OLPC XO laptop, really a solution ?

This video is Newyork Times copyrighted. I just post it, after it appeared 4 months ago, to add subtitles to their material. Pogue's demo is much more dynamic than others, sometimes too much...As I said in my previous posts dealing with cheap and valuable computers solutions for developed countries, I still believe OLPC could just be a transitory alternative to full fledged laptop with a decent OS and more, only a transitory solution. Some brand names as ASUS eee laptop seem to respond more to my woes than XO laptop concept. However those concepts (are they actually ones ?) don't take in account some features so natural for us nowadays but not only from comfort point of view, as a bright and high resolution and large display. How could you view multiple windows on a definitely small screen as eee's or XO laptop's one ?
Moreover, a laptop per child concept vs accessible public booths or kiosks concept with data stored on a high capacity memory device as SD cards or USB keys remains a Big controversy.
We should keep in mind two things:
Everywhere on the face of the earth, schools are viewed as a huge market for those "tiny" laptops. Just refer to HP/ASSUS/OLPC -to name a few- dire competition to achieve their goals in emerging countries. Once again I am not a purist but I think the spread of those "PC"s for low-budget populations will end up in mountains of likely rapidly-obsolete devices somewhere in Nigeria or in Ghana as it's already the case over there.
Second point: Any other alternatives as the one I've mentioned (which a commenter criticized earlier and which We set up in Madagascar) had received a pinch of a help from NGOs or UN sub-organisms geared toward basic education. None! Some had been threatened and killed in countries like Indonesia for having set up the very first wireless network for cheap, almost free telephony. Now, as I'm writing those lines, everyone thinks it's so natural a thing ! It was not that natural before someone, somewhere dared to give alternative solution a try, on his own, at his/her risks!

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• false
• solution
• olpc
• xo
• laptop
• madagascar
• malagasy
• africa
• lure

[BruceMcF]

"Moreover, a laptop per child concept vs accessible public booths or kiosks concept with data stored on a high capacity memory device as SD cards or USB keys remains a Big controversy."

Great concept ... only city residents get to have access to low cost textbooks and interactive education curriculum. And every student in class has to wait in line at a kiosk to read their textbook and do their work.

[joetke]

I forgot to mention that I'm not against having some classrooms equipped with ad oc materials for the purpose you pointed out and I really agree with you on this point.

[BruceMcF]

But the thing is, for a country like the Democratic Republic of Congo, this is the cheapest way to get textbooks out into the countryside for each child in primary school ... to get a textbook e-reader out into the hands of each child, and just one copy of a textbook in a pendrive and everyone in the district gets the book.

They are not worth $40 or less per year for individual copies of textbooks, worksheets, and access to dynamic classroom technology?

I think they are.

[joetke]

Thanks for your comments BruceMcF. Yet, your refering to Congo is not the most convincing point around. As I type those lines Congo's rulers decide to revise what they call "le droit minier" i.e. how legitimately they will take a much closer look at their country's mining revenues. In 2007 they previewed in their national budget 5 USD million (!) mining revenues. That means the new code will bring enough to perform decent elementary education, regardless how tiny computers could be involved in.

[joetke]

Slashdot reported a couple of minutes ago Richard Stallman's rather good appreciation about OLPC. He pointed out the free BIOS embedded in XO laptop. Seems it's his old but still alive obsession...I'm rather disappointed he skipped the poorness of some XO's provided software regarding their ergonomics. The overwhelming marketing aspects of Intel vs OLPC competition to say the least disturb me.

For my fellow gasy citizens, OLPC has chosen english-speaking countries to launch their laptops...

[gigicul21]

exist this laptop in shops ?in seattle?please give me a ask quicly..

[BruceMcF]

The difference between having revenues that are able to buy decent elementary education, and getting government to use those revenues on decent elementary education, is a massive difference.

The more that can be done with a given amount of resources, the better. And, obviously, there is no cheaper way to get textbooks into the hands of elementary children across the country than the OLPC. That means that the support for dynamic content comes basically for free.

[sillygabs]

THAT IS SO COOL! "snarly bloggers"