-oriented /. crowd,
> I still don't agree or possibly don't fully understand the
> mentality behind a push to get laptops into the hands of
> children in poor countries. I see it as folly, and missing
> the point of what people really want.
Coming from someone who owns a laptop?
--Richard
Who cares about dedicated eBook readers. Any PDA does as good a job, and you're not locked in to DRMed formats.
I really love the mesh network concept. That should be in the big three operating systems already. Hopefully this will spur the adaptation of this concept to the big operating systems. I can see huge uses for it, from collaborative projects to gaming and of course education.
Realists fear the majority of them will end up on eBay.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
So I suppose that means we can't afford to have this effort go too well. I mean, if the smug gets any thicker in America, we may soon be unable to see through it! (this is a SouthPark reference, of course)
So Pogue isn't complaining about the XO not being an Apple product?
It was given to the children to enable them to learn. Same thing as with text books.
If you asked a seven year old on a rainy Monday morning if he would rather have his text books, or the $200 (or equivalent in candy) that the text books cost, then the kid will take the candy, 9 out of 10.
So according to your reasoning, we should give all kids the choice of money/candy or textbooks/schooling, and make it really easy for kids or corrupt government to translate their XO's into cash? Is this what you meant?
-- Fortes Fortuna Adjuvat --
To cure the world of poor living standards you have to first start with education. If you don't start with education your country will be full of useless idiot beggars depending on the handouts of a government.
The XO is a step in the right direction to improve education by providing the ability to make available vast amounts of information to students that normally wouldn't have the opportunity because of their birth location.
Because they might try to act on their beliefs, that's why.
Are you adequate?
Actually that wasn't what I said...
1. These are Third World Countries its not America or Europe, these children don't have the choice between staying at home watching TV for a day or going to school, its either go to school or go to work in many times unsanitary conditions for substandard wages, however though if its between going to school or feeding yourself for a few months because your parents are dying from *insert sickness here* and the cure is either not invented (like AIDS) or expensive (Malaria) to cure.
2. If your starving/sick/dehydrated it doesn't matter if you have perfect attendance to school if in a year if you don't have the money your going to die.
3. Yes it should be easy for the kids to change their laptops to cash if thats what they are going to need to survive, as for the governments thats why they should be handed out by third parties independent of governments.
I fully support the project but to say that the children should have a laptop rather then food/clean water/medicine is totally outrageous. Im not advacating that these children should sell the laptops, but I would rather them do that then die.
There is no "disagree" moderation, and troll, flamebait and overrated are not valid substitutes
Control+Space to view source code of whatever you're using... Darn do I wish I had that when I was learning to use computers and program.
If there's anyone I hate more than stupid people, it's intellectuals.
The laptop is now called the XO, because if you turn the logo 90 degrees, it looks like a child.
And with no rotation whatsoever XO looks like the emoticon for Cartman. Makes a perfect reaction to XP.
---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
In case they have little or no access to the internet, pehaps it's a good idea to offer a local condensed copy of Wikipedia, perhaps with an emphasis on science, math, agriculture and technology?
Why OpalCalc is the best Windows calc
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
I've seen a lot of arguments to this effect, and I have yet to be convinced that this program will make any sort of real difference in people's lives. I certainly know that if I suddenly found myself short on money, and forced to eke out a meager existence, I wouldn't give a computer a moment's thought, except that maybe I could sell it to someone, and buy food with it. A desire to help people in need is extremely admirable, but I think the methodology is nothing short of idiotic and useless, and will not produce any real results.
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
</dripping sarcasm>
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
Equally off topic:
I'm kind of partial to, "I think so Brain, but where are we going to find a duck and a rubber hose at this hour?"
Nothing to see here
Ever hear of multitasking? You can feed starving people while giving them an education.
Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further development.-- Frontinus, 1st cent. AD
At the risk of getting flames from a tech-oriented /. crowd, I still don't agree or possibly don't fully understand the mentality behind a push to get laptops into the hands of children in poor countries. I see it as folly, and missing the point of what people really want.
:) ), ebola or even foot
and mouth disease.
Whatever the case, with this thing the future looks bright - hopefully, our civilization could get a few thousand great scientists more a year in ten to twenty years (considering African birth rate and assuming less baby, children and adult deaths due to less stupidity, STDs and wars).
No need to flame, just listen to an explanation - what if those laptops came with a tiny version of wikipedia? Math, physics, engineering, agriculture texts and some instructional videos. Maybe some chemistry and biology. Perhaps they even start some knowledge oriented communities. Using that they can get to know about their surroundings and after some time even innovate. They could use our tech to set up their environment for a more comfortable and pro-intellectual atmosphere.
Who knows, maybe somebody out there gets to start a herbal-oriented medicine wiki and we get some use of it. If that's the case, it's worth it. Who knows what _WE_ are missing by not doing this ten years ago. Cure for cancer, cure for baldness (ha, got your attention there, have I?
It is always better to be a first grade version of yourself than a second grade version of someone else.
... fear that their scams will be outsource to Congolese child labor.
Critics fear that the poorest countries need food, malaria protection and clean water far more than computers.
"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." Or teach him to phish and he'll buy a mansion and a couple of Ferraris.
But seriously, this is a fatuous statement at best, and downright offensive otherwise. Look at what happens when you give these people cellphones and PDA's? How PDA's Are Saving Lives in Africa
Imagine what they can do with computers that not only have some serious processing power, but have multiple interfaces? WiFi, keyboard, mouse, screen and more? Now those PDA's and cellphones can get data from the XO Laptop in their home, send it along the cell network to whomever.
Right now, the farmers can take pictures of the bugs eating their crops with a PDA or cellphone and send that image to a research facility for the best advice on how to counter the pests. With the XO, they can download a small library of insect pests common to their region and find it themselves, along with the necessary advice.
THEN they put it out on the XO Net and the PDA/cell network, where it's sent to ALL the farmers in the region. "Look out! Locusts spotted in our village, heading east!"
Suddenly, farmers and villages can take a proactive approach to their lives.
Or howabout this?
"Look out! Soldiers coming from Darfur! Everyone get out, we'll rendezvous at the well and head south!"
Don't underestimate these people. They may need food, but these devices will help them get their OWN food.
[End Of Line]
Hopefully, trying out XO will involve a few dozen pilot projects in different countries. Given what studies have shown in the U.S. about the value of computers to education, I expect the pilot projects to show that the laptops would be a tremendous waste of money .
Unlike the US in which every child can be issued textbooks, which constantly need to be updated and corrected, the Third World can't always afford new books for all kids. Using broadband text on a laptop can easily and quickly be both updated and corrected. One NGO in Africa is setting just such a project, they setup satellite dishes so current e-text can be used in schools.
Also though I don't know if XO is doing it or plans to but if local manufactures are used to build these laptops they can create jobs locally.
FalconShould there be a Law?
The durability and the low power consumption make this very interesting to me. If I can plug my phone into it via a USB port it could be a great connectivity solution while camping. (Festival-type campground camping in rural but not backwoods areas, where I can still get a cell signal, and be reachable in case of a work emergency. Backwoods camping is a different beast, if I'm going to the woods I am gone and don't expect to reach me.)
When in the backwoods hiking I want to be able to upload my photos, so what I'd like is a laptop with wireless broadband where the signal can travel hundreds of miles. And the weight doesn't matter as much to me as it seems to matter to others. The way I look at it is that if I can't backpack with 50 lbs now when I used to backpack with 100 lbs I'm in real bad shape.
FalconShould there be a Law?
Look -- I'm familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, but to effectively claim that anyone who's economically worse off than you are is somehow incapable of thinking about their family's long-term best interests is astoundingly condescending.
But I live in Brazil, one of the mains backers of this project, at least vocally. And I know that many kids here could benefit from these computers. But I am sure that this money could be spent elsewhere, because even in this country, which has in general better living standards than many others, there are still a lot of desperate people. People that don't have enough to eat. Millions of people still don't have access to clean water and basic sanitation. I say they should be a priority.
Further up the thread I mentioned how Brazil was one of the supporter of the OLPC and made a suggestion. If the OLPC were to have the XOs made as close to where they are used it could produce another benefit. In Brazil for instance if the laptops were made in Brazil this would create jobs. Even better is to make them even closer, such as in the favelas of Rio for the schools of Rio. Then some workers could take their skills and apply them to building computers for business and home users. Others might learn programming thus learn to program for businesses. The creation of new jobs would boost the economy creating more jobs. With more people working there's more incentive for people to also farm and grow food for those workers, while also creating more opportunities in construction. Each job created can create more jobs.
FalconShould there be a Law?
I never claimed such a thing, you're putting words in my mouth. I claim that if your present-day needs fill enough of your time, future needs are rendered rather irrelevant, unless you're an exceptionally forward-thinking individual. It doesn't matter, after all, if your children get a good education if they starve.
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
These are not "laptops" or "computers". They are educational aids to help children learn different subjects in an interactive and interesting manner. The main objectives are
a) To make education fun and interesting so children will stay in school.
b) Make distribution of new educational material easy and reduce the number of books and text books needed.
c) Help the next generation stay connected with the world, where possible.
That it runs an operating system based on linux, has RAM or HDD or any technical stuff is irrelevant to the school child. A school child will be more than happy to call one of these their own and it will generate interest in education and learning. That is the goal.
O this learning! What a thing it is - William Shakespeare
xD
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
You never realize how small these machines are until you see one next to an everyday-kind-of-laptop:
http://flickr.com/photos/barl0w/1101266148/
The keyboard reminds me of the first computer my dad and I soldered together
Other things help to, e.g., microcredit programs have been shown to be a big boon to economic development and provide opportunities to develop business skills to tackle bigger challenges
Yea, the economist Dr. Yunus founder of the Grameen Bank, a microcredit bank, won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on providing microcredit to the poor and showing it can improve people's lives. Combining the XO and microcredit may have a tremendous effect. Even farmers can see an improvement, one problem rural people have in the Third World is they don't know what resources they have or how much they can make from it. For instance whereas on the world market a coyote, trader, may only pay a farmer a penny per pound of coffee and the farmer not knowing coffee is being traded for a dollar per pound will accept the penny. But knowing how much coffee trades for the farmer can ask for a fairer price for his coffee. In India I heard of a program where instead of relying on traders, whether good or coyote, a farmer can list his produce on a trading site in the web and get an even better price.
FalconShould there be a Law?
It should be the children's property, not the government's,
No, the XO is the property of whoever paid for it. I bet when you got your text books in school up through high school the books were issued to you and you had to return them. The same thing should be with these laptops.
FalconShould there be a Law?
I hope the distribution isn't limited to third-world countries; there are some poor areas right here in the U.S. that could use these machines. Certain Indian reservations come to mind...
Like the Rosebud reservation in the Blackhills, in 2003 it's unemployment was 85%. Or "Fort Mojave Indian Reservation along the California-Arizona-Nevada border, the unemployment rate climbed from 27.2 percent in 1991 to 74.2 percent in 1997."
I need a computer with decent outdoor screen and great battery life, one that's cheap enough I can afford to let it sink into a swamp without diving in and fighting the alligators and leeches for it (I do wildlife research in Florida). This machine may be just the ticket.
Na, go ahead and wrestle those gators, then cook yourself some gator tail. For some extras go to Hog Valley for some wild boor.
FalconShould there be a Law?
Then give a rational reason why you would think that. It's difficult to think of any other than callousness or arrogance. Of course it will achieve some things. Will it save the world, no? But claiming it will achieve NOTHING is beyond absurd and implies you have an ulterior motive.
... and then they built the supercollider.
And with no rotation whatsoever XO looks like the emoticon for Cartman. Makes a perfect reaction to XP.
But, but XO XP; should have made it XQ
Me lost me cookie at the disco.
No. Do not dismiss this comment. It is enormously valid.
Having spent time in the developing world, I feel this same sentiment intensely.
The notion that access to free information (and access to electronic document creation/manipulation) is some sort of key to prosperity may be well intentioned, but ultimately "rich and clueless" in many ways.
The solution to poverty is not available on the Internet. Nor are (contrary to the beliefs of rich white kids) political communication, journalistic freedoms and unfettered expression guaranteed by the Internet. Just ask the billion-plus population of China who can't Google "Democracy".
What would help much more than a free laptop, is political pressure on regimes that repress their own populations. The reality is that the United States and Europe (Both) actively support despotic regimes that not only practice horrific violations of human rights but everyday repression of their populations.
The OLPC program is well intentioned -- and may do some good (we all hope). But the unspoken reality is that the 'power' of a laptop is greater in the West than it is elsewhere in the world. If we are, as a people, truly interested in affecting change in the less-free parts of the globe, there are far more effective ways to create change than giving away electronics.
That having been said: There are an infinite number of things that need to be done. This isn't a bad program. In fact it's a nice one. It's just not going to be terribly effective at reaching the ultimate political and social goals that it has set for itself.
------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
You are very welcome to form your own group devoting millions of dollars of effort to improving the living standards of poor children in your own way if you like to.
As it stands, you are just a whiner who hasn't done anything, complaining about those who are doing something,
How do people like you miss the umpteen million posts in response to every Slashdot story about the OLPC project that point out that these are being targeted at poor students who are not starving and dying, but who need better educational opportunities? Don't you read ANYTHING that anyone says in response to these articles? I've only skimmed through responses on several occasions and I've already been reminded many times that arguments like yours are completely specious. Not to mention that the OLPC project's web site addresses your question already, so RTFA already.
I think worrying about proprietary, undocumented hardware and a knowledge of boobs are mutually exclusive.
echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
David Pogue is probably the most overrated and underinformed writer. He has lost all credulity for his inane opinions foisted upon us by his employers.
Don't be apathetic. Procrastinate!
It's like offering a $5,000 car, now only $20,000. ($10,000 if you are outside the US and Europe).
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
I agree
There are large areas of Brazil that are effectivly deserts with very little clean water for most of the year where 25% of kids die before they are 5.
Of course come election time politicians buy votes with water tankers - which vanish after the elections. Sort that out first OXFAM are doing a project to build storage tanks so villages can save the water in the rainy season $100 would be far better spent on projects like this.
You will never get to heaven with an Ak 47... But A Zu 30 is good for Low Flying Cherubim
While I agree in spirit, I believe Negroponte has addressed this issue. The basic problem is that you can't jumpstart an informatics industry this way.
Sure, you can assemble the things in country, but most of the value comes from the huge investements overseas producers have in facilities to churn out commodity items like RAM. The amount of value you can add in your country is tiny, maybe a boon to some local injection modling outfits, but not something that will make your country into the next India. And if you ARE India, you're local informatics industry runs more on the availability of educated people, cheap; a project like this is not going to make a national difference.
There are downsides to local production too. The machines will arrive later, for more cost, since the value differential in question is infintessimal but the size of production is much larger. Also, to be frank, many countries who need this suffer from crony capitalism, and money will be siphoned off to the politically connected.
I really think the "Buy 2 get 1" deal is a brilliant idea, because it allows the project to target, not relatively affluent government with a poverty problem (like Brazil), but cuts out the middleman and goes straight to the poor.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
You're so used to conventional desktop PCs that you can't see the wood for the trees.
This isn't a "computer", it's a telephone-textbook-notepad.
If somebody said they were giving mobile phones with unlimited calling to third world countries you'd think it was a good idea - communication is good!
If somebody said they were giving radio-driven ebooks to the third world you'd think it was good.
If somebody said they'd be giving children home terminals connected to the school you'd think it was good.
The XO is all of this, and more.
What is ISN'T is a Windows/Linux laptop - and that's a good thing, but don't expect any magazine reviewers to be able to look at through the eyes of a third world child.
No sig today...
Don't get me wrong. I'm all in favor of addressing the digital divide, but the history of these things hasn't been stellar to say the least. The last time they tried this, they found out that all the kids were doing was surfing pr0n. I'm sure that's well worth spending money on - making sure that every elementary school kid world over can get their fair share of beaver shots.
/. The hardware isn't an issue. The software obviously is.
In fact, I'm pretty sure that the story about it appeared on
2 cents,
QueenB.
HDGary secures my bank
Let's see what happens, for buddha's sake. So some people see some porn, whoopi. We seem to be doing fine in America with the sea of porn we have. The fact is, we don't have any idea of what's really going to happen. I sure do like the idea that we are giving people all of information of the world at their finger tips in ways they would never be able to without it.
Dear Mr. Anonymous Coward, That sort of statement, while also theoretically correct, does not really follow the meaning of the device. In reality, it is not designed to compete, it is designed to be sent to a region without actual resources. As a matter of fact, I think that with very few modifications (XO-plus?)[larger device, bigger keyboard, more memory/flashdisk space, and maybe a slightly faster proc.] it could compete as a low-end, easy, indestructible notebook computer (if it were done right, they might become big in government, since Lenovo is considered taboo currently...). Altogether, I think this is what was needed for the market.