[geeks] One (Windows) Laptop Per Child

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

On Sat, Sep 30, 2006 at 08:00:48PM -0400, Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:
> However, the fact remains that the prices on even decent hardware is
> falling all the time, so a lot of people will just decide to spend
> another $100 and get a real laptop.

To paraphrase the RHPS "I didn't make it for you". The idea behind it
is that the people buying them don't have another $100 to spend.
 
> The other issue is that I don't see what people are going to run on it.
> It lacks the power for a ton of software, and certainly lacks enough
> storage and storage speed.

I hate to be mean, but who cares? Does anyone who needs a spreadsheet
really need Excel? Or Word, FireFox, or Open Office? Many current users
do, but a lot of people using the cheap laptop won't. 

> It will need people to write applications about like they write PDA
> software, and I wonder if that will happen.

They do, but many people ignore it. Look at Damn Small Linux (aka DSL)
or many of the other versions like it. 50 meg of compressed file system,
boots from ROM or a USB stick, web browser, media player, FireFox,
and a whole lot of other stuff. DSL will run comfortably on a relatively
slow X86 with 128m RAM, probably will work on 64 (the smallest I've
used is 96). 

If someone wanted to do it, they could make an ARM version if you could
get past the boot problem (ARM devices don't have a standard boot ROM).


> Expensive PDAs sell based on features and small size, and even then low
> end laptops eat into their sales because some people start thinking
> "Hmmm... for another $100 I can have a laptop with a big screen and a
> keyboard".

The real problem is the screen. A TFT screen is expensive, in Q10m, around
$40 for 320x240 and there are size limitations. OLED screns can be almost
any size (large or small), and if made in huge quantities, cheap. 
 
> A general purpose computer has more to live up to.

You're aiming too high. Aim for people who don't have a computer and need
minimal functions.

Geoff.

-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm at mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667  Fax ONLY: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838 
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/