OLPC's "Give 1 Get 1" Comes To Europe

Christoph Derndorfer writes "Last year OLPC's XO-laptop was among the hottest Christmas gadgets thanks to the organization's G1G1 program, where you could donate $399 to give one XO-laptop to a child in the developing world and receive one yourself in return. However in 2007 the program was only available for US and Canadian citizens. This year's program, which takes off November 17, is also available to citizens in the EU member states, Switzerland, Russia, and Turkey. This is certainly awesome news for all the OLPC / Linux / gadget enthusiasts here in Europe! P.S. Before anyone asks, these XOs will come equipped with the child-friendly Sugar platform, which is based on Fedora 9, and not Windows XP."

Comments

If and when I get a job...

[feyhunde]

If and when I get a Job after being laid off due to the bum economy I'll really think about this. It's a great program and I'd love to tinker with one.

Re:If and when I get a job...

[horatiocain]

Don't worry. The OLPC computer gives you the tools to overcome your low social class, enabling you to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and find myriad possibilities in today's globalized, technological market.

Yes with the OLPC's help it will only be a matter of time before the wealth from the world's top 1% trickles down to you! Then with the crumbs that drop from their mouths you can feed your family!

Honestly? This is funny to you? Here we have a project operating in the wealthiest nation on Earth which attempts to balance out the logarithmic income discrepancy between the first and third worlds, and you're reframing its ideal outcome - competing in a global information economy - as 'feasting on crumbs'? What the fuck is funny about this?

You're a sad person.

Re:If and when I get a job...

[mewshi_nya]

He was talking about the fact that this 'trickle-down' bullshit is completely bunk. And, frankly, we have bad enough income discrepancy in the first world. We need to fix our own problems - however, I have no problem with solving both concurrently.

How relevant is it now?

[glop]

Hi,

I don't mean to troll.
I am not sure how well the device has aged with all the new netbooks that are available.

A few features that remain unmatched:
  - screen that works in sunlight
  - ebook mode (although I can read a PDF on my EEE and it looks great)
  - more rugged than other computers
  - battery life (?)
  - hand crank (did they provide it this time?)
  - wifi mesh

Also, is there a guarantee that the OLPC you donate will not be running XP? I would not be too happy about sponsoring Microsoft...

I am not shopping this year but I am afraid I would not choose the OLPC. Maybe I would get it for my kid though, I wonder.

Re:How relevant is it now?

[LMacG]

If you're buying via the G1G1 program primarily to get yourself a new notebook, you're doing it wrong.

Re:How relevant is it now?

[blair1q]

No you aren't.

The G1 still goes to someone who doesn't has, and you still has G1.

That's exactly right, no matter why you wanted to G1.

Re:How relevant is it now?

[poot_rootbeer]

I am not sure how well the device has aged with all the new netbooks that are available.

The OLPC XO-1 is not and was never intended as a general-purpose netbook. Yes, it's possible to read Slashdot and play Doom and compile a Linux kernel on it, but that's only a side-effect. The hardware was specifically designed to be low-cost and geared towards primary-school-aged children.

- hand crank (did they provide it this time?)

In the developed world, a hand crank is even more a novelty than the XO-1 itself is.

It will come with an AC adapter suitable to mains power in your country; if you really truly need dynamo power, you can salvage one from an emergency radio.

- wifi mesh

Really only useful for collaborating with other OLPC users in your immediate vicinity.

I am not shopping this year but I am afraid I would not choose the OLPC. Maybe I would get it for my kid though, I wonder.

Now you're beginning to see things the way OLPC wants you to.

Re:How relevant is it now?

[schwaang]

I spent some time poking around in laptops.org to get more info, but that didn't lead to any collaboration. Anyone know where it might be documented?

I haven't tested collaboration myself, but here's what looks like documentation. And here's a link that describes how a Jabber server is used to enable collaboration without using the mesh. I believe that by pointing to a particular server anywhere on the net, you can collaborate with anyone else on that server. Here's a blog post showing how to point sugar at a jabber server. I think you can also configure a server within the recent sugar control panel versions.

OTOH, we were impressed by how much better the OLPCs used any nearby wifi access points than any of our "grownups'" computers.

Same here. My XO always sees more APs than my standard notebook, I think it's those cute "ears" which are the antennae. I don't think it's the firmware/software.

And on the third hand, I wish we could figure out how to use the OLPC's browser's bookmarks and history.

Among the improvements since the first G1G1, OLPC now includes Firefox 3 in the G1G1 activity set for Release 8.2, and it works pretty well. I don't use the non-FF browser anymore myself for the reasons you mention.

Ah

[WindBourne]

so when they want our money, then it is Linux configured. Otherwise, they take MS. Hmmmm. Thanx, but no thanx. Besides, it is the west that is hurting bad.

Anybody still care?

[Anonymous Coward]

G1G1 was great when people thought they were helping a non-profit promote free software and open hardware throughout the world. Now that that dream is over and OLPC is primarily promoting MS, who cares about OLPC?

Too little, too late

[Anonymous Coward]

Great. One year after the US and Canada, we in Europe should be pleased to be elegible for a program that was a flop in the US, at a moment when the hardware was up to date.
Now OLPC wants us to get hyped for a piece of hardware that has become old and irrelevant, just because they couldn't include us at the moment when the offer would have been interesting because it consisted of some relevant hardware?

Sorry, for me it's again 'too little, too late'. If the OLPC would have included us last year, I would have gladly donated, but I'm sick of being percieved as a second-class citizen that only matters when there are problems to be solved.

Re:100 $ laptop

[Anonymous Coward]

To make the OLPC laptop possible, they had to get help from big manufacturers. These manufacturers probably made it a condition that the market in high income countries won't be ruined by extremely cheap laptops. So you can get one of these laptops, but only if you pay a first world price for it. It doesn't matter that they have to build two for that price, as long as you pay the higher price and only get one.

Re:Child friendly

[Anonymous Coward]

The greater majority of teens and adults.

Re:Google is your friend!

[esampson]

Neither are Russia or Switzerland. That's why the list says 'EU members states, Switzerland, Russia, and Turkey' instead of 'EU member states; Switzerland, Russia, and Turkey'. :)

Re:100 $ laptop

[Brain_Recall]

One of the big concerns is the inability to provide large-scale support (hardware warranty, returns, software mishaps). The average-Joe would expect this, as a lot of them did even with the G1G1 program. Support for new schools usually came from people who were trained by the OLPC staff, and who continued support after the staff had left. It would be a logistical nightmare to try to provide support to thousands of people all over the country, something this non-profit didn't want to get involved with.