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| Thread ID: 63647 | 2005-11-17 19:50:00 | First $100 laptop unveiled | Strommer (42) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 405283 | 2005-11-17 19:50:00 | Finally we see a decently priced computer, in spite of the emabarassing technical glitches at a demonstration (see below). Read article here (www.techworld.com) Nicholas Negroponte has demonstrated the first $100 laptop computer for use in developing countries. He and an embarrassed Kofi Annan had to overcome technical glitches. The United Nations general secretary twisted off the computer's crank handle at the unveiling event, and the screen locked as Negroponte later tried to demonstrate the display. Despite the hiccups, the MIT Media Lab chairman was visibly excited about the prospect of placing the device in the hands of millions of schoolchildren around the globe. The hand-cranked laptop, shown for the first time at the U.N.-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), operates at 500MHz, or less than half the speed of most commercial laptops. It features a low-power display that can be switched from colour to black and white to allow viewing in bright sunlight. Many children in developing countries attend school outside, Negroponte said. The machine can be folded in different ways to serve as a computer, electronic book or media player. "We designed the device to perform many roles," said Negroponte, who also heads the One Laptop Per Child non-profit group. "Learning should be seamless." |
Strommer (42) | ||
| 405284 | 2005-11-17 20:23:00 | Why do developing countries need computers? Surely food would be a better starting point? Then Doctors, Plumbers, Nurses, Teachers, Engineers, Builders, Electricians and all the rest of the required trades. |
Metla (12) | ||
| 405285 | 2005-11-18 01:20:00 | Negroponte is a technology freak, who assumes that technology is good, and therefore more technology will be better. For $100 per pupil there are a lot of educational things which could be afforded. Computers would come very low on the list of desirable things for shools in developing countries. |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 405286 | 2005-11-18 04:18:00 | and who is going to pay for these laptops for these children. I know if i was going to give some money to pore people it would be for something far more important than a laptop |
sambaird (47) | ||
| 405287 | 2005-11-18 18:03:00 | Why do developing countries need computers? I certainly agree with the above comments. Well, mostly agree. The thing is that we in the "rich western countries" often have a myopic view of developing countries: that they all need food, health care, etc. No doubt, they do in fact need these basics, but surely a few schools, probably the better schools in cities, would have a use for cheap computers. We cannot assume that ALL people in the poor nations will get jobs as labourers and other unskilled positions. Even dirt poor people can be intelligent and have aspirations to have a job that involves computing - maybe only less than 1% of the population but still we cannot exclude these people. And remember that not all people in developing nations are starving and are in need of medical services. Developing cheap laptops that are powered by a crank handle is a great idea. To think in terms of making so many that every school gets a few, is a stupid idea. There are maybe a billion or more poor people in developing nations so if even 0.5% of them will benefit from a cheap laptop, then it would be worth it. Somewhere on the Net there must be a web page where such poor people have a 'voice'....? |
Strommer (42) | ||
| 405288 | 2005-11-18 20:48:00 | Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach him to fish, feed him for life :) | Myth (110) | ||
| 405289 | 2005-11-19 05:19:00 | I think it would cost another billions in "training" all these people how to use a laptop, windows and the internet. | Bazman (6587) | ||
| 405290 | 2005-11-19 19:36:00 | I think it would cost another billions in "training" all these people how to use a laptop, windows and the internet. Not so. Many in developing countries already know how to use computers, teachers included. BBC's Click Online TV program recently showed a village in India where a computer was embedded into an exterior wall of a building (looked like a mud hut to me) in a poor village. It was an experiment to see what would happen when absolutely no training or other instruction was given. The youth in the village quickly learned the basics, although one problem was that they hit the keyboard too hard in their enthusiasm and a more robust keyboard (and mouse) had to be developed. Putting things in perspective, lets remember that probably only a small percentage of people will make good use of the $100 laptops, but there are millions and millions of poor people where the laptops will be sent so the total number will be significant, and very significant to the individual who is learning computer skills. Another thing is that I would think most of the laptops would be donated or subsidised by charities or the United Nations. |
Strommer (42) | ||
| 405291 | 2005-11-19 21:32:00 | and who is going to pay for these laptops for these children. I know if i was going to give some money to pore people it would be for something far more important than a laptop I guess it is bit like giving people language and expecting them to spell correctly. |
theother1 (3573) | ||
| 405292 | 2005-11-19 23:16:00 | I guess it is bit like giving people language and expecting them to spell correctly. yes it is |
sambaird (47) | ||
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