[OS:N:] Re: OLPC

On Mon, Jan 07, 2008 12:00:53 PM -0500, Paul Swider ([email protected]) wrote:

> I've been on the list for several years and am glad it's still hear
>  because maybe whoever is left can help me with a new problem. I'm
>  now in journalism and working on a story about the OLPC and its
>  effects. I'm curious, from the standpoint of both hardware and
>  software, what people see has or think will happen to the industry
>  as a result of this device.

Personally, I believe that:

the whole idea that using computers in basic education is overrated,
and it is badly implemented most of times anyway, just because it's
trendy. In this sense, I don't honestly feel the need for the OLPC or
anything similar to be distributed and used in the same way (1)

I am also concerned about the environmental impact of sending all
these electronics to countries which can't manage them, and I'm not
the only one (2)

the OLPC, the ASUS EEE and similar devices are a very good thing from
the technical point of view, in the sense that the related
technological fall-out will hopefully make small, very energy
efficient computers much cheaper and easier to buy

(1) http://digifreedom.net/node/48
(2) see http://www.olpcnews.com/prototypes/olpc/one_environmental_laptop.html
    which I linked from http://digifreedom.net/node/81

>  Will we see more sw development for this machine/OS/GUI?

hopefully, they will make really efficient but user friendly Linux
desktops easier to put together and use even in NORMAL, refurbished
computers. The current alternatives, eg damnsmalllinux, are pretty
useless as desktop or internet terminals for non-techies.

And cool school related projects like LTSP12 have little value when
_all_ the computers the school can afford are old machines, none of
which powerful enough to serve the others. But if the distro on the
OLPC could be easily put on the same computers, it would be great.
  
In a nutshell: I believe we (including the many first world schools
with sixth world budgets, to stay in topic on this list) may all
benefit a lot from the OLPC and friends, even if in a pretty different
way than preached by Negroponte.

             Marco
-- 
Your own civil rights and the quality of your life heavily depend on how
software is used *around* you:            http://digifreedom.net/node/84

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