the $100 laptop

[metaphorge]

This project excites me tremendously:

$100 laptop project eyes launch

The first batch of computers built for the One Laptop Per Child project could reach users by July this year.

The scheme is hoping to put low-cost computers into the hands of people in developing countries.

Ultimately the project's backers hope the machines could sell for as little as $100 (£55).

The first countries to sign up to buying the machine include Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Nigeria, Libya, Pakistan and Thailand.

The so-called XO machine is being pioneered by Nicholas Negroponte, who launched the project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab in 2004.

Test machines are expected to reach children in February as the project builds towards a more formal launch.

Wireless networking

Mr Negroponte told the Associated Press news agency that three more African countries might sign on in the next two weeks.

The laptop is powered by a 366-megahertz processor from Advanced Micro Devices and has built-in wireless networking.

It has no hard disk drive and instead uses 512 MB of flash memory, and has two USB ports to which more storage could be attached.

"I have to laugh when people refer to XO as a weak or crippled machine and how kids should get a "real' one"," Mr Negroponte told AP.

"Trust me, I will give up my real one very soon and use only XO. It will be far better, in many new and important ways."

The computer runs on a cut-down version of the open source Linux operating system and has been designed to work differently to a Microsoft Windows or Apple machine from a usability perspective.

Instead of information being stored along the organising principle of folders and a desktop, users of the XO machine are encouraged to work on an electronic journal, a log of everything the user has done on the laptop.

The machine comes with a web browser, word processor and RSS reader, for accessing the web feeds that so many sites now offer.

"In fact, one of the saddest but most common conditions in elementary school computer labs (when they exist in the developing world), is the children are being trained to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint," Mr Negroponte said.

"I consider that criminal, because children should be making things, communicating, exploring, sharing, not running office automation tools."

The new user interface, known as Sugar, has been praised by some of the observers of the One Laptop Per Child project.

It doesn't feel like Linux. It doesn't feel like Windows. It doesn't feel like Apple," said Wayan Vota, who launched the OLPCNews.com blog and is also director of Geekcorps, an organisation that facilitates technology volunteers in developing countries.

"I'm just impressed they built a new (user interface) that is different and hopefully better than anything we have today," he said.

But he added: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children."

Trial versions of the operating system in development can be downloaded to be tested out by technically-minded computer users around the world.

source

Comments

[queenofhalves]

this project has some problems, as a friend of mine who studies technology in developing countries writes:

http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/price/the_real_cost_of_the.html

[roadriverrail.livejournal.com]

Beautiful quantification of figures. I've seen a lot of writing on the subject of this project that has also tried to quantify the number of children who won't even have the power infrastructure to make use of these, etc.

The sort of "heart-touching story" version of it is the one of Bill Gates visiting a developing African nation to see how some donated computers were working out. One of the villages he came to had only enough electrical infrastructure to run the computer they were given, which sat alone in a hut getting minimal use.

I'd love to learn how your friend got into studying that. Technology in developing countries is a serious interest of mine, to the point that I would like to spend the last decade or two of my career focusing on it.

[queenofhalves]

his website is griffjon.com. you should e-mail him.

[dr-pipe.livejournal.com]

That's not Jon of JuanP fame, is it?

I think it's a great idea. Tech first, ask questions later.

They can be powered with foot pedals and they automatically create and extend wireless networks when they get close to each other. Even if satellite internet fails, they can do local networks for collaborative projects, and if one of those units can get internet access I'm asusming it will be able to share it with the others. Nothings perfect, but these things are cool. The countries that spend money on it are making their own decision about whether it's affordable, but I expect it will spread over time, and countries that have it will end up with more tech-savvy teens and young adults in coming years. And the units may pick up market share in developed countries as well, although here they'd be more of a novelty than an important resource...

Oh, merry Xmas and happy NY!

[queenofhalves]

yep, that jon!

[veleda.livejournal.com]

I've been following this project for awhile... it's good to see it potentially reaching fruition.