OLPC Project Rollout Begins In Uruguay 248
Acer500 writes "The One Laptop Per Child project became a reality Thursday in Uruguay, as the 160 children of school number 24 in the humble town of Cardal received their XO computers. The learning tools came directly from the hands of president Tabaré Vazquez. It has become a matter of national pride that Uruguay is the first country to realize the project's goal. The target is that by 2009, every school-age child in Uruguay will have one, and an initial 15 million dollars have already been allocated to the project.
From the newspaper articles: 'The happiness of having a PC in their hands, some of them for the first time, had the kids in ecstasy, which didn't wait to turn on their computers, introduce their personal information (required the first time they're turned on), choose the screen colors, and start experimenting with them. What initially made them more enthusiastic was the possibility of taking photographs and filming each others with the included webcams.'" More information below.
According to the unofficial blog of the Uruguayan project, named proyecto Ceibal, the infrastructure for wireless is not yet in place but will be provided in the next few days by the national telco ANTEL. No photos of the event have been posted online, but you can see an institutional video on Youtube. One interesting point is that it has not yet been decided that the XO will be the laptop of choice for the entire project. Two other companies want to be considered: Intel, with their Classmate PC, and Israeli-manufactured ITP-C. In a press conference, Intel manager for the southern cone Esteban Galluzzi went as far as to compare the XO to a Pentium II, and stressed that the Classmate is able to run Windows XP. As advisor and local guru Juan Grompone stated, 'who will ultimately benefit from this is education?' This will be an interesting test to see if the OLPC project meets its intended goals of 'learning learning'. Let's hope this project is the means that will foster among some of the children the desire to learn and to tinker."
Which way to go, Intel or AMD? (Score:5, Insightful)
Lets see. OLPC is a little less than $200 per laptop, or the Classmate PC at about $400 per laptop. Multiply it by 2 million children... more than a 400 million dollar savings! I wonder which way the more cash strapped countries are going to go?
I would love to get my hands on some of these to see how well they work as a learning tool. The price point puts them in line with many other learning tools on the market for children. The open source platform makes them much more expandable. And, as they become more widely used, the software available for them will become much more diverse and powerful. I wonder if the Intel proposed alternative includes an Operating System in the price.
InnerWebIntel making a play.... (Score:4, Insightful)
A lot has been said about the OLPC project sticking to open platforms, which may partially be a cost issue and partially an idealistic one. The real question is what is really best for the project? Sticking to open platforms, and open source or completely custom solutions, or a system that allows the use of windows xp?
I say windows and not os x, not because it's particularly better, thats an argument for a different time, but for the next question - is it better that the platform be completely open and/or custom, or that it corresponds to the most used operating system? The system that is used by a large quantity of consumers, the largest perhaps, and the platform that is the target of choice for people trying to make money of these consumers.
The real question is what is better for the students in this country. Not what is better for Microsoft, Intel or indeed Linux and the Open Source movement. Is it enough to give these students a computer, or should we be giving them a computer that gives them the potential to learn the systems in use by a majority of the world?
I guess the other side of the coin is this - if computing technology is about to find it's way into the hands of a lot of people who previously had no access to it, is that going to swell the marketplace such that what was previously a huge market share advantage could well be diluted by the choices made by this project? Every child in Uruguay is a lot of people - and its only a start. When other countries continue, the choice of operating system to learn might not seem quite as trivial as it may right now.
I don't want to be pessimistic... (Score:3, Insightful)
Don't misundertand, this isn't the arguement that we shouldn't travel to space, or not do other things, because somewhere in the world is a child is starving. No, my concern is for accomplishing the goal of this project, which I assume is, to help them prosper. You know, teach a man to fish instead of just giving him one fish.
Computers are excellent at doing many types of tasks, but lousy at others. People aren't poor because they don't have a laptop. In fact, I think most studies have shown that laptops actually have little or a negative impact on helping children learn. No, people are poor, in our current world and time, are poor because they don't have opportunity. Opportunity to exchange their own effort, work, or goods with other people.
Why? Because either someone prevents them, by means of a gun and or a system that makes it impossible to be free to do such exchanges. Sometimes I think people toss that word around like it's some etheral ideal that everyone knows they are supposed to say they value, but then go right on and act in contray ways. No, freedom is a very very very important ideal, an ideal that cannot be replaced by a 100 dollar laptop.
Re:I'm disgusted (Score:5, Insightful)
Not so fast, let's see how this works out first, OK?
Education is the greatest basis for fighting poverty in a 3rd world country. Think better educated people -> more efficient entrepreneurs / companies -> more money in the local economy -> more taxes -> better healthcare and services etc. Uruguay could possibly have just made the first step to become the next India (IT-wise)!
BUT the greatest thing is that with more literate & educated people, the less likely they will endure another dictator [imdb.com]. And that should happen *everywhere* else, not just in Uruguay! Without education, you could wait forever for all poverty to be solved.
Isn't the idea that instead of constantly giving them fish, we *teach* them to fish?
Re:Intel making a play.... (Score:5, Insightful)
From a practical standpoint: The OS was designed with ease of use in mind. From the demos I've seen, it does exactly what it's supposed to. Windows and all the other major operating systems are intended for general use, with loads of hardware and software to support, and as such have a huge array of things the OLPC devices will rarely need.
From an idealistic standpoint: I think it's great to provide the kids with a neutral OSS system tailored to the laptop, where they can decide for themselves later on which OS they will use. The point of the project is to provide EVERY child with a laptop. Hooking every child to a certain, commercial OS from the youngest years onward is not something a government should be doing. The kids will learn Windows, OSX and whatnot soon enough, as you did too. Not necessary at this stage, which is about giving children access to technology, not preparing them for cubicles.
Re:Intel making a play.... (Score:5, Insightful)
When can the rest of the world buy them? (Score:3, Insightful)
Edu soft needed too (Score:4, Insightful)
It would be fabulous to release that as open source, if only the programmers and others involved in making it can be somehow reimbursed or have their living expenses paid for which might not be a bad idea either. Also, it would be probably very cheap compared to first world rates. I'm thinking computers can be much more useful in education and maybe this will even result in a computer-based, self-paced learning curriculum in many languages.
Maybe a lot of geeks here wish that sort of thing was available when they were in grade school. If it could be released as open source then talented kids could learn in more depth or follow their interests, or even learn in more than one language at once, so instead of the problems that come from skipping grades there could be perhaps ordinary lessons plus self-paced directed or inquiry-based learning. Not just browsing wikipedia but enough for a child to learn from.
A similar thing written at adult level would also be fabulously useful. It appears some of this idea is in the encyclopedia of life that just won funding based on a "wish" speech at TED. The first thing needed is linux hacking for elementary school kids. Maybe before that an auto-restore, auto-backup extra partition?
Re:Intel making a play.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Food for thought: If you give an OLPC to each child in the developing world (lets exclude 1st world for a moment), the majority of computer users world wide will be running Linux.
Also, I think one of the project goals was to distribute laptops which would have easy to modify "guts". These things are supposed to be a breeze to do simple programming on, and I think that will be far more valuable to these children than learning how the Start menu works. Once you establish certain computing concepts it becomes far easier to transition to other environments.
This also excludes the whole discussion of whether or not its valuable to put them on XP, especially given that XP is no longer the "current" MS OS. Soon, 1st world users will not be able to buy systems with XP; why would we sling it off onto 3rd world users?
Not to mention the security debacle it would be; how would you deploy security updates?
Re:Intel making a play.... (Score:3, Insightful)
That's interesting as an insurance (you can always make your own in case something happens with the current manifacturer).
But would you spend $300 making it on your own, or $150 buying it. Since those are targeted to poor countries, I somehow don't think they can make use of existing skills, equipment, staff, economy of scale and so on.
Even the fact that the money "stay in the country", may not offset all the additional costs introduced in the process.
true, but... (Score:3, Insightful)
"-XO operating system interface was designed from the ground up for this purpose. Classmate uses Windows XP Embedded."
They are effectively promoting their PC as a 'real' one (vs.a plaything of the XO) because it can run XP, while the XO doesn't.
The XO is clearly a more interesting concept, though. I wish they would mass-market it in the west too. I wouldn't mind paying $200 for it, even if just to see how it ticks.
Re:I don't want to be pessimistic... (Score:5, Insightful)
You're right that giving someone a laptop might have little effect on helping them learn. But, that's because we're thinking of a laptop just as a laptop, as a way to surf the net and type an essay.
All of these things will actually help kids learn:
All of those things can be fulfilled by a series of networked laptops for kids, at a much lower cost than doing things the dead-tree way. People will have to make some serious investment on the software side of this project for it to work. But, it could work. And if it does, it will seriously turn the world upside-down. Not because they have a laptop, but instead because they have access to textbooks, communication, and unfiltered information.
Re:Intel making a play.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Only a PII? O RLY? (Score:4, Insightful)
I know why Intel spreads the myth that you need power to use a computer. They're in the business of pushing high end processors that most people don't need.
Tom
Re:And the next day (Score:3, Insightful)
"And in breaking news, it appears that Uruguay is now the #1 place to outsource technology jobs."
Re:Which way to go, Intel or AMD? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's purely FUD that says you need a 1000MIPS processor for an EDUCATIONAL machine.
Having not seen either LCD I can't really say which is better. I like the XO design mostly because it's supposed to be easier to read in grayscale mode. That and it uses a lot less power which is kinda important for these tasks.
Tom
You ARE being overly pessemistic and this is why (Score:4, Insightful)
They allow people to communicate, simple but for most who earn a $1 a day or less this was previously impossible.
They are spurring innovation in Banking, micro-finance, and enabling new kinds of transactions
Text messaging, SMS, is still the cheapest way to get a message across - be it a pricing report for harvested crops, or a simple message to a family member in an isolated village.
True that developing countries are plagued by tyrants, corrupted governments, and other nasty people, but when people are given the power to communicate they can mobilize and share information, get organized, and that is real power.
Access to the internet is the obvious next step. "FREEDOM" just doesn't materialize, people have to fight for it, and in order to do that they need the tools. Even if there is one OLPC laptop in a village, that single laptop will open MANY doors to many people who previously had no opportunity or voice.
IMO forget about the children (Score:3, Insightful)
You're not very bright are you? (Score:2, Insightful)
I would accuse you of being selfish if it wasn't so clear that you are just horribly misinformed (and dare I say ignorant).
Carry on.
Re:Which way to go, Intel or AMD? (Score:4, Insightful)
While I agree the CMPC has a faster processor and, most probably, can run Office much faster than the XO can run OpenOffice, it also draws far more power and batteries will be either heavier, more dangerous (the XO does not use Lithim on purpose) or last less. I suspect a 366 MHz Geode is quite enough for what they are aiming.
Really, the XO's screen is not as easy to define - it's a very different kind of LCD and it is not directly comparable to the one in front of me. The extra pixels will not make fonts smaller, unless you are using a horridly primitive font management technology. What happens with mode DPI is that your fonts get better defined.
Since the XO was designed for a very specific purpose, what OS it does run is not very important. But I think a Unix-like core is a better choice for a rugged device where running MS Office is not one of the requirements.
The fact there is a TPM indicates it can be used for just about anything TPMs are used for. While not alarming per se, not having a TPM means it cannot be used at all. As they say, "better safe than sorry". And since the notebooks are unable to pass for a common notebook - the form-factor is very characteristic - and thus its black-market value is very low, the risk of it being stolen should very small.
I see the CMPC being used in other settings, but, dollar for dollar, the XO seems a much better value unless your requirements demand something it cannot do.
Re:Which way to go, Intel or AMD? (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, the OLPC is using a 500mhz Geode... but that doesn't really matter. The XO runs software that was specifically designed for its hardware - the software will run great on it. The Classmate will be running software designed for modern desktop PCs - for that, a 900 MHz processor and 256 megs of RAM will be dog slow.
This comment displays an utter misunderstanding of the concept of "resolution". When text resolution is increased, the text doesn't get smaller - instead, each letter is represented by more dots so that it's clearer and easier to read. It's true that Windows users occasionally have trouble getting their fonts to be larger because of poor software design, but the XO won't have this problem. As a closing thought, laser printers tend to print at 600dpi - about 36 times the resolution of a common computer screen - is the text 36 times smaller?
Re:Why The Third World Focus? (Score:5, Insightful)
The OLPC project is trying to make the world a better place, not make the United States more dominant.
On the other hand, uneducated farmers working 60 hours a week to feed themselves in Cambodia don't help the US economy much - do they?
What should they get? (Score:2, Insightful)
We're talking about young students here. What system will be in use by a majority of the world a few years from now? (hint: it won't be XP)
In my opinion, it is almost always a mistake to teach skill in particular technologies over teaching the fundamental ideas that allow you to think on your own and adapt to changes.
Re:Go (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I don't want to be pessimistic... (Score:3, Insightful)
The problem now is that only the richest educate their children well, and those children seek economic stability elsewhere. When the majority of the population has access to good education, there will be less of a brain drain, not more.
Re:Why The Third World Focus? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Which way to go, Intel or AMD? (Score:4, Insightful)
The Geode, obviously.
What you thought higher frame rates while playing Halo2 makes the Celeron the clear winner? Think again. The Geode uses 40% less power than the Celeron, your CMPC will be a dead paper weight while the OLPC will still be doing its job.
And once again, how much power does the CMPC display consume? The OLPC is
The OLPC runs linuxBIOS and linux which enables significant power savings features which are not available in an off the shelf BIOS + Windows/linux install.
WTF? I suggest you improve on your knowledge of TC, its claimed "that it will make computers safer, less prone to viruses and malware, and thus more reliable from an end-user perspective", it doesn't stop a thug from stealing it.
Unfortunately one of the side effects of TC is that the hardware and software makers get to decide what is trusted and prevent end users from doing something with their hardware and software such as say running linux or open office because they deem them as not being trustworthy.
Really I have no idea why anyone is even bothering to argue in defense of the anti-OLPC solutions, and yes they are anti-OLPC. If you look at the specs on the Classmate PC it is rated at 4 hours of use on its batteries, the OLPC is rated in DAYS. The OLPC XO is designed for a purpose, the supposed superior offerings from people who are used to marketing products in energy rich societies are not even close to what is needed in hardware and software for a project like OLPC. The only reason they are even trying is because their over inflated marketing egos have them believing they are the end all be all of technology solutions for the planet. They need to grow up.
Re:Go (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Why The Third World Focus? (Score:3, Insightful)
Helping children in Uruguay is cheaper.
Re:Go (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I'm disgusted (Score:4, Insightful)
You shouldn't spend *any* time on slashdot until all poverty is solved throughout the whole world.
Fun aside.
If the 14 people at OLPC uses there time on educating the childen of the world,
then that is what they have chosen to do and not for you or everyone else to decide.
If you would like to start the "one house per child" project then go ahead,
don't wait for anyone to start it for you.
Re:not 500 MHz, and size does matter (Score:3, Insightful)
According to the specifications [laptop.org] is uses LX-700, which runs at 433MHz (more info here [amd.com]). Not far from 500MHz.
Re:Intel making a play.... (Score:2, Insightful)
Seriously tho, people use vim because it's very powerful, not because it was the first app they've used. Personally I went through quite a few IDEs (including MS Visual Studio on Windows) just to become a vim-addict (on Linux). Combined with the power of command line it's REALLY a great tool (not suitable for everything/everyone though).