[geeks] $100 One Laptop Per Child - grist for the mill

[Patrick Giagnocavo]

On Nov 18, 2006, at 6:58 AM, Lionel Peterson wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> Came across this article by John Dvorak about the $100 OLPC 
> initiative, thought others might find it interesting. Essentially, it 
> goes over how some are starting to question the initative publicly:
>

Based on what I have seen in the Philippines, I think a $100 laptop 
would be beneficial.

There are a number of fallacies in the article:

"Besides incredible difficulties with the distribution networks in 
Africa, Zachary wonders who will maintain these machines. Generally 
speaking, a societal infrastructure with a lot of computers needs a lot 
of support mechanisms."

--Maybe if you use Windows, yes, you do need to maintain your OS, 
defrag your hard drive, scan for viruses etc.  But we are talking about 
an OS that doesn't require much maintenance.

--Just because distribution is not 100% efficient doesn't mean the 
stuff won't reach people; what will happen is that somebody's friend's 
cousin will be the one to deliver the OLPCs to a rural school, using 
his 125cc dirt bike and a tin-and-duct-tape cargo carrier .

"And in today's world the real value of a computer is it being 
networked," says Zachary. "Finding a network in the poor areas is 
either impossible or very expensive."

--There are cell phone network everywhere in Africa and Asia, with 3 or 
4 carriers even in run-down places like Nigeria.  All the equipment is 
new and has 3G and MMS GPRS, etc. capability.  Lots (and I mean lots) 
of people have cell phones, so what you need is a USB cable to go 
between the cell phone and the OLPC and a tiny device driver.

--In the Philippines, we were in a very remote area 1 hour's drive out 
of a small town, nothing but trees and coconuts and foothills, and 
could get full signal as long as we weren't at the very bottom of the 
valley.

All this being said, I personally feel that selling them to govt is the 
wrong idea - anyone who wants one should be able to buy it. Make it 
work easily with the cell phone networks and it will be snapped up 
quickly everywhere in the Third World.

--Patrick