The Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who hopes to give $100 laptops to the world's children dismissed recent criticisms Tuesday and said his project could begin distributing the computers by early next year.

Kicking off the LinuxWorld conference in Boston, Nicholas Negroponte said he was undeterred by skepticism from two of the leading forces in computing, Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

"When you have both Intel and Microsoft on your case, you know you're doing something right," Negroponte said, prompting applause from the audience of several hundred open-source software devotees.

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these laptops could mean alot to childeren in developing worlds or even childeren in the "Developed" world who are to poor to be able to afford a PC. any thing that aims to help bring education to those who cant afford it deserves to be attempted. i hope this does become a reality some day but who knows...

Shouldn't these kids be learning how to read and write first?

Christ, why give a child in a developing country a lap top? Given the lack of resources would they even have the ability to charge it?

Get back to basics people......give them pens and paper and books. Those skilss are universal, not just in places with a powerpoint

Did you even read the article Kat?

I see both flipsides of the coin.. why do kids in developing countries need $100 laptops when a $0.50c pad & pencil will suffice and they can spend the remaining $99.50 on running water, irrigation, farm infrastructure, etc.

However, the ability to provide a computer which is what the rest of the world considers a requirement in any modern childs education for $100 is an amazing effort from all the vendors involved.

Perhaps the idealogies behind the product are more important than the product itself?

beleve it or not kat the rest of the world acctally do have Electricity..and as for teach them to read first, have you even heard of Educational programs? you the one that do exactly that teach people to read

Shouldn't these kids be learning how to read and write first?

Who says they can't already do this? I'ts not like they are tossing a coke bottle out of a airplane in the middle of nowhere.

Given the lack of resources would they even have the ability to charge it?

They still have hands right?

One distinctive element of the original design was for a hand crank to provide power to the laptops where there is no electricity. To compensate, the devices are being engineered to use just 2 watts of electricity, less than one-tenth of what conventional portable computers generally consume.

TufNuT - My mother has worked in several developing countries and is in one as we speak. Where she is now they regulaly have black outs and have no current permanent electricity supply. This isn't an isolated incident and other countries face the same issues. I am fully aware of the state that those countries are in and exactly why they are 'developing' countries.

$100 can be better spent.

*No I didn't read the article, You would think if you were quoting lap tops and developing countries you would have quoted information such as crank devices*

My comment still stands about it being put to better use. Computers aren't the be all and end all of the world

last edited by Kat at 15:33:45 07/Apr/06

kat read the article...

Negroponte's current plan is to begin distributing 5 million to 10 million of the laptops in China, India, Egypt, Brazil, Thailand, Nigeria and Argentina by early 2007.

i have never been to those contrys, apart from Egypt, i know for a fact that Egypt has electricity that doesnt get cut off regularly..besides there is a reason laptops have battery packs..

Edit also:

In fact, because the adapter can rest on the ground, the power generator might take the form of a foot pedal rather than a hand crank altogether.

heres another thing, how many books would you need for ohhh lets say 5 million people, now how much would it cost to buy them and ship them? now tell me how many books you can fit on a single CD/DVD how much lighter will they be to transport? and soo on..there is many advantages for using laptops instead of paper, pen and books

last edited by TufNuT at 09:43:42 07/Apr/06

Okay, ignore the electricity issue :)

Who is going to service these laptops? People in developed countries can't even handle a laptop without breaking it

Software maintenance? updates? Linux isn't exactly the easiest thing to maintain

Chinas a developing county??? nope
http://www.ams.org/membership/develop.html

last edited by Kat at 09:46:42 07/Apr/06

^^yes china has people who can bearlly afford to eat..even though the goverenment thre offers free school i beleve, they are still very poor.

Edit: thats people are poor not the governement

Chinas a developing county???

A developing country is a country with a relatively low standard of living, undeveloped industrial base, and moderate to low Human Development Index (HDI).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_nation

China has alot of workers who don't earn alot you know.

Okay, so we know that there are developing countries which have areas that are highly developed. And since the laptops have been made with electricity issues being addressed it can be assumed that they only plan to target the really underdeveloped areas of those countries.

Wouldn't that show that the areas they are targeting need the money for more inmportant things?

Okay, ignore the electricity issue :)

Who is going to service these laptops? People in developed countries can't even handle a laptop without breaking it

Software maintenance? updates? Linux isn't exactly the easiest thing to maintain

Chinas a developing county??? nope
http://www.ams.org/membership/develop.html

read this

Despite these achievements, major challenges remain. Over 100 million people live in absolute poverty in China. Although China's overall human development indicators have improved, significant and growing inequalities have developed between rural and urban people, coastal and inland provinces, and men and women. For example, urban people earn at least twice as much as rural people. Given that approximately 70% of the population still lives in rural areas, this is a significant issue. In short, poverty remains a major challenge for the Chinese Government, and poverty alleviation is one of its highest priorities.

here

Okay, so we know that there are developing countries which have areas that are highly developed. And since the laptops have been made with electricity issues being addressed it can be assumed that they only plan to target the really underdeveloped areas of those countries.

Wouldn't that show that the areas they are targeting need the money for more inmportant things?

give a man a fish..........


last edited by TufNuT at 09:57:47 07/Apr/06

give a man a fish..........

Or a puppy.

So you are saying it is better for these people to learn how to use a computer (and exactly what are they going to use it for?) then to spend the money on water supply, electricity, crops, shelter etc? Because if you just give then stuff they won't appreciate it but if you give them tux racer they will take over the world?

can it play Quake

man, if tux racer can't save the words educational needs, were are all screwed.

can it play Quake

A 500mhz processor is more than enough for quake.

and exactly what are they going to use it for

From above..

how many books would you need for ohhh lets say 5 million people, now how much would it cost to buy them and ship them? now tell me how many books you can fit on a single CD/DVD

Simply put, Education and Knowledge.

A computer is a very powerful learning tool. You can certainly read and write with them and more. Animations, pictures, interactive presentations and so on. Communication.

These powerful tools can enable a person to learn ways to massivly increase their farming potential for example. They can teach ways to purify water, even to generate electricity. Teach people how to build healthy toilets or simple methods for resisting or treating common diseases.


Remember, what we see as simple is only that way because of what we have been tought. If you have never been tought basic ground work for a concept, that concept could be very dificult to come up with on your own.


So in summery, having these computers and knowledge that will come with it, these people can be taught how to alter their enviroment and themselves so that they can reduce those problems that have been mentioned above.

As it was said above, you give a man a fish he eats for a day. If you teach him how to fish he can eat for the rest of his life.

So it is a glorified leapfrog system?

Yay!!! Then we can spend thousands fixing their eyes@! w00t

I think most kids in poverty would like something to eat first.

You can't eat if you don't earn/have money and to earn/have money you need a job and that requires an education. To be so short sighted that you can't see the difference in value between $100 cash and $100 laptop for people in developing countries is just bloody foolish.

The value in a $100 laptop will extrapolate itself many times over in that persons life.

Yay!!! Then we can spend thousands fixing their eyes@! w00t

The Fred Hollows Foundation is already doing this. Also, I think you would spend more time looking at a computer screen then the people who will recieve these laptops, are your eyes f***ed kat?

I hope they put in the foot paddle one, cause you know having to use one hand to crank the laptop whilst looking at kat.zip would really suck.

lol Opec that made me laugh :)

So it is a glorified leapfrog system?

Yay!!! Then we can spend thousands fixing their eyes@! w00t

!
I have this feeling that no matter what reasons are given you will always choose to see it negativly?

I have this feeling that no matter what reasons are given you will always choose to see it negativly?

they really should have consulted her before pouring billions of dollars into the project

it would appear kat wants to see this in a negative light.

i think its a great idea . For those who think that my thinking this is a great idea is an indicator of my unawareness of world issues, your mistaken.

I have this feeling that no matter what reasons are given you will always choose to see it negativly?

I think she's seen too many Starvin Marvin television commercials and can only see this from the point of view that the people reciving laptops are the ones in the worst most possible situation.

Sure, this whole laptop idea is bizzare, but hats off to someone trying to take a diferent approach.

I have to ask, who or what is starvin marvin?

I have to ask, who or what is starvin marvin?

An ethiopian southpark character.

http://images.ausimages.com/upload/2006-04-07/starvin2.gif

My comment still stands about it being put to better use. Computers are the be all and end all of the world

as long as you're using one.. yes..

typo fixed

ok... call me ignorant here, but aren't you guys all arguing that they can use the computer to get much more knowledge?

are we talking a computer that runs a f***ing hand crank for power?

so what you're saying is, that because they have a computer, they're instantly able to access all that important information?

so in a place where there's s***ty power so they have to use the hand crank to power the laptop, they're miraculously going to be able to make a connection to the internet?

I'm on Kat's side. spend the money on f***ing food already, spend it on setting up proper water pumps etc. not giving a kid a laptop that can't do anything other than word process.

Word process OFF the internet. Maybe they could write a blog entry they'll never be able to post?

dumbass bandwagon bitches.

^the women unite

women?

have you been hiding under a rock for years?

I just assumed you were a little bitch

I think we should hand out to them free weapons from the back of a plane. Lord of war style.

That would make it what 7 out of 12 people armed, how do we arm the other 5 Booyah?

They're like an old car, in that you charge the battery by turning a crank.

I think its an excellent idea. Just put a copy of Guutenberg on dvd and maybe a dump of everything on wikipedia or something, and who really needs anything else?

kek

Tufnut's posts are proof owning a computer does not mean you are educated.

Hey you mess with tufnut and your ass goes down in the 5th round. Fight Night style.

Tufnut's posts are proof owning a computer does not mean you are educated

Obes how about you try to say something educated for once..

can it play Quake

A 500mhz processor is more than enough for quake.

I can just see the lanparties now...

Hold up everyone and stop fragging for like 5 mins, its crank break time!

LOL at Astroboy.

I think it's an interesting idea. I would have to read more into it before I gave an opinion on whether or not I thought it was worthwhile implementing tho.

Even poverty striken kids need porn.

dumbass bandwagon bitches.

On the bandwagon bandwagon huh?

On another note, you dont seem to be able to see past your own dumb arse. Never was it mentioned that they would need to access the internet to gain the knowledge, you have heard of CD's DVD's and harddrives? or have you been living under a rock?

EDIT: O and also, they will probably also be used as a tradable comoditiy anyway.

last edited by Tollaz0r! at 10:25:44 08/Apr/06

I can't imagine $100 laptops having huge hard drives or DVD roms for that matter. Any specs listed on what they would be using? Plus, $100 laptops might be alright, but how much are all the CD/DVD'd going to cost too?

Wassup Doc?

who the hell are you? what are you?

If you are starving, emaciated and have flys laying eggs in your scrawny skeleton whilst you try and make those dirt pie sandwiches, do you think you would rather have a $100 laptop or $100 worth of rice.

- tard