OLPC Official Challenges Dell

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Rich Tate

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Walter Bender, Director of the OLPC initiative wants Michael Dell to come up with a good solution on how to make use of outdated technology.

Bender was responding to statements by Dell, who said earlier this week that he doesn't think that making inexpensive laptops for underprivileged kids is very helpful. The so-called $100 laptops the OLPC is building and distributing "won't be powerful enough to make much of a difference in their lives," Dell said.
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How powerful they are doesn't even make much difference. If you give a laptop to someone in a dusty 3rd-world country where only a handful of buildings even have electricity... what difference is it going to make?
 
The guys that thought this up are bright enough to realize that electricity is a major concern. From their own web page on it:

In addition, —for use at home and where power is not available—the XO can be hand powered. It will come with at least two of three options: a crank, a pedal, or a pull-cord. It is also possible that children could have a second battery for group charging at school while they are using their laptop in class.
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http://www.laptop.org/laptop/hardware/features.shtml
 
computers will not make a difference? internet will not make a difference? there has to be something wrong with that guy, the whole premise of these laptops is to connect people and educate them...
 
I think it will make a difference, considering they don't have anything right now. May not be very powerful, but at least they will learn how to use a computer and spark interest in technology. Too bad I can't get one of these for my mom. :D
 
The two arguments I've heard against this are a) they need clean running water first b) they would just sell the laptop for cash :rolleyes:
 
Here are the arguments I've seen for the OLPC initiative:
  1. It teaches kids to use computers.
  2. It is cheaper than textbooks.
  3. It is a highly effective teaching tool.
Here are the rebuttals (the numbers below correspond to the ones above):
  1. This is the argument big companies go after. OLPCs don't use Windows, which most companies use. The UI is completely different than that on Windows and the machine is too weak to run full-blown Windows, although Microsoft is developing a stripped-down version for it. It is questionable how well the skills learned on the OLPC will translate to Windows.
  2. Doubtful. The OLPC costs $180 currently. The life span of this device isn't proven, and many people are saying that it will be stolen/sold. A textbook is less likely to be stolen and it will last for years. Also, developing countries get textbooks much cheaper than we do in the US.
  3. This is probably the strongest argument for the OLPC. The machine could have interactive quizzes to help teach students, and if the internet connectivity actually works, then that could be a valuable research tool. However, internet access also means that these kids could also goof off.
Ultimately, the OLPC is a very expensive experiment that could be successful. If it succeeds, Negroponte's ego will be strokes and he be hailed as a hero, and if it fails, Negroponte and his buddies will probably blame Dell, Microsoft, Intel, and anyone who ever criticized the project. If I was a betting man, I'd say that the OLPC project has a 80% chance of failure.

Also, this challenge issued to Dell is retarded. Dell said, "OLPCs are too weak. Just look at how many computers are thrown out because they are too weak, and this thing is even less powerful." This guys then says, "Yeah, well why don't you try to make those computers useful?" Dell should just say, "Didn't you just hear how we said those thrown out computers suck too much and this thing sucks worse? Why would we try to making something that sucks so much it was thrown out work again?"
 
kevlinsky said:
Also, this challenge issued to Dell is retarded. Dell said, "OLPCs are too weak. Just look at how many computers are thrown out because they are too weak, and this thing is even less powerful." This guys then says, "Yeah, well why don't you try to make those computers useful?" Dell should just say, "Didn't you just hear how we said those thrown out computers suck too much and this thing sucks worse? Why would we try to making something that sucks so much it was thrown out work again?"
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I agree.
 
Shark-MegaByte said:
How powerful they are doesn't even make much difference. If you give a laptop to someone in a dusty 3rd-world country where only a handful of buildings even have electricity... what difference is it going to make?
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Good point. At least with the OLPC you can crank out some power... vs where a used laptop would have no use.


As for this concept, I think it's a good concept, but I don't think computers is the awnser. Those nations are so politically strapped, that a much bigger step in those folks lives would be to modify the political system and toss out the corrupted government which keep taking the peoples rights, food, money, and shelter. People can get their own used laptops if the government would actually let those nations evolve.
 
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