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Underground > Laboratory >

The <$100 Laptop

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13:02 / 21.11.05

A few of the things this beautiful little machine will do will really help when it comes to changing the third world, education has already been mentioned but have you thought about the fact that text books won't need to be distributed by hand any more?

And also it's open source and therefore hackable, we have no idea what will happen once the kids start playing with these machines.

It's a lever essentially, a multitool that will do what it was designed to do, help with education, but probably a bunch of other stuff that hasn't been thought of yet.

18:59 / 21.11.05

thats how i see it as well.
give enough kids acces to compuers and a few of them will become so adept itll be like neuromancer.
its frightening as well, but its a good kind of frightening.

upshitfuckmachinego, etc.

Semiotic Robotic

19:05 / 23.11.05

Bold and generous? Not in any way linked to building a market for your software in developing nations?

Ah, well...there's that, too.

I'm really intrigued by this "power by typing" business. What other devices have implemented this (if any), or are we seeing something new, here?

12:26 / 27.11.05

Well it's open source and if it has the same effect as the BBC's home computer project and the ZX Spectrum then in about 10 years Africa will pwn as far as games design goes. Throw enough hardware out there and they'll be making their own open source software in short order.

14:27 / 24.05.06

Pictures of the first working prototype of the Laptop

First reaction, 'it has ears! So cooool'

01:09 / 11.01.07

Just so it doesn't get overshadowed by the IPhone, $100 Laptop possibly available to the Public next year. They're thinking of a 2 for 1 deal, you buy 2, keep 1 and the other goes to the project. Apparently they're thinking of partnering with Ebay to sell them.

Oh good selection of Laptop news here at planet.laptop.org if you're following its progress.

20:02 / 14.02.07

Apparently, the things boast a whole new security system.

No firewalls. No virus scanners. Just a set up where every piece of software runs on its own virtual machine -- so it can't get hijacked over the web.

Interesting approach...

18:32 / 05.07.07

Just spotted William Kamkwamba's Malawi Windmill Blog, it's kind of related to the $100 laptop in that I think it answers the question of 'what would it be good for'.

This fella built himself and his village a windmill generator by picking up the info from a few battered text books, imagine what he can do now he's connected to the net. Now think how many more people like him will get access to that info with the laptop.

Also this story just makes me smile

.

All Acting Regiment

00:45 / 06.07.07

Yeah, it's a brilliant idea. Information is often much more important than material goods - even in a case like Africa where material poverty is the problem...

Semiotic Robotic

19:29 / 10.07.07

I still can't fund much information regarding rollout of the program. I see the project hopes to be shipping laptops in "late 2007," but has anyone found anything more precise than that?

Shiny
(prev. Feverfew)

22:24 / 13.07.07

A BBC News story on the subject.

Semiotic Robotic

15:41 / 14.07.07

Was just about to post a similar New York Times piece (registration may be required).

So Intel is part of the project now. Not really sure what to make of that.

00:14 / 20.07.07

Inevitable, really:

Porn found on Nigerian schoolkids' laptops.

They're going to have to put naughtiness filters on 'em.

11:09 / 24.09.07

Anyone want a $100 laptop?. They're running a Give 1 Get 1 scheme for two weeks starting on November the 10th for $399. You know if I had £200 spare I'd so be there.

16:35 / 24.09.07

Has anyone else noticed the OLPC's strange looking GUI? (http://www.laptop.org/en/laptop/interface/)

I hadn't been to the OLPC website in over a year, seems there's a lot more to it now. Apparently, the interface represents the network graphically, and several users can sort of plug into the same activity and collaborate. It actually looks like it would be pretty handy...

18:31 / 27.11.07

Wall Street Journal reports that the OLPC is actually getting some (welcome) competition in creating cheap functional computers.

Apparently, some countries are opting for bargain-basement Dells because it has Windows. The plus for the OLPC, though, is that it comes with its own special benefits - a T-mobile hotspot for wireless zoom-zoom.

08:09 / 12.12.07

I am going to get one under the buy and donate program.

I was wondering if anyone could help me with a minor thing.

I want to get the Linux version of Celtx (screenwriting software) to work on there. That way I can use my art to make a difference and have a visible status symbol.

I have been told that versions of Linux are generally quite compatible with each other but I have yet to get information on whether this program is compatible with the operating system.

Would someone be willing to help me either out of the kindness of their heart or for a small fee?

21:20 / 12.12.07

Here's a field testing report from an actual 9-year-old.

"I just seemed to work it out. It was rather easy. I didn't even need help." Surprise, surprise, his first discovery was a game. "I found Block Party. It's like Tetris. I'm now up to Level 7."
I thought my young games fanatic might stick there but he moved on. "Then I discovered paint. You can use pencils, change the texture, use different sizes of brush."

Even better, there was an animation programme called Etoys.

"That's my favourite.You make things. You can see tutorials and demos. Then you can make a new project. I've made a crazy UFO which you can move."
But Rufus says it isn't just about play.

And his dad has a few comments, too:

Because it looks rather like a simple plastic toy, I had thought it might suffer the same fate as the radio-controlled dinosaur or the roller-skates he got last Christmas - enjoyed for a day or two, then ignored. Instead, it seems to provide enduring fascination.

I had returned from Nigeria not entirely convinced that the XO laptop was quite as wonderful an educational tool as its creators claimed.

I felt that a lot of effort would be needed by hard-pressed teachers before it became more than just a distracting toy for the children to mess around with in class.
But Rufus has changed my mind.

With no help from his Dad, he has learned far more about computers than he knew a couple of weeks ago, and the XO appears to be a more creative tool than the games consoles which occupy rather too much of his time.

----

On the OS, Wikipedia says it uses a version of Fedora Linux.

Apparently, Celtx works fine on Fedora.

08:21 / 25.12.07

I don't know what to do.

Should I go with the XO or should I go for an EEE PC (friend is getting that one) or go up a couple hundred and get a decent Dell or HP or something?

19:26 / 04.01.08

Based on a position of near-total ignorance, I say go for the OLPC one. They could use the help.

They're being sued out of Nigeria and now Intel has dropped the project.

A Haus of Minions
(prev. Jenna Elfman's Hollywood Haus)

20:09 / 04.01.08

Your question is not answerable in its current form - I would, if I were you, go to the "Computer Help" thread in the Conversation to discuss tecnical requirements. However, a few questions might include:

Do you want to store music or movies in any number on your laptop?
Do you need to run Windows at a usable speed?
Are you already using particular software that you want to continue using?
How important is helping the developing world?

Personally, if I were you, I'd get an Eee (if I wanted a small, portable device which functioned somewhat like a Windows PC and did not need it to do anything or store anything big), and then give the rest of the cash you would have spent on Give One Get One to a reputable charity.

15:17 / 05.01.08

I'm probably going to get something else and I'll donate money to charity when I can.

I'm not sure it was a good idea to spend that kind of money on a computer that would really not have been able to meet my computing needs.

My desktop is my primary computer anyway.

The OLPC computer is fascinating and I think that it just might change the world.

But with the lawsuit and other issues, do you guys think there will be an effort by some "interested parties" to keep this kind of technology and knowledge out of the third world?
How do you think we should approach that since we are probably not international lawyers?

A Haus of Minions
(prev. Jenna Elfman's Hollywood Haus)

18:56 / 05.01.08

I wouldn't reach for the conspiracies yet. The Nigerian lawsuit, as far as one can tell, is a simple attempt to demand money to stop holding up distribution of the OLPC in Nigeria, in effect.

The Intel alliance was a pretty uncomfortable wedding to start with - their own Classmate is theoretically aimed at a higher price point, but the aim was presumably to get Intel chips into the next iteration of the XO, and shut off a potential growth market for AMD. Intel chips controlling this sector would benefit nobody - ultimately including the OLPC project itself.

Ultimately, these guys probably take a kicking, but in doing so help to advance technologies that bring costs down.

Personally, I remain unconvinced of the virtues of one laptop per child. One laptop per community - absolutely. However, the model for communication in poor countries is the mobile phone rather than the laptop, and throwing laptops at children to create an expansion market and allow the West to outsource data processing more inexpensively in twenty years time... I don't know if that's such a great thing for Africa.

DRR... DRR... DRR...

21:03 / 25.05.08

New version is out.

It's dual boot, whereas the previous version ran Linux. Hrm.

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