Talk:XO Giving/2007

Europe

Will people in Europe also be able to purchase XOs via the G1G1 program?

As far as I know, not. This has more to do with logistics, support and other bureaucratic reasons that apply to international commerce of electronic equipment and not an arbitrary decision that forgot or ignored the rest of the world. --Xavi 20:44, 10 October 2007 (EDT)

Logistics solution: add logistic cost to price, What is the bureaucratic reasons? What UE law not allow it? (Xan)

For example, in Europe one can't sell a laptop without a take-back program in place. (some sort of recycling/disposal thing) AlbertCahalan 01:49, 13 November 2007 (EST)

That would be the WEEE directive, and the take back part is not yet in force in the UK for example so that is not a issue EU wide. In addition there are companies that you can outsource that to, so it is just a money issue. --Jabuzzard 18:04, 11 December 2007 (EST)

If it's really not an "arbitrary decision that forgot the rest of the world", then why does the site http://xogiving.org/faq.php say nothing about this policy? The page clearly assumes that only people from the USA will read it (it doesn't even mention Canada). If it's really not just OLPC forgetting that the outside world exists, why is there no official clarification on the official site?

There's more discussion of this issue on Talk:XO Giving (no clear answers or clarifications, mind)

The OLPC is a highly ambitious project in technical, pedagogical, and financing terms. The trade-offs involved mean that the paid staff are few and spread very thin. Consider the issues of shipping an EU version: people would expect a localized keyboard, OS, and basic warranty and support (not the "how do I get this program to do that" variety, but the "It doesn't turn on" variety). Then there's shipping. Yes, these problems are all solvable, but they take more than just money, they take staff, and OLPC just doesn't have any to spare right now. For those are ready to handle some logistics yourselves, there are some clear suggestions at OLPC news (unaffiliated news site).

International FAQ criticism

Separately, I do think that some mistakes are being made here. A simple non-US FAQ like this one on the main website is a bad oversight. Also, it is important to make it very clear that this is not a tested, consumer-ready product - although a solid v1.0 is not too far off, the software is still very much in development, and this will still be true at Christmas.

Localization keyboard is not a problem: you give a laptop in non-US countries, like Chile, African regions, .... so you have localized keyboard.

For the other hand, in EU people "expect" the same as in US: if you say that we have only 30 days warranty, we understand it as americans do ;-)

Problem is that you cannot legally have a 30 day warranty in the EU. EU law mandates a two year warranty minimum when an electrical item is sold to a consumer. For a business it can still be one year I believe. --Jabuzzard 18:04, 11 December 2007 (EST)

How to pay with a "european" credit card?

• Despite all limitations that are existing now (rumours in same internet forums say that you will start in some weeks a G1G1 program in Europe), I want an XO laptop now. My order will be sent to an american mail adress. The recipient will send it to Germany with the parcel service DHL. The only problem is how to pay money. I have an VISA credit card and an MASTER card. Which credit card would you accept?

Moreover I have heard in some internet forums, that there could be a problem by using a "european" credit card. Some shop vendors (and I heard: you, too!) reject orders paid with "european" credit cards, they only accept "american" credit cards. I don't understand if this is really possible but nevertheless, can you confirm that you will accept orders that are paid with an "european" VISA or MASTER credit card? ("european" means that the credit card is issued by a european bank) 89.56.21.125 16:44, 8 December 2007 (EST)

• On your order site for the "give 1 get 1" program, there is a button named "select ship-to country". Is it possible to ship the non-donated laptop to my country (that is Germany) directly? - 89.56.21.125 18:52, 8 December 2007 (EST)

An alternative

---Consider the Asus Eee PC. It's an OLPC copy, but:-

• It's actually researched, designed and built where it's intended to be used (at first, Taiwan & SE Asia)
• They're not restricting sales to governments only, and don't dictate how the laptop is supposed to be used
• They're aware of the existance of non-American, non-developing countries like ours enough to actually be making use of and selling to these countries
• They have a variety of models for a variety of needs

Unfortunately, both the Asus Eee's software and hardware are less adventurous than OLPC - e.g. no rubber coating, no lime green, a more ordinary operating system and no crank handle. And Asus's aims are entirely corporate. No-one else but them benefits from you buying one.

However, some of these drawbacks may be a good thing. E.g.:-

• It doesn't look childish, which is good for ambitious children who value their self respect.
• Profit motive means less ego motive and less dictating how the laptops are to be used.
• Although their software is less intuitive, it's a better preparation for the quagmire of badly written software that employers and higher education establishments use.

A really pessimistic take

While OLPC Laptops appear to be as rare as hens teeth at the moment, given the corrupt nature of the civil servants of many of the benefitting countries I'm sure it won't be long before there are a glut of Laptops available on e-Bay for $50.