UK To Offer PCs For £98, Subsidized Internet Connections

Sam writes "The UK government wants to offer low-cost computers as part of a 12-month trial during Race Online 2012. The scheme, which aims to reach out to the 9.2 million adults that are not yet online, 4 million of whom are considered socially and economically disadvantaged, aims to 'make the UK the first nation in the world where everyone can use the web.' Prices will start at £98 ($156.01) for a refurbished PC, with subsidized Internet connections available for as little as £9 ($14.33) a month or £18 ($28.65) for three months. The cheap computers will run open-source software (think Linux) and will include a flat-screen monitor, keyboard, mouse, dedicated telephone helpline, delivery, and even a warranty. The cheap Internet packages will use a mobile dongle to help people access the web."

Comments

Change that into windows

[toQDuj]

I fear the "open source software" will be very quickly replaced with "windows", just like what happened with the OLPC.

Nice idea but...

[hughbar]

I live in the East End of London and am already involved in this kind of approach, but on a small scale and informally. So I think it's a a pretty good approach to supply of the basics and a better way than just stripping down perfectly viable PCs.

But, the big but, is training and support. Here Linux [we're mainly Ubuntu and variants] is slightly better because it doesn't get trashed by viruses immediately and file permissions etc. make things easier to lock down. However, I've spent 7 years on/off training people and the web, email, looking for stuff, deciding whether to trust sites etc etc. is NOT intuitive and searching, especially, is a hard subject.

So, without training, many of these PC will be underused and languish, as so many provided under various schemes do now. We prefer drop-ins currently, they're more sociable and mean you can train/help several people at once and they can provide peer support and discovery. Also, the connections can be consolidated and needn't go through mobile networks.

Just my 2p [that's a pence, non-UK folk] on this.

Re:Nice idea but...

[TheRaven64]

What do you mean by "underused"? Not everyone has to be online every waking hour.

Example problem: The person needs to buy something.

Typical Slashdot reader solution: Go online, compare prices, find the cheapest, place an order.

Typical solution from someone in the target demographic: Go to local shops (possibly paying bus / or tube fare), look in a few shops, buy one, take it home.

End result: Slashdot reader pays somewhere between 10-50% less and has more free time.

The point of this is not that everyone should have Internet access because we think the Internet is cool, it's that being online can save you money. The number that they are quoting is an average annual saving of £537. But you only make that saving if you actually use the Internet. Just having access doesn't magically make you that much richer each year. Giving people computers and Internet access without the relevant training to go with them is just a waste of time.