http://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Memracom&feedformat=atomOLPC - User contributions [en]2024-03-19T06:57:31ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.31.7http://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Constructionism&diff=84482Constructionism2007-12-13T21:30:02Z<p>Memracom: </p>
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<div>{{Translations}}<br />
'''Constructionism''' is a philosophy of education in which children learn by doing and making. They explore and discover instead of being force fed information. More on this topic can be found by exploring Google using keywords such as "constructionism", "education", "philosophy". See for instance [http://mia.openworldlearning.org/constructivism.htm openworldlearning], [[Seymour Papert]]'s website, http://www.papert.org , and <br />
the wikipedia article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructionist_learning constructionist learning].<br />
<br />
== History and Examples==<br />
<div style="float:right; border:1px solid #aaa; margin:1px; padding:2px;font-size:90%"><br />
{{education-literature}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
[[Alan Kay]] and his [[Squeak]] project have done a lot to make tools available to teachers who want to develop constructionist educational materials. Alan recently gave a [http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpost.jsp?thread=167318 keynote at EuroPython] demonstrating how kids can learn constructively.<br />
<br />
One of the great pioneers of the practice, long before the term, was University of Pittsburgh's sociologist Omar Khayyam Moore, who built his "[http://www.winwenger.com/archives/part26.htm Edison Talking Typewriter]" to teach two-year olds to read and write simply by reinforcing aspects of their spontaneous behavior.<br />
<br />
Prof. Howard Peelle of the Education School at the University of Massachusetts has written about his experiments with APL in elementary school. The idea is to let children play a game, then learn to make simple adjustments to game play, and progress to full programming. IBM once sponsored a program to support APL for a whole elementary school.<br />
<br />
There does not appear to be a single Best Computer Language for elementary school students, though [[BASIC]] is popular. [[Python]], [[APL]], [[LISP]], [[LOGO]], [[Squeak|Smalltalk]], and many many others have also been used. It would be useful to bring the resulting knowledge together. It is clearly impossible to settle the question based only on the stated preferences of adults who don't know all of the languages concerned, that is through [http://mindprod.com/jgloss/rwar.html rwars]. In any case, Python has been chosen by the OLPC to be the base language of the laptop. For an overview of various ways in which people have applied Python to education, check this link http://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/edu-sig/<br />
<br />
A lot of sceptics, who do not understand the constructivist education approach, have crticised the OLPC project in the media and on this wiki. Well, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Now that the XO laptops are in the hands of kids, why not see what they have to say? Go ask [[Rufus]] for instance. We will eventually read reports of the results from Nigeria and Peru and other countries, but for now, [[Rufus|a little boy in England]] says it all quite eloquently.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Learning Learning]] parables.<br />
* NB: Constructivism is not 'Edutainment'; see <br />
[http://llk.media.mit.edu/papers/edutainment.pdf Edutainment? No Thanks. I Prefer Playful Learning]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:General Public]]<br />
[[Category:Pedagogical ideas]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=OLPC:News&diff=84480OLPC:News2007-12-13T20:52:02Z<p>Memracom: </p>
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<div>{{OLPC}}<br />
{{Translations}}<br />
[[Category:General Public]]<br />
<br />
You can subscribe to the OLPC community-news mailing list by visiting the [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/community-news laptop.org mailman site].<br />
<br />
=Laptop News 2007-12-13=<br />
<br />
1. Think that the XO laptop will not succeed as an educational tool? Go ask [[Rufus]], he'll put you straight.<br />
<br />
=Laptop News 2007-12-08=<br />
1. Santiago: David Cavallo keynoted TISE 2007, the workshop on Educational Software.<br />
<br />
2. Schedule: The release of our Ship.2 Build (650) and firmware (Q2D07) occurred in time to be installed on the G1G1 laptops that will begin shipping on Monday.<br />
<br />
The roadmap for Update.1 has been enhanced with more detailed dates and important bug fixes that are being worked on (Please see http://dev.laptop.org/roadmap). We have already passed feature freeze and string freeze (for translations). The next milestone is code freeze on December 15. Developers not fixing critical bugs for Update.1 should provide their recommended feature set for Update.2 (and beyond).<br />
<br />
3. Testing: Ricardo Carrano, Yani Galanis, and Michail Bletsas spent a number of hours with a forty (40) laptop test bed in a quiet RF environment to ensure that we have fixed our most egregious wireless bug—the lazyWDS problem—and to dig deeper into an occasional wireless crash problems in mesh networks of more than 30 laptops. They have also been working with Robert McQueen and the Collabra team to document and simplify the process of creating a Jabber server –so individuals and groups can create their own Jabber servers to make their own mesh neighborhood clusters. Yani is working on a test plan to scale the number laptops virtually connected to a Jabber server so we can simulate having 100s of users while using only a few laptops.<br />
<br />
Alex Latham has moved on to testing Joyride builds after adding some notes to the Ship.2 release notes—not complete, but there is a link from the Software Release Notes page (Please see [[OLPC Ship.2 Software Release Notes]]). Alex also spent time reviewing and documenting the activation and developer key processes (Please see [[Activation and Developer Keys]]).<br />
<br />
4. Support: We had meetings between OLPC, Brightstar, RMS (Brightstar's tech-support call center), and Patriot to map out the phone, email, webpages, and processes that will help our new laptop users to get up to speed quickly and diagnose some problems they might encounter (Please send comments regarding http://laptop.org/gettingstarted). Adam has been helping to coordinate and document the internal and externally facing support mechanisms. <br />
<br />
5. Wireless: Michail Bletsas reports that the past week was spent testing reliability, functionality, and scalability.<br />
<br />
On the reliability front, David Woodhouse is in the process of sanitizing the command queueing used in the wireless driver; this should eliminate the occasional fall into catatonia by the firmware. <br />
<br />
Testing this week confirmed that these problems only manifest in very busy wireless environments. Even in such environments, they tend to only affect idle machines. When XOs are idle, the are exchanging Salut traffic (useful) and generating probes and probe responses for WLAN discovery (useless and a big nuisance with large numbers of XOs). Michail is currently testing a version of the firmware that disables probe responses from XOs with the intent to deploy it in the upcoming learning workshops so that we can comfortably run all the machines in the room concurrently.<br />
<br />
Collabora also found a number of bugs in the local-link presence code which will improve scaling in the next release. Ricardo tested various workarounds for the UI's wireless encryption configuration bugs.<br />
<br />
6. Active antennae: Marvell is going to release the firmware update tool for the active antennae next week. This became more urgent after the recent frame-format change and John Watlington's observation that the school server’s boot time is longer than the time period during which the active antennas wait for the host to talk them after power-up (See further discussion below). The current modules switch into autonomous mode before the server has finished with its boot-up sequence and thus they fail to be properly configured by the server. We will have to increase the host-wait timeout on the antennae to avoid this in the future and flash server modules with the standard radio boot code (to prevent them from going into autonomous mode). <br />
<br />
7. Sugar: Tomeu Vizoso moved the object chooser from the Sugar library to the Journal. Activities now ask the Journal to display the object chooser so the user may choose which Journal entry the activity should have access to. This will help to protect the privacy of the user while allowing activities to consume data from other activities. Also, this removes duplicate code and facilitates sharing of features between the Journal and the object chooser.<br />
<br />
Tomeu also is investigating why activities startup has gotten to be so slow of late. He has already identified some areas that can be easily improved for Update.1. Other improvements will come later.<br />
<br />
Simon Shampijer worked this week on tracking down and fixing issues in the browser regarding Rainbow security: the data generated by the “view source” command are saved in $SAR/instance and the browser profile is saved in $SAR/data. There is still a remaining issue with the permissions for the profile, since these are files sometimes generated and accessed by the library. Will have to discuss this again with Michael Stone and Marco Pesenti Gritti. Working along with Morgan Collett, we finally have all the parts for a fix to the Rainbow-related problem with opening links from Chat in the browser. But not everything is in Joyride yet for testing.<br />
<br />
Reinier Heeres spent last week getting a new evince version working (evince is the PDF back-end for Read). It was already working in jhbuild, but some library dependencies had to be removed and new rpm packages built. This is now complete, so everything is in place to get packages in Joyride soon. Reinier is also working on supporting bundle upgrades from the Journal. Beside that, he fixed some Sugar bugs, like leaking of icons in /tmp, and has written code to improve unmount-failure feedback in the Journal.<br />
<br />
8. Open hardware manager: Chris Ball worked on power manager bugs and features. The version of OHM in the Joyride build is complete except for two new features being added for Update.1—better handling of user-set brightness (currently OHM will override it) and inhibiting suspend when the CPU is not idle. These should land in Joyride next week.<br />
<br />
Chris hasn't had much time to work on Pippy—if anyone can think of Pippy “examples” they'd like to see in Update.1, please let him know.<br />
<br />
9. Emulation: Bernie Innocenti and Mitchell Charity improved the experience for users of QEMU, Vmware, and other emulated environments. We now support the video driver vmware_drv, which also works with the latest CVS snapshots of QEMU and provides a 1200x900 mode.<br />
<br />
10. Utilities: Bernie also made changes to the boot process and olpc-utils for better UTF-8 support. olpc-configure now regenerates the library index after updates. The experimental Xserver 1.5 is still in the works, and lives in a separate xtest build for now.<br />
<br />
11. Rainbow: Michael Stone experimented with an architecture for our automated testing; he also spent time answering Sugar-related questions about Rainbow, he a little bit on Rainbow bug-fixing, and helped get us unstuck on encryption export controls and P_DOCUMENT/P_DOCUMENT_RO.<br />
<br />
12. Builds: Last week, C Scott Ananian managed stable builds through 649, making our builds substantially less sexy, and finished and tuned<br />
olpc-update-query, which allows you to subscribe to any one of a number of “update streams” to keep your machine up to date.<br />
<br />
This week Scott shepherded build 650 with Q2D06 and fixed the “fail to boot on upgrade” bug. He has automated generation of activation/developer keys—there are no more “sneakernet” delays! He also added statistics collection code to the activation server in order to let us track which builds are “in the wild”; he promises pretty graphs next week.<br />
<br />
Scott also cleaned up the server-side component of the XO dev key request page; he worked with Michael on integrating automated testing into our build system, using the pybots/buildbots framework; he edited [[Activation and Developer Keys]]; and he did a “sticker drive” at OLPC HQ, trying to remove machines running ancient versions of libertas firmware from our network.<br />
<br />
13. Presence service: Guillaume Desmottes wrote a wiki page explaining how to deploy an Openfire server (Please see [[Openfire Configuration]]). He also investigated an alias problem with Openfire (Please see [[Openfire Configuration#Alias droped]]). He worked on the server component XMPP protocol; wrote a fix for http://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=13156, and started to implement new XMPP protocol in Gabble.<br />
<br />
Sjoerd Simons analyzed some network traces of tests with 10 or more XOs, which lead to the discovery that idle session of Salut’s Clique protocol didn’t scale as they are supposed to. He released telepathy-salut-0.2.0, which is the start of a bug-fix-only branch for salut. This<br />
release fixes stream tubes on machines without nss-mdns (such as the XO) and the aforementioned scaling issue of idle Clique sessions.<br />
<br />
Rob McQueen has been working with Dafydd Harries, Guillaume Desmottes, and Simon McVittie to write up proposed XMPP component protocol. Rob has also been liaising (or nagging :D) with ejabberd upstream to try and address stability issues on jabber.laptop.org and hence school server deployments. He has packaged the ejabberd trunk and is trying it on jabber.laptop.org and he has tracked outstanding ejabberd issues that affect jabber.laptop.org and school server (automatic configuration of shared roster). He has been applying hacks to keep jabber.laptop.org running (such as watch ejabberd with monit, reduce the shared roster to recently-active users rather than all registered users, etc.) and the odd bit of packaging/trac herding for telepathy components.<br />
<br />
Dafydd Harries began work on the Jabber-server extension planned for Update 2 that we hope will greatly improve collaboration scalability.<br />
<br />
Morgan Collett engaged in various discussions on mailing lists and IRC about jabber servers and appropriate expectations for Ship.2 users. Please note that there is not be a working server configured in the Ship.2 software, since we cannot support that kind of volume on our current server infrastructure. Anyone interested in running a server for themselves or a specific community should see the latest information in the wiki (See [[Run your own jabber server]]). Morgan also tested Ship.2 collaboration and herded patches and bugs through the Update.1 approval process, including Presence Service patches that have been pending for a while.<br />
<br />
14. Laptop firmware: Mitch Bradley released two new firmware for the laptop this week. Q2D06 was release on Tuesday night to fix a problem found which might cause problems when upgrading the laptops. It was quickly superseded by Q2D07 on Thursday night, when a bug was found by Quanta which will brick the laptop if the RTC battery (on the motherboard) fails. If you are running Q2D05 or Q2D06, please update immediately to Q2D07.<br />
<br />
15. School server: A new build of school server software (137) was released this week. This includes newer libertas (wireless mesh) drivers and firmware, as well as supporting the hot-plugging of Active Antennas. It was decided on Tuesday to proceed with the laptop backup/restore protocol developed by Ivan Krstić and the Journal team for Update.1; it will be included in an upcoming release to allow testing over the next few weeks. Upcoming features are the addition of the Jabber server and web caching.<br />
<br />
We discovered a serious problem with the new Active Antenna prototypes this week. These are the ones assembled around the beginning of November, and handed out to a number of countries and developers. The Boot2 firmware placed on them in manufacturing (3109) enters standalone repeater mode too quickly, and once in that mode they stop talking over USB. By the time a server has booted it can no longer talk to its Active Antennas! Attempts to downgrade the Boot2 firmware to the latest—which doesn't support standalone repeater mode (3107)—using the libertas-flash tool developed last year by Dan Williams are failing due to changes in the Boot2 API. As the most recent software builds now support hot-plugging of the antenna, the temporary work-around is to plug the antennas into the server after it has booted up.<br />
<br />
16. From the community: Bruno Coudoin uploaded a new release of the GCompris activities. Bruno followed Bert Freudenberg 's EToys scripts to stay retro-compatible with previous startup sequence. Changes include a new sugar compliant icon; a Spanish translation; a fix to some some broken activities (e.g., algebra_plus-activity); and better Rainbow compatibility (e.g., no more writing in the home directory).<br />
<br />
Eduardo Silva has been working on a new application called “XO-Monitor.” The goal is to watch the XO resources from a normal PC or laptop through the network with a simple graphical user interface written in PyGTK. It is very similar to the old developer console and it can aquire basic information such as build, kernel, firmware, model, serial number, etc.; trace system CPU usage; view logs; report simple network statistics; and list all of the XOs in the local network. More information about the project can be found in the wiki (Please see [[XO Monitor]]).<br />
<br />
Wolfgang Rohrmoser and Kurt Gramlich are proud to announce the initial version of their OLPC XO-LiveCD. This new project targets these goals:<br />
• give children, students, teachers and parents the opportunity to participate and use the Sugar educational software on a common PC;<br />
• support demonstration of OLPC software to non-developers;<br />
• provide an easy maintainable Live-System for developers to test activities on the sugar desktop, this could be regarded as an alternative to existing OLPC virtualbox and qemu images.<br />
<br />
The technology they choose embeds an unmodified official Redhat build into a framework (LiveBackup), which provides everything needed to run a live system. Going this way we are able to minimize the work for updates as new OLPC builds get released.<br />
<br />
The ISO image are available at:<br />
<br />
ftp://rohrmoser-engineering.de/pub/XO-LiveCD/<br />
<br />
as: XO-LiveCD_<date>.iso<br />
<br />
Images will be mirrored to:<br />
<br />
http://skolelinux.de:/XO-LiveCD/<br />
<br />
Wolfgang and Kurt encourage everybody to try it out and give them feedback for improvements; please send mail to:<br />
<br />
XO-LiveCD@skolelinux.de.<br />
Further information is available in the XO-LiveCD.pdf document at:<br />
<br />
http://skolelinux.de:/XO-LiveCD/XO-LiveCD.pdf <br />
<br />
17. Urdu localization: Waqas Toor and Salman Minhasreport have almost completed their Urdu Glossary Project; Waqas be will be testing it over this weekend and will be ready/tested/debugged on Monday. An ebook of science is 100% complete and ready to be included. An ebook of Urdu (Meri Kitab) is 60% complete. Salman will attempt to complete it over the weekend. The Urdu localization of EToys is 75% complete; Waqas and Salman are confident to complete it sometimes next week. <br />
<br />
18. Documentation: Anne Gentle and Seth Woodhouse are finishing laying out a simple introductory guide to ownership and care of the XO, working with material from Todd Kelsey and older demo notes and a number of community artists. Translation will begin this week (Please see http://dev.laptop.org/~sj/quickstart/).<br />
<br />
Anne is working on fixing the banner and adding an actual index; generated by Author-IT, a commercial tool that we are currently using. Adam Hyde of FLOSSManuals has offered to port the documents to his site and set up a system to auto-update manuals there with text from the olpc wiki; we may switch to this next month.<br />
<br />
19. Science fare: Sunee Piromprames has been working with Lauren Klein and teacher Srinuan to organize a bug-identification project at Ban Samhka, Thailand. David Stang of the BayScience Foundation is setting up forums for them to use to classify their findings, with photos and local text and pronunciation of bug names. They will have a worked example this week for the children to follow, and are working with Thai strings.<br />
<br />
20. Library: Mako Hill, Lauren, and SJ Klein have worked out what bundling scripts need to be written to provide for simple bundle creation. It will be possible to make (and verify) bundles through a web upload form soon.<br />
<br />
21. Our Stories: Google, UNICEF, and OLPC issued a joint press release regarding a global storytelling project being orchestrated by Google’s Stephen Cho. The goal of the initiative is to preserve and share stories, histories, and identities of cultures around the world by making personal stories available online in many languages. Using XO laptops, mobile phones, and other recording devices, children will record, in their native languages, the stories of elders, family members and friends. These stories will be shared globally through the Our Stories website (See http://www.ourstories.org/), where they can be found on a Google Map.<br />
<br />
=More News=<br />
Laptop News is archived [http://laptop.media.mit.edu/laptopnews.nsf here] and [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/community-news/ here].<br />
<br />
You can subscribe to the OLPC community-news mailing list by visiting the [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/community-news laptop.org mailman site].<br />
<br />
Press requests: please send email to press@racepointgroup.com<br />
<br />
=[[Milestones]]=<br />
Latest milestones:<br />
{{:Milestones}} <!-- Translators, you can either include the english version or the translated version -- it does NOT work with redirects --><br />
All milestones can be found [[Milestones|here]].<br />
<br />
<br />
{{anchor|PRESS}}<br />
=[[PRESS|Press]]=<br />
You can subscribe to the OLPC community-news mailing list by visiting the [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/community-news laptop.org mailman site].<br />
{{:Press}}<br />
More articles can be found [[Press|here]].<br />
<br />
=[[Video of the OLPC | Video]]=<br />
Miscellaneous videos of the laptop can be found [[Video of the OLPC|here]].<br />
<br />
<br />
* A collection of several videos can found at [http://www.olpc.tv OLPC.TV]<br />
* IBM Podcast, Walter Bender on One Laptop per Child [http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/podcast/dwi/cm-int042407.html]<br />
* Ivan Krstić delivers a [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4285568518538296189 technical presentation of OLPC] at the Google TechTalk series<br />
*60 Minutes, What if Every Child had a Laptop [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/20/60minutes/main2830058.shtml]<br />
*CNN, Should Intel Fear $100 Laptop? [http://money.cnn.com/services/video/]<br />
*Red Hat Magazine: Inside One Laptop per Child, [http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/07/25/inside-one-laptop-per-child-episode-04/ Episode Four]<br />
*Red Hat Magazine: Inside One Laptop per Child, [http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/06/08/inside-one-laptop-per-child-episode-03/ Episode Three]<br />
*Red Hat Magazine: Ins/ide One Laptop per Child, [http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/04/25/inside-one-laptop-per-child-episode-02/ Episode Two]<br />
*Red Hat Magazine: Inside One Laptop per Child, [http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/03/23/inside-one-laptop-per-child-episode-one/ Episode One]<br />
*Portuguese lecture "Perspectivas do uso de laptops pelas crianças (e nas escolas)". Video in [http://www.cameraweb.unicamp.br/acervo/acervo.html Cameraweb Unicamp]<br />
* Ivan Krstić delivers a [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4285568518538296189 technical presentation of OLPC] at the Google TechTalk series<br />
*60 Minutes, What if Every Child had a Laptop [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/20/60minutes/main2830058.shtml]<br />
*CNN, Should Intel Fear $100 Laptop? [http://money.cnn.com/services/video/]<br />
*Red Hat Magazine: Inside One Laptop per Child, [http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/07/25/inside-one-laptop-per-child-episode-04/ Episode Four]<br />
*Red Hat Magazine: Inside One Laptop per Child, [http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/06/08/inside-one-laptop-per-child-episode-03/ Episode Three]<br />
*Red Hat Magazine: Ins/ide One Laptop per Child, [http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/04/25/inside-one-laptop-per-child-episode-02/ Episode Two]<br />
*Red Hat Magazine: Inside One Laptop per Child, [http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/03/23/inside-one-laptop-per-child-episode-one/ Episode One]<br />
* OLPC [http://www.sf.tv/var/videoplayer.php?videourl=http%3A%2F%2Freal.xobix.ch%2Framgen%2Fsfdrs%2F10vor10%2F2007%2F10vor10_26012007.rm%3Fstart%3D0%3A05%3A20.498%26amp%3Bend%3D0%3A09%3A50.738 Video from Switzerland], 26.01.2007<br />
*Interview with Nicholas Negroponte [http://www.acm.org/pubs/cie/jan2006/clips/nicholas_negroponte.mov on the &100 Laptop]<br />
*Presentation by Jim Gettys at [http://www.techpresentations.com/2007/03/07/one-laptop-per-child/ FOSDEM 2007] <br />
*GLOBO- BRASIL: Crianças testam computador portátil/ [http://video.globo.com/Videos/Player/Noticias/0,,GIM607884-7823-CRIANCAS+TESTAM+COMPUTADOR+PORTATIL,00.html Students test the laptop] <br />
*Mark Foster delivers presentation to [http://stanford-online.stanford.edu/courses/ee380/061004-ee380-300.asx Stanford University]<br />
* Technology Review [http://www.technologyreview.com/video/laptop Mini-Documentary][http://www.sf.tv/var/videoplayer.php?videourl=http%3A%2F%2Freal.xobix.ch%2Framgen%2Fsfdrs%2F10vor10%2F2007%2F10vor10_26012007.rm%3Fstart%3D0%3A05%3A20.498%26amp%3Bend%3D0%3A09%3A50.738 Video from Switzerland], 26.01.2007<br />
*Interview with Nicholas Negroponte [http://www.acm.org/pubs/cie/jan2006/clips/nicholas_negroponte.mov on the &100 Laptop]<br />
*Presentation by Jim Gettys at [http://www.techpresentations.com/2007/03/07/one-laptop-per-child/ FOSDEM 2007] <br />
*GLOBO- BRASIL: Crianças testam computador portátil/ [http://video.globo.com/Videos/Player/Noticias/0,,GIM607884-7823-CRIANCAS+TESTAM+COMPUTADOR+PORTATIL,00.html Students test the laptop] <br />
*Mark Foster delivers presentation to [http://stanford-online.stanford.edu/courses/ee380/061004-ee380-300.asx Stanford University]<br />
* Technology Review [http://www.technologyreview.com/video/laptop Mini-Documentary]<br />
* A Brief [http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2007/01/04/f2_Interview-laptop.html Demo]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Rufus&diff=84478Rufus2007-12-13T20:50:21Z<p>Memracom: New page: First, a quote from the BBC news article about nine year-old Rufus's experiences with an OLPC laptop in England, of all places. ''I had returned from Nigeria not entirely convinced that t...</p>
<hr />
<div>First, a quote from the BBC news article about nine year-old Rufus's experiences with an OLPC laptop in England, of all places.<br />
<br />
''I had returned from Nigeria not entirely convinced that the XO laptop was quite as wonderful an educational tool as its creators claimed.''<br />
<br />
''I felt that a lot of effort would be needed by hard-pressed teachers before it became more than just a distracting toy for the children to mess around with in class.''<br />
<br />
''But Rufus has changed my mind.''<br />
<br />
''With no help from his Dad, he has learned far more about computers than he knew a couple of weeks ago, and the XO appears to be a more creative tool than the games consoles which occupy rather too much of his time.''<br />
<br />
Read the rest of it here [http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7140443.stm on the BBC website]. And don't forget to click on '''Rufus's Review''' in the article to see the video.<br />
<br />
We've seen a lot of sceptics attacking the idea of the OLPC laptop without anything to back them up other than theories and opinions. Now it's put up or shut up time. If you '''really''' want to know whether the OLPC laptop will succeed as an educational tool, then go ask Rufus. He'll tell you.</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=OLPC_United_States&diff=66333OLPC United States2007-09-24T20:32:17Z<p>Memracom: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{stub}}<br />
{{Country color status | green = green <!--| local_text = Estado actual: '''verde'''-->}}<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Entered the list of 'green' countries through the [[news]] announcement of 2007-04-28 (which can be found in the [http://laptop.media.mit.edu/laptopnews.nsf/2e76a5a80bc36cbf85256cd700545fa5/1d54da039aebe1ff852572cb005aefae?OpenDocument archive]) and states:<br />
<br />
<blockquote><br />
''3. OLPC added a new country this week: the USA. This move will engage a wider developer community, impacting and improving software and content. Please note that such a move into schools and learning in the USA is not necessarily a commercial machine.''<br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
Maine and Georgia have similar programs using conventional laptops. As Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney called for XOs in MA schools. This is not part of his presidential campaign.<br />
<br />
==US Virgin Islands==<br />
We're conducting a pilot on the island of Saint John this fall (2007). <br />
<br />
Should this prove successful, there's great interest from the government to purchase<br />
XOs for every elementary student in the US Virgin Islands.<br />
<br />
More information (and a video) can be found on the [http://waveplace.com Project Waveplace] site.<br />
<br />
==Private and Church Schools==<br />
<br />
If your school has the ability to make purchasing decisions independently of state education programs, then you could buy a set of laptops through the [http://www.xogiving.org Give 1, Get 1] program. If course, this means that you will simultaneously be funding a school of equivalent size in a developing country as well.<br />
<br />
==States==<br />
Please add yours if there is an active effort there.<br />
<br />
===California===<br />
I don't know whether CA is talking to OLPC, but I have started talking to politicians here. Assemblyman Ira Ruskin has a bill to fund a pilot project to encourage use of Free Textbooks in CA junior colleges. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 17:49, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
===Georgia===<br />
Said to have a program.<br />
<br />
it dosent have a proram i go to school in georgia<br />
<br />
===Maine===<br />
Said to have a program using Apple iBooks.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Countries|USA]]<br />
<br />
===Massachusetts===</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question_about_Distribution/Summary&diff=66332Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution/Summary2007-09-24T20:28:46Z<p>Memracom: /* Where or how can I get one? */</p>
<hr />
<div><noinclude>{{OLPC}}{{Translations}}[[Category:OLPC FAQ Part]]</noinclude><br />
<br />
===Where or how can I get one?===<br />
'''Short answer: Either [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Developers_program#How_to_apply_for_an_XO apply for an XO through the developer's program] or buy one through the [http://www.xogiving.org Give 1, Get 1] program.<br />
<br />
'''Medium answer:''' Given the [[Our Mission|characteristics of the project]], the OLPC is initially available '''<u>only</u>''' to national government agencies&mdash;ie. Ministry of Education&mdash;allowing us to achieve the initial economy of scale and a sufficiently large impact to make it sustainable. There are [[Retail|plans and ideas]] on how to expand [[our market]] to include other smaller and/or distributed organizations that will cater to people, places and situations where government agencies are unavailable - in the future and most likely collaborating through and with other parties. <br />
<br />
Trying to satisfy personal, individual or otherwise 'isolated' [[Retail|retail]] requests (many present in this section) will divert precious energy that would otherwise be more effective at larger scales and targets. This does not imply a lack of interest or sympathy towards these requests, many of which are at the heart of [[our mission]], but rather a physical limit that has to do with trade-offs between wishful thinking and practical realities. By no means does this preclude or try to impede that private, NGO and other grass-root organizations or people lobby in their target [[countries]] to be included as recipients or [[Getting involved in OLPC|to get involved]]&mdash;it just means that they'll have to be a little patient and not lose sight of their dreams and try to match it with our timings.<br />
<br />
Keep alert, maybe in the near future there'll be [[News|news]] that will allow us to cater your special demand.<br />
<br />
'''Future answer: YOU CAN''', probably, almost. Quanta, the manufacturer of the OLPC laptop, may start selling $200 laptops in 2008 or so that resemble the OLPC laptop. See [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6d086a62-dcb3-11db-a21d-000b5df10621,_i_rssPage=81cea682-52a8-11da-8d05-0000779e2340.html this.]<br />
<br />
===Buy 2 Get 1===<br />
See the '''XO Giving''' page at: http://xogiving.org/ for more information<br />
<br />
For the full story on retail sales, read:<br />
[http://digital50.com/news/items/BW/2001/07/14/20070112005706/one-laptop-per-child-has-no-plans-to-commercialize-xo-computer.html this article] ([http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1991025,00.html another article]) ([http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/192466/0/negroponte/portatil/barato/ another in spanish]).<br />
<br />
===Will it be distributed in ''developed'' countries?===<br />
As mentioned in the [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries|countries section]], the decision to distribute in any particular country (including the USA and other ''developed'' countries) does '''not depend''' on the OLPC but on the government's decision.<br />
<br />
Note must be taken that ''developing'' countries are the initial and ultimate target countries for the OLPC, although it does not preclude other countries from participating.<br />
<br />
====Why not the USA?====<br />
See above. Or for further discussions on the subject see [[OLPC4USA]] and [[retail]].<br />
<br />
===Can NGOs and charities get them?===<br />
'''Short answer:''' As with the individual ([[retail]]) availability, the answer is '''NO.'''<br />
<br />
The OLPC efforts are currently focused at national level, and although we would love to make it available without restrictions, this would disrupt and overload our launch process in order to deal with the vast number of NGOs that are interested in participating. After the initial launch, plans include the opening up to include them. See [[Our market#Can a legitimate NGO or foundation apply for your program?|here]].<br />
<br />
===Who will get one?===<br />
As much as we would like to see an OLPC in the hands of every child on the planet, practical issues and humanitarian criteria help decide the first people to get laptops:<br />
* Children and teachers in developing countries whose '''''governmental leaders''''' have partnered with OLPC<br />
<br />
===How are they going to be distributed?===<br />
Exclusively through national or government agencies of the countries involved. The OLPC is in no way involved in the actual (physical) distribution or the processes governing it&mdash;those are national prerogatives of the countries '''buying''' the laptops.</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=66328Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-09-24T20:23:22Z<p>Memracom: /* FreeDOS */</p>
<hr />
<div><noinclude>{{Translations}}</noinclude><br />
{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
archives: <br />
[[Ask OLPC a Question/Archive 1|through 2006]]<br />
[[Ask OLPC a Question/Archive 2|Jan-Jun 2007]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
:There is more to life and education than requirements gathering. Usability and testing are of course important, and on-going. Research is often just trial, error, and adjustment. If you want, you can participate by setting up an emulator and seeing how the software works now. The research is going on now, and you can participate. Exciting, don't you think? -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]] 21:47, 9 March 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal]<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
Further to the question above, does the OLPC initiative include distributing laptops to children who are currently going through patient care in a hospital setting? And if so do you have links to devices that can allow a child to utilize a laptop from a hospital bed (i.e., wall mounted mechanical laptop ARM)? This is a great initiative!!!<br />
<br />
Regards<br />
CReid<br />
<br />
:Technically, it's the governments '''buying''' the laptop that will distribute them ('''not''' the OLPC), and while I see no difference between a child in a hospital bed or a cabin in the mountains (from a distribution PoV), my guess is that hospitals in these countries have other priorities to allocate their budgets instead of [http://www.infologixsys.com/products/Healthcare/Healthcare-Solutions/Point-of-Care/Wall-Mount-Workstation/C-Wallmount-Cabinet/default.asp fancy trays] (as cool as they might be ;) --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:05, 23 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As a representative of an NGO type organization I just recently commented to a UN officer about a similar subject. “Fancy Trays”' are not always at the request of the country or donor agency in general. Part of what makes these items or services that may not at first glance seem functional is the vision of the donor. Just like the water go round in Africa sponsored by Ex US president Bill Clinton and the water see saw in another nation that promotes the washing of your hands. It is not always up to the receiver in what it is they are to receive .<br />
There are also many sites that go in-depth about theses issues and the how and why's of the matters. If you are interested in finding out more you can direct searches about: third world programs, world aid and I am sure you can find more information as to why a fancy tray may have been purchased or donated as well as many other interesting things.<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or,.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
:Suresh, check this page "[[Getting involved in OLPC]]" and this page"[[OLPC Python Environment]]" -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]]<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
:See the section about [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Training & Capacity Building]]... but in general, that is upto the deploying countries to decide how it'll work - you should contact that side of the equation (or any organizations they name when the time comes).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:54, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
:Well, you can try the alpha software in emulation: [[Using QEMU on Windows XP]]. If you run into problems, you'll have to research and learn. --[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]] 27 Feb 2007<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
-- I think that there are some related questions for Seniors where at least referals to other organizations or resources would be useful. There are a lot of seniors out there that are afflicted with alzheimers or other dementia that have earlier been used to using computers, even if only playing games such as solitaire. When they get into this state, finding almost anything to help keep their mind occupied and exercised is a blessing. Trying to get them to learn to do anything different than what they are used to doing is a challenge, even if very simple, so something like this device dedicated to being used for one software app they've used in the past would be ideal.<br />
<br />
It's hard to justify spending top dollar for a computer this day and age that isn't designed for simplicity of doing single, simple programs designed more for exercising one's aging brain, than to help encourage kids to start simple and be conditioned to grow to more heights later. Therefore the physical needs for a device is very similar to what the OLPC provides, even if the goal and usage objectives are very different than that of children. It would be helpful to know if there are plans for selling used OLPC devices for seniors, or other projects that are more targeted to use by seniors in this fashion. Not all seniors are wealthy and those afflicted by dementia often are institutionalized and costing their families quite a bit, and aren't able to afford the additional expense of such a device. Our rest home is already complaining about how my father is becoming too much of a pest using their computer to play solitaire on. I'd like to find something affordable to keep him occupied instead. OLPC seems to be the only thing close out there to what would be an ideal machine. I suspect that there are many concerned relatives like myself out there with similar needs. (mike n.)<br />
<br />
: I agree that the OLPC sounds pretty good for seniors (aside from the tiny keys and lack of a mouse). Until the OLPC (or a [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070329-olpc-xo-manufacturer-to-sell-budget-portables-in-developed-countries.html similar device]) becomes commercially available, though, have you considered a tablet PC or an "internet appliance", like the [[Maemo | Nokia 770]] or the [[PepperPad]]? I believe there is also a collection of card games available for the Nintendo DS, as well as several games specifically designed for "brain exercise" (although the smaller screen may be a problem). &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 16:38, 7 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive focus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
:See [[Earth Treasury]] for business, mapping, research on poverty, and other programs. Mesh networking is useful for any collaboration, including business. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. <br />
::They can access the Internet, if Internet is available in the area, and there are local programs run by Novica and others to support sellers in Africa and Asia. In addition, eBay supports several languages other than English. In every former colony, there are lots of people who speak the language of their former masters, usually one of English, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, German, and Russian. Overstock.com was certified after the war as the largest employer in Afghanistan. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
::Yes, education is needed for programming. And the children will be educated in Smalltalk and Python by using the XO. With appropriate typing tutor software, they can be ready for data entry within two or three months. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
---Yes but you cant ignore Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A starving kid with a starving family at home will not see OLPC as an education tool but instead as something he can sell to buy food. Exploitation in India by international IT companies may be morally wrong by the developed world standards but the alternative for indian programmers to that kind of exploitation is unemployment. I'm not ignoring the fact that one needs education to be a programmer, OLPC can provide that education. "Education first" slogan sounds great, but realistically speaking you can't skip the layers in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.<br />
:Programmers in India do not feel exploited just because they make less than programmers in the US. Living expenses are also much lower in India. In fact, there is a significant trend of programmers returning to India, particularly those who are in a position to start their own businesses. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::The interesting thing about Maslow and technology is that it sometimes results are ''counter-intuitive''. For example, many reports have been written about how cell-phone technology actually has improved the standard of living for subsistence farmers, fishermen, etc. because they extend one basic need: communication & mobility (two things targeted by thinlaptop). --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:58, 17 January 2007 (EST)<br />
:::Similarly the ITC e-choupal project in India has substantially raised income for village farmers, just by placing one computer per village with free access for farmers to the Chicago Board of Trade, along with a commitment to buy at a stated discount from those prices. Analysis in Harvard Business Review.--[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I am asking the same question as JK. What happens once the kids have bridged the technological gap? Some might consider this question to be beyond the scope of this project but surely it is the next vital step. Its also in my mind that old chicken and egg situation. Unless there is a real opportunity the chances are that a hungry child will sell their heritage for a crust of bread.<br />
<br />
:See [[Earth Treasury]] for projects aiming to teach children how to start businesses, so that there will be enough jobs for everybody else. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I have been asking this question for the last couple of years and not having much faith in government and the system believe the answer is to empower an individual within a community and to rely on the natural process of things to bring about a situation where one mentors their peers. Theoretically it is possible for anyone with a reasonable grasp of English to make themselves useful on the net and to earn $200 or $250 a month. All thats needed to make this work is a vision and the structure to drive it. rainchild ZA<br />
<br />
:I favor empowering the whole community and everyone in it, using the [http://www.sarvodaya.org/ Sarvodaya] model. Otherwise, I agree with you. Although it isn't just theory, and they can make more than that. I have a vision, and I'm building a structure at [[Earth Treasury]]. Would you like to join us? --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lamp is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
:[[Understanding sugar code]] was written to educate people like you on how you can get into the guts of an OLPC laptop. Any children who have an OLPC could potentially do exactly that, and learn a lot about computing at a very low level. OLPC volunteers will develop curiculum in all languages, in civic, sciences, and arts. This is an opportunity to diminish the divide. -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]]<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
:Hey "scampsd" i couldnt work out how to contact you about this, I am interested in alternative scales, mail me, simon att simon chadwick dt net<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
:Your question is confusing, as I'm not versed in random number generators based on hard disk... Isn't the built in Flashdrive good enough? It acts like a conventional hard drive, but it's all memory. --[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]]<br />
<br />
::No, the flash is not good at all. Hard drives have unpredictable timing, and thus the kernel uses them to supply /dev/random data. The DCON chip really should be modified to include a random number generator that works based on electrical noise such as the thermal stuff in a semiconductor junction. (note: NOT a pseudorandom number generator) [[User:24.110.145.57|24.110.145.57]] 19:40, 27 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:::Hmm... Chaos Communication Congress... OK! So you are looking for a way to seed a random number generator from an on board OLPC component (mostly for cryptography a boot time). OLPC doesn't seem to prioritize encryption as a core value (it seems to go against the BitFrost mantra of transparency). That said, you've got a pair of WiFi like transmitters, a monitor, keyboard, touchpad, battery, etc. Does hard drive access time really provide an evenly distributed random number? I find that hard to believe. Also, is this topic really critical to the goals of OLPC as a project? --[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]]<br />
<br />
::::The very first thing an OLPC XO does is generate a long-term public/private key pair. All the over-the-air stuff is at least cryptographically signed. If a kid publishes a Sugar XO bundle, it gets signed with his key. Hard drives are decent; the fast-moving air inside the drive provides randomness. The WiFi may be a tolerable choice; it's both public and subject to lack of input though. The monitor is no good. The keyboard and touchpad are OK, though very slow. The battery is unlikely to help. The digital camera may be the best choice. The microphone is tolerable. Use of many of these devices will require lots of power and/or background daemons. It's just way easier to do as Intel did with their motherboard chipsets. VIA put a random number generator right in the CPU. [[User:AlbertCahalan|AlbertCahalan]] 22:14, 28 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:::::This is a serious issue. There's a paper on the quality of the linux kernel RNG, and how it has relied on obscurity. When people wanted to find out how it works, they got no help from the developers; after analyzing it, they found serious weaknesses, and published.<br />
<br />
:::::http://www.pinkas.net/PAPERS/gpr06.pdf<br />
<br />
:::::In a nutshell:<br />
:::::# Linux RNG is overly complicated, and could be made much simpler at no loss of quality if a random source is available.<br />
:::::# Linux RNG is predictable with no random source<br />
:::::# A "must" for diskless systems is to save the RNG state across shutdown/bootup. At the very least, each laptop should ship with a 512 byte file fetched from random.org (or similar) so that they can initialize to an unknown state on first boot.<br />
:::::# Instead of using the linux RNG, perhaps consider a better one. Apple claims that its RNG -- "Yarrow" -- is better than Linux's, however it warns that a lack of random input will degrade it without warning (versus linux's estimate of entropy remaining in the main pool).<br />
<br />
:::::I do **REALLY** hope that this is fixed before any "for end user" machines are shipped. --[[User:Keybounce|Keybounce]] 21:36, 31 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::::::It is a serious issue, but that stuff about Yarrow being better is wrong. People get recognition by publishing alarmist "research" about supposed defects in important software. The Linux developers have little time to help clueless people who won't study the history behind the Linux /dev/random and /dev/urandom devices. Yarrow has one feature of dubious value: it recovers quickly from an attacker who somehow exposes the content of the pool. If an attacker can do that, you have bigger issues to worry about because the attacker is reading your kernel memory! Yarrow does have two weaknesses. First, it assumes that there will not be a successful attack against the cryptographic operations it uses. The Linux /dev/random and /dev/urandom instead assume that such attacks will be somewhat successful, and thus does not depend greatly on the cryptographic operations being unbreakable forever. Second, Yarrow fails to track entropy. Even if no data goes into the pool, you can pull infinite data out. This makes Yarrow a pseudo-random number generator. Linux makes a conservative estimate of the amount of true randomness available in the pool and will cause /dev/random to block (stall) if there is not enough available. [[User:24.110.145.57|24.110.145.57]] 00:26, 1 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
The AMD Geode LX processor includes a hardware random number generator. Linux's /dev/{u,}random uses it to seed the entropy pool. Also, keyboard and trackpad input are used to add to the entropy. There should be few issues with the quality of the random numbers.<br />
<br />
::Look at the [[Measure]] activity - it reads unbiased voltage data from the audio in port. I don't know how sensitive the a/d on that is, but if it's sensitive enough to get some random noise when there's no mic attached, this would be an excellent, constant source of random data (I saw an article once arguing that a noisy a/d is either brownian motion - which has quantum input from molecular vibration modes - or direct quantum tunelling of electrons in the chip. Quantum random = gold standard.). I don't know if there are Bitfrost/Raibow issues with accessing this port - I think that's only for the physical mic, not the port. --[[User:Homunq|Homunq]] 11:06, 24 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another [http://www.icrc.org/ Red Cross] or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two approaches to solve short-term and long-term problems of the developing world? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = investing in a better future for them and their societies. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against polarity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
May be a project similar to OLPC can be initiated to narrow the digital divide in the US. But instead of inventing a whole new laptop like the OLPC old PCs and laptops can be recycled and install linux to save cost? You'll find that when you run Linux on old computers they're not so "old." :-)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
*This will be the responsibility of the country in which the laptops are deployed. They are more familiar with local culture, local social issues and local laws.<br />
<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Rugged Laptops ==<br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
:'Huge' is relative, you can measure it in number of units or monetary value. And given that the market is a niche, it implies a small volume and high monetary value&mdash;the opposite of what the OLPC target market is (afaik). I see your point in 'overpricing' this 'commercial rugged laptops', but that would only create incentives to divert machines to the black/grey market. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:10, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />
---(JK, USA) There ought to be a sister project of the OLPC to bring internet connection to schools in the developing world. One internet connection per school wouldn't be a bad name for such project. Wireless Gateway/APs powered by environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, perhaps linked to a bidirectional satellite internet receiver, and then use [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/]WifiPaypal so that donors in the developed world can donate mothly Satellite connection bill direct to the schools using Paypal.<br />
<br />
*I think you should develop your idea and get about doing it. Gus, Chile<br />
<br />
Yes, that would be great to get internet capabilities, I agree -- I hope you do start that up!<br />
<br />
Does anybody know about the approximate power needs for the gateways? I know somebody working on microbial fuel cells and he asked me to find out what the power needs would be, and I just have no idea. I'm assuming that power is going to be a biggish issue for the gateways, as many of them will be in areas with no elecricity -- Am I wrong? Thank you!<br />
<br />
This question might be bettered answered on one of the Tech pages.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
:Generally ages 6 to 17. (First grade to the end of high school in the US.) The emphasis is ages 6 to 10 or so. A careful look at OLPC pictures indicates that they are really sized for 6 to 10 year olds. --[[User:Tef|tef]] 13 Jan 2007<br />
<br />
::I hope you aren't serious. The keyboard is '''way too small for a 10 year old.''' Just forget about age 17. The keyboard is about right for a toddler, but tolerable for a 5 year old. 7 year olds could use it for brief periods of time. [[User:AlbertCahalan|AlbertCahalan]] 00:18, 20 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
:The software being developed looks like it will run reasonably well on a conventional laptop, through emulation. My laptop doesn't have a camera, mic, or wifi, and it's behind a firewall, so I only have some peripherals. OLPC software is distributed freely (I think it's GNU V2), just search the emulation pages. That's how I got my copy of the software.<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. <br />
<br />
:There is no "buy 2 get 1" scheme. If you would read the [[Retail]] page then you would know this.<br />
<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
<br />
:This is not an OLPC idea. The OLPC project has no intention to distribute laptops over Ebay and if people started to sell stolen laptops on Ebay we would work to shut that down.<br />
<br />
==Relaunching software as freeware==<br />
We are reviving ChipWits - an award-winning iconic programming game - and would like to encourage a freeware version to be developed for the OLPC. Is there a forum to discuss it?<br />
<br />
:There are several [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo mailing lists] (note the link in the 'about olpc' box at the top-left of the page. Also, there's a section on how to get around [[Sharing your content with OLPC]].<br />
:BTW, the OLPC is commited to [[Open Source]], so 'free' would probably not be enough, methinks.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:43, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
::ChipWits will be open source. Thanks for the pointer to the mailing list.<br />
<br />
<br />
== LiveCD OS Images ==<br />
<br />
I downloaded a few of the recent LiveCD image builds (231), but for some reason the system does not load up and run. Obviously in this case you need a PC that has a CD/DVD reader etc. I may not be burning the CD correctly although Grub seems to start ok.<br />
Is there any particular hardware needed that a typical PC does not have, or something that I am not doing properly? Anyone out there that has this working and can share some ideas would be great. Thanks in advance.<br />
<br />
This question might be bettered answered on one of the Tech pages.<br />
<br />
Could you put a link to the "Tech Page". I'm having the same problem, what do I type at the grub prompt?<br />
<br />
== Color Coded Maps and Color Blind People==<br />
<br />
Would you please consider a written list of country status for those of us that are colorblind and can't make heads nor tails of your map?<br />
<br />
:There's an [[OLPC Status by Country]] page with a table - but darn! It too is color coded! ...just checked :( <br />
:I'll update it to make it text AND color coded.<br />
:It covers [[OLPC Status by Country#Africa|Africa]], the [[OLPC Status by Country#The Americas|Americas]] and [[OLPC Status by Country#Asia|Asia]], and it's '''NOT''' official (iow, the coding of some countries could be wrong).<br />
:And yes, there should be a link to that table in the [[#Countries|Countries section above]] and in the [[Map]] page.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:30, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Bad netiquette, answering to self, but it's already done! See [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
::This question and it's answer will soon be moved to the [[#Country]] section above.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:58, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Chrekula Uganda ==<br />
<br />
We are opening aprivate school in the village of Cherekula Uganda. I was going to provide two laptop computers but we are facing a problem with the lack of electrical power. We are exploring the purchase of a gas generator. I have bee folling the OLPC project for seceral years and am now convinced this is a better alternative. How do I enlist the Ugandan government so that I can take sveral OLPC computers to the choll when we visit this March (2007). We are completely willing to purchase them and we can transport the or have them shipped. I know that these would be pilots (beta?). We just want to try and get moving ahead on providing internet access to some very deprived children. This school is a high school. The first one ever in this village. It is located about 250 km from Kampala. Can you advise me on how to proceed. We can document the school i required. THanks ./Jim May jimlind@ameritech.net Farmington Hills Mi. USA 48336<br />
<br />
:You are going at this the wrong way. The first thing you need to do is find someone who is an expert in electrical power generation and storage to give you advice. They are unlikely to suggest buying a gas-powered generator for two laptops. Ten years ago people in Africa were running laptops off car batteries that were charged up by bicycle-driven generators. You should be doing something similar today. That means choosing older laptops with lower power consumption, choosing laptops that run off 12 volts DC (like RV owners and yachtsmen do) and then getting a generator rigged from old car parts. The one thing different today from 10 years ago is that solar panels are a viable source for charging the batteries.<br />
<br />
:Forget the OLPC. You cannot buy them ([[Retail]]) and you need to get your government's support in order to get access to them.<br />
<br />
== Website woes ==<br />
<br />
Am I the only one having a problem with www.laptop.org? It seems to be formatted for those using widescreen computers. I suggest you reformat the page so that it can be accessed by any computer user.<br />
The verbage also seems to be targeted toward the academic community. While I can read what was written, it isn't user-friendly. <br />
<br />
Have you considered your target audience? It's difficult to build support for your movement if you make it difficult for potential supporters to access your information. <br />
<br />
L. Mundschau<br />
<br />
:Scroll your screen to the left to find the Contact link in the upper left hand corner. http://www.laptop.org/contact.shtml<br />
Either send an email or write a letter with your concerns. If you can include a screenshot of your screen that would help.<br />
<br />
== What about students k-12 and college students in the USA? ==<br />
<br />
Do I qualify? I filled out the fafsa forms do you need those to determine those for financial need? If so, is there a way I can pass the computer to another "financial need base" student? I see that your organization goes around the world but didn't know if you were including the United States.<br />
<br />
:There are no plans to distribute the OLPC computers in the USA. If you want to lobby for this to happen, then read [[OLPC4USA]].<br />
WELL THIS HAS CHANGED:as the USA has at least in the news, been talking about the OLPC program.Is this a good thing? I am sure this Wiki is open for your comments about this issue!<br />
<br />
== can i get one for my 2 kids??? ==<br />
<br />
dear sir/madam;<br />
<br />
i am a mother of two from the Philippines, my eldest son is only 4 yrs. old, he's now at the nursery level, and i notice that he is interested about computers, he even know how to operate my laptop and start his educational game and i am proud of it. that is why i am asking you a question if i can get one for my eldest son so he can pursue his interest in studying by using laptop, and soon will teach his baby brother to use it.<br />
<br />
thank you very much,<br />
<br />
laarni muldong<br />
<br />
:As explained in several places, the short answer is '''no'''.<br />
:See<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Where or how can I get one?]]<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question#Distribution, Roll-out, Marketing & Sales]]<br />
<br />
== freifunk.net volunteers ==<br />
<br />
I wrote an e-mail to volunteers@laptop.org <br />
ten days ago, which has not been replyed to yet.<br />
I will submit this mail here just for <br />
making sure it reaches you:<br />
<br />
:Deleted this private letter. If you do not get a reply to your email, either wait patiently, or send another email. This wiki is not a mailbox!<br />
<br />
We noticed that you are<br />
looking for people from the freifunk.net community for <br />
implementing the <br />
BATMAN software into your system. <br />
<br />
---[[User:Konstantin|Konstantin]] 09:27, 27 January 2007 (EST)---<br />
<br />
:The OLPC OS already has a built-in mesh networking system. It is highly unlikely that your BATMAN mesh networking system will be of any use. There is already a [[Developers program]] where you can offer your services.<br />
<br />
::Actually, the B.A.T.M.A.N. free software for mesh networking is the most complete, widely deployed implementation of mesh networking under Linux. It's been running in production use for more than a year, which is more than anyone can say about the OLPC Marvell/CozyBit mesh. B.A.T.M.A.N. may well be useful for wide area networking of the school servers (the 802.11s mesh will only extend as far as the WiFi radios can reach; there's no plan to extend it via DSL or wired links to other parts of the network). Does B.A.T.M.A.N. support IPv6 yet? I concur that you should contact Jim Gettys at the [[Developers program]], and ask for laptop into which you could port the software. --gnu<br />
<br />
== Information about OLPC for people in poor countries ==<br />
<br />
There is lots of written material about OLPC for people in rich countries. <br />
The newspapers are full of OLPC stories.<br />
People in poor countries don't know much about OLPC but maybe the children will<br />
receive a laptop in near future.<br />
<br />
:It is up to each nation to order the OLPC laptops. It cannot be a decision made by groups or private citizens even of great means. If you like you can contact your government's Education Ministry and start from there.<br />
<br />
:: I agree that more information about OLPC should be translated into other languages and made available through channels beyond mainstream westerm media. We are trying to do this, but can always use help via local news and blog networks, and through translation of important [[news]] and pages on this wiki... perhaps we need some sort of graphical flyer with minimal language to localize and make available for anyone to print and pass out, to spur discussion in new communities. [[User:Sj|Sj]] [[User talk:Sj|<font color="fc9"><small>talk</small></font>]] 02:46, 17 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== RealPlayer in OPLC and applications download ==<br />
<br />
We are developing some applications that can be used to education purpose and we have some doubts:<br />
- Is it possible to make applications download using the OLPC ?<br />
- Is it possible to run the RealPlayer in OLPC ?<br />
Thanks in advance<br />
Vivian<br />
(vivianlona@hotmail.com)<br />
<br />
:The OLPC is based on downloadable activities, not applications. It will not have any RealPlayer support so you will need to encode in an open-source format. Ogg/Vorbis is good for music while Ogg/Speex is better for pure voice recordings. Read the [[Activity bundles]] page to see how to program a downloadable activity in Python.<br />
<br />
:: What format do you require? RealPlayer can play many different formats. Quicktime can be played with [http://gstreamer.net/ GStreamer] through [http://www.openquicktime.org/ OpenQuicktime] and [http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ Gnash] is mostly SWF v7 compliant (this makes Flash an open-source format). Gnash can play Flash movies from local files. If you would like to see either GStreamer or Gnash included you could add them to [[:Category:Feedback]]. [[Thin client]] explains about use of the OLPC as a web client or thin client. --[[User:Fasten|Fasten]] 11:40, 31 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
See also: [[Flash Player]]<br />
<br />
"Activities" is just OLPC jargon for application programs. Don't be put off by people "correcting" you on that.<br />
<br />
Real has been working to produce an OLPC version of their Helix Player, which is a free software player. The big problem is codecs -- most of the ones in common use (e.g. MP3) are patented and require the payment of commercial royalties. If you want to produce multimedia for children and make them useful to kids with OLPCs, then you will need to take care to encode your multimedia into freely licensed formats (Ogg Vorbis for music; Ogg Speex for speech; Ogg Theora for video). These can, of course, also be played on proprietary systems like Macs and PCs, though to encourage the use of their own locked-down formats, neither Apple nor Microsoft ships these free codecs with their OS; your application will have to install them.<br />
<br />
The Gnash flash player doesn't come with any codecs; it relies on GStreamer to decode any media embedded in the flash movie. OLPC can distribute gnash, since it's GPL software, but can't distribute the codecs needed to play "FLV" (Flash Video) files, because they are proprietary to Adobe.<br />
<br />
== Economies of scale? ==<br />
<br />
How would it not be in your interests if you hired a non-profit-org to sell laptops to citizens of more rich countries?<br />
<br />
You claim that it has to do with scale and all, but do you understand how many of these would sell? I'm sitting in front of a dual AMD turion laptop, yet I'd love the idea of having a laptop for my room and car both. You could sell millions of these here in the states. Would that not be scale for you? What # are you looking at would be for "scale" to occur?<br />
<br />
:This is not so much of answer given that I ignore the details, '''thus I'm assuming'''.<br />
:It would seem that the deal struck between the OLPC and [[Quanta]] is ~USD 135 per unit EXW / FOB for a minimum order of 5 million units. So the OLPC has to ensure ''at least'' a 5 million order, before Quanta pushes the go button. Afaik, that is the "scale" needed.<br />
<br />
== Preventing Porn/Adult Content? ==<br />
<br />
At launch time will the laptop include any software for content controls (to prevent porn, etc). I realize that one's definition of "acceptable content" varies over regions, but isn't most content filtering software for the client Win-based?<br />
<br />
: This will, as far as I know, be left up to countries. Because the hardware and software OLPC will provide is as open as possible, there is no real way to implement such filtering on the laptops themselves; the kids could just change the software to get around such restrictions. --[[User:18.85.46.22|18.85.46.22]] 19:16, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Since most computers will be used with no Internet access whatsoever, this is a minor problem. In areas where there will be Internet access it will be provided by a school gateway. The filtering will either be implemented on the school gateway or at a central regional gateway.<br />
<br />
:::Sorry, but lack of the Internet won't matter. OLPC is all about locally-produced content. This laptop has a camera. Having an Internet connection is only required for worldwide sales and distribution.<br />
<br />
:::The laptops will have Internet access. Children will be both exploring and producing content. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:40, 2 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
'''This question has not yet been answered with sufficient care''' Please click [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Talk:Ask_OLPC_a_Question here] for a comment (on another talk page within this wiki) about the machines being used to create pornography. The OLPC team will be making a grave error if they expect developing world governments to address this issue without guidance.<br />
<br />
: My guess is that considering that the XOs will basically access the Internet through the mesh (connecting to the [[School server]]&mdash;acting as the gateway) a simple filter or proxy can be configured... it is (imho) a worthy preocupation, but must not be taken as ''the'' issue; most kids will not care about such things, and when they do, they'll manage to get their hands on it regardless of how adults feel about it... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 00:39, 23 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Are you talking about a particular already existing sort of image filter? Please elaborate. What sort of proxy? The reason that I am stressing this issue is because the reactionary element within a developing country will see this as "the" issue when it hits the press and they can keep these computers out of the hands of their children. Even if computer literate people can look past this sort of issue, large traditional populations are not likely to. Again, I'm not concerned about people looking at pornography. Every single internet cafe that I visited in 24 African countries last year had at least two young men looking at porn and nobody cared. I am concerned about the video camera being used to exploit poor young women and children. Whoever is putting this project together doesn't seem to know enough about the resourcefulness of the people who they will equip with these machines. Why isn't someone from the actual OLPC project bothering to respond. Have any of those guys actually lived in the marginal areas of the developing world? --[User:Onlinementor] 24 March 2007.<br />
<br />
::The [[School server]] can be used for content filtering; the extent to which it will be is based upon a country-by-country decision. In regard to the children being exploited in the creation of pornographic content, it is certainly a concern, one we are trying to address through a number of mechanism, some technological, but most of a societal nature. The camera and microphone are hardwired to LEDs and are protected against remote access (See [[BitFrost]] for details). The Journal logs all activities, including picture-taking. But neither of these measures is adequate if the family and community turn their backs on their children. We are striving to engage all community members in the program, which includes guidance about the exploitation of children. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:40, 2 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::Thanks for the feedback, Walter. Is there somewhere on this site where I could track the conversation about how to create a suitably vigilant societal mechanism to protect against the creation of exploitative content? It's a huge challenge and while it is particularly relevant to the OLPC initiative, it is an OLD, often-confronted, unbested challenge. To paint it as a question of family and communal back-turning is somewhat misleading, as it suggests that any shortcoming on behalf of the responsible community will be committed with purposeful disregard. It is much more likely that they will be ignorant of the situation, powerless to do anything about it or coerced into accepting it. <br />
<br />
:::I'm sure you are familiar with the fact that it is not uncommon for teachers in the developing world (especially in Sub-Saharan Africa) to use their students sexually--indeed the notion of what constitutes "exploitation" is rather variable. If you cannot have a meaningful allegiance with educators, I don't know how you hope to engender this new breed of social responsibility. I don't mean to sound glib. I would just love to hear, in reassuring detail, what sort of local and regional expertise is being applied to the question.<br />
<br />
:::On the other page, I suggested a possibility that is less trusting of the local community; but productive of jobs and, perhaps more reliable. <br />
<br />
A possible suggestion: Whenever someone is uploading pictures or video (via the mesh) to the internet, it must be approved by human eyes. Those eyes should belong to women in another part of the world. For instance, Uruguayan women, approve every image and video that Nigerian computer users upload. Libyan women approve every image and video that Uruguyans upload etc. It will be harder to corrupt the filter if it exists further away, speaks another language and is built of women.<br />
<br />
The countries where you are going to pilot this program are full of women who would happily take an image filtering job for $50/month or thereabouts (and that, in many cases, would be a generous salary). Invest an extra $60,000 in each country towards the power of external, female filtering and you might be able to save yourselves considerable embarassment. In the context of this project, $60,000 sounds like a very modest investment; but it could create scores of jobs in each country and help to protect young people from the world's thirsty perversion. --[[User:Onlinementor] 2:20, 9 April 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
The laptop is a tool, and can be used "for good or evil". Personally I think that censorship is evil and that kids should be free to see what humans look like without their clothes. The kids I've known who grew up that way didn't turn out badly. So please stop trying to push your own cultural prejudices onto every kid in the world. If you made colored pencils for kids, would you set up a system of censorship to make sure they didn't draw anything sexy?<br />
<br />
:::I think it's not about Onlinementor's, yours, or my prejudices. What counts is what the parents of the children want, that we are trying to influence here. They have the right to decide, if pornography/violence is accepted in their community. They should be empowered to limit the influence of the internet on their children.<br />
<br />
:::Society change is always a violent process. The faster the change, the more violent it is. The best chance for success of OLPC in a community will be, if it does not change too much.I think it it very important to fit the filtering to the local community and their values. Internet-Access is a ''Social Change Tool''. If the social change it creates is not wanted, the programm will fail. Every community might need a different level of porn/violence/political filters, so the change doesn´t get too much. But developing the restriction mechanisms should be a high priority for OLPC. Parents/community/nation want to stay in control of the minds of their children. If you refuse to let them have some control of the new influence on their children, they might refuse the whole offer. <br />
<br />
:::In the end OLPC has to ''listen'' to the parents of the children, and take on all their key concerns. There is no way of saying: "we from the big wide world know what´s best for your child!" -[User:Bones, 1st post] 14.09.2007<br />
<br />
== Mesh Network Emulation ==<br />
<br />
I'd like to try running a mesh network with emulation software; using say several laptops and a server (they could all be on one physical machine). I can't figure out how to create a mesh network using the qemu image, and don't see any images for the server. Thanks.<br />
<br />
(I am a graduate student in Computer Science and Education, and would like to contribute to this project; but need to evaluate a working environment first)<br />
<br />
:Could this [[Virtualized Sugar]] page be what you're looking for? --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:26, 6 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Thanks... maybe. I fired up two instances of olpc on moka5, on separate machines in the same LAN, but couldn't them in the neighborhood. What more tinkering is required?<br />
<br />
:Looks like it didn't work, uh? I would suggest then that you raise the issue in one of the [[Community mailing lists|mailing lists]] probably [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/networking networking]. If you find an answer (solution or reason on why not) please post it here, so that we may then add it somewhere. Thanks and good luck! --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 00:45, 7 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Try turning on Bridge network for the virtual machines. There is an option to select that on top of the window.<br />
By default, it is NAT.<br />
<br />
All of the Mesh software is running inside the Marvell chip set on the OLPC, in currently-proprietary software; there is little or no support in the free Linux kernel or the Sugar UI. (Just configuration interfaces, and a way to gateway to the broader Internet.) So without the hardware, you can't run the mesh -- just an ordinary network. But since the mesh emulates an ordinary network, it's not usually a big deal. As the OLPC's higher level collaboration software starts working (soon, I hear) it should work over both ordinary networks (e.g. WiFi with an access point; WiFi in ad-hoc mode; or a USB Ethernet adapter) and over the mesh. --gnu<br />
<br />
== Environmental End-of-life considerations ==<br />
<br />
The environmental impacts and economic costs of disposing of obsolete/broken ICT hardware are well-known. The energy-efficiency of the laptop helps minimise it's impact during operational life. Can some details be given on steps that have or will be taken in the manufacturing and "ultimate disposal" stages of the hardware lifecycle to minimise environmental costs? I'm thinking here of embedded energy in manufacture, and disposal costs. Will recycling costs/incentives be built into the purchase cost? Will a recovery program be up to the individual government , or part of the agreement between OLPC and clients?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
That is a very valid concern, but with in reason. When you buy clothing, or you buy furniture, or computers do you take that issue up with the manufactures everytime?<br />
Yes I am sure each government has a program that addresses these issues or there program is they do not. I suggest that you take this issue up with your locall EPA and request information on what you can do. You may be able to start or join a group based on your concern. I believe the OLPC knows about conservation and most likely the subject has come up.--[[User:216.194.7.250|216.194.7.250]] 12:09, 24 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== MARVELL? ==<br />
<br />
I notice that Marvell is the provider of the wireless solution, but there's no hyperlink to the company. Is this the same company?<br />
Marvell Semiconductor, Inc.<br />
5488 Marvell Lane<br />
Santa Clara, CA 95054<br />
Phone:<br />
Fax:<br />
A search on their website: http://www.marvell.com/products/wireless/index.jsp<br />
Does not show a "Libertas" product, which is what is mentioned on the hardware page:<br />
Wireless: Marvell Libertas 88W8388+88W8015, 802.11b/g compatible; dual adjustable, rotating coaxial antennas; supports diversity reception <br />
<br />
The reason for the question is if this wireless product draws such low power, it seems like a good fit for other applications?<br />
Just wondering...<br />
<br />
: It would seem so. Particularly noting that the drivers mentioned in the [[wireless]] page link to that site, and other info in the [[Libertas]] page. I'm guessing, but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11s 802.11s (mesh)] is still fuzzy, so it probably hasn't made it to the 'product' level yet. See also [[:Category:Network]]. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:48, 8 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== autoreinstalation image through usb is not working..help.. ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i have successfully update image from this site...(olpc/manuals%20notes/Auto re installation_image.htm)...but after giving response ok at the end of setup...machine didn't reboot or shutdown... after waiting long time i shutdown the machine and then turn on .. then message comes : trying startup script disk:\boot\olpc-boot.fth..........and then no response for 5 minutes...after 5 minutes again a 4 lines message comes....<br />
<br />
boot-file = ro root=mtd0 rootfstype=jffs2 console=ttys0, console =tty0 fbcon=font:sun12*22 pci=nobios video=gxfb:1024*768-16<br />
boot-device = nand .....<br />
and machine held with this message....and no response ....<br />
<br />
can any body help me in this issue ?? <br />
-- <br />
Salman Minhas<br />
System Administrator<br />
Electronic Government Directorate<br />
<br />
:We have seen a few cases of auto-installer failures apparently due to "botched" downloads onto USB disks. We plan to mitigate that by including a manifest in the installer image, with checksums/hashes. In the interim, please try downloadinga new build image. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 20:21, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==What are the costs of implementation? Economic costs of not implementing? Who will pay?==<br />
<br />
I am doing an economics project regarding the OLPC as an economic policy to solve third world education. I was just wondering if you could provide me with answers regarding these questions, espsecially about the long-term and short-term costs including social, political, and economic, domestic and international.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Kevin, Toronto<br />
<br />
: The costs of implementation are just those you'd expect: infrastructure, hardware, distribution, etc. I'm not sure what you're asking about "economic costs of not implementing"; the idea is that economic benefits of education vastly outweigh the costs of laptops. National governments will pay, for the moment, though other schemes, such as one nation helping to pay for another's laptops, etc. will undoubtedly be explored as the program expands. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:34, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== computers for children? ==<br />
<br />
yes having a computer is great.but shouldnt we all make certain everyone is fed,first of all.people in every country go hungry each day.where is your 100$ technological advancement for that?<br />
<br />
:Congratulations. You are the 10,000th person to ask this question. We direct you to the answer prominently displayed in [[Our mission]].<br />
<br />
== Corruption and Extreme Poverty ==<br />
<br />
I understand that it is the responsibility of the country to contact you, but what about countries that are too poor to afford millions of laptops even if they are only $100? and how are you addressing highly corrupt nations where the leaders interests are not aligned with those of the population they govern? Arguably the corrupt nations are ones that would benefit the most seeing as there population could see how there leader compared to others around the world.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
That is a good question. The OLPC program has already handed out laptops throughout out the world in small markets. From the information has been made publicly available a big launch will be coming up very soon in several nations around the world but not every nation. I would think, that as the laptops become more of a common item the market might open up and different types of Governmental Organizations, that are sponsored by United Nations.UN programs may then have a chance to create programs to distribute the laptop to different nations based on a OLPC Around the World Program. This could very well be the future of the program that any nation may be able to see OLPC laptops in their countries based on a UN initiative.--[[User:216.194.7.98|216.194.7.98]] 19:21, 19 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== minimum order ==<br />
<br />
NGOs and retailers are supposedly excluded based on quantity, but that really doesn't make sense. In theory, an NGO or retailer could order many millions of laptops.<br />
<br />
Some countries are initially excluded because they are too small. It seems you want quantities of 1 million.<br />
<br />
Is that the magic number? If an NGO could buy a million, would you then work with them? What if Walmart wanted a million?<br />
<br />
Would 5 million do the job? How about 10 million?<br />
<br />
It'd be nice to replace all the "NO YOU CAN'T BUY ONE" stuff with a more-understandable "minimum order 1 million", or whatever it is.<br />
<br />
[[User:AlbertCahalan|AlbertCahalan]] 00:42, 20 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:The fact is that the OLPC does not want to sell large numbers of laptops. Rather, they want to get large numbers of laptops in the hands of children along with educational support for those children to ensure that they actually receive educational value from the laptops. In addition, the OLPC is at a very early stage in its project, so they need to focus their relationships on a small number of countries which are willing to put a lot of energy into pilot projects.<br />
<br />
:There is no minimum order number because the OLPC is not selling laptops, not at retail and not at wholesale. Sometime after the pilot projects are well under way and there are a few million satisfied child users of the laptops (2 years or more) then there will be alternative distribution channels for the laptops. However, NGOs may take lower priority than small quantity projects with ministries of education in smaller countries, or poor countries which cannot support a full national rollout at one time.<br />
<br />
:If an NGO really wants to get involved in OLPC laptop distribution, then they should start by providing people and resources to support projects in the countries where OLPC has an agreement. That way, the NGO personnel will gain experience and will be able to speak with the OLPC project on a more reasonable basis than waving dollar bills and demanding minimum-order-quantities.<br />
<br />
== OS languages that OLPC will release ==<br />
<br />
What are the languages that OLPC will be released with? What are the first Priority ones?<br />
<br />
:The first priority languages are the languages of countries where the ministry of education has signed an agreement to deploy OLPC laptops to their children. In some of these countries there is more than one official language such as Nigeria with Edo, Efik, Adamawa Fulfulde, Hausa, Idoma, Igbo, Central Kanuri, and Yoruba.<br />
<br />
:If there is a language that you would like to see higher priority then you need to convince the ministry of education in a country where it is the official language, to sign an agreement with OLPC.<br />
<br />
== Financial support for OLPC? ==<br />
<br />
How is OLPC supported? How does one make a financial contribution?<br />
<br />
: You can make a financial contribution to the [http://laptopfoundation.org/participate/ OLPC foundation], which is not the same as the OLPC association. Contributions will be used for "grants and loans for the development and use of open educational resources and grassroots learning innovations that enhance the effectiveness of the XO" and for the [[Special Laptop Program]]. --[[User:Fasten|Fasten]] 17:30, 27 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Proxy configuration ==<br />
<br />
Is there any way to configure a proxy in the OLPC Firefox?<br />
:The web activity is just a version of firefox. As such, you can get to the firefox configuration by typing "about:config" in the location bar. Once there, you can narrow the settings to "network.proxy". Now, edit the fields to configure things properly from behind your corporate firewall :) -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]] 12:06, 12 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Trade and market considerations ==<br />
<br />
Considering the initial limits on distribution, do you anticipate extensive legitimate trade or black market trade in these devices? It will be interesting to observe the reaction to the initial distribution. (I can see people getting $500 or $1000 for the first ones). I think the open source concept suggests an unrestricted distribution as soon as practical. Would not the free-and-open-source development of code and content be greatly enhanced by general distribution? Will proprietary content appear in the marketplace, or government controlled and distributed content? --[[User:Dfourer|Dfourer]] 11:05, 25 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes and no. The OLPC laptops have their own internet that is for learning and a social structure designed for children in the region where they are distributed to. If lets say a large amount of the laptops were taken most likely the ID numbers will be noted and the OLPC laptops will be rendered useless. Keep in mind they are mini computers with a lot of features designed for children. Just having one stolen OLPC laptop might end you up in jail and prove to be useless out side the classroom or the use of a child.Hunter<br />
<br />
== East Africa in the picture? ==<br />
<br />
Im a kenyan who has been in computer trainning for the last 10 Years. I really would like to be involved in laying the OLPC ground work and later trainning to the youngsters. The East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) are not Participating in the OLPC programme at the momment. Is there a way I can be involved?.<br />
<br />
Also, how often does a child need to wind the laptop to keep it working for say, one hour session?.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes and No. You can stay involved by keeping up with the OLPC news and find out more information as it becomes available about the distribution of the OLPC laptop. But if your nation is not at this time ready to commit to the purchase of the laptops then you will have to wait and see. Look at it this way the OLPC laptop could take off and be a must have for every developing nation and Walla they will come to East Africa too!<br />
As far as how many winds I do not know that. Maybe ten seconds worth or less.I think it last about an hour or less.--[[User:216.194.7.98|216.194.7.98]] 19:36, 19 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Paulo de cruz roja argentina ==<br />
<br />
Ante todo impresionante la idea...<br />
Lo que me gustaria saver es si llegara a lugares como los que <br />
estamos acostubrados a trabajar el personal voluntario de cruz <br />
roja argentina y en mi caso en particular de la localidad de <br />
Quilmes al sur de Buenos Aires.La mayoria de los chicos no <br />
save ni siquiera como prender una computadora por lo cual <br />
estaria bueno que sea lo mas practico posible.<br />
mi email es paulouriel@hotmail.com<br />
porque avlas en espanol stamos en stados sunidos!<br />
i cant write that good in spanish<br />
<br />
== Photo use suggestion ==<br />
<br />
Apologies if this is the wrong place; I couldn't find a better spot on the wiki to suggest this. I hope someone can route it for me.<br />
<br />
As I understand it, the OLPC system takes a photo of the laptop's owner at an early stage, and uses that in various UI elements to identify the child (e.g. the "neighbourhood" view).<br />
<br />
Suggestion: this photo should also be displayed during startup, so that a teacher can work out who owns a laptop left behind in the classroom immediately, instead of needing to wait for the entire boot sequence.<br />
<br />
It should also be displayed when/if the laptop is locked out due to a failure to contact the authentication server inside 21 days, or because it's been explicitly disabled due to theft.) This would allow a stray laptop to be reunited with its owner far easier, and/or make it simple for the police to ascertain that the person holding the laptop is not the owner.<br />
<br />
<br />
That may well be the case.--[[User:216.194.7.250|216.194.7.250]] 11:39, 24 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== About internet access ==<br />
<br />
I am very interested about the OLPC.<br />
I am a pc programmer too and I am interested on programming for other plataforms, like the Playstation2, cellphones, and now, to the OLPC, too.<br />
I know almost all about he OLPC, ecxept one thing:<br />
What are the plans about the Internet access on the OLPC particulary on Brazil?<br />
<br />
<i>You can find informations about this, in portuguese, at [http://www.dmu.com the DMU site]</i><br />
<br />
<br />
I think the platform is similar to all the other nations except the language is different. The subject matter is to reflect each nations individual lifestyle and customs. Brazil is also one of the first nations to receive the proto types.--[[User:216.194.7.250|216.194.7.250]] 11:54, 24 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== A little question ==<br />
<br />
The user install other programs on the pc, like on a normal pc using linux?<br />
If not, there is a way to run programs on the OLPC?<br />
The programs that I am referring are other programs, developed by users, etc...<br />
:The OLPC has a pretty small footprint. The OLPC Redhat distribution is very small, and has few program. There is an OLPC Redhat Development distribution which has a few more Linux programs, but it's still small. [[Sugar]] is the GUI interface, and has special [[activity]] programs. Activities are inherently networkable and sharable. -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]] 21:45, 6 March 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
The answer to your question is yes. You can install other programs on the OLPC, like on a normal PC running Linux.<br />
The window system (Sugar) currently makes that hard, though someone is working on fixing that.<br />
<br />
== Internet access ==<br />
<br />
How is internet connectivity achieved?<br />
:OLPC laptops talk to each other in an ad-hoc mesh network. Each school has a server which connects laptops on the mesh to the internet. -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]] 21:28, 9 March 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Egypt - GILO ==<br />
<br />
USAID/Egypt issued a request for proposal (RFP) entitled Girls Inhanced Learning Opportunities 263-097-003GILOFeb 19, 2007 that calls for provision 30 computers and one lap top to 300 schools in seven (7) governates. The source/origin code for this procurement is 000 (United States). Assuming the OLPC laptops are not of US sources/origns, are you willing to provide princing information so this approach can be reflected in technical and cost responses to USAID/Egyupt's RFP(assuming a waiver can be obtained from USAID)?<br />
<br />
Wayne_Jerry_King@yahoo.com<br />
<br />
<br />
The nation of Egypt from what I have read thus far, has to sign up it they are interested in the OLPC lap tops.<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 21:22, 14 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
I AM IN INDIA. IN LATUR SITY.<br />
CAN I BUY THIS LAPTOP.<br />
<br />
<p><b> No! It's for schools.</b></p><br />
<br />
== Which Unix-like Operating System? ==<br />
<br />
I can find no link among section sub-headings to give me any clue as to where I find information about all the Operating Systems under consideration for this OLPC machine. It will be a Unix-like Operating System I am sure but that could be a Linux Distro, a version of FreeBSD or some other OS such as Minix. Or will this machine be a platform capable of running a wide range of Unix-like OS's?<br />
<br />
:The OLPC group is developing an open-source laptop OS using Redhat Fedora Linux as the base from which to start. This software will be freely made available to the countries deploying the laptops. However, since the CPU is a standard AMD Geode and the entire design is open-source, a country is free to develop their own OS or to choose some other OS for their laptops. The OLPC group will provide support for the OS and software that we develop.<br />
<br />
== Assistive Technology Software on the OLPC Laptop ==<br />
<br />
In regards to accessibility, I think the 3 USB prots are a great idea. But what kind of assistive technology will be avaliable on the computer itself? Will synthesized speech, for example, have to be provided by an external synthesizer? Or, will a separate Nraille display and Braille keyboard have to be connected for a blind user to use the machine? Will the system have the necessary drivers built into the kernel or provided by external programs (such as Brltty)? What about support for mouse alternatives such as switches and head mice? Will the laptop be capable of playing sounds on events? I appologize for all the questions, but these are questions we are still trying to answer in mainstream operating systems.<br />
<br />
The OLPC system has it's own set of rules and computing factors as mentioned on the many pages devoted to that subject.USB is also answered on this page. The answer to main stream operating systems would be Yes they have servers that are cross coded to allow them to give a limted out put via these servers. Will you beable to directly recive taged pages? Not at first but because from what has been said and the feed back they seem to work well and have few glitchs that will end up in<br />
the main stream if any at all.--[[User:216.194.7.136|216.194.7.136]] 23:04, 3 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Has there been any News stories this year about the programa?==<br />
<br />
<br />
I found a page that has some news stories [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Talk:News]<br />
If i find any more I'll add the link.<br />
--[[User:216.194.7.250|216.194.7.250]] 11:10, 24 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==A Question about site submission==<br />
<br />
I was reading on one of the Wiki pages that you are looking for articles. But in the question and answer section you said the local communities will be adding things to the laptops internet mesh. Once the Laptops are received do you think it would be better to write to the government directly and submit sites based on simple graphics and texts that they can add them selves. I would like to submit but I wrote you people before and no one answered me and it is easier to get the Governments address and phone number . What do you think?<br />
<br />
<br />
Well I think your idea sounds great! But you should hold off for right now in contacting the governments about submission ideas. If you look around the OLPC Wiki there are some ways you can make suggestions. But I am sure in the future once the program is off and running there will be ways to submit lessons and other suggestions to each OLPC location as well as to the OLPC program itself.<br />
<p>Bakersdz</p><br />
<br />
== Accessibility ==<br />
<br />
I'm not sure if the information about accessibility on this WIKI answers the questions we have received about the laptop/program. So here goes:<br />
Someone asked me if the device would work for children with disabilities? And if you been designing this device with disability accessibility in mind from the outset? <br />
For instance, most persons with vision disability are not Braille readers so might need font enlarging capacity or some sort of audio outputs? <br />
Likewise for children with fine motor skills disabilities (e.g., one hand or less than the usual number of fingers or dexterity impacted by other neurological damage) would the keyboard design work for them?<br />
Likewise, for children with intellectual disabilities, is the interface usable for children who are not average?<br />
We've heard that 10% of the world's population, or more than 600 million people, live with life altering disabilities, and two thirds of those persons are in developing countries (UN statistics). We assume many of these are children.<br />
Would you give me a heads-up if you are designing, developing and fabricating this $100 laptop with disability accessibility needs in mind?<br />
Thanks!<br />
J. Simpson<br />
Senior Director, Telecommunications & Technology Policy,<br />
American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD)<br />
1629 K Street, N.W., Suite 503<br />
Washington, DC 20006<br />
Tel Ext 31<br />
Website http://www.aapd.com<br />
: We are thinking about this; there are certainly significant disabled populations who will hopefully be using the laptop. You can sign up for our accessibility mailing list: [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/accessibility accessibility] at laptop. Thank you for your interest. [[User:Sj|Sj]] [[User talk:Sj|<font color="fc9"><small>talk</small></font>]] 16:51, 6 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
Well in some ways many of the children will not be average to First World standards. Their is a UBS(USB) port which makes the possibilities endless depending on what you want to add. Right now as far as has been publicized some of the developers have been working on accessibility in theory with in the structure of the OLPC laptops system. So yes I would say in the future there is the possibility of adding features that would make the OLPC laptop user friendly to those who have disabilities. The major presentation of the program will be launching in a few more weeks. So right now the main focus is to get the lap tops delivered to the nations that have already ordered them as well as get them up and running in the hands of the many children that will benefit form this program. You can always check back and stay posted and once the OLPC laptops have been received and in use you can ask agian.<br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== error 51330 ==<br />
<br />
I have one OLPC.when i am trying to connect this pc through wireless access point(Linksys) for internet ,it is showing error 51330 . please find a solutions<br />
<br />
Yes you failed to mention that you are linking Nintendo try their homepage.--[[User:Bakersdz|Bakersdz]] 21:34, 24 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== OLPC and eyes ==<br />
<br />
What about OLPC screen? Doesn't it damage eyes of a child? Especially if it is used as textbook's substitution and children will have to spend many hours reading from the screen<br />
<br />
:Why would you assert that it is harmful? In ebook mode it is nonemissive and rivals the resolution of paper. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 15:38, 6 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I'm Russian. I noticed that many laptop manufacturers, as well as the majority of dealers oppose to the OLPC idea. Analysts usually describe OLPC disadvantages in mass media.<br />
Such apparently unexplicable hate is, in my opinion, the strongest demonstration of OLPC potential utility for millions of people. Expensive laptops manufacturers and dealers are afraid the majority of potential consumers will prefer such low-cost device.<br />
I am uneable to understand why OLPC manufacturers don't plan a parallel production for people who are ready to pay more (some USD200) and to credit production beforehand. In some countries away from OLPC distribution plan there are - I'm sure - millions of people who are ready to pay these USD200 or even more just now and receive laptop in some 6-8 months<br />
<br />
== Related Projects ==<br />
<br />
There is a need for a directory list of related projects. Who else is working in this field? What is being done? Would a 'Useful Links' page not make sense?<br />
<br />
== Visit To Thailand from Mozambique ==<br />
<br />
As a resident American in Mozambique but former teacher of computer skills, I am interested in seeing OLPC in operation. I will be traveling to Thailand next week and would appreciate meeting a teacher or visiting a school in Bangkok where OLPC is presently working. Thanks. Phil Gray<br />
<br />
== Ghana ==<br />
<br />
My church would like to do some mission work (5-10 people) <br />
in Damongo, Ghana where we know some one who has done <br />
extensive mission work. There is a school with approximately 800 students at this time. Our small Minnesota church would <br />
like to buy 20-30 computers (or pay the government in <br />
hana for 20-30 of them). Are you allowing the government <br />
to give these computers to some schools and not others at <br />
this time? Could you give 20-30 to a school with 800 s<br />
tudents or does every student need to have their own?<br />
<br />
I have e-mailed the US Embassy in Ghana to see if we <br />
could pay for 20-30 if they were to apply to get <br />
the OLPC laptops (and were accepted). <br />
Is this possible?<br />
<br />
Barb Tonn<br />
tonnb@district279.org<br />
<br />
It is not really the choice of the program as the governments have control of who gets them. But it is a program for thoses children <br />
who may because of poverty need extra help. This is the Mean Guideline. <br />
Paying for a few computers is a very nice mission <br />
but the program needs a big order to be shipped.<br />
If 100,000 people did what your church is doing then it might work<br />
out. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hello Barb,<br />
you should have remarked that all students shall have a <br />
computer, so you would need about 800 * 150 $ to satisfy demand <br />
(or maybe only 100 $ each, <br />
if costs have been reduced to the original goal by then). <br />
While Ghana is not yet on the agenda, it would be nice if <br />
your church would start to collect the 120.000 $ to support "your" Ghanese school. <br />
Starting 2007, you may have to wait a while until <br />
your "order request" will be satisfied, but it will take <br />
a time until you have collected <br />
the 120.000 $ anyhow. It would be a good way <br />
to support the community, and of course the bible <br />
will be available on the computers. So start your<br />
support on a scale that make sense (20-30 <br />
computers would be inefficient to operate, and you <br />
will see 800 happy recipients! Joa (private statement)<br />
<br />
== Local version of SUGAR (particularly, Korea for me) ==<br />
I want to make a Korean Version of SUGAR UI. I know the fact that currently you are making local versions for participating countries and, unfortunately, Korea is not one yet.<br />
<br />
However, I think there is no reason to block writing local versions of SUGAR. Having one's own local version will help people persuade their governments to participate in OLPC. <br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
<br />
Yes that is a valid point, but whose blocking it?<br />
If the government is blocking this then there is really not a lot<br />
you can do. They may have a good reason and later they will stop. <br />
But that is if it's the Government. <br />
You have to figure that part out first.<br />
<br />
Sugar is designed to be easy to localize. It's a true pain to work on Sugar, though, as a programmer. If you want to localize it to the Korean language, I suggest going on the #sugar IRC channel on freenode.net and seeing if anyone there can tell you how to get started. They'd probably be happy with well written localization for the Korean language; it would shake out bugs in their Asian language support.<br />
<br />
== Why go the government route? ==<br />
<br />
''"Education must be Free in a much more fundamental sense, like Free Software (Free as in Speech, not free as in beer). We must educate all children in Freedom itself. The most important kind of educational freedom after access to educational materials and institutions is the ability to teach oneself. This would be the most important thing that schools could do, but for one problem: It is not in their power to do. Children already know how to teach themselves."''<br />
<br />
Why do you say you intend to teach children about freedom yet then demand that governments tax people to pay for their "free" education. Don't you believe this project would be much better if it were Charity sponsored and not government sponsored?<br />
<br />
I just dont believe in teaching kids that using force to pay for education is "freedom".<br />
<br />
Also what about Somalia that has no government at all.. Are children there are not eligible to get laptops until the UN tries to force a government on the people again?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
Additional remark by Joa: In some contries, the (central) government is not engaged in school issues anyhow, such as in Germany, where the federal states are responsible for education and its funding (with less than 1 mio. pupils each). I think in the US the responsibility is at even lower levels of government. Should be similar in several developing conutries. Therefore, if at least one school should decide to participate (or if a charity provides the money)and would provide laptop to all pupils, and if the language (e.g. Spain) is already supported, why not include them in the project in second phase?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
There is a reality truth in all of your comments, but then there is reality.<br />
Many people in Developing Nations have certain defining beliefs about the place of child, women and men in their culture. They also have a very strong belief about punishment . Some of these beliefs are some of the problems in some nations today. Based on the ability for each nation to guide their populations away from some older system there are some gaps. Some people do not believe that some children should learn to read or write. This is also the base of why school has to be paid for. In a school for free taxed system there are many other benefits like police, transportation , roads, bridges as well as the maintenance of such. With in the dividing line including access to healthcare, full personal freedom lessens based on what is better for most including those who want total freedom of free will and choice. Democracy is most times one party like a democratic one . Then there are others or the lack of that type of system. This in all nations represents the freedom of choice in which way you go as a nation and people. Bakersdz<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<br />
I think this project would be MUCH better as charity program. We could already have laptops in children hands by now, while we wait for the governments to pony up the cash.<br />
<br />
On the freedom issue.. true freedom means that parents get to decide if their children learn to read or write. It's sad if a parent made that choice but I think parents always want the best for their children.. whatever they think that may be, and that is untimely their right and the childs right. If a parent does not want his child in school, and the child itself is in good care and does not want to go, then that child should not go. Democracy is tyranny of the majority over the minority. Somebody always looses in Democracy.. We want a system where everybody wins, a system that embraces liberty.<br />
<br />
I can not support this project if it is not a charity project. I'm sorry, I don't believe in these social education goals you have.<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes that is what you believe. But in Charity Projects <br />
it's most times<br />
what the people you are helping believe. <br />
You can try to lead them by example to feel <br />
as you do but if they do not <br />
change then what?<br />
Part of the answer some might would give <br />
is, "Never mind if they do not listen or do as I do or say!" This is a normal reaction for most.<br />
In charity you have to with in your <br />
mission have a lot of love even<br />
if the people you are helping do not <br />
do what you would do.<br />
This is not a statement it's just plain fact!<br />
Thats why OLPC is not a direct charity venture.<br />
<br />
== Inbuilt Ruler on Case ==<br />
<br />
Would it be possible to put a ruler on the front of the case embossed into the plastic?<br />
<br />
15cm long with mm marks as well if possible (metric by default as 90% world metric, but could be imperial as required due to large numbers ordered per country)<br />
<br />
I know you could do this in SW on the screen but this would encourage kids to measure up against the screen possibly scratching it and dropping dirt and water all over the keyboard.<br />
<br />
<br />
This would be useful in teaching basic metrology as well as allowing the kids to make their own rulers out of whatever is avaialable. ie: make a 1m rule from string by measuring 10 lengths of 10cm and using the string ruler to measure their house, progress of the maize crop, height of the goat as it grows etc etc...<br />
<br />
== Laptops for african children ==<br />
<br />
I am formative in a cabinet(office) in Africa. At present, we think with the government about the solutions to develop the skills of the children in schools and bring them to master the computing tool. Can you say to me if it is possible to get itself the computers which you distribute? What are the general conditions? Thank you.<br />
<br />
: It is hard to respond to an anonymous post. If you contact us at countries@laptop.org for inquires about specific deployments. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:55, 17 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Emulation-screen size control ==<br />
<br />
<br />
I emulated Qemu on Fedora 5 but all I get is a full size version of the top 50% of the screen losing all the bottom icons and it will not seem to scroll down. How can I control screen size so that I view full screen?. Also How do I access the Shell or Konsole?.<br />
<br />
== Data security regarding the camera, microphone and mesh network ==<br />
<br />
Data on a laptop, that is in the hands of a child can never be called secure against malicious intruders, but that is not a great concern as long as the data consists basically of the childs homework.<br />
But the OLPC XO has a microphone a camera and a mesh function (through the latter other people can observe its movements through the house). A malicious intruder might manage to remotely turn those devices on and gather a lot of private data on the family, including high risk data, like political opinions. This is a problem in the first world already, but in the third world, with its dictatorships or unstable democracies and often powerful criminal organizations the damage can be huge. <br />
So to my question:<br />
Does the XO have off switches for the aforementioned three critical devices and, if yes, are they physical (really cutting power off)? If they are not physical, how does the system prevent malicious software from turning them on? <br />
Is there an accompanying paper, that explains the security precautions necessary for such a device to the child? --Steve<br />
<br />
: Please refer to the [[Bitfrost]] specification, which goes into detail about our plans to address this potential threat. Also note that there will be LEDs that indicate that the camera and microphone are on physically attached to the power lines of those devices. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 09:01, 21 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
I was imprecise. Certainly there are features, to make an attack difficult in the xo as well as in any other system. But ways around will be found, and my question is, what if (and it WILL happen) the software layer of security is already broken and the computer "owned". What safely prevents the aforementioned devices from gathering data, when they are not explicitly used? --Steve<br />
<br />
: I'll also try to be more precise: Please refer to [[OLPC_Bitfrost#P_MIC_CAM:_microphone_and_camera_protection]]. "The use of the camera and microphone require a special permission, requested at install-time as described in its chapter, for each program wishing to do so. This permission does not, however, allow a program to instantly turn on the camera and microphone. Instead, it merely lets the program ask the user to allow the camera or microphone (or both) to be turned on. This means that any benign programs which are taken over but haven't declared themselves as needing the camera or microphone cannot be used neither to turn on either, NOR to ask the user to do so!" --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 09:53, 21 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
Thank you for your reply.<br />
The LEDs are certainly a real gain of security. If permissions are a protection depends on the severity of the attack. If the attacker achieved kernel privileges, all protection measures, that come from the operating system are off. Since in unstable countries governments and their agents must be counted among the potential attackers, the signature exception is furthermore a major hole in the (by its software nature already imperfect) protection.<br />
<br />
The simplest actually secure solution to the problem would be three good old-fashioned power switches, one before the camera, one before the microphone and one before the antennas. Steve<br />
<br />
Typical scenario: A democratically elected president turns into a dictator and wants to spy on his people. Millions of microphones with communication gear are already in the households and, as a leftover from his old democratic days he has the cryptographic keys necessary to activate them. Steve<br />
<br />
Now they said, that the XO will run 3$ Windows too. Not even Bitfrost is there when Windows is running and the project has no legal way to even see, where that OS has its weaknesses. This makes a physical solution to the microphone problem almost unavoidable. But since on-off switches are really dirt cheap when bought in masses, it should be easy to do. Steve<br />
<br />
The LEDs in the B4 laptops turned out to be great for debugging all the times when the camera and mic were powered on when they shouldn't be by the software. They really work. Of course, that only tells you that the cam or the mic is in use; the LEDs don't provide a way to turn them off. A piece of tape, or a gooey bit of rice, will suffice to shut off the camera if it's turned on and you don't want it to be used. The microphone is a bit harder to shut off temporarily (if you've lost control of your software), since ambient sound penetrates the case. --gnu<br />
<br />
== OLPC and developing countries ==<br />
<br />
In Ethiopia, the per capita cost in education is less than 100 US $ per year (including donor grants). Do you really think that it is feasible to introduce OLPC in developing countries ?<br />
<br />
: I have nothing against Ethiopia, but really I don't think it's ''representative'' of the ''developing countries''... According to the IMF, Ethiopia is:<br />
:: # 168 out of 179 in GDP PPP / Capita<br />
:: # 177 out of 180 in GDP nominal / Capita<br />
:: (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_capita_income Wikipedia's per capita income])<br />
: To answer your question: yes, I think it's feasible, and doable. But each country has to decide. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 20:57, 21 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== One laptop per family ? ==<br />
<br />
With 3-5 children in a typical family in developing contries, wouldn´t it be better to distribute the computers to a 3-5 times larger section of the country by limiting the distribution to one unit per family? Supply 100% of the scholl districts instead of 20-33%? <br />
One Pupil should not sit the whole day in front of the computer, anyhow. Use by the brothers/sisters in the meantime would also be a safeguard against theft, e.g. when the other child is working on the family´s cropgrounds. <br />
That would also be a small incentive against population increase, when parents with more children do not get more laptops for their families free of charge.<br />
Schools may decide to work with computers on alternating days with boys and girls, to avoid that always the boys pick the laptops.<br />
Sure, the distribution method is not the decision of OLPC organisation but made by the governments. I suggest one laptop per family only as an interim solution as long as and where one laptop for every child in the whole country is too expensive. When kids (and their finger size) grow out of the original OLPCs, their smaller brethren may inherit the machines for their own. by Joa<br />
<br />
<br />
Well then it would not be the One Laptop Per Child Program. <br />
In some ways maybe you have been a a little misguided as many children are orphans and do not live with their brother or sister anymore but live with other children. Some children work various jobs including walking a few hours to get water. Some children use mud to make pottery and bowls. Some help tend to the families lives stock too! Because there are so many jobs children of the Developing Nations do including just being children and not doing more then that. It seems like a good idea that each child has his own laptop. Don't you think Joa? By each child having their own laptop they can have their own dream of maybe one day having a bigger farm for their crops with maybe a tractor. Access to knowledge builds dreams and dreams can turn into reality. Maybe. It depends who helps you! Bakersdz<br />
<br />
== Spreadsheet Program ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn´t a calculation program - some clone of EXCEL - be part of the standard software delivered with every computer ?<br />
Remember, most of the kids are living in families that are peasants, and they might like to make accounts of what their "business" is producing, what resources are needed to produce it, and so on.<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes that sounds like a good idea but the laptops are for the child and their school and social life as a child. In some ways it is for the family, but just by introducing this type of technology into a families home. I am sure that many of the adults have heard of computers before but may not have tried one. By having a OLPC laptop in the home is the first step to gain a limited knowledge of what a computer is and what it does. Maybe a program can one day be started for the parents to get computers too and a spread sheet can be provided and instruction in how to use it. Bakersdz<br />
<br />
== Afghanistan ==<br />
<br />
I am a 17 year old girl, a foreign-exchange student nearing the end of a one-year visit to the U.S. How can I get started to implement OLPC in my country, Afghanistan?<br />
<br />
Well it depends on what is your governments stance on computers in general. I would suggest that you contact your local officials in your region and ask them what is the governments policy on computers in general. If it is favorable you may then do some research about the different computers for the poor and lower income programs that may be going on right now in Afghanistan and then make a list. If it seems like your government is in favor of computers for the poor and low income you can ask a new question about this then. There are ways to start a OLPC Re-Sourcing program but first you need to find out if it is OK for you to do this. Good Luck ! Hunter--[[User:216.194.21.214|216.194.21.214]] 15:52, 25 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Hello, I am a development worker in Afghanistan and am also interested in brining the OLPC to Afghanistan. My questions are #1 How can i contact user User:216.194.21.214 so we can possibly colaborate #2 Do you know of any mailing lists or forums specifically for the OLPC and Afghanistan (or central asia) #3 As I understand it the OLPC is (will be?) selling in large quantities bought through governments, what about organizations that want to buy in smaller quantities (presumably at a slightly higher price), is this an option? (We would like to buy maybe 10-20 for some of our field staff and our child rehab probram). Cheers -Gaiko<br />
<br />
Dear Gaiko,Hi! I am that user. I would love to colaborate but right now I am in the field untill mid August 2007. You can go to this site [http://www.orgsites.com/ny/lwsfpro/]pop me a message and I will get back to you with in 5 to 7 days.I would also like to add: There are a lot of great things that computers can do,help and teach people of all ages and desgins. We are very happy that so many people from so many places have shown interest! No matter what, keep up the good work by being involved thats the greatest gift you can give! Hunter July 17,2007<br />
<br />
== Please let us know how we can learn Micro Finance? : OLPC ==<br />
<br />
Dear Sir/Madam,<br />
<br />
We are interested to learn regarding OLPC and we in Kenya, Mombasa, Coast Province, especially Kilifi, is among the poorest in the world. We are around 10 million muslims in Kenya and we are very concerned and interested to help the needy in our areas. <br />
<br />
Council of Imams & Preachers of Kenya (C.I.P.K.) was registered in 1997 as non-profit and charitable organization build in a very strong grassroots network with membership all over the country. The organization has branches in Western, Eastern, North Eastern, Nyanza and part of Rift <br />
Valley with its headquarters in Mombassa, Coast Province.<br />
<br />
Our main activities include:<br />
1. Peace, Security and development.<br />
2. Sensitization of the public on Hiv/Aids, Drugs & substance abuse.<br />
3. Dangers associated with Female Genital Mutilation.<br />
4. Early/Forced marriages. <br />
5. Propagation and Preaching.<br />
6. Exchange programs.<br />
7. Women /youth empowerment.<br />
8. Disaster response.<br />
9. Committment to ensure poor & orphaned children attain high education.<br />
10.Direct support/sponsor converters and high education to Muslims students. <br />
Funds from mosque contributions and well-wishers. <br />
<br />
Please let us know how we can learn on Micro Finance & Peace Prize and we are ready to learn either thro':<br />
<br />
- Correspondence Learning. and/or<br />
- We send someone via return ticketc to come and learn, but if you can provide accomodation.<br />
<br />
Looking forward to hearing from your prompt reply.<br />
<br />
Thanks in advance.<br />
<br />
Mohammad Dor Muhammad<br />
Organising Secretary<br />
Council of Imams & Preachers of Kenya<br />
P. O. Box 85130, Mombasa, Kenya<br />
Our E-Mail: conofimams@yahoo.com<br />
<br />
<br />
Dear Mr.Mohammad Dor Muhammad,<br />
<br />
The OLPC program is right now in the launching stage in many nations<br />
some with a strong Muslim population. Some of the issues you speak of<br />
have in other fourms and privately been addressed with the founders<br />
of the program. They are in a very high regard of Muslims and many others<br />
around the world! As time goes on and the program comes out of the launching stage. These issues will be taken up agian. Feel free to<br />
keep in touch by asking questions based on news of the program in your lands and other places. The OLPC program is a program for all people including Muslims and any one eles.So keep in touch. The answer to your question is: They are working on it!<br />
<br />
--[[User:216.194.21.242|216.194.21.242]] 14:15, 15 May 2007 (EDT) S.L. of The LWSF Program<br />
<br />
== Does Allowing Windows Violate A "Core" Principle? ==<br />
<br />
Negroponte has said this is a "learning" project, not a laptop project.<br />
<br />
One of the "core principles" you outline in this Wiki is the use of open source.<br />
<br />
You state that the child should not be a "passive consumer" -- which means that he should have access to the source.<br />
<br />
Now the news is reporting the XO will run Windows?<br />
<br />
This seems like a contradiction.<br />
<br />
Allowing closed source to ride on top of the OLPC makes it no more than a Trojan Horse...right?<br />
<br />
___<br />
<br />
John A. Bailo<br />
The Texeme Construct<br />
<br />
:The Microsoft announcement has resulted in some confusion in the press. It is being suggested that because of the Microsoft announcement, OLPC will be switching from Linux to Windows. On the contrary, OLPC remains steadfast in its dedication to FOSS and has no plans to distribute Windows. However, we have consistant and public with our position that the spirit of openness and freedom; everyone, including software engineers at Microsoft, are welcome to develop for the machine. The fact that Microsoft has been making efforts to bring the price of Windows within reach of children in the developing world gives those children more choices. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 04:11, 28 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
http://www.mobilised.com.au/content/view/947/1/ --Steve<br />
(on second look that author may not be very knowledgeable. He understands the 3M minimum units as 3M minimum dollars) --Steve<br />
<br />
:I wish that we could build a $1 laptop, but that is out of reach for the time being. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 16:42, 29 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=379 --Steve<br />
<br />
:I am unaware of any government asking for Windows. There is more to the difference between Windows and Linux than just $3. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 16:44, 29 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
But http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/04/negroponte_olpc.html --Steve<br />
<br />
It's only a contradiction if you have more then education in mind. Like future consumers. Children are just like many computer systems; always changing and growing.Their Tojan Horse could be a brighter future inside! <br />
I think it was hard for the OLPC program to keep giants like Microsoft out of the program for as long as they did. But as we can all see by the news as of late every one wants in. Well when you have created something great every one wants one. Don't you think?<br />
Bakersdz<br />
<br />
== Thin Client Model and OLPC? Sugar ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
--[[User:Sam-c|Sam-c]] 04:57, 28 April 2007 (EDT) (Please Recategorise if needed, Thanks sam)<br />
1) How do I Download Quickly Sugar On My Linux Machine that at Present Has Limited Resources, For Development and Evaluation Purposes.<br />
2) What about the Thin Client Model? Which Many think is best for inexpensive Educational Purposes?<br />
Thanks,<br />
OLPC Newbie Sam<br />
--[[User:Sam-c|Sam-c]] 04:57, 28 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:RE (1), please refer to the [[OS images for emulation]] page in this wiki; (2a) it is not clear that one could build a thin client for significantly less than you can build the XO; (2b) you can use the XO for thin client applications; and (2c) laptops are useful even when they are not connected to the network. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 19:35, 29 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
== volunteers ==<br />
<br />
How can I get my wealthy , resourceful high school students involved to help?<br />
<br />
<br />
== Other linux?... ==<br />
<br />
Can I install other linux OS?... in particular can I install Debian etch?<br />
And if so will all hardware work?<br />
<br />
== Not able to buy a your laptop?... ==<br />
<br />
If I wish to raise and educate my child will I not be able to acquire the PC?<br />
Why is there a political barrier between your PC and my child (and every other that do not go to school)?<br />
:OLPC has no plan to ship XO laptop direct to the consumer market. But Quanta, the manufacture of the XO laptop, will perhaps sell a commercialized version of the same laptop to the normal consumer at about $200[http://www.itnews.com.au/newsstory.aspx?CIaNID=49136&src=site-marq]. This Quanta version laptop will perhaps also use the same open Sugar OS system, like the official XO laptop, developed by Redhat and OLPC Project. --[[User:ScottZ|Scott Zhu]] 20.20, 01.May 2007(EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What do you do for process virtualization in bitfrost? ==<br />
<br />
I had read that in the Bitfrost security system you do true virtualization of processes with almost no overhead. I was wondering what kernel module you use for that and where I can get it.<br />
<br />
== Donations ==<br />
<br />
after tonight's 60 minutes' show, you should revamp the site to accomodate the flood of donation offerings. How may i send one? best wishes, tom<br />
<br />
Try this site[http://laptopfoundation.org/index.shtml] Bakersdz<br />
<br />
== Laptop Security ==<br />
<br />
I think it is pretty obvious these laptops will be quite possibly the most valuable thing in villages. What security features will these laptops have to make sure they don't get stolen? I have heard that they will be unusable if not used by the owner for 24 hours. Is this true?<br />
<br />
: There are several ideas aiming to avoid the problem, amongst them is saturation (why steal something that everybody has access to?) If you are interested in the more technical aspects, please see the [[OLPC Bitfrost|Bitfrost]] security platform, and the specifics on [[OLPC Bitfrost#P THEFT: anti-theft protection|anti-theft protection]]. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:29, 21 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== computers for my school ==<br />
<br />
Hello, My name is Sonia Ponce, I work in two high school´s in Matamoros Tamaulipas, Mexico, Escuela Secundaria Tecnica #46 & Escuela secundaria Tecnica #76, I teach cumputer sience but the problem is that we don´t have the resorces to get new equipment, we ask our local and state goverment for funding to purchase the much needed equipoment but we get no answer, your computer, if the cost is $100 USD looks to me to be afortable, the schools are located in a area where the people just don´t have much money they leve pay check to pay check, or how can we get choosen for a trial basis?<br />
<br />
Yours Truly<br />
Sonia Ponce<br />
e-mail, saponce@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== why can't I contribute by credit card on the OLPC site? ==<br />
<br />
I'm trying to make a donation. All I see is an address to send a check: nowhere to donate via credit card.<br />
<br />
Try this site [http://laptopfoundation.org/index.shtml] Bakersdz<br />
<br />
== feedback ==<br />
<br />
What mechanisms are in place to get feedback and bug reports from the participants in the third world?<br />
<br />
<br />
Well the product is just starting out <br />
so there are not that many bugs. <br />
Depending on how many reports come in, <br />
as over the next few months there will be <br />
many OLPC laptops in service will decide how <br />
the bugs are reported and fixed. Hunter<br />
<br />
== How can I buy this lap top? ==<br />
<br />
I definitely want to buy this lap top.<br />
How can I do that?<br />
Should I just call this compamy?<br />
<br />
: This is covered on the [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution]] page. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 14:11, 22 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== How can I help translating contents? ==<br />
<br />
I am japanese.<br />
I would like to help translating contents of this web site.<br />
Though I looked at help,FAQ,I can't understand.<br />
Someone help me how to translate,please.<br />
<br />
: A (too) short answer: see [[Translating]] & [[Translators]]. If you have any questions or doubts, you can [[User talk:Xavi|drop me a note]]. Cheers, --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 22:28, 22 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== external USB ==<br />
<br />
Will this laptop be compatible with external devices such as a USB CD-ROM Drive or a USB Hard-Disk?<br />
<br />
yes. --[[User:18.85.19.140|18.85.19.140]] 17:01, 24 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== OLPC News Feed? ==<br />
<br />
Is there now or are there any plans to make OLPC news available as an RSS feed? I would very much like to provide my site's readers with up-to-date news on OLPC's progress. Best regards! MT<br />
<br />
== Will corrupt governments use laptops to line their own pockets? ==<br />
<br />
You seem to have left a lot up to the individual governments for distribution. I can see many advantages of this, however, living in one of your target countries (Dominican Republic) and having lived in other poor countries, I can see how leaving anything up to a country's governement leaves room for corruption leaving the poor children out-of-luck again.<br />
<br />
Will corrupt governments give the laptops to the very poor children or the highest bidder to line their own pockets?<br />
<br />
<br />
Well the OLPC Laptop is designed <br />
for children with it's own <br />
information core to a main frame <br />
designed for use with in the OLPC market. <br />
Which is the schools that have been <br />
selected <br />
to receive the program. <br />
I would try to think positive and not believe they <br />
would do that until you hear news of this going on. <br />
Since it is the government that has <br />
most of the control so far they have given them <br />
out unless you have heard other wise.--<br />
[[User:216.194.21.158|216.194.21.158]] 17:08, 29 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== School Sponsors ==<br />
<br />
After I saw the 60 Minutes piece I thought this would be a great school fundraiser. It would be cool to have US children e-mail children in third world countries. Much of today's issues, I think, could be improved with an understanding of each other. Do you have plans for schools to invest in a laptop and then have the US children e-mail the laptop's recipient? I know there are such opportunities in developed countries, but I know of none for third world countries. cmshaughnessy@msn.com<br />
<br />
There has been some interest shown by the US and other First World nations.<br />
As the program grows this could be a very good idea for children to <br />
have email pals across the globe. Bakersdz<br />
<br />
:That would be great, but the OLPC software doesn't handle email. --gnu<br />
<br />
::Say what? The XO has a full-featured web browser, which is more than adequate for using gmail, among other email systems. We haven't ported a native email client to the laptop yet, as it is not as high a priority as other activity development. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 21:35, 7 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Will Limited Storage Impact Feeling Of Ownership? ==<br />
<br />
I have been impressed by Seymor Papert's idea that the relationship that users have with their personal computers makes them more powerful. I also note that the storage limitations of the OLPC mean that some portion of the materials of an individual student are likely to be stored on the server. What I am curious about is how this will impact the student's sense of ownership and whether the software will be designed to mitigate this limitation by blurring the distinction of local/remote storage. I imagine that this might be done by something simple like establishing a virtual volume that contains the local and remote materials. Of course it may well be that this isn't an issue at all.<br />
<br />
: The objective is to have the 'server' space transparently integrated into the 'user' space, so that accessing a resource (ie: a file) stored in the server will be transparent. For more info, you can read [[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines#Automatic Backup and Restore]] or [[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines#The Laptop Experience]] for a broader view. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 22:46, 31 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== What's the optimal business model to assure a healthy future for the $100 laptop? ==<br />
<br />
I am wondering what the business model will be for the $100 business model. Selling directly to countries and leaving it to them how to distribute might not prove the most sustainable solution. In the vaccin business in the third world one of the biggest problems is reselling subsidized vaccins to 2nd or first world countries. <br />
Why not think of business models as innovative as the laptop itself? I think a great product like this deserves it. Why not leveraging micro credits to make it affordable to families to buy it themselves in stead of giving it away? Or monetize the cult status the machine now already has in western countries? <br />
I think it would be a missed opportunity to limit the business model to selling to countries only, and would be very willing to leverage my experience and network to come up with a more creative and innovative solution space. <br />
<br />
bramellens@gmail.com<br />
Business developer at eBay<br />
<br />
You see the program is an open source program <br />
this means that any one can contribute. <br />
With in the frame work of the program some of the <br />
contributions of ideas and programs are used some are not. <br />
With in the upper branch of the OLPC Foundation <br />
there is some consultation done in regards to how the <br />
laptops are distributed. <br />
In reason we would have to assume that it is in part <br />
done by foundation members and those who banner <br />
the cause that are programers, developers and <br />
logistics people of the nation it self. <br />
You see the business model has some merit but this <br />
is a program for children. <br />
With in the laptops build are those who set <br />
up builds on regular computers to mimic the laptop <br />
and those who received laptops for testing and developing. <br />
<br />
There is also the support from Fedora and Linux as <br />
this system is based in part of these mainframes <br />
and a few others, as well as having an individual <br />
platform that is unique to the OLPC laptop all by it self. <br />
The United Nations was one of the platforms that <br />
originally presented the program there are <br />
variables based on some of the social and economic <br />
conditions of some of the nations the business build <br />
will come out of sustainability programs with in the <br />
business of aiding the populations that are with in <br />
the criteria of a OLPC laptop if they cannot <br />
develop the framework to articulate the <br />
necessary criteria to get the laptops <br />
on their own. <br />
After the laptops are fully distributed which <br />
will be a number in the millions there would <br />
have to be a review period. <br />
Nothing can be done until this has taken <br />
place. <br />
There could only be one base plan and a <br />
few alternate scenarios to make this a <br />
reality as with any business or program. <br />
This is indeed a real format of sustainability <br />
and aid through education and information for <br />
future progress. <br />
So with in the world aid business <br />
the OLPC program has an excellent <br />
business model.BakersDz July 2,2007<br />
<br />
== Has anyone studied the social impact of completely computerizing small villages, affects on culture, family? ==<br />
<br />
Previous attempts at bringing small communities up to speed with the rest of the world have been disastrous on family, existing social norms and community ties. For example, some forays into taking previously entirely communal areas dependent on agriculture that were deemed "backward" through standard measures of yearly income and daily caloric intake were in fact highly successful and ideal with regard to satisfactions of personal, family and community life. Commercial transactions were introduced where previous common growing areas existed. Some crops were then discarded in favor of more profitable ones, traditional bartering disappeared, rituals surrounding the harvest and preparation of foods also were eliminated, the extended family dependence and home life virtually disappeared. Has ANYONE looked at this?<br />
<br />
: I'm not sure about other groups, but presumably the individual ministries of education are investigating it in their pilot studies. They are the ones best able to assess the effects of the project on their culture, since they are the most familiar with their culture. They are also the ones paying for the laptops, so they have the most to lose if they do not consider both the educational and cultural effects of their decision. Of course, that will only detect problems on a small scale; it is quite impossible to predict what will happen with many years and many laptops. After all, we are still discovering weekly new social consequences&mdash;both good and bad&mdash;of the U.S. government's decision to research the Internet in the 1970's. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 20:55, 4 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Numbers==<br />
<br />
I have heard in the Fall of 2007 a big shipment will go out. *As of July 2007 how many Laptops have been given out in the Thousands by nation? 8/1/07<br />
*Why is this information such as stats not found in a simple to find place?<br />
Yes there is a a page with sats now.<br />
*I have over viewed the site and diffrent members seem to say they will do this or do that and then they leave the page this is based on the dates in history. I think that the people should delete the pages if they cannot stay focused. When will you do this have each member delete their pages they never finshed? <br />
<br />
They have been deleting pages but there is a process<br />
*What page do these members go to on a regular basis where we can tell them this and question them about the page and its reason? <br />
<br />
I depends what you are in to.<br />
*There is a question on this page that is a tech question that has been unanswered for a long time. <br />
<br />
It was removed.<br />
*Is this a message or something or a code? <br />
<br />
No it is not.<br />
*If not why then does not one of the Wiki people answer this persons question? <br />
<br />
They did some one keeps erasing the answer. <br />
<br />
We would like the other users to answer these 6^Questions and not Walter the VP of the program. Miss Weakness Someone who might join or a member who needs to know.June 15,2007. Get back soon. <br />
<br />
Yes some one else did.<br />
<br />
== How will children "personalize" their machine to make it distinctive? ==<br />
<br />
In a class environment with several dozens children (or even less), where each child has her own laptop, It might be possible that the fact that all the machines look exactly the same will not have positive impact.<br />
Are there any provisions on the laptop to help personalize it? <br />
For instance, if there was a "pocket" in the external shell where the child could slide in a picture of herself, and if there is (at least) one printer per class, the laptops could be personalized. of course, this is just a crude idea, and i am sure that the creative people who created the olpc can think of much better implementation, but the main question remains: how will the children personalize their laptops, and if there is no obvious way to do so, is it possible that the fact that each child will have a machine that looks exactly like everyone else's will have adverse effects?<br />
<br />
[did you ever wonder why, with all the useful applications available for download on a cell phone, by far the most popular is the personalized ringtone, which adds exactly zero to the functionality, but is the thing that makes yours distinct from everyone else's? my question above can be rephrased as "what will fill the function of the "personal ringtone" of the olpc machine?]<br />
<br />
: I don't know the machines have any features to expressly enable customization, but I expect [http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/?p=218 stickers] will play a major role in customization. [http://www.tuaw.com/2007/02/16/flickr-find-toddler-powerbook-sharpie-rubbing-alcohol-no-prob/ Markers], [http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/2006/11/diy_laptop_decals.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954 too]. The [http://olpc.tv/2007/05/21/60-minutes/ 60 Minutes video] shows XOs with the child's name written on tape on the lid, which is a similar thing. This type customization may upset adults more than a "slide-in pocket", but it is definitely going to happen, and it doesn't seem to hurt anything but conformity. And these modifications have another benefit: they make the laptop less appealing to thieves (even though a lot of stickers and markers will come off with the right solvents). &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 18:49, 8 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
The B3 machines also added this feature "colored XO on the back cover (400 different color combinations so kids can distinguish their laptops from each other" [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 00:38, 28 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Cost, Distribution, Technical Support and Competition ==<br />
<br />
It is apparent that in-country sponsor organizations must be involved to distribute and support the PC. These organizations may be governmental, or perhaps even charitable (aid) agencies.<br />
<br />
OLPC should create "franchises" of a sort. The sponsoring organization will be responsible for providing a systems integration and technical support center (or centers) in which the PC will be assembled, tested, packaged and distributed; and from which limited technical support will be provided. The centers may also be responsible for establishing the WIFI networks required. The centers must be created by the sponsoring organization per OLPC specifications and should be supervised (from creation) by an OLPC employee. The centers will be funded and owned by the sponsoring organization, and all of the employees at the centers will be employed by the sponsoring organization --- except the OLPC supervisor. It's important to keep the OLPC supervisor independent of the sponsoring organization, since the OLPC supervisor will be responsible for auditing manufacturing and distribution per OLPC guidelines. <br />
<br />
Expense in setting up the centers should be minimal for the sponsoring organization. I am happy to aid in the creation of specifications for centers. The specifications for each center will be similar to all others, with capacity being the only unique component of the basic equation. Network establishment for sponsoring organization's geography will also be similar to all others, with capacity and physical terrain being the unique components of the basic equation.<br />
<br />
<br />
OLPC will establish credit/payment arrangements with each of the sponsoring organizations. <br />
<br />
After account establishment, OLPC will send kits of PC materials to the centers for final assembly. The centers will perform top-level assembly only. Kits of parts will include, cases, power supplies, batteries, LCDs, unit packaging, etc. --- and perhaps a calculated spares supply based upon estimated (eventually, known) reliability of the PCs to ensure in-field functionality for 5 years. The centers would also be responsible for PC repairs and refurbishment, as well as network maintenance, to OLPC guidelines.<br />
<br />
The sponsoring organization is responsible for distributing the PC per OLPC guidleines. Distribution expenses are borne by the centers. <br />
<br />
The OLPC supervisor will audit the performance of the sponsoring organization. In the event that the sponsoring organization fails to meet OLPC standards, OLPC may stop shipments of PC parts to the center.<br />
<br />
OLPC cost is reduced by transferring the labor costs of final assembly, test, packaging and distribution to the sponsoring organization, thus relieving the PC unit price of these costs. The countries most in need of the OLPC program have plentiful and inexpensive labor. Perhaps a penny or two per PC must be added to the PC cost so that OLPC can pay its center supervisors (and perhaps area - continent? - supervisors, auditing the center supervisors).<br />
The creation of in-country infrastructure --- and local employment --- virtually assures loyalty and continuity of the OLPC program.<br />
<br />
I can tell you that we make can even make the OLPC "franchise" work in the U.S. I can provide up to 50,000 employees who can assemble the PC in the U.S. --- legally --- for less than $1.00 per hour. Assuming OLPC program control in the U.S., these employees can even kit and ship the top-level parts to centers throughout the world. <br />
<br />
I am aware that certain for-profit companies are threatening competition. Such competition is a serious threat to OLPC and its vision. If a commercial enterprise can thwart OLPC's vision, and cause OLPC to cease to exist --- PC prices will rise due the lack of competition.<br />
<br />
The establishment of in-country partnerships with sponsoring organizations (probably governments) will be the only way that OLPC can manage competition from firms such as Intel. <br />
<br />
dekedeac@bellsouth.net<br />
<br />
:While it is possible to do assembly in-country in the future, in order to deliver the lowest-cost laptop in the first year, final assembly needs to be done close to where the some 800 parts in the laptop are manufactured. One needs to consider not just the total cost of final assembly, logistics, packaging, and shipping, but also the cost of logistical coordination of all the parts and their shipping for in-country final assembly, plus duties and capital equipment investment. OLPC and its manufacturing partners are happy to work with countries to explore a local-manufacturing option in future years and to create a phased plan for in-country manufacture now.<br />
<br />
:OLPC does not want to limit in-country industrial development to only a few low-wage, low-skill, no-growth jobs such as assembling laptops, while the higher value-added, high-skill, high-growth jobs remain elsewhere. Focusing only on parts or system assembly is not sustainable economic promotion. Our commitment to open-source software and content allows rapid, viral growth of these industries in country, which dwarf the assembly-line manufacturing industry.<br />
<br />
:Serving the OLPC “ecology” will create in-country business opportunities. There are numerous devices ranging from solar panels, generators, point-to-point wireless hardware to extend the network, novel, inexpensive educational accessories to be used with the laptop, and so on that can and will be invented in a grassroots, bottom-up fashion. Software is also an opportunity: systems such as the XO will enable both commercial and non-commercial software to be built to address needs in the majority of the world where computing has not been available due to lack of suitable computers and networks. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 03:47, 16 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
If we have learned nothing, we have indeed learned that simply dumping money, food --- or PCs --- into a needy geography does little long-term good for the intended clients. Don't send fish --- teach your clients how to fish. Without OLPC control of PC distribution, network creation and maintenance and repair/upgrade capabilities, the PCs you dump into the third world will disappear into oblivion. <br />
<br />
The concept of client investment is a well-accepted method of creating the sense of ownership necessary to create and care for the in-country programs. The "cost of logistical coordination of all the parts and their shipping for in-country final assembly" bears exactly the same level of complexity as shipping the PCs. OLPC ships KITS of parts to produce X PCs --- not random shipments from various hardware manufacturers. In the unlikely event that there is a country on this earth that will not waive tariff or tax for humanitarian shipments, the kits of parts will be taxed at a much lower rate than the value-added PCs. <br />
<br />
In-country assembly and support operations will be the ONLY way to keep your competitors at bay. Don't be naive. Intel can sell its PC for any price it choses. OLPC will lose a price war with any competitor that can produce and provide substantial hardware value a lower-than-market prices. <br />
<br />
The in-country assembly plan works because labor rates will be directly proportional to each countries abilities to pay those rates. It's a perfect equation. <br />
<br />
OLPC is a GREAT idea. However, there comes a point where idealism must yield to reality to ensure success.<br />
<br />
== OpenDocument in Write? ==<br />
<br />
What will be the default format for saving documents in Write? I think I read somewhere that all Write documents will be saved in Microsoft's proprietary doc format. It seems to me that OpenDocument should be promoted wherever possible. Will it be OpenDocument or some other open format? -Danny [[User:75.47.72.74|75.47.72.74]] 12:31, 17 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:We are hoping that we'll be able to use open document (odt) as the default, although there is some more work QA work to do. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 13:01, 17 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Cambodia ==<br />
<br />
Does the Ministry of Education of Cambodia show any interest until now ?<br />
<br />
== How do make OLPC function? "No init found." ==<br />
<br />
Problem in OLPC B2-1<br />
<br />
I try booting using DSL Linux, still doesn't work.<br />
<br />
== What CAD system was used to design the Laptop? ==<br />
<br />
What CAD system was used to design the Laptop?<br />
<br />
CAD is not really the kind of system that you tell everyone about Right?<br />
If they used CAD it may have been for drawing board test stuff.CAD is great but it might be a little bit too advanced for grade school kids in theory and output into the OLPC system. I could be wrong. Hunter July 7,2007<br />
<br />
== Is it possible for the children to get a qualification? ==<br />
<br />
Is it possible for the children to get a qualification?<br />
Over the Internet or controled by government?<br />
<br />
What kind of qualification?<br />
<br />
==Game Jam==<br />
<br />
Can Game Jam games be accessed through FireFox in a format that people can <br />
can try it or see an in action demo of the games themes?<br />
<br />
If not as many programs can be presented for view in diffrent system formats do you think becuase of the Google link that the program is not being relistic in the real world of internet?<br />
In some ways the clanist social pratices of many people and nations is a mid level part of their problem. By following this type of only if you.... belong to the group ,have this kind of system, have a laptop ect... may not be progressive.<br />
WHAT DO YOU THINK? jULY 7,2007<br />
<br />
== XO não conecta na rede Wirelles ==<br />
<br />
Atualizei o XO e não consigo mais me conectar na Internet.<br />
Como devo proceder?<br />
<br />
I brought up to date the version of the XO and now I do not obtain more to connect in the net wirelles. Exists some procedure?<br />
<br />
:Make sure you are running the latest stable build. Go to the mesh view and click on the triangle that represents the access point that you want to connect to... Note that WAP is not yet supported. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 14:10, 28 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Brief Translation: Você deberia utilizar a ultima build estável. A rede não funcion beim com tudas as build, a gente esta cambiando moitas cosas pra garantizar eso.<br />
<br />
:: If you updated to the latest ''unstable'' build, you may need to downgrade to 406: see the [[Autoreinstallation_image#Downgrading|downgrading instructions]] for details. [[User:Sj|Sj]] [[User talk:Sj|<font color="fc9"><small>talk</small></font>]] 14:20, 28 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Code of ethics==<br />
I think it's time to establish ''Code of Ethics'' and ''Code of Standard Practice'' for OLPC related activities in each nation. For example, [[OLPC Korea]] plans to have presentation tours all around the nation and to meet various people with various backgrounds; teachers, governmental officers, businessmen, those employeed, and housewives etc. If anyone of them want to contribute to OLPC related activities or financial support, what can we do? just receive donations? recommend them to donate to OLPC foundation or national OLPC volunteer groups? without no guidelines at all? It's a serious problem, and will be more serious issue in the future...[[User:Php5|php5]] 02:27, 4 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:I thought you were going somewhere else re a Code of Ethics: should OLPC be taking a stance re how the laptops are distributed and used. We cover that to a degree in our [[Core principles]]. Regarding contributions, there already are several local "OLPC" groups that are raising money for local deployment of OLPC. Some of these groups have an affiliation with OLPC and some are wholly independent. This does pose somewhat of a dilemma, because some unethical group could raise money using the OLPC name and never deliver laptops to children or charge some usurious "management fee". I'm not sure what to do about this, except to recommend that people solicit contributions that are routed through the OLPC foundation (http://laptopfoundation.org). --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 07:06, 4 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::In Korea also, if anyone or any company donate/contribute to educational or research facilities, s/he will be given tax-reduction benefit (reduction from taxable income), but not for foreign colleges or research institutes. So, I hope OLPC designate one (or more than one) educational/research institutes to which Korean citizens and corporations can donate and take tax reduction benefit. Or I will recommend some institutes or colleges to OLPC, then OLPC may pick some among them. I hope some of those donations to be used in developing XO variations such as [[Larger OLPC]] for youths and operating [[XO Korea/xo service|XO Service]] teams in Korea. [[User:Php5|php5]]<br />
<br />
::I think all donations had better go to OLPC Foundation, and then redistributed to the world and monitored/supervised by OLPC to maintain the ethical standards of our activities.<br />
<br />
==Liberia==<br />
Are there any discussion with the Country of Liberia? If so what are they and do you have insight as to whether Liberia will be interested in OLPC?<br />
:There are some ongoing discussions in Liberia. Details as soon as they are available. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 07:46, 5 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Christian content==<br />
Are there any Christian based initiatives with regards to providing Christian content on thumbdrives to be used with the laptops?<br />
:OLPC is only looking at basic literacy and numeracy; we leave it to the countries to determine what other content to provide on the laptops.<br />
<br />
==B2-Friendly Software/Firmware Builds==<br />
Its been a while since the '''olpc406_c11''' build came out and it doesn't seem (my observation) to bring out the best in the B2s. Are there any future releases that will be B2 friendly while serving the B3s and B4s? I'm asking because the XOs being tested in Nigeria are mostly all B2s (if I'm correct). --Ahmad 12:04, 4 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:There will be two new builds coming out in the coming days, both of which will be (largely) compatible with B2 hardware. One will be a variant of Build 406, but with the power management and suspend/resume in place. This should make a big difference in regard to usability in the school trials as the laptops should last a full school day on a single charge. The other build will be an experimental build that exposes a number of new features regarding the mesh and our model of sharing. It will also include the basic Journal functionality and the new ''tabbed'' Sugar UI. Initially, it may not be suitable for the school trials--the idea would be for a few machines in each school be set up with the new software so that the teachers and children can give us feedback. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 16:21, 4 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== The Needy Children of the U.S.A. ==<br />
<br />
To all of those people that want to donate <br />
things to all of the children. Shouldn't we <br />
think of all of our children in the states?<br />
<br />
Stop & think of who is responsible of all the <br />
teaching that the Americans are the enemy's.<br />
with all of the organizations in this country <br />
i would think that our country that a lot of <br />
AMERICANS FOUGHT FOR & SO <br />
MANY LOST THEIR LIVES FOR.THAT EVERYONE <br />
THAT WANTS <br />
TO START A DONATION &FUNDING TO SHOULD <br />
START IN <br />
THEIR COUNTRY THAT THEY LIVE IN.<br />
<br />
STOP & THINK HOW MUCH DID <br />
OUR COUNTRY DO FOR A <br />
LOT OF OTHER COUNTRIES & <br />
WHAT DID WE GET ION RETURN.<br />
<br />
THE BIG CORPORATIONS SEND <br />
ALL OF OUR WORK THEIR & <br />
PUT HOW MANY PEOPLE ON THE OUT OF <br />
WORK LIST.<br />
<br />
JUST BECAUSE OF THE GREED OF BIG MONEY PEOPLE.<br />
I THINK IF ANY MONEY IS SPENT IT SHOULD BE SPENT <br />
IN OUR COUNTRY FIRST.THEN WHEN OUR CHILDREN HAVE <br />
ALL OF THE LEARNING TOOLS THEN WE CAN HELP OTHER COUNTRIES.<br />
<br />
NOW STOP & THINK WHO HELPED US ON SEPTEMBER 11!!!!!<br />
WE NOW ARE INVOLVED IN A WAY IN A COUNTRY THAT <br />
TEACHES THAT ALL AMERICANS SHOULD BE KILLED.<br />
IS THAT THE KIND OF CHILDREN YOU WANT TO TEACH <br />
MORE TO??<br />
STOP & THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER & HIS FATHER <br />
WOULD SAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
SO PLEASE STOP & TEACH THOSE CHILDREN IN <br />
OUR HOME COUNTRY.<br />
ALSO THINK THAT HOW MANY CHILDREN DO WE HAVE <br />
IN THIS COUNTRY FROM THE COUNTRIES YOU ARE <br />
GIVING THESE THINGS TO.<br />
<br />
WE NEED TO BUILD THE U.S.A. BACK TO THE <br />
PROUD COUNTRY IT SHOULD BE.<br />
<br />
There is a lot more i would like to <br />
say but it all comes back to we should <br />
help our Country first.<br />
<br />
--''' AN AMERICAN VET.'''<br />
<br />
:OLPC is interested in helping children in ''all'' countries, including the United States. We have been in discussions with many governors and are discussing possible deployments in individual school districts. That said, I have two comments regarding your note: (1) OLPC has not been diverting any funds away from the United States into other countries; and (2) it is our belief that one of the roads to peace is making sure that every child in every country has an opportunity for learning. If we can help to eliminate ignorance, perhaps we can eliminate much of the underlying cause of hatred and violence. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 18:11, 7 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
== computers ==<br />
<br />
When I turn on my laptop it looks like it is starting normally but then says windows has encountered a problem. it gives me the choices of starting Windows Normally, Safe Mode, Safe Mode with networking, or Safe mode with Command prompt. When I click on any of these, the computer goes to a blue screen that says the computer began and finished a physical memory dump. How do I fix this?<br />
: First unpack your Fedora installation CD...<br />
<br />
<br />
== MOTHERBOARD ==<br />
<br />
I'm an Italian student and i'm working on XO as my degree project. I'm looking forward to find someone who are able to help me. I just need the dimensions of the motherboar in cm or inches in order to do a benchmarking analisys. I alrealy wrote down a lots of emails but without any results.<br />
<br />
Thanks in advace.<br />
<br />
Samantha<br />
<br />
== olpc, nicholas ==<br />
<br />
I am currently doing a project on Nicholas Negroponte and I need to interview him, however I've contacted OLPC and they said he has no time. So I was hoping someone from the company would help to answer my questions as I can't lift questions from the above and also I need someone with credentials to answer my questions. So here are my questions:<br />
<br />
# Other than OLPC, what was he involved in before that makes him so confident in this project?<br />
# Is the laptop accessible to children with physical disabilities?<br />
# Even though the laptop is just a 100$, what happens when countries cannot afford to pay but the children are in desperate need for a laptop?<br />
# If OLPC is a non-profit organisation, where would the money go to after being collected?<br />
# Would people from other countries be able to volunteer to teach the children how to use the laptop?<br />
<br />
Sorry for taking up too much of your time. I would really appreciate it if the questions could be answered as the results of my project would be able to get me into a good university. Thank you.<br />
<br />
:Many of these questions have been answered elsewhere in the wiki, but here are some summary answers:<br />
:# Nicholas and his colleagues, including Seymour Papert, have been working on technology and learning since the mid-1960s. They have lead or participated in numerous one-to-one computing projects in the field in both the developed and developing world, in places as diverse as Senegal, Cambodia, Costa Rica, etc.<br />
:# We have incorporated the standard Linux accessibility features and are working with various groups on additional enhancements.<br />
:# We have a foundation that is trying to help reach children in the LDCs.<br />
:# OLPC doesn't collect money; CitiCorp transfers funds directly to the supplier chain. The laptop is always sold at cost, so there is no additional money to "go" anywhere.<br />
:# We are mobilizing volunteers to work with children regarding learning learning, but the children will not need help learning to use the laptop itself.<br />
:--[[User:Walter|Walter]] 10:11, 11 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Should the OLPC project be outside of the USA? ==<br />
<br />
Considering that US export laws are at times irrational and politically motivated, is it wise that this project is in the USA and have it software be configure managed in the USA? This project should be outside of USA's jurisdiction.<br />
<br />
<br />
== does this laptop use programs such a word? ==<br />
<br />
I am curious to know if the laptop provided uses programs such as word for things like typing reports.<br />
:The laptop comes with a wide variety of software (See [[Activities]]) including a [[Write|word processor]] based upon [[Abiword]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 09:14, 13 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Can the ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION of OLPC be disclosed?==<br />
Dear [[User:Walter|Walter]]<br />
<br />
Please let me know whether it is publicized. I would like to write a similar one for our Korean XO community sincerely[[User:Php5|php5]] 05:31, 17 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Can any one translate this page to English?==<br />
<br />
[[http://pclab.nectec.or.th/wiki/index.php/Main_Page]<br />
<br />
== XO logo colors ==<br />
<br />
What are the 20 colors that will create the 400 different XO logo color combinations so kids can distinguish their laptops from each other?<br />
<br />
: If you don't mind reading source code, the hex codes ('RRGGBB', like in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_code#Hex_triplets HTML]) for all the color combinations are in the [http://dev.laptop.org/git.do?p=sugar;a=blob;f=sugar/graphics/xocolor.py;hb=HEAD xocolor.py] file in the repository, under the sugar/sugar/graphics directory. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 01:33, 26 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: I made [[XO colors | a page with the colors]]. It turns out there are 29 of them, and around 200 color pairs defined. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 22:09, 30 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== i am a homeschooler ==<br />
<br />
<br />
are homeschoolers going to be able to get a laptop like this<br />
<br />
:It will probably depend on your country for now. <br />
:-----------<br />
:''quote from elsewhere on this page''<br />
:As much as we would like to see an OLPC in the hands of every child on the planet, practical issues and humanitarian :criteria help decide the first people to get laptops:<br />
:* Children and teachers in developing countries whose governmental leaders have partnered with OLPC <br />
:-----------<br />
:But Quanta the manufacturer will probably be selling a commercialized version in the future for a higher price so you :may be able to get one then if your country isn't buying the laptops. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 00:05, 24 July 2007 :(EDT)<br />
<br />
== Support for application languages like Java? ==<br />
<br />
Hi<br />
<br />
I think this laptop could have huge potential as the hardware infrastructure for supporting scientific projects in the developing world. I´m a software engineer and I think it would be great to begin building custom applications that suited this particular kind of machine. <br />
<br />
Does anyone know what programming languages or software development kits work with this? Dare I ask whether standard Java applications would work on this? Java is supposed to work on Linux based systems but I wonder whether the AWT works with the kind of display used in the laptop.<br />
<br />
By the way, it would greatly help the developer community if we could get easier access to the laptops themselves. It could spawn all sorts of open source development projects to build software applications that were relevant to the groups who used them.<br />
<br />
: You might want to take a look at [[Getting_started_programming#Operating_Environment | the Getting started programming page]]. The main programming environment supported on the laptop itself is Python, but you can also develop in Smalltalk in Squeak and Javascript in a browser-based activity. Note that Python is currently used for a variety of [http://www.python.org/about/success/#scientific scientific applications].<br />
<br />
: Java is not in the official build, but I imagine Java and AWT can be made to work, since it works on other Linux/GTK systems (although performance may be poor, given the limited-resource environment). Running a full Java (or C/C++) SDK on the laptop may prove difficult, though... The easiest way to get a particular Java application on the laptop might be to compile it to an x86 binary on a more powerful system.<br />
<br />
: You can [[Developers_program#How_to_apply_for_an_XO | apply for a laptop]] through the [[Developers program]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 17:23, 25 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== [[Source-code editor with transparent native-language display]] ==<br />
<br />
This is just a note to draw people's attention to my concept of [[Source-code editor with transparent native-language display]]. I think it is a perfect fit for the OLPC. --[[User:Homunq|Homunq]] 16:48, 25 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Power Issues==<br />
Now that the laptop is <br />
in use does it get <br />
hot slightly, hot <br />
or pretty hot.? <br />
How long <br />
would you <br />
say it <br />
takes <br />
to get <br />
hot; <br />
like <br />
an hour <br />
of use or <br />
longer? <br />
This <br />
is <br />
question for the people <br />
testing the laptop it self. <br />
It has also been noted cord <br />
connections in photos. <br />
Can the laptop be <br />
connected to <br />
electricity? <br />
7/27/07<br />
<br />
: Yes it can be connected to electricity quote "The laptop is capable of taking a DC input ranging from 5 volts to 25 volts to charge the 5-cell NiMH battery inside" http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Battery_and_power. The heat question is better answered by others but I can tell you that the laptop has been designed to be very power efficient so it shouldn't expel much heat. They were experimenting with a new battery type which is a lot safer and cooler but I'm not sure if it's been included in all the mass production units. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 08:25, 27 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== To obtain a laptop in Peru? ==<br />
<br />
I have family in Peru that are of low income and there are4 kids within the family how would they be able to ontain a laptop and where woud they have to go?<br />
<br />
: The laptops are paid for and distributed by the ministries of education of each country, so you'd need to contact the Peruvian ministry of education to get the details on how the laptops are being deployed. There may be additional details on the [[OLPC Peru]] page. Other means of getting a laptop may be available in the future; for example, [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070329-olpc-xo-manufacturer-to-sell-budget-portables-in-developed-countries.html Quanta] may sell a commercial version of the XO, or the OLPC may distribute to [[Our_market#Can_a_legitimate_NGO_or_foundation_apply_for_your_program.3F | non-governmental organizations]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 01:23, 26 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Accessing another school's Mesh Network ==<br />
<br />
If a teacher takes an OLPC laptop to another school for a meeting, can they access the other school's Mesh Network to transfer documents and software, etc? Is a laptop strictly limited to only accessing one school's network (without some time-consuming reconfiguration of access-permissions)? If access is possible, how would it be granted?<br />
<br />
--[[User:Ricardo|Ricardo]] 12:43, 26 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: I don't think this has been entirely worked out yet, but a [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/sugar/2007-July/002910.html recent post to the Sugar mailing list] shows that the developers are indeed considering the case where an external laptop (either XO or non-XO) wants to participate in the school's local network. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 19:07, 26 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== access of offline content with browser ==<br />
<br />
I am interested to see some of my html content on the OLPC before the content is uploaded. <br />
My content is on flash disk. I managed to mount the Flash Disk using the shell. Then I tried to <br />
use the browser in the sugar interface to access my index.html file from the Flash Disk. But, <br />
so far, all I got is error message. I need your guide.<br />
<br />
:What is the error message? [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 07:32, 28 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Page Load Error is the message. <br />
I am just trying to access an html file from my flash disk <br />
with out being connected to the internet. I used the path to my html file in place of URL.<br />
<br />
== How can Wikipedia editors help? ==<br />
<br />
I'm a relatively experienced Wikipedia editor (User:Creidieki@en), and I've heard that the Wikipedia project will be involved in some way with OLPC. However, I can't find any concrete information about this, either on this site or on Wikipedia. Are there wiki-related tasks which need to be done to help prepare content for the OLPC project? Which wikiprojects will be included on the OLPC? How can I help? -- [[User:Creidieki|Creidieki]] 12:41, 2 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: You might want to ask [[User:Sj | SJ Klein]], as he is apparently something of a [http://www.olpcnews.com/people/leadership/samuel_klein_joins_o.html liaison between OLPC and Wikipedia], as well as being the OLPC director of content. I believe the plan is to ship a subset of Wikipedia with either the laptops themselves or the school servers (in case internet connectivity isn't locally available), although I'm not sure how the subset is being chosen. I think contributions to the [http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Simple English Wikipedia] would be helpful, as these articles are likely to be used both for English instruction and in the case where translated articles are not available. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 18:42, 2 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
The [[One encyclopedia per child]] page may be relevent to this (see both the Article and Discussion pages). It covers a Wikipedia for children, cut-down to fit on CD/DVD. --[[User:Ricardo|Ricardo]] 04:44, 12 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== how is it fun? ==<br />
<br />
what can my children do to have fun?<br />
: Play games, learn, create content, draw, make music, film videos etc [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 19:47, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
can they install games?<br />
: That depends on the game. There are lots of linux games already out as well as some on the xo already. Windows games are more of an issue. The hardware is also not suitable for playing the advanced 3d games. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 19:47, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
my children play an online game.is that possible on this?<br />
: That depends what game it is. For example if it's just a browser game it can be played. If it uses flash then you would have to install the flash plugin yourself. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 19:47, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:: Actually, I saw an XO demo unit recently, and Flash (or some sort of Flash substitute) was working well enough to play videos from YouTube in the web activity. I don't know if the final distribution includes Flash capability, but it seems likely, given that the demo unit did. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 00:36, 10 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
::: I just tested on my laptop with a base install of build 542 and it has gnash installed by default. It can indeed play a lot of the flash games though some may not work ()http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnash [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 02:39, 10 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
how far does the internet reach?<br />
: That depends on your router or wireless provider. If you mean the mesh network then there has been a test of over 2.1km line of sight on flat ground from machine to machine. Of course this would be much less in buildings. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 19:47, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I provide free English as a Second Language lessons to students in different countries. My main method of communication is Skype. Will this laptop and its peer-to-peer network be able to handle Skype?<br />
: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/VoIP [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 19:47, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Where are you and your children from as all nations have not recived the laptop yet?--[[User:216.194.21.130|216.194.21.130]] 17:52, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==OLPC's NEW FORMAT==<br />
how do i order one?<br />
: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/How_can_I_get_one%3F [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 22:50, 11 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
is this able to access yahoo and myspace?<br />
: It has a web browser so yes. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 22:50, 11 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
If I make sites for kids how can the OLPC child find me? and <br />
can you give me the best Meta key words?<br />
<br />
== Display Technology ==<br />
<br />
Is there in-depth information available on the display technology, including any associated patents?<br />
<br />
: In addition to reading the [[Display]] page, you might try reading the publications of [http://www.joeinc.tv/ Mary Lou Jepsen], who, as I understand it, is responsible for many of the display's innovations. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 16:51, 15 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== How to get the price down ==<br />
<br />
I use computer for 30 years and what I see is the price getting down and the power up.<br />
<br />
You may have some good political reasons to limit the spreading of the OLPC to some countries.<br />
<br />
What I think is the OLPC can become for rich countries a cute device like the iPod, and you could sell millions getting the price down.<br />
I am sure that getting a low price (with a good quality) is very important for the poor children of developping countries.<br />
<br />
I see another point, by selling OLPC to the developped world you create a mode (like iPod) that would make easier to negociate with governments and make the OLPC more accepted by people.<br />
Did you like me to give (or sell) you, poor guy of Vietnam, a special device just made for you, a device that I, and my children, would not use.<br />
That mean that this device is just good enough for you. It is not very pleasant.<br />
But if I give or sell iPod (or Nokia phone, or ...) I will be welcome.<br />
<br />
My idea is OLPC must be a "must have" in Paris, NYC, London, ... before to be given to children or teacher in Ouagadougou.<br />
<br />
Remy Pericard from Versailles, France <br />
(I have 4 PC and 1 MAC at home and I don't need OLPC but I would buy one OLPC just to help decreasing the price.)<br />
<br />
== Laptop case/bag? ==<br />
<br />
Why does the olpc has no bag or simple small case which could optimize its lifespan ? [[User:Hardouin|Hardouin]] 07:56, 15 August 2007<br />
<br />
:The handle is designed to accommodate a strap; but we hope and expect it will be something that is done locally, not by us. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 17:12, 15 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Hard drive? ==<br />
<br />
How come it doesn't include a built-in hardrive?<br />
<br />
: The XO laptop is designed without a mechanical hard drive in an effort to minimize the number of moving parts, to make the laptop more rugged. By some estimations, the mechanical hard drive in a typical laptop [http://www.pctoday.com/Editorial/article.asp?article=articles/2005/t0306/23t06/23t06.asp&guid= is its most fragile part]; it can fail after being bumped or dropped, especially if it is reading or writing data at the time. Instead, the XO laptops use an internal flash drive for storage&mdash;flash memory is nigh-invulnerable to bumps and falls, and it consumes less power, too. ''(see also [[Hardware uniqueness]].)'' &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 16:23, 15 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== A Camera For Education? ==<br />
<br />
I need to know... how does a web camera (or digital camera whatever it so be called) help educate children? Don't get me wrong, I think education is extremely important and I use computers to learn more than I ever learned in school. The OLPC is a great idea with pros and cons like any tool ever invented. However; being a graduate of a Computer Security Investigations diploma and working with law enforcement on the subject of technology involved with online child exploitation, it is evident that yes a powerful and positive tool may be used for most any ill intended act. <br />
<br />
What I do not understand is why a web camera is essential in a tool for education. I understand that a large portion of communities who receive this laptop will not have Internet access, but it doesn't take Internet access to exploit children. One camera that can self develop digital photos is just as dangerous as having so many young children prowling through the Internet. I do not see loosing any educational value by removing the web camera from these laptops. The only outcome would be less power consumption, lower cost, and a safer experience for any child. I agree that Internet safety training can help educate children safe Internet use, but even with just community networking, is “safe computer training” really as efficient as removing a piece of this laptop that does not contribute to any educational purpose. D, Canada.<br />
<br />
: A big part of this project is the idea of the children creating content themselves. And a camera allows them to do this in a large way. Whether it's just filming each other for fun, or creating a video to show others (showing people across the world what your town looks like or a video showing a cow giving birth etc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOzBTGGVWNg)). The camera only uses power when it's on, and the cost is small due to the improvements caused by mobile phones. I will leave the exploitation question up to others since its late and I must sleep. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 10:39, 21 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::Any science-fair, nature-observation, or drama project can benefit from a camera, just to start. <br />
<br />
::As for exploitation, it would be good if you elaborated on what specific threats you see. I'm especially confused by your statement that "it doesn't take internet access to exploit children"; while obviously true, it seems that any such threat (for international profit, or by simply local perverts) would also not need this laptop to succeed. As for other threats: this laptop has extremely high security against traditional "virus" and "spyware"; and its social and sharing features make it relatively likely that willing participation of children in their own exploitation will be caught before it goes too far. [[User:Homunq|Homunq]] 12:30, 21 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
: Yes! As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words"... be a picture of yourself, your friends, your house, your pet, or whatever critter may be crawling around that weird plant... great for learning biology and/or botany; being able to capture something (in a picture or video) is a great way to learn about many things: time based pictures that show how a bean grows into a plant, or how the position of the sun changes through the year, and these are just off the top of my head.<br />
: I think that there are many more positive (read educational) uses for cameras. A strawman argument is to replace 'camera' with 'pencil': you can write lies, rumours, even poke yourself in the eye with them... but nobody is about to take pencils away from children, are they? [[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 13:08, 21 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
From maddyj123@hotmail.com maybe sometimes kids want to video tape themselfs or something but i agree why is a camera there but its a use full idea for kids that ill like to purchase one myself for my child!<br />
<br />
== Network library for Python ==<br />
<br />
<br />
I am trying to write a code in Python that will establish direct communication between OLPC computers via WiFi.<br />
<br />
Normally I would use the "twisted matrix" library or the "raknet" library. Does anyone know if one of these libraries (or other equivalent) will be included in the OLPC build?<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />
: The main networking library to be distributed with the laptops is [[Activity Sharing#Tubes |Telepathy Tubes]]&mdash;see the relevant section of [[Getting started programming#How do I do networking in Sugar? | Getting started programming]]. According to that page, other libraries are not being distributed, probably for space concerns. The python [http://docs.python.org/lib/module-socket.html socket] library is, of course, also available. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 09:58, 26 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Any place where OLPC applications usage experience is documented? ==<br />
<br />
I've looked at the several Wiki pages on OLPC activities (applications) and done extensive Googling, but I don't find any place where those experimenting with OLPCs are documenting what they find out about using them. While the essence is trial-and-error to teach yourself, it is easy to just plain get stuck or to overlook some feature.<br />
<br />
For example, and this is just one example, I've started to use Write to compile my comments on using the OLPC. While I appear to be saving the document from session to session, I absolutely can't find a way to give the document a name, so that if I accumulate several documents I can find the one of interest. Gotta be there, but I'm knocking myself out trying to find it.<br />
: There's a box in the top left side of the screen in most activities where you can give it a name. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 00:43, 25 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: If there is such a box in the Write activity, I don't see it. I've poked, prodded, and clicked every place I can think of in Write and can't figure out how to save a file by name or then, later, open it by name. - Bubba Bob<br />
<br />
:: On the first tab in the Write Activity's toolbar, there should be an oval containing the text "Write Activity". This is actually a text entry box for the document's Journal entry label; "Write Activity" is the default label for things made in the Write Activity. You can change the label by clicking in the oval and typing something else. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 09:35, 26 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Here's another reason for wanting to know the file name. I concluded that there is probably not an email activity installed yet. So I used the Web browser to go to my Gmail account and send myself some email. I wanted to email myself the Write document, but what to attach, how to navigate to the file itself? Best I could do was try attaching my current Write journal, but on the receiving end that proved to be an indecipherable binary.<br />
<br />
Besides, these specifics, this is the kind of discussion I'm looking for, across the range of activites. - Bubba Bob<br />
<br />
: There has been some discussion of applications, initial impressions of Sugar, and cross-platform communications on the [http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/sugar Sugar mailing list]. A lot of this stuff is still being decided (and changes weekly, it seems), so the mailing list tracks it better than a wiki or web page. You might try asking your technical questions there. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 11:07, 25 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== How interact with the SUGAR operating system? ==<br />
<br />
I've seen several answers to questions that indicate it is somehow possible to interact with Linux or the SUGAR interface, such as to install software, but in those instances there is no indication of how to do it. <br />
<br />
Is that discussed anywhere? Is there some magic key combination (a la Windows) that allows interruption of the boot sequence at the right moment? Or, after booting up to the normal user interface, is there some magic way to escape to a Linux prompt and, if so, would it indeed look like Red Hat Linux? Or ... ?? - Bubba Bob<br />
: One of the ways to interact is to use the terminal. Which can be accessed via pressing "alt +" You can there use yum etc. I assume by looking by Red Hat Linux you mean using gnome as the window manager. If so then no, as you would have to install that separately. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 00:39, 25 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: See [[Sugar Instructions#Shortcut Keys | Sugar Instructions shortcut keys]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 12:28, 25 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Refugees returning to Southern Sudan ==<br />
<br />
I will be helping set up aid programs for Nuer refugees returning to their homeland in Southern Sudan. I have over thirty years computer (programming) experience and would like to help set up an OLPC program for the children of the refugees. If you could give me a contact I would appreciate it.<br />
<br />
03:43, 1 September 2007 (EDT) This is a follow-up comment: I've been checking every day and haven't seen a response. We will be going to Juba and then to Akobo where the people are returning. I would like to talk to someone from OLPC about a possible program either funded by charities and or the provisional government. Am I in the right area for a question like this? Thank you.<br />
<br />
: I am not an OLPC official, but according to [[Ask_OLPC_a_Question_about_Distribution#Where_or_how_can_I_get_one.3F | the distribution page]], the OLPC people are currently limiting their efforts to large orders from ministries of education, although there may be other options available in the future. Sudan is not currently on the [[Countries | list of interested countries]]. You could also try the [http://www.laptop.org/en/contact.shtml OLPC contact page], but that will probably get you a similar answer. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 12:36, 1 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Can I raise funds to purchase olpc computers for a third world school and my own? ==<br />
<br />
I am a principal of an elementary school in the United States with a significant number of students who are impacted by poverty. If I were able to mobilize my community to raise enough money to purchase these computers for a school in a third world country, would it be possible for us to purchase these computers for ourselves? I believe our community could raise $30,000 to fund the purchase of these laptops for a school of 300 students. I actually have a school in mind?<br />
<br />
: You might want to read the [[Ask_OLPC_a_Question_about_Distribution#Where_or_how_can_I_get_one%3F | Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution page]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 13:30, 1 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Charging the Battery ==<br />
<br />
Hi all, I an a Software Tester browsing on the BBC Web Site when I came across an artical about your laptop. I see that to charge the laptop you need to pull a rip cord. I was wondering why solor cells where not used on the top of the laptop (otherside of the screen) So it could be charged when closed? Or even a Solar-powered tray that slides out from the bottom so it could charge while being used.<br />
<br />
I ask out of pure curiosity. Good work with the Project, I think you are on the right track. A Laptop with Books stored on it for education and internet access is a lot better than books on there own.<br />
<br />
Lee Clifford<br />
Senior Technical Tester<br />
lee.clifford@virginmobile.com<br />
<br />
:We will have a solar-power option for the laptop, but it will be tethered, not attached. This gives the children more flexibility in terms of how they position themselves relative to the sun. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 06:52, 27 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Did you know? Peer Reviewed studies show no teacher/counselor needed to teach CBT(Cognitive Behavior Therapy... aka killing negative thoughts permanently). Stanford's Dr.David D.Burns is developing.. ==<br />
<br />
Did you know? <br />
<br />
Peer Reviewed studies show no teacher/counselor needed to teach CBT(Cognitive Behavior Therapy... aka killing negative thoughts permanently). Stanford's Dr.David D.Burns is developing web based training("CBT for CBT"?) for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. This has already been tested in semi literate patient populations.<br />
<br />
Since studies show Cognitive Behavior Therapy beats drugs and therapy, and stigmas block many from admitting widespread/common depression/anxiety...<br />
<br />
...a child with his/her own laptop is a good platform to learn how to stop negative thoughts without stigma and where drugs and therapy are not available.<br />
<br />
Please note: Attainment of the elusive "positive attitude" has decades of science that comes pretty damn close: CBT.<br />
<br />
CBT has been used for:<br />
depression<br />
anxiety<br />
procrastination<br />
phobias<br />
fear of speaking<br />
insecurities<br />
doubts<br />
stigmas<br />
shyness<br />
<br />
Moore@ThankYouMichaelMoore.com<br />
<br />
== Algeria? ==<br />
<br />
I am very intersted to know the progress of working with the government of Algeria. I have a journalist friend who writes about the problems with the children of his city of 160,000 where they have only two swimming pools, a summer heat of 118 F, no parks and rising drug/alcohol use. While the OLPC would not solve these problems they could provide an opportunity for the children to learn and be occupied in more potentially educational activities. Please advise as while I would not want to jepardize any ongoing talks with Algeria I would engage in promoting this project.<br />
Thank you,<br />
<br />
Margie Reese<br />
San Diego, CA<br />
<br />
== Coming to the US ? ==<br />
<br />
is this laptop going to be sold in the U.S. like in stores or just for the peolpe in need? If so how much would it cost and when will it come this is the coolest laptop anybody invented for years!!!! thanks for the help!<br />
email me at maddyj123@hotmail.com thanks sooo much!!!!<br />
im the same person who did the question i live in florida in the united states in ft. <br />
laraudale. thanks!<br />
<br />
: See [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Where or how can I get one?]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 13:33, 1 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==I know a Program incredible powerful to operate these,U aparatus ==<br />
<br />
the program is so simple and powerfull that you must have it!<br />
basically is pictures in/out almost by brain power so to speak!<br />
i like you to have it because i am Braziliam Born american, and love to do somthing big for the poverty of the richest nation on earth!<br />
Your project to Brazil "Brasil" was welcome, because the President know what is to be poor, he can see what you see!<br />
depending on circustances i personaly am willing to donate equivalent to serveral millions to your porgram!<br />
jrb.my cell phone 8178973421 any time gemssuply1@aol.com<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== 3 inquiries: USB boot? SD boot? SD expansion? ==<br />
<br />
~Will it have an option (either in BIOS or automatically) to be bootable off of USB or SD for either use of other operating systems, diagnostic work, or system backups/restores?<br />
:Yes<br />
<br />
~In today's market, SD cards can reach up to 64-128 gigabytes. Will this OS recognize these sizes?<br />
:8-gigabyte cards have been tested. I am not sure beyond that.<br />
<br />
My reasoning for these questions is for the potential of programmers in the fields.<br />
<br />
== About e-waste ==<br />
<br />
At some point this products will be obsolet. What about then? Will they be recycled? How is this going to be managed? Can they be refurbished? In third world countries there are no regulations about e-waste management. Will OLPC take care of recolecting the laptops when they are no longer in use?<br />
<br />
== How many schools will have internet connections on rollout? ==<br />
<br />
As far as I know most (all?) of the trials in Peru, Uruguay Nigeria and elsewhere, schools where provided with permanent internet access via dial-up, satellite etc. <br />
I would like to know if there are any estimations on how many of schools will actually be connected to the internet when the big rollout begins`?<br />
<br />
--[[User:Nils|Nils]] 11:20, 12 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:The roll-out plan includes providing a connected school server; our plan is that 100% of schools will have a connection to the Internet. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:53, 12 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Single family homes ==<br />
<br />
I have a niece who is in a one parent home struggling financially to make ends meet here in the USA,<br />
she has 3 sons, 2, 11 and 12 years old. Her oldest son is in the 6th grade, she cannot afford the monthly fees for the internet, nor the cost of a computer for her oldest sons.<br />
I think this is an unbelievable project!<br />
I checked the website out just to see if I could purchase one for my nephews but I see from the reading material I cannot.<br />
<br />
But, I sure would like the idea of prioritizing single family homes as the first to receive them, if you eventually allow state or county non-profits to buy them for individuals or schools or maybe the USA federal government, naaa that would take too long.<br />
<br />
Anyway, if a non profit could be set up in South Carolina, I would be willing to be a volunteer.<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />
==Lima,Peru==<br />
Are children in Lima expected to get the laptops?<br />
And when?--[[User:216.194.22.10|216.194.22.10]] 07:31, 20 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: Peru is one of the [[OLPC_Status_by_Country | "green status" countries]], so I'd expect they would, although the exact distribution and timeframe would be determined by the ministry of education. There may be more details on the [[OLPC_Peru | Peru]] page, and you can read about a [[OLPC_Peru/Arahuay | Peruvian pilot program]] taking place "not far from Lima". [http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/peru/laptop_peruvian_child.html This article] suggests that the deployment by the ministry of education will happen sooner than later, due to opportunities presented by recent earthquakes. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 13:04, 20 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== FreeDOS ==<br />
<br />
Any plans of a FreeDOS alternative or to drop GNU/Linux completely? FreeDOS is very effective and small. It is open source. [[User:Greowsigbwoe|Greowsigbwoe]]<br />
:No plans to drop GNU/Linux, although we expect that some children will want to experiment with other operating systems. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 15:00, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
::So it will only be possible if they download them selves? And how will they be able to boot and install? The laptop have neither CD-ROM or floppy drives. [[User:Greowsigbwoe|Greowsigbwoe]]<br />
::Is FreeDOS preinstalled not even an possible alternative to you? [[User:Greowsigbwoe|Greowsigbwoe]]<br />
:::They'll be able to boot from an SD card or USB. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 15:33, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::::I have heard that LinuxBIOS can not boot DOS, but OK. You have not answered if the company might consider FreeDOS preinstalled. [[User:Greowsigbwoe|Greowsigbwoe]]<br />
:::::We are not using LinuxBIOS. We are using Open Firmware as our bootloader. OFW does not emulate all the legacy PC hardware you'd need to run DOS, e.g., VESA (since the VESA emulation code in AMD's Geode VSA was the one part they could not open source due to not owning rights), and the PCI configuration emulation code (which gets in our way for fast resume). There are third parties working on a BIOS for the machine but there is a fair amount of driver work required, e.g., DCON. As far as whether or not we would consider FreeDOS preinstalled, if there is sufficient demand for it and it enables us to meet our epistemological goals, then yes. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 15:52, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::::: I hope there will be someday. But i am not so sure, GNU/Linux is taking over almost everything. From big mainframes to these laptops. Thank you for your answers. [[User:Greowsigbwoe|Greowsigbwoe]]<br />
<br />
::::::DOS knows nothing of PCI, so the emulation code is not needed. DOS programs generally don't care either. DOS also doesn't need VESA, but many DOS programs do need it. DOS certainly needs a pile of BIOS calls, but these could be built right into FreeDOS. (in other words, hack FreeDOS to boot from OpenFirmware and supply its own BIOS crud) DOS also needs a text mode video screen; this would be difficult but possible. [[User:AlbertCahalan|AlbertCahalan]] 17:18, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::::One of the emulators is probably a better choice. It could even be wrapped up as a Sugar activity. If the emulators shipped with the OS itself, then one might be able to write DOS-based activities that are thin wrappers around DOS programs. Maybe there could be an easy way to share DOS disk images, much like TamTam projects can be shared. [[User:AlbertCahalan|AlbertCahalan]] 17:18, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:FreeDOS should run just fine in Bochs on the AMD Geode chips being used. It would make more sense to leave the base machine alone and just run FreeDOS from a USB key containing Bochs and a disk image. That way you make the machine more useful because you aren't subtracting any of the core package and capabilities.<br />
<br />
== Partnering Schools ==<br />
<br />
My children visit a small primary school in Scotland, which is actively looking to find a partner school in the developing world. From talking to other parents, I believe I would be able find enough interest to purchase 30-40 OLPC laptops on your 'buy two - get one' scheme. Would it be possible to distribute the 'donated' laptops in one particular school and such create a community between the two schools?<br />
<br />
== individual use in USA ==<br />
<br />
If I "buy one - get one," I would give mine to my 6 year old grandson. Will he be able to network with kids around the world? Can the camera-mic be used to communicate with kids in Nigeria, Peru, etc?<br />
<br />
Along the same lines, how will networking work outside the expected Mesh Network environment. For instance, can my 6 year old nephew use the WiFi hub in his home?<br />
<br />
== How can I get an XO outside USA and Canada? ==<br />
<br />
Why is the Give One, Get One program being restricted to the USA and Canada only? Lots of application/content developers in other countries will also be interested in buying an XO to work with. If you use the services of an international shipping company like DHL and accept credit card payment only, then it is really no more difficult to ship to other countries than to North America.<br />
<br />
: I don't know the details of any country restrictions for the Give One Get One program, but please note that developers in other countries can also [[Developers_program#How_to_apply_for_an_XO | apply for a machine through the developer's program]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 12:31, 24 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
: You've obviously never tried shipping outside the USA... shipping the XO prototypes had its saga of glitches caused by local bureaucracies and some 'issues' (to put it mildly) from the shipping company. So I would disagree that it would be ''no more difficult to ship to other countries''... [[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 14:05, 24 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::I realize that there are some countries in the world where it can be difficult to ship things. I myself have experienced difficulties with Russia and Ukraine. But surely Western Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand are pretty straightforward. In any case, this is not a prototype circuit board that someone thinks might be a bomb controller. It is a finished and packaged laptop. Every single box going out should be identical. This is the type of situation that a shipping company like DHL can easily deal with. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 16:16, 24 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Parallel Purchasing Program ==<br />
<br />
Have you investigated the idea of having Dell or other major manufacturers give people the option of adding an OLPC Laptop to their orders? I think this is something my company and others could easily support; throwing in one of these laptops every time we buy a new computer. It would be nice, simple method of supporting your efforts.<br />
Just a thought<br />
<br />
== Server applications: Should Squid caching, and Sendmail or other e-mail be included ==<br />
<br />
Should the server include Squid cache, Sendmail or some other open sourece POP3 and SMTP server, and an admin interface such as WebMin? My experience is that there is a great benefit to using off-peak network capacity and one-way satellite downloads so people have their e-mail with attachments waiting nearby when they log in. Many web documents can be e-mailed to the viewer and downloaded as low-priority bits, what Nicholas calls "Stand-by Bits." from Edresor (I now have a username.)<br />
<br />
== using xo machine as music streamer ==<br />
<br />
i am interested in doing the 2 for 1 program; I would like to know if the machine can be used to contually stream music off the internet (using rhapsody service)/ thank you<br />
<br />
== Unlimited Give 1 Get 1 program ==<br />
<br />
I think that OLPC has underestimated the general interest and strong demand for their laptops. I think that the Give 1 Get 1 program should run for now and forever, and not be just a limited 2 week engagement - there are far too many people in the US that want to provide a laptop for their children, like the laptop designed, and think that the Give 1 Get 1 program is perfect - they can get 1 for their children or relatives, and at the same time they can give 1 to another country that needs it. As many other people have requested in previous questions and comments, they wanted the ability to directly purchase the laptop or somehow provide it to their communities in the US. The Give 1 Get 1 program helps to fill BOTH needs simultaneously. Do not just run this program for the limited time. You accidently hit upon what can push this program into overdrive. As you have found, Governments will never shovel out cash for anything. BUT private individuals will - if they can get something for their efforts as well.<br />
<br />
== access to email & the internet ==<br />
<br />
Will access to email and the internet be available if a wireless connection is available?<br />
<br />
== Other software ==<br />
<br />
Will you be able to load other software packages (small) on OLPC? For example data logger or GPS software?</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=66323Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-09-24T20:16:40Z<p>Memracom: /* How can I get an XO outside USA and Canada? */</p>
<hr />
<div><noinclude>{{Translations}}</noinclude><br />
{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
archives: <br />
[[Ask OLPC a Question/Archive 1|through 2006]]<br />
[[Ask OLPC a Question/Archive 2|Jan-Jun 2007]]<br />
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<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
:There is more to life and education than requirements gathering. Usability and testing are of course important, and on-going. Research is often just trial, error, and adjustment. If you want, you can participate by setting up an emulator and seeing how the software works now. The research is going on now, and you can participate. Exciting, don't you think? -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]] 21:47, 9 March 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal]<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
Further to the question above, does the OLPC initiative include distributing laptops to children who are currently going through patient care in a hospital setting? And if so do you have links to devices that can allow a child to utilize a laptop from a hospital bed (i.e., wall mounted mechanical laptop ARM)? This is a great initiative!!!<br />
<br />
Regards<br />
CReid<br />
<br />
:Technically, it's the governments '''buying''' the laptop that will distribute them ('''not''' the OLPC), and while I see no difference between a child in a hospital bed or a cabin in the mountains (from a distribution PoV), my guess is that hospitals in these countries have other priorities to allocate their budgets instead of [http://www.infologixsys.com/products/Healthcare/Healthcare-Solutions/Point-of-Care/Wall-Mount-Workstation/C-Wallmount-Cabinet/default.asp fancy trays] (as cool as they might be ;) --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:05, 23 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As a representative of an NGO type organization I just recently commented to a UN officer about a similar subject. “Fancy Trays”' are not always at the request of the country or donor agency in general. Part of what makes these items or services that may not at first glance seem functional is the vision of the donor. Just like the water go round in Africa sponsored by Ex US president Bill Clinton and the water see saw in another nation that promotes the washing of your hands. It is not always up to the receiver in what it is they are to receive .<br />
There are also many sites that go in-depth about theses issues and the how and why's of the matters. If you are interested in finding out more you can direct searches about: third world programs, world aid and I am sure you can find more information as to why a fancy tray may have been purchased or donated as well as many other interesting things.<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or,.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
:Suresh, check this page "[[Getting involved in OLPC]]" and this page"[[OLPC Python Environment]]" -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]]<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
:See the section about [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Training & Capacity Building]]... but in general, that is upto the deploying countries to decide how it'll work - you should contact that side of the equation (or any organizations they name when the time comes).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:54, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
:Well, you can try the alpha software in emulation: [[Using QEMU on Windows XP]]. If you run into problems, you'll have to research and learn. --[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]] 27 Feb 2007<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
-- I think that there are some related questions for Seniors where at least referals to other organizations or resources would be useful. There are a lot of seniors out there that are afflicted with alzheimers or other dementia that have earlier been used to using computers, even if only playing games such as solitaire. When they get into this state, finding almost anything to help keep their mind occupied and exercised is a blessing. Trying to get them to learn to do anything different than what they are used to doing is a challenge, even if very simple, so something like this device dedicated to being used for one software app they've used in the past would be ideal.<br />
<br />
It's hard to justify spending top dollar for a computer this day and age that isn't designed for simplicity of doing single, simple programs designed more for exercising one's aging brain, than to help encourage kids to start simple and be conditioned to grow to more heights later. Therefore the physical needs for a device is very similar to what the OLPC provides, even if the goal and usage objectives are very different than that of children. It would be helpful to know if there are plans for selling used OLPC devices for seniors, or other projects that are more targeted to use by seniors in this fashion. Not all seniors are wealthy and those afflicted by dementia often are institutionalized and costing their families quite a bit, and aren't able to afford the additional expense of such a device. Our rest home is already complaining about how my father is becoming too much of a pest using their computer to play solitaire on. I'd like to find something affordable to keep him occupied instead. OLPC seems to be the only thing close out there to what would be an ideal machine. I suspect that there are many concerned relatives like myself out there with similar needs. (mike n.)<br />
<br />
: I agree that the OLPC sounds pretty good for seniors (aside from the tiny keys and lack of a mouse). Until the OLPC (or a [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070329-olpc-xo-manufacturer-to-sell-budget-portables-in-developed-countries.html similar device]) becomes commercially available, though, have you considered a tablet PC or an "internet appliance", like the [[Maemo | Nokia 770]] or the [[PepperPad]]? I believe there is also a collection of card games available for the Nintendo DS, as well as several games specifically designed for "brain exercise" (although the smaller screen may be a problem). &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 16:38, 7 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive focus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
:See [[Earth Treasury]] for business, mapping, research on poverty, and other programs. Mesh networking is useful for any collaboration, including business. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. <br />
::They can access the Internet, if Internet is available in the area, and there are local programs run by Novica and others to support sellers in Africa and Asia. In addition, eBay supports several languages other than English. In every former colony, there are lots of people who speak the language of their former masters, usually one of English, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, German, and Russian. Overstock.com was certified after the war as the largest employer in Afghanistan. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
::Yes, education is needed for programming. And the children will be educated in Smalltalk and Python by using the XO. With appropriate typing tutor software, they can be ready for data entry within two or three months. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
---Yes but you cant ignore Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A starving kid with a starving family at home will not see OLPC as an education tool but instead as something he can sell to buy food. Exploitation in India by international IT companies may be morally wrong by the developed world standards but the alternative for indian programmers to that kind of exploitation is unemployment. I'm not ignoring the fact that one needs education to be a programmer, OLPC can provide that education. "Education first" slogan sounds great, but realistically speaking you can't skip the layers in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.<br />
:Programmers in India do not feel exploited just because they make less than programmers in the US. Living expenses are also much lower in India. In fact, there is a significant trend of programmers returning to India, particularly those who are in a position to start their own businesses. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::The interesting thing about Maslow and technology is that it sometimes results are ''counter-intuitive''. For example, many reports have been written about how cell-phone technology actually has improved the standard of living for subsistence farmers, fishermen, etc. because they extend one basic need: communication & mobility (two things targeted by thinlaptop). --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:58, 17 January 2007 (EST)<br />
:::Similarly the ITC e-choupal project in India has substantially raised income for village farmers, just by placing one computer per village with free access for farmers to the Chicago Board of Trade, along with a commitment to buy at a stated discount from those prices. Analysis in Harvard Business Review.--[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I am asking the same question as JK. What happens once the kids have bridged the technological gap? Some might consider this question to be beyond the scope of this project but surely it is the next vital step. Its also in my mind that old chicken and egg situation. Unless there is a real opportunity the chances are that a hungry child will sell their heritage for a crust of bread.<br />
<br />
:See [[Earth Treasury]] for projects aiming to teach children how to start businesses, so that there will be enough jobs for everybody else. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I have been asking this question for the last couple of years and not having much faith in government and the system believe the answer is to empower an individual within a community and to rely on the natural process of things to bring about a situation where one mentors their peers. Theoretically it is possible for anyone with a reasonable grasp of English to make themselves useful on the net and to earn $200 or $250 a month. All thats needed to make this work is a vision and the structure to drive it. rainchild ZA<br />
<br />
:I favor empowering the whole community and everyone in it, using the [http://www.sarvodaya.org/ Sarvodaya] model. Otherwise, I agree with you. Although it isn't just theory, and they can make more than that. I have a vision, and I'm building a structure at [[Earth Treasury]]. Would you like to join us? --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 18:36, 6 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lamp is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
:[[Understanding sugar code]] was written to educate people like you on how you can get into the guts of an OLPC laptop. Any children who have an OLPC could potentially do exactly that, and learn a lot about computing at a very low level. OLPC volunteers will develop curiculum in all languages, in civic, sciences, and arts. This is an opportunity to diminish the divide. -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]]<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
:Hey "scampsd" i couldnt work out how to contact you about this, I am interested in alternative scales, mail me, simon att simon chadwick dt net<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
:Your question is confusing, as I'm not versed in random number generators based on hard disk... Isn't the built in Flashdrive good enough? It acts like a conventional hard drive, but it's all memory. --[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]]<br />
<br />
::No, the flash is not good at all. Hard drives have unpredictable timing, and thus the kernel uses them to supply /dev/random data. The DCON chip really should be modified to include a random number generator that works based on electrical noise such as the thermal stuff in a semiconductor junction. (note: NOT a pseudorandom number generator) [[User:24.110.145.57|24.110.145.57]] 19:40, 27 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:::Hmm... Chaos Communication Congress... OK! So you are looking for a way to seed a random number generator from an on board OLPC component (mostly for cryptography a boot time). OLPC doesn't seem to prioritize encryption as a core value (it seems to go against the BitFrost mantra of transparency). That said, you've got a pair of WiFi like transmitters, a monitor, keyboard, touchpad, battery, etc. Does hard drive access time really provide an evenly distributed random number? I find that hard to believe. Also, is this topic really critical to the goals of OLPC as a project? --[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]]<br />
<br />
::::The very first thing an OLPC XO does is generate a long-term public/private key pair. All the over-the-air stuff is at least cryptographically signed. If a kid publishes a Sugar XO bundle, it gets signed with his key. Hard drives are decent; the fast-moving air inside the drive provides randomness. The WiFi may be a tolerable choice; it's both public and subject to lack of input though. The monitor is no good. The keyboard and touchpad are OK, though very slow. The battery is unlikely to help. The digital camera may be the best choice. The microphone is tolerable. Use of many of these devices will require lots of power and/or background daemons. It's just way easier to do as Intel did with their motherboard chipsets. VIA put a random number generator right in the CPU. [[User:AlbertCahalan|AlbertCahalan]] 22:14, 28 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:::::This is a serious issue. There's a paper on the quality of the linux kernel RNG, and how it has relied on obscurity. When people wanted to find out how it works, they got no help from the developers; after analyzing it, they found serious weaknesses, and published.<br />
<br />
:::::http://www.pinkas.net/PAPERS/gpr06.pdf<br />
<br />
:::::In a nutshell:<br />
:::::# Linux RNG is overly complicated, and could be made much simpler at no loss of quality if a random source is available.<br />
:::::# Linux RNG is predictable with no random source<br />
:::::# A "must" for diskless systems is to save the RNG state across shutdown/bootup. At the very least, each laptop should ship with a 512 byte file fetched from random.org (or similar) so that they can initialize to an unknown state on first boot.<br />
:::::# Instead of using the linux RNG, perhaps consider a better one. Apple claims that its RNG -- "Yarrow" -- is better than Linux's, however it warns that a lack of random input will degrade it without warning (versus linux's estimate of entropy remaining in the main pool).<br />
<br />
:::::I do **REALLY** hope that this is fixed before any "for end user" machines are shipped. --[[User:Keybounce|Keybounce]] 21:36, 31 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::::::It is a serious issue, but that stuff about Yarrow being better is wrong. People get recognition by publishing alarmist "research" about supposed defects in important software. The Linux developers have little time to help clueless people who won't study the history behind the Linux /dev/random and /dev/urandom devices. Yarrow has one feature of dubious value: it recovers quickly from an attacker who somehow exposes the content of the pool. If an attacker can do that, you have bigger issues to worry about because the attacker is reading your kernel memory! Yarrow does have two weaknesses. First, it assumes that there will not be a successful attack against the cryptographic operations it uses. The Linux /dev/random and /dev/urandom instead assume that such attacks will be somewhat successful, and thus does not depend greatly on the cryptographic operations being unbreakable forever. Second, Yarrow fails to track entropy. Even if no data goes into the pool, you can pull infinite data out. This makes Yarrow a pseudo-random number generator. Linux makes a conservative estimate of the amount of true randomness available in the pool and will cause /dev/random to block (stall) if there is not enough available. [[User:24.110.145.57|24.110.145.57]] 00:26, 1 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
The AMD Geode LX processor includes a hardware random number generator. Linux's /dev/{u,}random uses it to seed the entropy pool. Also, keyboard and trackpad input are used to add to the entropy. There should be few issues with the quality of the random numbers.<br />
<br />
::Look at the [[Measure]] activity - it reads unbiased voltage data from the audio in port. I don't know how sensitive the a/d on that is, but if it's sensitive enough to get some random noise when there's no mic attached, this would be an excellent, constant source of random data (I saw an article once arguing that a noisy a/d is either brownian motion - which has quantum input from molecular vibration modes - or direct quantum tunelling of electrons in the chip. Quantum random = gold standard.). I don't know if there are Bitfrost/Raibow issues with accessing this port - I think that's only for the physical mic, not the port. --[[User:Homunq|Homunq]] 11:06, 24 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another [http://www.icrc.org/ Red Cross] or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two approaches to solve short-term and long-term problems of the developing world? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = investing in a better future for them and their societies. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against polarity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
May be a project similar to OLPC can be initiated to narrow the digital divide in the US. But instead of inventing a whole new laptop like the OLPC old PCs and laptops can be recycled and install linux to save cost? You'll find that when you run Linux on old computers they're not so "old." :-)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
*This will be the responsibility of the country in which the laptops are deployed. They are more familiar with local culture, local social issues and local laws.<br />
<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Rugged Laptops ==<br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
:'Huge' is relative, you can measure it in number of units or monetary value. And given that the market is a niche, it implies a small volume and high monetary value&mdash;the opposite of what the OLPC target market is (afaik). I see your point in 'overpricing' this 'commercial rugged laptops', but that would only create incentives to divert machines to the black/grey market. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:10, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />
---(JK, USA) There ought to be a sister project of the OLPC to bring internet connection to schools in the developing world. One internet connection per school wouldn't be a bad name for such project. Wireless Gateway/APs powered by environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, perhaps linked to a bidirectional satellite internet receiver, and then use [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/]WifiPaypal so that donors in the developed world can donate mothly Satellite connection bill direct to the schools using Paypal.<br />
<br />
*I think you should develop your idea and get about doing it. Gus, Chile<br />
<br />
Yes, that would be great to get internet capabilities, I agree -- I hope you do start that up!<br />
<br />
Does anybody know about the approximate power needs for the gateways? I know somebody working on microbial fuel cells and he asked me to find out what the power needs would be, and I just have no idea. I'm assuming that power is going to be a biggish issue for the gateways, as many of them will be in areas with no elecricity -- Am I wrong? Thank you!<br />
<br />
This question might be bettered answered on one of the Tech pages.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
:Generally ages 6 to 17. (First grade to the end of high school in the US.) The emphasis is ages 6 to 10 or so. A careful look at OLPC pictures indicates that they are really sized for 6 to 10 year olds. --[[User:Tef|tef]] 13 Jan 2007<br />
<br />
::I hope you aren't serious. The keyboard is '''way too small for a 10 year old.''' Just forget about age 17. The keyboard is about right for a toddler, but tolerable for a 5 year old. 7 year olds could use it for brief periods of time. [[User:AlbertCahalan|AlbertCahalan]] 00:18, 20 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
:The software being developed looks like it will run reasonably well on a conventional laptop, through emulation. My laptop doesn't have a camera, mic, or wifi, and it's behind a firewall, so I only have some peripherals. OLPC software is distributed freely (I think it's GNU V2), just search the emulation pages. That's how I got my copy of the software.<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. <br />
<br />
:There is no "buy 2 get 1" scheme. If you would read the [[Retail]] page then you would know this.<br />
<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
<br />
:This is not an OLPC idea. The OLPC project has no intention to distribute laptops over Ebay and if people started to sell stolen laptops on Ebay we would work to shut that down.<br />
<br />
==Relaunching software as freeware==<br />
We are reviving ChipWits - an award-winning iconic programming game - and would like to encourage a freeware version to be developed for the OLPC. Is there a forum to discuss it?<br />
<br />
:There are several [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo mailing lists] (note the link in the 'about olpc' box at the top-left of the page. Also, there's a section on how to get around [[Sharing your content with OLPC]].<br />
:BTW, the OLPC is commited to [[Open Source]], so 'free' would probably not be enough, methinks.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:43, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
::ChipWits will be open source. Thanks for the pointer to the mailing list.<br />
<br />
<br />
== LiveCD OS Images ==<br />
<br />
I downloaded a few of the recent LiveCD image builds (231), but for some reason the system does not load up and run. Obviously in this case you need a PC that has a CD/DVD reader etc. I may not be burning the CD correctly although Grub seems to start ok.<br />
Is there any particular hardware needed that a typical PC does not have, or something that I am not doing properly? Anyone out there that has this working and can share some ideas would be great. Thanks in advance.<br />
<br />
This question might be bettered answered on one of the Tech pages.<br />
<br />
Could you put a link to the "Tech Page". I'm having the same problem, what do I type at the grub prompt?<br />
<br />
== Color Coded Maps and Color Blind People==<br />
<br />
Would you please consider a written list of country status for those of us that are colorblind and can't make heads nor tails of your map?<br />
<br />
:There's an [[OLPC Status by Country]] page with a table - but darn! It too is color coded! ...just checked :( <br />
:I'll update it to make it text AND color coded.<br />
:It covers [[OLPC Status by Country#Africa|Africa]], the [[OLPC Status by Country#The Americas|Americas]] and [[OLPC Status by Country#Asia|Asia]], and it's '''NOT''' official (iow, the coding of some countries could be wrong).<br />
:And yes, there should be a link to that table in the [[#Countries|Countries section above]] and in the [[Map]] page.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:30, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Bad netiquette, answering to self, but it's already done! See [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
::This question and it's answer will soon be moved to the [[#Country]] section above.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:58, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Chrekula Uganda ==<br />
<br />
We are opening aprivate school in the village of Cherekula Uganda. I was going to provide two laptop computers but we are facing a problem with the lack of electrical power. We are exploring the purchase of a gas generator. I have bee folling the OLPC project for seceral years and am now convinced this is a better alternative. How do I enlist the Ugandan government so that I can take sveral OLPC computers to the choll when we visit this March (2007). We are completely willing to purchase them and we can transport the or have them shipped. I know that these would be pilots (beta?). We just want to try and get moving ahead on providing internet access to some very deprived children. This school is a high school. The first one ever in this village. It is located about 250 km from Kampala. Can you advise me on how to proceed. We can document the school i required. THanks ./Jim May jimlind@ameritech.net Farmington Hills Mi. USA 48336<br />
<br />
:You are going at this the wrong way. The first thing you need to do is find someone who is an expert in electrical power generation and storage to give you advice. They are unlikely to suggest buying a gas-powered generator for two laptops. Ten years ago people in Africa were running laptops off car batteries that were charged up by bicycle-driven generators. You should be doing something similar today. That means choosing older laptops with lower power consumption, choosing laptops that run off 12 volts DC (like RV owners and yachtsmen do) and then getting a generator rigged from old car parts. The one thing different today from 10 years ago is that solar panels are a viable source for charging the batteries.<br />
<br />
:Forget the OLPC. You cannot buy them ([[Retail]]) and you need to get your government's support in order to get access to them.<br />
<br />
== Website woes ==<br />
<br />
Am I the only one having a problem with www.laptop.org? It seems to be formatted for those using widescreen computers. I suggest you reformat the page so that it can be accessed by any computer user.<br />
The verbage also seems to be targeted toward the academic community. While I can read what was written, it isn't user-friendly. <br />
<br />
Have you considered your target audience? It's difficult to build support for your movement if you make it difficult for potential supporters to access your information. <br />
<br />
L. Mundschau<br />
<br />
:Scroll your screen to the left to find the Contact link in the upper left hand corner. http://www.laptop.org/contact.shtml<br />
Either send an email or write a letter with your concerns. If you can include a screenshot of your screen that would help.<br />
<br />
== What about students k-12 and college students in the USA? ==<br />
<br />
Do I qualify? I filled out the fafsa forms do you need those to determine those for financial need? If so, is there a way I can pass the computer to another "financial need base" student? I see that your organization goes around the world but didn't know if you were including the United States.<br />
<br />
:There are no plans to distribute the OLPC computers in the USA. If you want to lobby for this to happen, then read [[OLPC4USA]].<br />
WELL THIS HAS CHANGED:as the USA has at least in the news, been talking about the OLPC program.Is this a good thing? I am sure this Wiki is open for your comments about this issue!<br />
<br />
== can i get one for my 2 kids??? ==<br />
<br />
dear sir/madam;<br />
<br />
i am a mother of two from the Philippines, my eldest son is only 4 yrs. old, he's now at the nursery level, and i notice that he is interested about computers, he even know how to operate my laptop and start his educational game and i am proud of it. that is why i am asking you a question if i can get one for my eldest son so he can pursue his interest in studying by using laptop, and soon will teach his baby brother to use it.<br />
<br />
thank you very much,<br />
<br />
laarni muldong<br />
<br />
:As explained in several places, the short answer is '''no'''.<br />
:See<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Where or how can I get one?]]<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question#Distribution, Roll-out, Marketing & Sales]]<br />
<br />
== freifunk.net volunteers ==<br />
<br />
I wrote an e-mail to volunteers@laptop.org <br />
ten days ago, which has not been replyed to yet.<br />
I will submit this mail here just for <br />
making sure it reaches you:<br />
<br />
:Deleted this private letter. If you do not get a reply to your email, either wait patiently, or send another email. This wiki is not a mailbox!<br />
<br />
We noticed that you are<br />
looking for people from the freifunk.net community for <br />
implementing the <br />
BATMAN software into your system. <br />
<br />
---[[User:Konstantin|Konstantin]] 09:27, 27 January 2007 (EST)---<br />
<br />
:The OLPC OS already has a built-in mesh networking system. It is highly unlikely that your BATMAN mesh networking system will be of any use. There is already a [[Developers program]] where you can offer your services.<br />
<br />
::Actually, the B.A.T.M.A.N. free software for mesh networking is the most complete, widely deployed implementation of mesh networking under Linux. It's been running in production use for more than a year, which is more than anyone can say about the OLPC Marvell/CozyBit mesh. B.A.T.M.A.N. may well be useful for wide area networking of the school servers (the 802.11s mesh will only extend as far as the WiFi radios can reach; there's no plan to extend it via DSL or wired links to other parts of the network). Does B.A.T.M.A.N. support IPv6 yet? I concur that you should contact Jim Gettys at the [[Developers program]], and ask for laptop into which you could port the software. --gnu<br />
<br />
== Information about OLPC for people in poor countries ==<br />
<br />
There is lots of written material about OLPC for people in rich countries. <br />
The newspapers are full of OLPC stories.<br />
People in poor countries don't know much about OLPC but maybe the children will<br />
receive a laptop in near future.<br />
<br />
:It is up to each nation to order the OLPC laptops. It cannot be a decision made by groups or private citizens even of great means. If you like you can contact your government's Education Ministry and start from there.<br />
<br />
:: I agree that more information about OLPC should be translated into other languages and made available through channels beyond mainstream westerm media. We are trying to do this, but can always use help via local news and blog networks, and through translation of important [[news]] and pages on this wiki... perhaps we need some sort of graphical flyer with minimal language to localize and make available for anyone to print and pass out, to spur discussion in new communities. [[User:Sj|Sj]] [[User talk:Sj|<font color="fc9"><small>talk</small></font>]] 02:46, 17 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== RealPlayer in OPLC and applications download ==<br />
<br />
We are developing some applications that can be used to education purpose and we have some doubts:<br />
- Is it possible to make applications download using the OLPC ?<br />
- Is it possible to run the RealPlayer in OLPC ?<br />
Thanks in advance<br />
Vivian<br />
(vivianlona@hotmail.com)<br />
<br />
:The OLPC is based on downloadable activities, not applications. It will not have any RealPlayer support so you will need to encode in an open-source format. Ogg/Vorbis is good for music while Ogg/Speex is better for pure voice recordings. Read the [[Activity bundles]] page to see how to program a downloadable activity in Python.<br />
<br />
:: What format do you require? RealPlayer can play many different formats. Quicktime can be played with [http://gstreamer.net/ GStreamer] through [http://www.openquicktime.org/ OpenQuicktime] and [http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ Gnash] is mostly SWF v7 compliant (this makes Flash an open-source format). Gnash can play Flash movies from local files. If you would like to see either GStreamer or Gnash included you could add them to [[:Category:Feedback]]. [[Thin client]] explains about use of the OLPC as a web client or thin client. --[[User:Fasten|Fasten]] 11:40, 31 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
See also: [[Flash Player]]<br />
<br />
"Activities" is just OLPC jargon for application programs. Don't be put off by people "correcting" you on that.<br />
<br />
Real has been working to produce an OLPC version of their Helix Player, which is a free software player. The big problem is codecs -- most of the ones in common use (e.g. MP3) are patented and require the payment of commercial royalties. If you want to produce multimedia for children and make them useful to kids with OLPCs, then you will need to take care to encode your multimedia into freely licensed formats (Ogg Vorbis for music; Ogg Speex for speech; Ogg Theora for video). These can, of course, also be played on proprietary systems like Macs and PCs, though to encourage the use of their own locked-down formats, neither Apple nor Microsoft ships these free codecs with their OS; your application will have to install them.<br />
<br />
The Gnash flash player doesn't come with any codecs; it relies on GStreamer to decode any media embedded in the flash movie. OLPC can distribute gnash, since it's GPL software, but can't distribute the codecs needed to play "FLV" (Flash Video) files, because they are proprietary to Adobe.<br />
<br />
== Economies of scale? ==<br />
<br />
How would it not be in your interests if you hired a non-profit-org to sell laptops to citizens of more rich countries?<br />
<br />
You claim that it has to do with scale and all, but do you understand how many of these would sell? I'm sitting in front of a dual AMD turion laptop, yet I'd love the idea of having a laptop for my room and car both. You could sell millions of these here in the states. Would that not be scale for you? What # are you looking at would be for "scale" to occur?<br />
<br />
:This is not so much of answer given that I ignore the details, '''thus I'm assuming'''.<br />
:It would seem that the deal struck between the OLPC and [[Quanta]] is ~USD 135 per unit EXW / FOB for a minimum order of 5 million units. So the OLPC has to ensure ''at least'' a 5 million order, before Quanta pushes the go button. Afaik, that is the "scale" needed.<br />
<br />
== Preventing Porn/Adult Content? ==<br />
<br />
At launch time will the laptop include any software for content controls (to prevent porn, etc). I realize that one's definition of "acceptable content" varies over regions, but isn't most content filtering software for the client Win-based?<br />
<br />
: This will, as far as I know, be left up to countries. Because the hardware and software OLPC will provide is as open as possible, there is no real way to implement such filtering on the laptops themselves; the kids could just change the software to get around such restrictions. --[[User:18.85.46.22|18.85.46.22]] 19:16, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Since most computers will be used with no Internet access whatsoever, this is a minor problem. In areas where there will be Internet access it will be provided by a school gateway. The filtering will either be implemented on the school gateway or at a central regional gateway.<br />
<br />
:::Sorry, but lack of the Internet won't matter. OLPC is all about locally-produced content. This laptop has a camera. Having an Internet connection is only required for worldwide sales and distribution.<br />
<br />
:::The laptops will have Internet access. Children will be both exploring and producing content. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:40, 2 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
'''This question has not yet been answered with sufficient care''' Please click [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Talk:Ask_OLPC_a_Question here] for a comment (on another talk page within this wiki) about the machines being used to create pornography. The OLPC team will be making a grave error if they expect developing world governments to address this issue without guidance.<br />
<br />
: My guess is that considering that the XOs will basically access the Internet through the mesh (connecting to the [[School server]]&mdash;acting as the gateway) a simple filter or proxy can be configured... it is (imho) a worthy preocupation, but must not be taken as ''the'' issue; most kids will not care about such things, and when they do, they'll manage to get their hands on it regardless of how adults feel about it... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 00:39, 23 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Are you talking about a particular already existing sort of image filter? Please elaborate. What sort of proxy? The reason that I am stressing this issue is because the reactionary element within a developing country will see this as "the" issue when it hits the press and they can keep these computers out of the hands of their children. Even if computer literate people can look past this sort of issue, large traditional populations are not likely to. Again, I'm not concerned about people looking at pornography. Every single internet cafe that I visited in 24 African countries last year had at least two young men looking at porn and nobody cared. I am concerned about the video camera being used to exploit poor young women and children. Whoever is putting this project together doesn't seem to know enough about the resourcefulness of the people who they will equip with these machines. Why isn't someone from the actual OLPC project bothering to respond. Have any of those guys actually lived in the marginal areas of the developing world? --[User:Onlinementor] 24 March 2007.<br />
<br />
::The [[School server]] can be used for content filtering; the extent to which it will be is based upon a country-by-country decision. In regard to the children being exploited in the creation of pornographic content, it is certainly a concern, one we are trying to address through a number of mechanism, some technological, but most of a societal nature. The camera and microphone are hardwired to LEDs and are protected against remote access (See [[BitFrost]] for details). The Journal logs all activities, including picture-taking. But neither of these measures is adequate if the family and community turn their backs on their children. We are striving to engage all community members in the program, which includes guidance about the exploitation of children. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:40, 2 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::Thanks for the feedback, Walter. Is there somewhere on this site where I could track the conversation about how to create a suitably vigilant societal mechanism to protect against the creation of exploitative content? It's a huge challenge and while it is particularly relevant to the OLPC initiative, it is an OLD, often-confronted, unbested challenge. To paint it as a question of family and communal back-turning is somewhat misleading, as it suggests that any shortcoming on behalf of the responsible community will be committed with purposeful disregard. It is much more likely that they will be ignorant of the situation, powerless to do anything about it or coerced into accepting it. <br />
<br />
:::I'm sure you are familiar with the fact that it is not uncommon for teachers in the developing world (especially in Sub-Saharan Africa) to use their students sexually--indeed the notion of what constitutes "exploitation" is rather variable. If you cannot have a meaningful allegiance with educators, I don't know how you hope to engender this new breed of social responsibility. I don't mean to sound glib. I would just love to hear, in reassuring detail, what sort of local and regional expertise is being applied to the question.<br />
<br />
:::On the other page, I suggested a possibility that is less trusting of the local community; but productive of jobs and, perhaps more reliable. <br />
<br />
A possible suggestion: Whenever someone is uploading pictures or video (via the mesh) to the internet, it must be approved by human eyes. Those eyes should belong to women in another part of the world. For instance, Uruguayan women, approve every image and video that Nigerian computer users upload. Libyan women approve every image and video that Uruguyans upload etc. It will be harder to corrupt the filter if it exists further away, speaks another language and is built of women.<br />
<br />
The countries where you are going to pilot this program are full of women who would happily take an image filtering job for $50/month or thereabouts (and that, in many cases, would be a generous salary). Invest an extra $60,000 in each country towards the power of external, female filtering and you might be able to save yourselves considerable embarassment. In the context of this project, $60,000 sounds like a very modest investment; but it could create scores of jobs in each country and help to protect young people from the world's thirsty perversion. --[[User:Onlinementor] 2:20, 9 April 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
The laptop is a tool, and can be used "for good or evil". Personally I think that censorship is evil and that kids should be free to see what humans look like without their clothes. The kids I've known who grew up that way didn't turn out badly. So please stop trying to push your own cultural prejudices onto every kid in the world. If you made colored pencils for kids, would you set up a system of censorship to make sure they didn't draw anything sexy?<br />
<br />
:::I think it's not about Onlinementor's, yours, or my prejudices. What counts is what the parents of the children want, that we are trying to influence here. They have the right to decide, if pornography/violence is accepted in their community. They should be empowered to limit the influence of the internet on their children.<br />
<br />
:::Society change is always a violent process. The faster the change, the more violent it is. The best chance for success of OLPC in a community will be, if it does not change too much.I think it it very important to fit the filtering to the local community and their values. Internet-Access is a ''Social Change Tool''. If the social change it creates is not wanted, the programm will fail. Every community might need a different level of porn/violence/political filters, so the change doesn´t get too much. But developing the restriction mechanisms should be a high priority for OLPC. Parents/community/nation want to stay in control of the minds of their children. If you refuse to let them have some control of the new influence on their children, they might refuse the whole offer. <br />
<br />
:::In the end OLPC has to ''listen'' to the parents of the children, and take on all their key concerns. There is no way of saying: "we from the big wide world know what´s best for your child!" -[User:Bones, 1st post] 14.09.2007<br />
<br />
== Mesh Network Emulation ==<br />
<br />
I'd like to try running a mesh network with emulation software; using say several laptops and a server (they could all be on one physical machine). I can't figure out how to create a mesh network using the qemu image, and don't see any images for the server. Thanks.<br />
<br />
(I am a graduate student in Computer Science and Education, and would like to contribute to this project; but need to evaluate a working environment first)<br />
<br />
:Could this [[Virtualized Sugar]] page be what you're looking for? --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:26, 6 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Thanks... maybe. I fired up two instances of olpc on moka5, on separate machines in the same LAN, but couldn't them in the neighborhood. What more tinkering is required?<br />
<br />
:Looks like it didn't work, uh? I would suggest then that you raise the issue in one of the [[Community mailing lists|mailing lists]] probably [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/networking networking]. If you find an answer (solution or reason on why not) please post it here, so that we may then add it somewhere. Thanks and good luck! --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 00:45, 7 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Try turning on Bridge network for the virtual machines. There is an option to select that on top of the window.<br />
By default, it is NAT.<br />
<br />
All of the Mesh software is running inside the Marvell chip set on the OLPC, in currently-proprietary software; there is little or no support in the free Linux kernel or the Sugar UI. (Just configuration interfaces, and a way to gateway to the broader Internet.) So without the hardware, you can't run the mesh -- just an ordinary network. But since the mesh emulates an ordinary network, it's not usually a big deal. As the OLPC's higher level collaboration software starts working (soon, I hear) it should work over both ordinary networks (e.g. WiFi with an access point; WiFi in ad-hoc mode; or a USB Ethernet adapter) and over the mesh. --gnu<br />
<br />
== Environmental End-of-life considerations ==<br />
<br />
The environmental impacts and economic costs of disposing of obsolete/broken ICT hardware are well-known. The energy-efficiency of the laptop helps minimise it's impact during operational life. Can some details be given on steps that have or will be taken in the manufacturing and "ultimate disposal" stages of the hardware lifecycle to minimise environmental costs? I'm thinking here of embedded energy in manufacture, and disposal costs. Will recycling costs/incentives be built into the purchase cost? Will a recovery program be up to the individual government , or part of the agreement between OLPC and clients?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
That is a very valid concern, but with in reason. When you buy clothing, or you buy furniture, or computers do you take that issue up with the manufactures everytime?<br />
Yes I am sure each government has a program that addresses these issues or there program is they do not. I suggest that you take this issue up with your locall EPA and request information on what you can do. You may be able to start or join a group based on your concern. I believe the OLPC knows about conservation and most likely the subject has come up.--[[User:216.194.7.250|216.194.7.250]] 12:09, 24 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== MARVELL? ==<br />
<br />
I notice that Marvell is the provider of the wireless solution, but there's no hyperlink to the company. Is this the same company?<br />
Marvell Semiconductor, Inc.<br />
5488 Marvell Lane<br />
Santa Clara, CA 95054<br />
Phone:<br />
Fax:<br />
A search on their website: http://www.marvell.com/products/wireless/index.jsp<br />
Does not show a "Libertas" product, which is what is mentioned on the hardware page:<br />
Wireless: Marvell Libertas 88W8388+88W8015, 802.11b/g compatible; dual adjustable, rotating coaxial antennas; supports diversity reception <br />
<br />
The reason for the question is if this wireless product draws such low power, it seems like a good fit for other applications?<br />
Just wondering...<br />
<br />
: It would seem so. Particularly noting that the drivers mentioned in the [[wireless]] page link to that site, and other info in the [[Libertas]] page. I'm guessing, but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11s 802.11s (mesh)] is still fuzzy, so it probably hasn't made it to the 'product' level yet. See also [[:Category:Network]]. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:48, 8 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== autoreinstalation image through usb is not working..help.. ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i have successfully update image from this site...(olpc/manuals%20notes/Auto re installation_image.htm)...but after giving response ok at the end of setup...machine didn't reboot or shutdown... after waiting long time i shutdown the machine and then turn on .. then message comes : trying startup script disk:\boot\olpc-boot.fth..........and then no response for 5 minutes...after 5 minutes again a 4 lines message comes....<br />
<br />
boot-file = ro root=mtd0 rootfstype=jffs2 console=ttys0, console =tty0 fbcon=font:sun12*22 pci=nobios video=gxfb:1024*768-16<br />
boot-device = nand .....<br />
and machine held with this message....and no response ....<br />
<br />
can any body help me in this issue ?? <br />
-- <br />
Salman Minhas<br />
System Administrator<br />
Electronic Government Directorate<br />
<br />
:We have seen a few cases of auto-installer failures apparently due to "botched" downloads onto USB disks. We plan to mitigate that by including a manifest in the installer image, with checksums/hashes. In the interim, please try downloadinga new build image. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 20:21, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==What are the costs of implementation? Economic costs of not implementing? Who will pay?==<br />
<br />
I am doing an economics project regarding the OLPC as an economic policy to solve third world education. I was just wondering if you could provide me with answers regarding these questions, espsecially about the long-term and short-term costs including social, political, and economic, domestic and international.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Kevin, Toronto<br />
<br />
: The costs of implementation are just those you'd expect: infrastructure, hardware, distribution, etc. I'm not sure what you're asking about "economic costs of not implementing"; the idea is that economic benefits of education vastly outweigh the costs of laptops. National governments will pay, for the moment, though other schemes, such as one nation helping to pay for another's laptops, etc. will undoubtedly be explored as the program expands. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:34, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== computers for children? ==<br />
<br />
yes having a computer is great.but shouldnt we all make certain everyone is fed,first of all.people in every country go hungry each day.where is your 100$ technological advancement for that?<br />
<br />
:Congratulations. You are the 10,000th person to ask this question. We direct you to the answer prominently displayed in [[Our mission]].<br />
<br />
== Corruption and Extreme Poverty ==<br />
<br />
I understand that it is the responsibility of the country to contact you, but what about countries that are too poor to afford millions of laptops even if they are only $100? and how are you addressing highly corrupt nations where the leaders interests are not aligned with those of the population they govern? Arguably the corrupt nations are ones that would benefit the most seeing as there population could see how there leader compared to others around the world.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
That is a good question. The OLPC program has already handed out laptops throughout out the world in small markets. From the information has been made publicly available a big launch will be coming up very soon in several nations around the world but not every nation. I would think, that as the laptops become more of a common item the market might open up and different types of Governmental Organizations, that are sponsored by United Nations.UN programs may then have a chance to create programs to distribute the laptop to different nations based on a OLPC Around the World Program. This could very well be the future of the program that any nation may be able to see OLPC laptops in their countries based on a UN initiative.--[[User:216.194.7.98|216.194.7.98]] 19:21, 19 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== minimum order ==<br />
<br />
NGOs and retailers are supposedly excluded based on quantity, but that really doesn't make sense. In theory, an NGO or retailer could order many millions of laptops.<br />
<br />
Some countries are initially excluded because they are too small. It seems you want quantities of 1 million.<br />
<br />
Is that the magic number? If an NGO could buy a million, would you then work with them? What if Walmart wanted a million?<br />
<br />
Would 5 million do the job? How about 10 million?<br />
<br />
It'd be nice to replace all the "NO YOU CAN'T BUY ONE" stuff with a more-understandable "minimum order 1 million", or whatever it is.<br />
<br />
[[User:AlbertCahalan|AlbertCahalan]] 00:42, 20 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:The fact is that the OLPC does not want to sell large numbers of laptops. Rather, they want to get large numbers of laptops in the hands of children along with educational support for those children to ensure that they actually receive educational value from the laptops. In addition, the OLPC is at a very early stage in its project, so they need to focus their relationships on a small number of countries which are willing to put a lot of energy into pilot projects.<br />
<br />
:There is no minimum order number because the OLPC is not selling laptops, not at retail and not at wholesale. Sometime after the pilot projects are well under way and there are a few million satisfied child users of the laptops (2 years or more) then there will be alternative distribution channels for the laptops. However, NGOs may take lower priority than small quantity projects with ministries of education in smaller countries, or poor countries which cannot support a full national rollout at one time.<br />
<br />
:If an NGO really wants to get involved in OLPC laptop distribution, then they should start by providing people and resources to support projects in the countries where OLPC has an agreement. That way, the NGO personnel will gain experience and will be able to speak with the OLPC project on a more reasonable basis than waving dollar bills and demanding minimum-order-quantities.<br />
<br />
== OS languages that OLPC will release ==<br />
<br />
What are the languages that OLPC will be released with? What are the first Priority ones?<br />
<br />
:The first priority languages are the languages of countries where the ministry of education has signed an agreement to deploy OLPC laptops to their children. In some of these countries there is more than one official language such as Nigeria with Edo, Efik, Adamawa Fulfulde, Hausa, Idoma, Igbo, Central Kanuri, and Yoruba.<br />
<br />
:If there is a language that you would like to see higher priority then you need to convince the ministry of education in a country where it is the official language, to sign an agreement with OLPC.<br />
<br />
== Financial support for OLPC? ==<br />
<br />
How is OLPC supported? How does one make a financial contribution?<br />
<br />
: You can make a financial contribution to the [http://laptopfoundation.org/participate/ OLPC foundation], which is not the same as the OLPC association. Contributions will be used for "grants and loans for the development and use of open educational resources and grassroots learning innovations that enhance the effectiveness of the XO" and for the [[Special Laptop Program]]. --[[User:Fasten|Fasten]] 17:30, 27 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Proxy configuration ==<br />
<br />
Is there any way to configure a proxy in the OLPC Firefox?<br />
:The web activity is just a version of firefox. As such, you can get to the firefox configuration by typing "about:config" in the location bar. Once there, you can narrow the settings to "network.proxy". Now, edit the fields to configure things properly from behind your corporate firewall :) -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]] 12:06, 12 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Trade and market considerations ==<br />
<br />
Considering the initial limits on distribution, do you anticipate extensive legitimate trade or black market trade in these devices? It will be interesting to observe the reaction to the initial distribution. (I can see people getting $500 or $1000 for the first ones). I think the open source concept suggests an unrestricted distribution as soon as practical. Would not the free-and-open-source development of code and content be greatly enhanced by general distribution? Will proprietary content appear in the marketplace, or government controlled and distributed content? --[[User:Dfourer|Dfourer]] 11:05, 25 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes and no. The OLPC laptops have their own internet that is for learning and a social structure designed for children in the region where they are distributed to. If lets say a large amount of the laptops were taken most likely the ID numbers will be noted and the OLPC laptops will be rendered useless. Keep in mind they are mini computers with a lot of features designed for children. Just having one stolen OLPC laptop might end you up in jail and prove to be useless out side the classroom or the use of a child.Hunter<br />
<br />
== East Africa in the picture? ==<br />
<br />
Im a kenyan who has been in computer trainning for the last 10 Years. I really would like to be involved in laying the OLPC ground work and later trainning to the youngsters. The East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) are not Participating in the OLPC programme at the momment. Is there a way I can be involved?.<br />
<br />
Also, how often does a child need to wind the laptop to keep it working for say, one hour session?.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes and No. You can stay involved by keeping up with the OLPC news and find out more information as it becomes available about the distribution of the OLPC laptop. But if your nation is not at this time ready to commit to the purchase of the laptops then you will have to wait and see. Look at it this way the OLPC laptop could take off and be a must have for every developing nation and Walla they will come to East Africa too!<br />
As far as how many winds I do not know that. Maybe ten seconds worth or less.I think it last about an hour or less.--[[User:216.194.7.98|216.194.7.98]] 19:36, 19 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Paulo de cruz roja argentina ==<br />
<br />
Ante todo impresionante la idea...<br />
Lo que me gustaria saver es si llegara a lugares como los que <br />
estamos acostubrados a trabajar el personal voluntario de cruz <br />
roja argentina y en mi caso en particular de la localidad de <br />
Quilmes al sur de Buenos Aires.La mayoria de los chicos no <br />
save ni siquiera como prender una computadora por lo cual <br />
estaria bueno que sea lo mas practico posible.<br />
mi email es paulouriel@hotmail.com<br />
porque avlas en espanol stamos en stados sunidos!<br />
i cant write that good in spanish<br />
<br />
== Photo use suggestion ==<br />
<br />
Apologies if this is the wrong place; I couldn't find a better spot on the wiki to suggest this. I hope someone can route it for me.<br />
<br />
As I understand it, the OLPC system takes a photo of the laptop's owner at an early stage, and uses that in various UI elements to identify the child (e.g. the "neighbourhood" view).<br />
<br />
Suggestion: this photo should also be displayed during startup, so that a teacher can work out who owns a laptop left behind in the classroom immediately, instead of needing to wait for the entire boot sequence.<br />
<br />
It should also be displayed when/if the laptop is locked out due to a failure to contact the authentication server inside 21 days, or because it's been explicitly disabled due to theft.) This would allow a stray laptop to be reunited with its owner far easier, and/or make it simple for the police to ascertain that the person holding the laptop is not the owner.<br />
<br />
<br />
That may well be the case.--[[User:216.194.7.250|216.194.7.250]] 11:39, 24 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== About internet access ==<br />
<br />
I am very interested about the OLPC.<br />
I am a pc programmer too and I am interested on programming for other plataforms, like the Playstation2, cellphones, and now, to the OLPC, too.<br />
I know almost all about he OLPC, ecxept one thing:<br />
What are the plans about the Internet access on the OLPC particulary on Brazil?<br />
<br />
<i>You can find informations about this, in portuguese, at [http://www.dmu.com the DMU site]</i><br />
<br />
<br />
I think the platform is similar to all the other nations except the language is different. The subject matter is to reflect each nations individual lifestyle and customs. Brazil is also one of the first nations to receive the proto types.--[[User:216.194.7.250|216.194.7.250]] 11:54, 24 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== A little question ==<br />
<br />
The user install other programs on the pc, like on a normal pc using linux?<br />
If not, there is a way to run programs on the OLPC?<br />
The programs that I am referring are other programs, developed by users, etc...<br />
:The OLPC has a pretty small footprint. The OLPC Redhat distribution is very small, and has few program. There is an OLPC Redhat Development distribution which has a few more Linux programs, but it's still small. [[Sugar]] is the GUI interface, and has special [[activity]] programs. Activities are inherently networkable and sharable. -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]] 21:45, 6 March 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
The answer to your question is yes. You can install other programs on the OLPC, like on a normal PC running Linux.<br />
The window system (Sugar) currently makes that hard, though someone is working on fixing that.<br />
<br />
== Internet access ==<br />
<br />
How is internet connectivity achieved?<br />
:OLPC laptops talk to each other in an ad-hoc mesh network. Each school has a server which connects laptops on the mesh to the internet. -[[User:Jcfrench|Jeff]] 21:28, 9 March 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Egypt - GILO ==<br />
<br />
USAID/Egypt issued a request for proposal (RFP) entitled Girls Inhanced Learning Opportunities 263-097-003GILOFeb 19, 2007 that calls for provision 30 computers and one lap top to 300 schools in seven (7) governates. The source/origin code for this procurement is 000 (United States). Assuming the OLPC laptops are not of US sources/origns, are you willing to provide princing information so this approach can be reflected in technical and cost responses to USAID/Egyupt's RFP(assuming a waiver can be obtained from USAID)?<br />
<br />
Wayne_Jerry_King@yahoo.com<br />
<br />
<br />
The nation of Egypt from what I have read thus far, has to sign up it they are interested in the OLPC lap tops.<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 21:22, 14 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
I AM IN INDIA. IN LATUR SITY.<br />
CAN I BUY THIS LAPTOP.<br />
<br />
<p><b> No! It's for schools.</b></p><br />
<br />
== Which Unix-like Operating System? ==<br />
<br />
I can find no link among section sub-headings to give me any clue as to where I find information about all the Operating Systems under consideration for this OLPC machine. It will be a Unix-like Operating System I am sure but that could be a Linux Distro, a version of FreeBSD or some other OS such as Minix. Or will this machine be a platform capable of running a wide range of Unix-like OS's?<br />
<br />
:The OLPC group is developing an open-source laptop OS using Redhat Fedora Linux as the base from which to start. This software will be freely made available to the countries deploying the laptops. However, since the CPU is a standard AMD Geode and the entire design is open-source, a country is free to develop their own OS or to choose some other OS for their laptops. The OLPC group will provide support for the OS and software that we develop.<br />
<br />
== Assistive Technology Software on the OLPC Laptop ==<br />
<br />
In regards to accessibility, I think the 3 USB prots are a great idea. But what kind of assistive technology will be avaliable on the computer itself? Will synthesized speech, for example, have to be provided by an external synthesizer? Or, will a separate Nraille display and Braille keyboard have to be connected for a blind user to use the machine? Will the system have the necessary drivers built into the kernel or provided by external programs (such as Brltty)? What about support for mouse alternatives such as switches and head mice? Will the laptop be capable of playing sounds on events? I appologize for all the questions, but these are questions we are still trying to answer in mainstream operating systems.<br />
<br />
The OLPC system has it's own set of rules and computing factors as mentioned on the many pages devoted to that subject.USB is also answered on this page. The answer to main stream operating systems would be Yes they have servers that are cross coded to allow them to give a limted out put via these servers. Will you beable to directly recive taged pages? Not at first but because from what has been said and the feed back they seem to work well and have few glitchs that will end up in<br />
the main stream if any at all.--[[User:216.194.7.136|216.194.7.136]] 23:04, 3 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Has there been any News stories this year about the programa?==<br />
<br />
<br />
I found a page that has some news stories [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Talk:News]<br />
If i find any more I'll add the link.<br />
--[[User:216.194.7.250|216.194.7.250]] 11:10, 24 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==A Question about site submission==<br />
<br />
I was reading on one of the Wiki pages that you are looking for articles. But in the question and answer section you said the local communities will be adding things to the laptops internet mesh. Once the Laptops are received do you think it would be better to write to the government directly and submit sites based on simple graphics and texts that they can add them selves. I would like to submit but I wrote you people before and no one answered me and it is easier to get the Governments address and phone number . What do you think?<br />
<br />
<br />
Well I think your idea sounds great! But you should hold off for right now in contacting the governments about submission ideas. If you look around the OLPC Wiki there are some ways you can make suggestions. But I am sure in the future once the program is off and running there will be ways to submit lessons and other suggestions to each OLPC location as well as to the OLPC program itself.<br />
<p>Bakersdz</p><br />
<br />
== Accessibility ==<br />
<br />
I'm not sure if the information about accessibility on this WIKI answers the questions we have received about the laptop/program. So here goes:<br />
Someone asked me if the device would work for children with disabilities? And if you been designing this device with disability accessibility in mind from the outset? <br />
For instance, most persons with vision disability are not Braille readers so might need font enlarging capacity or some sort of audio outputs? <br />
Likewise for children with fine motor skills disabilities (e.g., one hand or less than the usual number of fingers or dexterity impacted by other neurological damage) would the keyboard design work for them?<br />
Likewise, for children with intellectual disabilities, is the interface usable for children who are not average?<br />
We've heard that 10% of the world's population, or more than 600 million people, live with life altering disabilities, and two thirds of those persons are in developing countries (UN statistics). We assume many of these are children.<br />
Would you give me a heads-up if you are designing, developing and fabricating this $100 laptop with disability accessibility needs in mind?<br />
Thanks!<br />
J. Simpson<br />
Senior Director, Telecommunications & Technology Policy,<br />
American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD)<br />
1629 K Street, N.W., Suite 503<br />
Washington, DC 20006<br />
Tel Ext 31<br />
Website http://www.aapd.com<br />
: We are thinking about this; there are certainly significant disabled populations who will hopefully be using the laptop. You can sign up for our accessibility mailing list: [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/accessibility accessibility] at laptop. Thank you for your interest. [[User:Sj|Sj]] [[User talk:Sj|<font color="fc9"><small>talk</small></font>]] 16:51, 6 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
Well in some ways many of the children will not be average to First World standards. Their is a UBS(USB) port which makes the possibilities endless depending on what you want to add. Right now as far as has been publicized some of the developers have been working on accessibility in theory with in the structure of the OLPC laptops system. So yes I would say in the future there is the possibility of adding features that would make the OLPC laptop user friendly to those who have disabilities. The major presentation of the program will be launching in a few more weeks. So right now the main focus is to get the lap tops delivered to the nations that have already ordered them as well as get them up and running in the hands of the many children that will benefit form this program. You can always check back and stay posted and once the OLPC laptops have been received and in use you can ask agian.<br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== error 51330 ==<br />
<br />
I have one OLPC.when i am trying to connect this pc through wireless access point(Linksys) for internet ,it is showing error 51330 . please find a solutions<br />
<br />
Yes you failed to mention that you are linking Nintendo try their homepage.--[[User:Bakersdz|Bakersdz]] 21:34, 24 March 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== OLPC and eyes ==<br />
<br />
What about OLPC screen? Doesn't it damage eyes of a child? Especially if it is used as textbook's substitution and children will have to spend many hours reading from the screen<br />
<br />
:Why would you assert that it is harmful? In ebook mode it is nonemissive and rivals the resolution of paper. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 15:38, 6 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I'm Russian. I noticed that many laptop manufacturers, as well as the majority of dealers oppose to the OLPC idea. Analysts usually describe OLPC disadvantages in mass media.<br />
Such apparently unexplicable hate is, in my opinion, the strongest demonstration of OLPC potential utility for millions of people. Expensive laptops manufacturers and dealers are afraid the majority of potential consumers will prefer such low-cost device.<br />
I am uneable to understand why OLPC manufacturers don't plan a parallel production for people who are ready to pay more (some USD200) and to credit production beforehand. In some countries away from OLPC distribution plan there are - I'm sure - millions of people who are ready to pay these USD200 or even more just now and receive laptop in some 6-8 months<br />
<br />
== Related Projects ==<br />
<br />
There is a need for a directory list of related projects. Who else is working in this field? What is being done? Would a 'Useful Links' page not make sense?<br />
<br />
== Visit To Thailand from Mozambique ==<br />
<br />
As a resident American in Mozambique but former teacher of computer skills, I am interested in seeing OLPC in operation. I will be traveling to Thailand next week and would appreciate meeting a teacher or visiting a school in Bangkok where OLPC is presently working. Thanks. Phil Gray<br />
<br />
== Ghana ==<br />
<br />
My church would like to do some mission work (5-10 people) <br />
in Damongo, Ghana where we know some one who has done <br />
extensive mission work. There is a school with approximately 800 students at this time. Our small Minnesota church would <br />
like to buy 20-30 computers (or pay the government in <br />
hana for 20-30 of them). Are you allowing the government <br />
to give these computers to some schools and not others at <br />
this time? Could you give 20-30 to a school with 800 s<br />
tudents or does every student need to have their own?<br />
<br />
I have e-mailed the US Embassy in Ghana to see if we <br />
could pay for 20-30 if they were to apply to get <br />
the OLPC laptops (and were accepted). <br />
Is this possible?<br />
<br />
Barb Tonn<br />
tonnb@district279.org<br />
<br />
It is not really the choice of the program as the governments have control of who gets them. But it is a program for thoses children <br />
who may because of poverty need extra help. This is the Mean Guideline. <br />
Paying for a few computers is a very nice mission <br />
but the program needs a big order to be shipped.<br />
If 100,000 people did what your church is doing then it might work<br />
out. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hello Barb,<br />
you should have remarked that all students shall have a <br />
computer, so you would need about 800 * 150 $ to satisfy demand <br />
(or maybe only 100 $ each, <br />
if costs have been reduced to the original goal by then). <br />
While Ghana is not yet on the agenda, it would be nice if <br />
your church would start to collect the 120.000 $ to support "your" Ghanese school. <br />
Starting 2007, you may have to wait a while until <br />
your "order request" will be satisfied, but it will take <br />
a time until you have collected <br />
the 120.000 $ anyhow. It would be a good way <br />
to support the community, and of course the bible <br />
will be available on the computers. So start your<br />
support on a scale that make sense (20-30 <br />
computers would be inefficient to operate, and you <br />
will see 800 happy recipients! Joa (private statement)<br />
<br />
== Local version of SUGAR (particularly, Korea for me) ==<br />
I want to make a Korean Version of SUGAR UI. I know the fact that currently you are making local versions for participating countries and, unfortunately, Korea is not one yet.<br />
<br />
However, I think there is no reason to block writing local versions of SUGAR. Having one's own local version will help people persuade their governments to participate in OLPC. <br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
<br />
Yes that is a valid point, but whose blocking it?<br />
If the government is blocking this then there is really not a lot<br />
you can do. They may have a good reason and later they will stop. <br />
But that is if it's the Government. <br />
You have to figure that part out first.<br />
<br />
Sugar is designed to be easy to localize. It's a true pain to work on Sugar, though, as a programmer. If you want to localize it to the Korean language, I suggest going on the #sugar IRC channel on freenode.net and seeing if anyone there can tell you how to get started. They'd probably be happy with well written localization for the Korean language; it would shake out bugs in their Asian language support.<br />
<br />
== Why go the government route? ==<br />
<br />
''"Education must be Free in a much more fundamental sense, like Free Software (Free as in Speech, not free as in beer). We must educate all children in Freedom itself. The most important kind of educational freedom after access to educational materials and institutions is the ability to teach oneself. This would be the most important thing that schools could do, but for one problem: It is not in their power to do. Children already know how to teach themselves."''<br />
<br />
Why do you say you intend to teach children about freedom yet then demand that governments tax people to pay for their "free" education. Don't you believe this project would be much better if it were Charity sponsored and not government sponsored?<br />
<br />
I just dont believe in teaching kids that using force to pay for education is "freedom".<br />
<br />
Also what about Somalia that has no government at all.. Are children there are not eligible to get laptops until the UN tries to force a government on the people again?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
Additional remark by Joa: In some contries, the (central) government is not engaged in school issues anyhow, such as in Germany, where the federal states are responsible for education and its funding (with less than 1 mio. pupils each). I think in the US the responsibility is at even lower levels of government. Should be similar in several developing conutries. Therefore, if at least one school should decide to participate (or if a charity provides the money)and would provide laptop to all pupils, and if the language (e.g. Spain) is already supported, why not include them in the project in second phase?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
There is a reality truth in all of your comments, but then there is reality.<br />
Many people in Developing Nations have certain defining beliefs about the place of child, women and men in their culture. They also have a very strong belief about punishment . Some of these beliefs are some of the problems in some nations today. Based on the ability for each nation to guide their populations away from some older system there are some gaps. Some people do not believe that some children should learn to read or write. This is also the base of why school has to be paid for. In a school for free taxed system there are many other benefits like police, transportation , roads, bridges as well as the maintenance of such. With in the dividing line including access to healthcare, full personal freedom lessens based on what is better for most including those who want total freedom of free will and choice. Democracy is most times one party like a democratic one . Then there are others or the lack of that type of system. This in all nations represents the freedom of choice in which way you go as a nation and people. Bakersdz<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<br />
I think this project would be MUCH better as charity program. We could already have laptops in children hands by now, while we wait for the governments to pony up the cash.<br />
<br />
On the freedom issue.. true freedom means that parents get to decide if their children learn to read or write. It's sad if a parent made that choice but I think parents always want the best for their children.. whatever they think that may be, and that is untimely their right and the childs right. If a parent does not want his child in school, and the child itself is in good care and does not want to go, then that child should not go. Democracy is tyranny of the majority over the minority. Somebody always looses in Democracy.. We want a system where everybody wins, a system that embraces liberty.<br />
<br />
I can not support this project if it is not a charity project. I'm sorry, I don't believe in these social education goals you have.<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes that is what you believe. But in Charity Projects <br />
it's most times<br />
what the people you are helping believe. <br />
You can try to lead them by example to feel <br />
as you do but if they do not <br />
change then what?<br />
Part of the answer some might would give <br />
is, "Never mind if they do not listen or do as I do or say!" This is a normal reaction for most.<br />
In charity you have to with in your <br />
mission have a lot of love even<br />
if the people you are helping do not <br />
do what you would do.<br />
This is not a statement it's just plain fact!<br />
Thats why OLPC is not a direct charity venture.<br />
<br />
== Inbuilt Ruler on Case ==<br />
<br />
Would it be possible to put a ruler on the front of the case embossed into the plastic?<br />
<br />
15cm long with mm marks as well if possible (metric by default as 90% world metric, but could be imperial as required due to large numbers ordered per country)<br />
<br />
I know you could do this in SW on the screen but this would encourage kids to measure up against the screen possibly scratching it and dropping dirt and water all over the keyboard.<br />
<br />
<br />
This would be useful in teaching basic metrology as well as allowing the kids to make their own rulers out of whatever is avaialable. ie: make a 1m rule from string by measuring 10 lengths of 10cm and using the string ruler to measure their house, progress of the maize crop, height of the goat as it grows etc etc...<br />
<br />
== Laptops for african children ==<br />
<br />
I am formative in a cabinet(office) in Africa. At present, we think with the government about the solutions to develop the skills of the children in schools and bring them to master the computing tool. Can you say to me if it is possible to get itself the computers which you distribute? What are the general conditions? Thank you.<br />
<br />
: It is hard to respond to an anonymous post. If you contact us at countries@laptop.org for inquires about specific deployments. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:55, 17 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Emulation-screen size control ==<br />
<br />
<br />
I emulated Qemu on Fedora 5 but all I get is a full size version of the top 50% of the screen losing all the bottom icons and it will not seem to scroll down. How can I control screen size so that I view full screen?. Also How do I access the Shell or Konsole?.<br />
<br />
== Data security regarding the camera, microphone and mesh network ==<br />
<br />
Data on a laptop, that is in the hands of a child can never be called secure against malicious intruders, but that is not a great concern as long as the data consists basically of the childs homework.<br />
But the OLPC XO has a microphone a camera and a mesh function (through the latter other people can observe its movements through the house). A malicious intruder might manage to remotely turn those devices on and gather a lot of private data on the family, including high risk data, like political opinions. This is a problem in the first world already, but in the third world, with its dictatorships or unstable democracies and often powerful criminal organizations the damage can be huge. <br />
So to my question:<br />
Does the XO have off switches for the aforementioned three critical devices and, if yes, are they physical (really cutting power off)? If they are not physical, how does the system prevent malicious software from turning them on? <br />
Is there an accompanying paper, that explains the security precautions necessary for such a device to the child? --Steve<br />
<br />
: Please refer to the [[Bitfrost]] specification, which goes into detail about our plans to address this potential threat. Also note that there will be LEDs that indicate that the camera and microphone are on physically attached to the power lines of those devices. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 09:01, 21 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
I was imprecise. Certainly there are features, to make an attack difficult in the xo as well as in any other system. But ways around will be found, and my question is, what if (and it WILL happen) the software layer of security is already broken and the computer "owned". What safely prevents the aforementioned devices from gathering data, when they are not explicitly used? --Steve<br />
<br />
: I'll also try to be more precise: Please refer to [[OLPC_Bitfrost#P_MIC_CAM:_microphone_and_camera_protection]]. "The use of the camera and microphone require a special permission, requested at install-time as described in its chapter, for each program wishing to do so. This permission does not, however, allow a program to instantly turn on the camera and microphone. Instead, it merely lets the program ask the user to allow the camera or microphone (or both) to be turned on. This means that any benign programs which are taken over but haven't declared themselves as needing the camera or microphone cannot be used neither to turn on either, NOR to ask the user to do so!" --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 09:53, 21 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
Thank you for your reply.<br />
The LEDs are certainly a real gain of security. If permissions are a protection depends on the severity of the attack. If the attacker achieved kernel privileges, all protection measures, that come from the operating system are off. Since in unstable countries governments and their agents must be counted among the potential attackers, the signature exception is furthermore a major hole in the (by its software nature already imperfect) protection.<br />
<br />
The simplest actually secure solution to the problem would be three good old-fashioned power switches, one before the camera, one before the microphone and one before the antennas. Steve<br />
<br />
Typical scenario: A democratically elected president turns into a dictator and wants to spy on his people. Millions of microphones with communication gear are already in the households and, as a leftover from his old democratic days he has the cryptographic keys necessary to activate them. Steve<br />
<br />
Now they said, that the XO will run 3$ Windows too. Not even Bitfrost is there when Windows is running and the project has no legal way to even see, where that OS has its weaknesses. This makes a physical solution to the microphone problem almost unavoidable. But since on-off switches are really dirt cheap when bought in masses, it should be easy to do. Steve<br />
<br />
The LEDs in the B4 laptops turned out to be great for debugging all the times when the camera and mic were powered on when they shouldn't be by the software. They really work. Of course, that only tells you that the cam or the mic is in use; the LEDs don't provide a way to turn them off. A piece of tape, or a gooey bit of rice, will suffice to shut off the camera if it's turned on and you don't want it to be used. The microphone is a bit harder to shut off temporarily (if you've lost control of your software), since ambient sound penetrates the case. --gnu<br />
<br />
== OLPC and developing countries ==<br />
<br />
In Ethiopia, the per capita cost in education is less than 100 US $ per year (including donor grants). Do you really think that it is feasible to introduce OLPC in developing countries ?<br />
<br />
: I have nothing against Ethiopia, but really I don't think it's ''representative'' of the ''developing countries''... According to the IMF, Ethiopia is:<br />
:: # 168 out of 179 in GDP PPP / Capita<br />
:: # 177 out of 180 in GDP nominal / Capita<br />
:: (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_capita_income Wikipedia's per capita income])<br />
: To answer your question: yes, I think it's feasible, and doable. But each country has to decide. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 20:57, 21 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== One laptop per family ? ==<br />
<br />
With 3-5 children in a typical family in developing contries, wouldn´t it be better to distribute the computers to a 3-5 times larger section of the country by limiting the distribution to one unit per family? Supply 100% of the scholl districts instead of 20-33%? <br />
One Pupil should not sit the whole day in front of the computer, anyhow. Use by the brothers/sisters in the meantime would also be a safeguard against theft, e.g. when the other child is working on the family´s cropgrounds. <br />
That would also be a small incentive against population increase, when parents with more children do not get more laptops for their families free of charge.<br />
Schools may decide to work with computers on alternating days with boys and girls, to avoid that always the boys pick the laptops.<br />
Sure, the distribution method is not the decision of OLPC organisation but made by the governments. I suggest one laptop per family only as an interim solution as long as and where one laptop for every child in the whole country is too expensive. When kids (and their finger size) grow out of the original OLPCs, their smaller brethren may inherit the machines for their own. by Joa<br />
<br />
<br />
Well then it would not be the One Laptop Per Child Program. <br />
In some ways maybe you have been a a little misguided as many children are orphans and do not live with their brother or sister anymore but live with other children. Some children work various jobs including walking a few hours to get water. Some children use mud to make pottery and bowls. Some help tend to the families lives stock too! Because there are so many jobs children of the Developing Nations do including just being children and not doing more then that. It seems like a good idea that each child has his own laptop. Don't you think Joa? By each child having their own laptop they can have their own dream of maybe one day having a bigger farm for their crops with maybe a tractor. Access to knowledge builds dreams and dreams can turn into reality. Maybe. It depends who helps you! Bakersdz<br />
<br />
== Spreadsheet Program ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn´t a calculation program - some clone of EXCEL - be part of the standard software delivered with every computer ?<br />
Remember, most of the kids are living in families that are peasants, and they might like to make accounts of what their "business" is producing, what resources are needed to produce it, and so on.<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes that sounds like a good idea but the laptops are for the child and their school and social life as a child. In some ways it is for the family, but just by introducing this type of technology into a families home. I am sure that many of the adults have heard of computers before but may not have tried one. By having a OLPC laptop in the home is the first step to gain a limited knowledge of what a computer is and what it does. Maybe a program can one day be started for the parents to get computers too and a spread sheet can be provided and instruction in how to use it. Bakersdz<br />
<br />
== Afghanistan ==<br />
<br />
I am a 17 year old girl, a foreign-exchange student nearing the end of a one-year visit to the U.S. How can I get started to implement OLPC in my country, Afghanistan?<br />
<br />
Well it depends on what is your governments stance on computers in general. I would suggest that you contact your local officials in your region and ask them what is the governments policy on computers in general. If it is favorable you may then do some research about the different computers for the poor and lower income programs that may be going on right now in Afghanistan and then make a list. If it seems like your government is in favor of computers for the poor and low income you can ask a new question about this then. There are ways to start a OLPC Re-Sourcing program but first you need to find out if it is OK for you to do this. Good Luck ! Hunter--[[User:216.194.21.214|216.194.21.214]] 15:52, 25 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Hello, I am a development worker in Afghanistan and am also interested in brining the OLPC to Afghanistan. My questions are #1 How can i contact user User:216.194.21.214 so we can possibly colaborate #2 Do you know of any mailing lists or forums specifically for the OLPC and Afghanistan (or central asia) #3 As I understand it the OLPC is (will be?) selling in large quantities bought through governments, what about organizations that want to buy in smaller quantities (presumably at a slightly higher price), is this an option? (We would like to buy maybe 10-20 for some of our field staff and our child rehab probram). Cheers -Gaiko<br />
<br />
Dear Gaiko,Hi! I am that user. I would love to colaborate but right now I am in the field untill mid August 2007. You can go to this site [http://www.orgsites.com/ny/lwsfpro/]pop me a message and I will get back to you with in 5 to 7 days.I would also like to add: There are a lot of great things that computers can do,help and teach people of all ages and desgins. We are very happy that so many people from so many places have shown interest! No matter what, keep up the good work by being involved thats the greatest gift you can give! Hunter July 17,2007<br />
<br />
== Please let us know how we can learn Micro Finance? : OLPC ==<br />
<br />
Dear Sir/Madam,<br />
<br />
We are interested to learn regarding OLPC and we in Kenya, Mombasa, Coast Province, especially Kilifi, is among the poorest in the world. We are around 10 million muslims in Kenya and we are very concerned and interested to help the needy in our areas. <br />
<br />
Council of Imams & Preachers of Kenya (C.I.P.K.) was registered in 1997 as non-profit and charitable organization build in a very strong grassroots network with membership all over the country. The organization has branches in Western, Eastern, North Eastern, Nyanza and part of Rift <br />
Valley with its headquarters in Mombassa, Coast Province.<br />
<br />
Our main activities include:<br />
1. Peace, Security and development.<br />
2. Sensitization of the public on Hiv/Aids, Drugs & substance abuse.<br />
3. Dangers associated with Female Genital Mutilation.<br />
4. Early/Forced marriages. <br />
5. Propagation and Preaching.<br />
6. Exchange programs.<br />
7. Women /youth empowerment.<br />
8. Disaster response.<br />
9. Committment to ensure poor & orphaned children attain high education.<br />
10.Direct support/sponsor converters and high education to Muslims students. <br />
Funds from mosque contributions and well-wishers. <br />
<br />
Please let us know how we can learn on Micro Finance & Peace Prize and we are ready to learn either thro':<br />
<br />
- Correspondence Learning. and/or<br />
- We send someone via return ticketc to come and learn, but if you can provide accomodation.<br />
<br />
Looking forward to hearing from your prompt reply.<br />
<br />
Thanks in advance.<br />
<br />
Mohammad Dor Muhammad<br />
Organising Secretary<br />
Council of Imams & Preachers of Kenya<br />
P. O. Box 85130, Mombasa, Kenya<br />
Our E-Mail: conofimams@yahoo.com<br />
<br />
<br />
Dear Mr.Mohammad Dor Muhammad,<br />
<br />
The OLPC program is right now in the launching stage in many nations<br />
some with a strong Muslim population. Some of the issues you speak of<br />
have in other fourms and privately been addressed with the founders<br />
of the program. They are in a very high regard of Muslims and many others<br />
around the world! As time goes on and the program comes out of the launching stage. These issues will be taken up agian. Feel free to<br />
keep in touch by asking questions based on news of the program in your lands and other places. The OLPC program is a program for all people including Muslims and any one eles.So keep in touch. The answer to your question is: They are working on it!<br />
<br />
--[[User:216.194.21.242|216.194.21.242]] 14:15, 15 May 2007 (EDT) S.L. of The LWSF Program<br />
<br />
== Does Allowing Windows Violate A "Core" Principle? ==<br />
<br />
Negroponte has said this is a "learning" project, not a laptop project.<br />
<br />
One of the "core principles" you outline in this Wiki is the use of open source.<br />
<br />
You state that the child should not be a "passive consumer" -- which means that he should have access to the source.<br />
<br />
Now the news is reporting the XO will run Windows?<br />
<br />
This seems like a contradiction.<br />
<br />
Allowing closed source to ride on top of the OLPC makes it no more than a Trojan Horse...right?<br />
<br />
___<br />
<br />
John A. Bailo<br />
The Texeme Construct<br />
<br />
:The Microsoft announcement has resulted in some confusion in the press. It is being suggested that because of the Microsoft announcement, OLPC will be switching from Linux to Windows. On the contrary, OLPC remains steadfast in its dedication to FOSS and has no plans to distribute Windows. However, we have consistant and public with our position that the spirit of openness and freedom; everyone, including software engineers at Microsoft, are welcome to develop for the machine. The fact that Microsoft has been making efforts to bring the price of Windows within reach of children in the developing world gives those children more choices. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 04:11, 28 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
http://www.mobilised.com.au/content/view/947/1/ --Steve<br />
(on second look that author may not be very knowledgeable. He understands the 3M minimum units as 3M minimum dollars) --Steve<br />
<br />
:I wish that we could build a $1 laptop, but that is out of reach for the time being. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 16:42, 29 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=379 --Steve<br />
<br />
:I am unaware of any government asking for Windows. There is more to the difference between Windows and Linux than just $3. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 16:44, 29 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
But http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/04/negroponte_olpc.html --Steve<br />
<br />
It's only a contradiction if you have more then education in mind. Like future consumers. Children are just like many computer systems; always changing and growing.Their Tojan Horse could be a brighter future inside! <br />
I think it was hard for the OLPC program to keep giants like Microsoft out of the program for as long as they did. But as we can all see by the news as of late every one wants in. Well when you have created something great every one wants one. Don't you think?<br />
Bakersdz<br />
<br />
== Thin Client Model and OLPC? Sugar ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
--[[User:Sam-c|Sam-c]] 04:57, 28 April 2007 (EDT) (Please Recategorise if needed, Thanks sam)<br />
1) How do I Download Quickly Sugar On My Linux Machine that at Present Has Limited Resources, For Development and Evaluation Purposes.<br />
2) What about the Thin Client Model? Which Many think is best for inexpensive Educational Purposes?<br />
Thanks,<br />
OLPC Newbie Sam<br />
--[[User:Sam-c|Sam-c]] 04:57, 28 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:RE (1), please refer to the [[OS images for emulation]] page in this wiki; (2a) it is not clear that one could build a thin client for significantly less than you can build the XO; (2b) you can use the XO for thin client applications; and (2c) laptops are useful even when they are not connected to the network. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 19:35, 29 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
== volunteers ==<br />
<br />
How can I get my wealthy , resourceful high school students involved to help?<br />
<br />
<br />
== Other linux?... ==<br />
<br />
Can I install other linux OS?... in particular can I install Debian etch?<br />
And if so will all hardware work?<br />
<br />
== Not able to buy a your laptop?... ==<br />
<br />
If I wish to raise and educate my child will I not be able to acquire the PC?<br />
Why is there a political barrier between your PC and my child (and every other that do not go to school)?<br />
:OLPC has no plan to ship XO laptop direct to the consumer market. But Quanta, the manufacture of the XO laptop, will perhaps sell a commercialized version of the same laptop to the normal consumer at about $200[http://www.itnews.com.au/newsstory.aspx?CIaNID=49136&src=site-marq]. This Quanta version laptop will perhaps also use the same open Sugar OS system, like the official XO laptop, developed by Redhat and OLPC Project. --[[User:ScottZ|Scott Zhu]] 20.20, 01.May 2007(EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What do you do for process virtualization in bitfrost? ==<br />
<br />
I had read that in the Bitfrost security system you do true virtualization of processes with almost no overhead. I was wondering what kernel module you use for that and where I can get it.<br />
<br />
== Donations ==<br />
<br />
after tonight's 60 minutes' show, you should revamp the site to accomodate the flood of donation offerings. How may i send one? best wishes, tom<br />
<br />
Try this site[http://laptopfoundation.org/index.shtml] Bakersdz<br />
<br />
== Laptop Security ==<br />
<br />
I think it is pretty obvious these laptops will be quite possibly the most valuable thing in villages. What security features will these laptops have to make sure they don't get stolen? I have heard that they will be unusable if not used by the owner for 24 hours. Is this true?<br />
<br />
: There are several ideas aiming to avoid the problem, amongst them is saturation (why steal something that everybody has access to?) If you are interested in the more technical aspects, please see the [[OLPC Bitfrost|Bitfrost]] security platform, and the specifics on [[OLPC Bitfrost#P THEFT: anti-theft protection|anti-theft protection]]. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:29, 21 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== computers for my school ==<br />
<br />
Hello, My name is Sonia Ponce, I work in two high school´s in Matamoros Tamaulipas, Mexico, Escuela Secundaria Tecnica #46 & Escuela secundaria Tecnica #76, I teach cumputer sience but the problem is that we don´t have the resorces to get new equipment, we ask our local and state goverment for funding to purchase the much needed equipoment but we get no answer, your computer, if the cost is $100 USD looks to me to be afortable, the schools are located in a area where the people just don´t have much money they leve pay check to pay check, or how can we get choosen for a trial basis?<br />
<br />
Yours Truly<br />
Sonia Ponce<br />
e-mail, saponce@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== why can't I contribute by credit card on the OLPC site? ==<br />
<br />
I'm trying to make a donation. All I see is an address to send a check: nowhere to donate via credit card.<br />
<br />
Try this site [http://laptopfoundation.org/index.shtml] Bakersdz<br />
<br />
== feedback ==<br />
<br />
What mechanisms are in place to get feedback and bug reports from the participants in the third world?<br />
<br />
<br />
Well the product is just starting out <br />
so there are not that many bugs. <br />
Depending on how many reports come in, <br />
as over the next few months there will be <br />
many OLPC laptops in service will decide how <br />
the bugs are reported and fixed. Hunter<br />
<br />
== How can I buy this lap top? ==<br />
<br />
I definitely want to buy this lap top.<br />
How can I do that?<br />
Should I just call this compamy?<br />
<br />
: This is covered on the [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution]] page. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 14:11, 22 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== How can I help translating contents? ==<br />
<br />
I am japanese.<br />
I would like to help translating contents of this web site.<br />
Though I looked at help,FAQ,I can't understand.<br />
Someone help me how to translate,please.<br />
<br />
: A (too) short answer: see [[Translating]] & [[Translators]]. If you have any questions or doubts, you can [[User talk:Xavi|drop me a note]]. Cheers, --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 22:28, 22 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== external USB ==<br />
<br />
Will this laptop be compatible with external devices such as a USB CD-ROM Drive or a USB Hard-Disk?<br />
<br />
yes. --[[User:18.85.19.140|18.85.19.140]] 17:01, 24 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== OLPC News Feed? ==<br />
<br />
Is there now or are there any plans to make OLPC news available as an RSS feed? I would very much like to provide my site's readers with up-to-date news on OLPC's progress. Best regards! MT<br />
<br />
== Will corrupt governments use laptops to line their own pockets? ==<br />
<br />
You seem to have left a lot up to the individual governments for distribution. I can see many advantages of this, however, living in one of your target countries (Dominican Republic) and having lived in other poor countries, I can see how leaving anything up to a country's governement leaves room for corruption leaving the poor children out-of-luck again.<br />
<br />
Will corrupt governments give the laptops to the very poor children or the highest bidder to line their own pockets?<br />
<br />
<br />
Well the OLPC Laptop is designed <br />
for children with it's own <br />
information core to a main frame <br />
designed for use with in the OLPC market. <br />
Which is the schools that have been <br />
selected <br />
to receive the program. <br />
I would try to think positive and not believe they <br />
would do that until you hear news of this going on. <br />
Since it is the government that has <br />
most of the control so far they have given them <br />
out unless you have heard other wise.--<br />
[[User:216.194.21.158|216.194.21.158]] 17:08, 29 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== School Sponsors ==<br />
<br />
After I saw the 60 Minutes piece I thought this would be a great school fundraiser. It would be cool to have US children e-mail children in third world countries. Much of today's issues, I think, could be improved with an understanding of each other. Do you have plans for schools to invest in a laptop and then have the US children e-mail the laptop's recipient? I know there are such opportunities in developed countries, but I know of none for third world countries. cmshaughnessy@msn.com<br />
<br />
There has been some interest shown by the US and other First World nations.<br />
As the program grows this could be a very good idea for children to <br />
have email pals across the globe. Bakersdz<br />
<br />
:That would be great, but the OLPC software doesn't handle email. --gnu<br />
<br />
::Say what? The XO has a full-featured web browser, which is more than adequate for using gmail, among other email systems. We haven't ported a native email client to the laptop yet, as it is not as high a priority as other activity development. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 21:35, 7 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Will Limited Storage Impact Feeling Of Ownership? ==<br />
<br />
I have been impressed by Seymor Papert's idea that the relationship that users have with their personal computers makes them more powerful. I also note that the storage limitations of the OLPC mean that some portion of the materials of an individual student are likely to be stored on the server. What I am curious about is how this will impact the student's sense of ownership and whether the software will be designed to mitigate this limitation by blurring the distinction of local/remote storage. I imagine that this might be done by something simple like establishing a virtual volume that contains the local and remote materials. Of course it may well be that this isn't an issue at all.<br />
<br />
: The objective is to have the 'server' space transparently integrated into the 'user' space, so that accessing a resource (ie: a file) stored in the server will be transparent. For more info, you can read [[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines#Automatic Backup and Restore]] or [[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines#The Laptop Experience]] for a broader view. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 22:46, 31 May 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== What's the optimal business model to assure a healthy future for the $100 laptop? ==<br />
<br />
I am wondering what the business model will be for the $100 business model. Selling directly to countries and leaving it to them how to distribute might not prove the most sustainable solution. In the vaccin business in the third world one of the biggest problems is reselling subsidized vaccins to 2nd or first world countries. <br />
Why not think of business models as innovative as the laptop itself? I think a great product like this deserves it. Why not leveraging micro credits to make it affordable to families to buy it themselves in stead of giving it away? Or monetize the cult status the machine now already has in western countries? <br />
I think it would be a missed opportunity to limit the business model to selling to countries only, and would be very willing to leverage my experience and network to come up with a more creative and innovative solution space. <br />
<br />
bramellens@gmail.com<br />
Business developer at eBay<br />
<br />
You see the program is an open source program <br />
this means that any one can contribute. <br />
With in the frame work of the program some of the <br />
contributions of ideas and programs are used some are not. <br />
With in the upper branch of the OLPC Foundation <br />
there is some consultation done in regards to how the <br />
laptops are distributed. <br />
In reason we would have to assume that it is in part <br />
done by foundation members and those who banner <br />
the cause that are programers, developers and <br />
logistics people of the nation it self. <br />
You see the business model has some merit but this <br />
is a program for children. <br />
With in the laptops build are those who set <br />
up builds on regular computers to mimic the laptop <br />
and those who received laptops for testing and developing. <br />
<br />
There is also the support from Fedora and Linux as <br />
this system is based in part of these mainframes <br />
and a few others, as well as having an individual <br />
platform that is unique to the OLPC laptop all by it self. <br />
The United Nations was one of the platforms that <br />
originally presented the program there are <br />
variables based on some of the social and economic <br />
conditions of some of the nations the business build <br />
will come out of sustainability programs with in the <br />
business of aiding the populations that are with in <br />
the criteria of a OLPC laptop if they cannot <br />
develop the framework to articulate the <br />
necessary criteria to get the laptops <br />
on their own. <br />
After the laptops are fully distributed which <br />
will be a number in the millions there would <br />
have to be a review period. <br />
Nothing can be done until this has taken <br />
place. <br />
There could only be one base plan and a <br />
few alternate scenarios to make this a <br />
reality as with any business or program. <br />
This is indeed a real format of sustainability <br />
and aid through education and information for <br />
future progress. <br />
So with in the world aid business <br />
the OLPC program has an excellent <br />
business model.BakersDz July 2,2007<br />
<br />
== Has anyone studied the social impact of completely computerizing small villages, affects on culture, family? ==<br />
<br />
Previous attempts at bringing small communities up to speed with the rest of the world have been disastrous on family, existing social norms and community ties. For example, some forays into taking previously entirely communal areas dependent on agriculture that were deemed "backward" through standard measures of yearly income and daily caloric intake were in fact highly successful and ideal with regard to satisfactions of personal, family and community life. Commercial transactions were introduced where previous common growing areas existed. Some crops were then discarded in favor of more profitable ones, traditional bartering disappeared, rituals surrounding the harvest and preparation of foods also were eliminated, the extended family dependence and home life virtually disappeared. Has ANYONE looked at this?<br />
<br />
: I'm not sure about other groups, but presumably the individual ministries of education are investigating it in their pilot studies. They are the ones best able to assess the effects of the project on their culture, since they are the most familiar with their culture. They are also the ones paying for the laptops, so they have the most to lose if they do not consider both the educational and cultural effects of their decision. Of course, that will only detect problems on a small scale; it is quite impossible to predict what will happen with many years and many laptops. After all, we are still discovering weekly new social consequences&mdash;both good and bad&mdash;of the U.S. government's decision to research the Internet in the 1970's. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 20:55, 4 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Numbers==<br />
<br />
I have heard in the Fall of 2007 a big shipment will go out. *As of July 2007 how many Laptops have been given out in the Thousands by nation? 8/1/07<br />
*Why is this information such as stats not found in a simple to find place?<br />
Yes there is a a page with sats now.<br />
*I have over viewed the site and diffrent members seem to say they will do this or do that and then they leave the page this is based on the dates in history. I think that the people should delete the pages if they cannot stay focused. When will you do this have each member delete their pages they never finshed? <br />
<br />
They have been deleting pages but there is a process<br />
*What page do these members go to on a regular basis where we can tell them this and question them about the page and its reason? <br />
<br />
I depends what you are in to.<br />
*There is a question on this page that is a tech question that has been unanswered for a long time. <br />
<br />
It was removed.<br />
*Is this a message or something or a code? <br />
<br />
No it is not.<br />
*If not why then does not one of the Wiki people answer this persons question? <br />
<br />
They did some one keeps erasing the answer. <br />
<br />
We would like the other users to answer these 6^Questions and not Walter the VP of the program. Miss Weakness Someone who might join or a member who needs to know.June 15,2007. Get back soon. <br />
<br />
Yes some one else did.<br />
<br />
== How will children "personalize" their machine to make it distinctive? ==<br />
<br />
In a class environment with several dozens children (or even less), where each child has her own laptop, It might be possible that the fact that all the machines look exactly the same will not have positive impact.<br />
Are there any provisions on the laptop to help personalize it? <br />
For instance, if there was a "pocket" in the external shell where the child could slide in a picture of herself, and if there is (at least) one printer per class, the laptops could be personalized. of course, this is just a crude idea, and i am sure that the creative people who created the olpc can think of much better implementation, but the main question remains: how will the children personalize their laptops, and if there is no obvious way to do so, is it possible that the fact that each child will have a machine that looks exactly like everyone else's will have adverse effects?<br />
<br />
[did you ever wonder why, with all the useful applications available for download on a cell phone, by far the most popular is the personalized ringtone, which adds exactly zero to the functionality, but is the thing that makes yours distinct from everyone else's? my question above can be rephrased as "what will fill the function of the "personal ringtone" of the olpc machine?]<br />
<br />
: I don't know the machines have any features to expressly enable customization, but I expect [http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/?p=218 stickers] will play a major role in customization. [http://www.tuaw.com/2007/02/16/flickr-find-toddler-powerbook-sharpie-rubbing-alcohol-no-prob/ Markers], [http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/2006/11/diy_laptop_decals.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954 too]. The [http://olpc.tv/2007/05/21/60-minutes/ 60 Minutes video] shows XOs with the child's name written on tape on the lid, which is a similar thing. This type customization may upset adults more than a "slide-in pocket", but it is definitely going to happen, and it doesn't seem to hurt anything but conformity. And these modifications have another benefit: they make the laptop less appealing to thieves (even though a lot of stickers and markers will come off with the right solvents). &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 18:49, 8 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
The B3 machines also added this feature "colored XO on the back cover (400 different color combinations so kids can distinguish their laptops from each other" [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 00:38, 28 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Cost, Distribution, Technical Support and Competition ==<br />
<br />
It is apparent that in-country sponsor organizations must be involved to distribute and support the PC. These organizations may be governmental, or perhaps even charitable (aid) agencies.<br />
<br />
OLPC should create "franchises" of a sort. The sponsoring organization will be responsible for providing a systems integration and technical support center (or centers) in which the PC will be assembled, tested, packaged and distributed; and from which limited technical support will be provided. The centers may also be responsible for establishing the WIFI networks required. The centers must be created by the sponsoring organization per OLPC specifications and should be supervised (from creation) by an OLPC employee. The centers will be funded and owned by the sponsoring organization, and all of the employees at the centers will be employed by the sponsoring organization --- except the OLPC supervisor. It's important to keep the OLPC supervisor independent of the sponsoring organization, since the OLPC supervisor will be responsible for auditing manufacturing and distribution per OLPC guidelines. <br />
<br />
Expense in setting up the centers should be minimal for the sponsoring organization. I am happy to aid in the creation of specifications for centers. The specifications for each center will be similar to all others, with capacity being the only unique component of the basic equation. Network establishment for sponsoring organization's geography will also be similar to all others, with capacity and physical terrain being the unique components of the basic equation.<br />
<br />
<br />
OLPC will establish credit/payment arrangements with each of the sponsoring organizations. <br />
<br />
After account establishment, OLPC will send kits of PC materials to the centers for final assembly. The centers will perform top-level assembly only. Kits of parts will include, cases, power supplies, batteries, LCDs, unit packaging, etc. --- and perhaps a calculated spares supply based upon estimated (eventually, known) reliability of the PCs to ensure in-field functionality for 5 years. The centers would also be responsible for PC repairs and refurbishment, as well as network maintenance, to OLPC guidelines.<br />
<br />
The sponsoring organization is responsible for distributing the PC per OLPC guidleines. Distribution expenses are borne by the centers. <br />
<br />
The OLPC supervisor will audit the performance of the sponsoring organization. In the event that the sponsoring organization fails to meet OLPC standards, OLPC may stop shipments of PC parts to the center.<br />
<br />
OLPC cost is reduced by transferring the labor costs of final assembly, test, packaging and distribution to the sponsoring organization, thus relieving the PC unit price of these costs. The countries most in need of the OLPC program have plentiful and inexpensive labor. Perhaps a penny or two per PC must be added to the PC cost so that OLPC can pay its center supervisors (and perhaps area - continent? - supervisors, auditing the center supervisors).<br />
The creation of in-country infrastructure --- and local employment --- virtually assures loyalty and continuity of the OLPC program.<br />
<br />
I can tell you that we make can even make the OLPC "franchise" work in the U.S. I can provide up to 50,000 employees who can assemble the PC in the U.S. --- legally --- for less than $1.00 per hour. Assuming OLPC program control in the U.S., these employees can even kit and ship the top-level parts to centers throughout the world. <br />
<br />
I am aware that certain for-profit companies are threatening competition. Such competition is a serious threat to OLPC and its vision. If a commercial enterprise can thwart OLPC's vision, and cause OLPC to cease to exist --- PC prices will rise due the lack of competition.<br />
<br />
The establishment of in-country partnerships with sponsoring organizations (probably governments) will be the only way that OLPC can manage competition from firms such as Intel. <br />
<br />
dekedeac@bellsouth.net<br />
<br />
:While it is possible to do assembly in-country in the future, in order to deliver the lowest-cost laptop in the first year, final assembly needs to be done close to where the some 800 parts in the laptop are manufactured. One needs to consider not just the total cost of final assembly, logistics, packaging, and shipping, but also the cost of logistical coordination of all the parts and their shipping for in-country final assembly, plus duties and capital equipment investment. OLPC and its manufacturing partners are happy to work with countries to explore a local-manufacturing option in future years and to create a phased plan for in-country manufacture now.<br />
<br />
:OLPC does not want to limit in-country industrial development to only a few low-wage, low-skill, no-growth jobs such as assembling laptops, while the higher value-added, high-skill, high-growth jobs remain elsewhere. Focusing only on parts or system assembly is not sustainable economic promotion. Our commitment to open-source software and content allows rapid, viral growth of these industries in country, which dwarf the assembly-line manufacturing industry.<br />
<br />
:Serving the OLPC “ecology” will create in-country business opportunities. There are numerous devices ranging from solar panels, generators, point-to-point wireless hardware to extend the network, novel, inexpensive educational accessories to be used with the laptop, and so on that can and will be invented in a grassroots, bottom-up fashion. Software is also an opportunity: systems such as the XO will enable both commercial and non-commercial software to be built to address needs in the majority of the world where computing has not been available due to lack of suitable computers and networks. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 03:47, 16 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
If we have learned nothing, we have indeed learned that simply dumping money, food --- or PCs --- into a needy geography does little long-term good for the intended clients. Don't send fish --- teach your clients how to fish. Without OLPC control of PC distribution, network creation and maintenance and repair/upgrade capabilities, the PCs you dump into the third world will disappear into oblivion. <br />
<br />
The concept of client investment is a well-accepted method of creating the sense of ownership necessary to create and care for the in-country programs. The "cost of logistical coordination of all the parts and their shipping for in-country final assembly" bears exactly the same level of complexity as shipping the PCs. OLPC ships KITS of parts to produce X PCs --- not random shipments from various hardware manufacturers. In the unlikely event that there is a country on this earth that will not waive tariff or tax for humanitarian shipments, the kits of parts will be taxed at a much lower rate than the value-added PCs. <br />
<br />
In-country assembly and support operations will be the ONLY way to keep your competitors at bay. Don't be naive. Intel can sell its PC for any price it choses. OLPC will lose a price war with any competitor that can produce and provide substantial hardware value a lower-than-market prices. <br />
<br />
The in-country assembly plan works because labor rates will be directly proportional to each countries abilities to pay those rates. It's a perfect equation. <br />
<br />
OLPC is a GREAT idea. However, there comes a point where idealism must yield to reality to ensure success.<br />
<br />
== OpenDocument in Write? ==<br />
<br />
What will be the default format for saving documents in Write? I think I read somewhere that all Write documents will be saved in Microsoft's proprietary doc format. It seems to me that OpenDocument should be promoted wherever possible. Will it be OpenDocument or some other open format? -Danny [[User:75.47.72.74|75.47.72.74]] 12:31, 17 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:We are hoping that we'll be able to use open document (odt) as the default, although there is some more work QA work to do. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 13:01, 17 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Cambodia ==<br />
<br />
Does the Ministry of Education of Cambodia show any interest until now ?<br />
<br />
== How do make OLPC function? "No init found." ==<br />
<br />
Problem in OLPC B2-1<br />
<br />
I try booting using DSL Linux, still doesn't work.<br />
<br />
== What CAD system was used to design the Laptop? ==<br />
<br />
What CAD system was used to design the Laptop?<br />
<br />
CAD is not really the kind of system that you tell everyone about Right?<br />
If they used CAD it may have been for drawing board test stuff.CAD is great but it might be a little bit too advanced for grade school kids in theory and output into the OLPC system. I could be wrong. Hunter July 7,2007<br />
<br />
== Is it possible for the children to get a qualification? ==<br />
<br />
Is it possible for the children to get a qualification?<br />
Over the Internet or controled by government?<br />
<br />
What kind of qualification?<br />
<br />
==Game Jam==<br />
<br />
Can Game Jam games be accessed through FireFox in a format that people can <br />
can try it or see an in action demo of the games themes?<br />
<br />
If not as many programs can be presented for view in diffrent system formats do you think becuase of the Google link that the program is not being relistic in the real world of internet?<br />
In some ways the clanist social pratices of many people and nations is a mid level part of their problem. By following this type of only if you.... belong to the group ,have this kind of system, have a laptop ect... may not be progressive.<br />
WHAT DO YOU THINK? jULY 7,2007<br />
<br />
== XO não conecta na rede Wirelles ==<br />
<br />
Atualizei o XO e não consigo mais me conectar na Internet.<br />
Como devo proceder?<br />
<br />
I brought up to date the version of the XO and now I do not obtain more to connect in the net wirelles. Exists some procedure?<br />
<br />
:Make sure you are running the latest stable build. Go to the mesh view and click on the triangle that represents the access point that you want to connect to... Note that WAP is not yet supported. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 14:10, 28 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Brief Translation: Você deberia utilizar a ultima build estável. A rede não funcion beim com tudas as build, a gente esta cambiando moitas cosas pra garantizar eso.<br />
<br />
:: If you updated to the latest ''unstable'' build, you may need to downgrade to 406: see the [[Autoreinstallation_image#Downgrading|downgrading instructions]] for details. [[User:Sj|Sj]] [[User talk:Sj|<font color="fc9"><small>talk</small></font>]] 14:20, 28 June 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Code of ethics==<br />
I think it's time to establish ''Code of Ethics'' and ''Code of Standard Practice'' for OLPC related activities in each nation. For example, [[OLPC Korea]] plans to have presentation tours all around the nation and to meet various people with various backgrounds; teachers, governmental officers, businessmen, those employeed, and housewives etc. If anyone of them want to contribute to OLPC related activities or financial support, what can we do? just receive donations? recommend them to donate to OLPC foundation or national OLPC volunteer groups? without no guidelines at all? It's a serious problem, and will be more serious issue in the future...[[User:Php5|php5]] 02:27, 4 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:I thought you were going somewhere else re a Code of Ethics: should OLPC be taking a stance re how the laptops are distributed and used. We cover that to a degree in our [[Core principles]]. Regarding contributions, there already are several local "OLPC" groups that are raising money for local deployment of OLPC. Some of these groups have an affiliation with OLPC and some are wholly independent. This does pose somewhat of a dilemma, because some unethical group could raise money using the OLPC name and never deliver laptops to children or charge some usurious "management fee". I'm not sure what to do about this, except to recommend that people solicit contributions that are routed through the OLPC foundation (http://laptopfoundation.org). --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 07:06, 4 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::In Korea also, if anyone or any company donate/contribute to educational or research facilities, s/he will be given tax-reduction benefit (reduction from taxable income), but not for foreign colleges or research institutes. So, I hope OLPC designate one (or more than one) educational/research institutes to which Korean citizens and corporations can donate and take tax reduction benefit. Or I will recommend some institutes or colleges to OLPC, then OLPC may pick some among them. I hope some of those donations to be used in developing XO variations such as [[Larger OLPC]] for youths and operating [[XO Korea/xo service|XO Service]] teams in Korea. [[User:Php5|php5]]<br />
<br />
::I think all donations had better go to OLPC Foundation, and then redistributed to the world and monitored/supervised by OLPC to maintain the ethical standards of our activities.<br />
<br />
==Liberia==<br />
Are there any discussion with the Country of Liberia? If so what are they and do you have insight as to whether Liberia will be interested in OLPC?<br />
:There are some ongoing discussions in Liberia. Details as soon as they are available. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 07:46, 5 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Christian content==<br />
Are there any Christian based initiatives with regards to providing Christian content on thumbdrives to be used with the laptops?<br />
:OLPC is only looking at basic literacy and numeracy; we leave it to the countries to determine what other content to provide on the laptops.<br />
<br />
==B2-Friendly Software/Firmware Builds==<br />
Its been a while since the '''olpc406_c11''' build came out and it doesn't seem (my observation) to bring out the best in the B2s. Are there any future releases that will be B2 friendly while serving the B3s and B4s? I'm asking because the XOs being tested in Nigeria are mostly all B2s (if I'm correct). --Ahmad 12:04, 4 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:There will be two new builds coming out in the coming days, both of which will be (largely) compatible with B2 hardware. One will be a variant of Build 406, but with the power management and suspend/resume in place. This should make a big difference in regard to usability in the school trials as the laptops should last a full school day on a single charge. The other build will be an experimental build that exposes a number of new features regarding the mesh and our model of sharing. It will also include the basic Journal functionality and the new ''tabbed'' Sugar UI. Initially, it may not be suitable for the school trials--the idea would be for a few machines in each school be set up with the new software so that the teachers and children can give us feedback. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 16:21, 4 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== The Needy Children of the U.S.A. ==<br />
<br />
To all of those people that want to donate <br />
things to all of the children. Shouldn't we <br />
think of all of our children in the states?<br />
<br />
Stop & think of who is responsible of all the <br />
teaching that the Americans are the enemy's.<br />
with all of the organizations in this country <br />
i would think that our country that a lot of <br />
AMERICANS FOUGHT FOR & SO <br />
MANY LOST THEIR LIVES FOR.THAT EVERYONE <br />
THAT WANTS <br />
TO START A DONATION &FUNDING TO SHOULD <br />
START IN <br />
THEIR COUNTRY THAT THEY LIVE IN.<br />
<br />
STOP & THINK HOW MUCH DID <br />
OUR COUNTRY DO FOR A <br />
LOT OF OTHER COUNTRIES & <br />
WHAT DID WE GET ION RETURN.<br />
<br />
THE BIG CORPORATIONS SEND <br />
ALL OF OUR WORK THEIR & <br />
PUT HOW MANY PEOPLE ON THE OUT OF <br />
WORK LIST.<br />
<br />
JUST BECAUSE OF THE GREED OF BIG MONEY PEOPLE.<br />
I THINK IF ANY MONEY IS SPENT IT SHOULD BE SPENT <br />
IN OUR COUNTRY FIRST.THEN WHEN OUR CHILDREN HAVE <br />
ALL OF THE LEARNING TOOLS THEN WE CAN HELP OTHER COUNTRIES.<br />
<br />
NOW STOP & THINK WHO HELPED US ON SEPTEMBER 11!!!!!<br />
WE NOW ARE INVOLVED IN A WAY IN A COUNTRY THAT <br />
TEACHES THAT ALL AMERICANS SHOULD BE KILLED.<br />
IS THAT THE KIND OF CHILDREN YOU WANT TO TEACH <br />
MORE TO??<br />
STOP & THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER & HIS FATHER <br />
WOULD SAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
SO PLEASE STOP & TEACH THOSE CHILDREN IN <br />
OUR HOME COUNTRY.<br />
ALSO THINK THAT HOW MANY CHILDREN DO WE HAVE <br />
IN THIS COUNTRY FROM THE COUNTRIES YOU ARE <br />
GIVING THESE THINGS TO.<br />
<br />
WE NEED TO BUILD THE U.S.A. BACK TO THE <br />
PROUD COUNTRY IT SHOULD BE.<br />
<br />
There is a lot more i would like to <br />
say but it all comes back to we should <br />
help our Country first.<br />
<br />
--''' AN AMERICAN VET.'''<br />
<br />
:OLPC is interested in helping children in ''all'' countries, including the United States. We have been in discussions with many governors and are discussing possible deployments in individual school districts. That said, I have two comments regarding your note: (1) OLPC has not been diverting any funds away from the United States into other countries; and (2) it is our belief that one of the roads to peace is making sure that every child in every country has an opportunity for learning. If we can help to eliminate ignorance, perhaps we can eliminate much of the underlying cause of hatred and violence. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 18:11, 7 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
== computers ==<br />
<br />
When I turn on my laptop it looks like it is starting normally but then says windows has encountered a problem. it gives me the choices of starting Windows Normally, Safe Mode, Safe Mode with networking, or Safe mode with Command prompt. When I click on any of these, the computer goes to a blue screen that says the computer began and finished a physical memory dump. How do I fix this?<br />
: First unpack your Fedora installation CD...<br />
<br />
<br />
== MOTHERBOARD ==<br />
<br />
I'm an Italian student and i'm working on XO as my degree project. I'm looking forward to find someone who are able to help me. I just need the dimensions of the motherboar in cm or inches in order to do a benchmarking analisys. I alrealy wrote down a lots of emails but without any results.<br />
<br />
Thanks in advace.<br />
<br />
Samantha<br />
<br />
== olpc, nicholas ==<br />
<br />
I am currently doing a project on Nicholas Negroponte and I need to interview him, however I've contacted OLPC and they said he has no time. So I was hoping someone from the company would help to answer my questions as I can't lift questions from the above and also I need someone with credentials to answer my questions. So here are my questions:<br />
<br />
# Other than OLPC, what was he involved in before that makes him so confident in this project?<br />
# Is the laptop accessible to children with physical disabilities?<br />
# Even though the laptop is just a 100$, what happens when countries cannot afford to pay but the children are in desperate need for a laptop?<br />
# If OLPC is a non-profit organisation, where would the money go to after being collected?<br />
# Would people from other countries be able to volunteer to teach the children how to use the laptop?<br />
<br />
Sorry for taking up too much of your time. I would really appreciate it if the questions could be answered as the results of my project would be able to get me into a good university. Thank you.<br />
<br />
:Many of these questions have been answered elsewhere in the wiki, but here are some summary answers:<br />
:# Nicholas and his colleagues, including Seymour Papert, have been working on technology and learning since the mid-1960s. They have lead or participated in numerous one-to-one computing projects in the field in both the developed and developing world, in places as diverse as Senegal, Cambodia, Costa Rica, etc.<br />
:# We have incorporated the standard Linux accessibility features and are working with various groups on additional enhancements.<br />
:# We have a foundation that is trying to help reach children in the LDCs.<br />
:# OLPC doesn't collect money; CitiCorp transfers funds directly to the supplier chain. The laptop is always sold at cost, so there is no additional money to "go" anywhere.<br />
:# We are mobilizing volunteers to work with children regarding learning learning, but the children will not need help learning to use the laptop itself.<br />
:--[[User:Walter|Walter]] 10:11, 11 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Should the OLPC project be outside of the USA? ==<br />
<br />
Considering that US export laws are at times irrational and politically motivated, is it wise that this project is in the USA and have it software be configure managed in the USA? This project should be outside of USA's jurisdiction.<br />
<br />
<br />
== does this laptop use programs such a word? ==<br />
<br />
I am curious to know if the laptop provided uses programs such as word for things like typing reports.<br />
:The laptop comes with a wide variety of software (See [[Activities]]) including a [[Write|word processor]] based upon [[Abiword]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 09:14, 13 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Can the ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION of OLPC be disclosed?==<br />
Dear [[User:Walter|Walter]]<br />
<br />
Please let me know whether it is publicized. I would like to write a similar one for our Korean XO community sincerely[[User:Php5|php5]] 05:31, 17 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Can any one translate this page to English?==<br />
<br />
[[http://pclab.nectec.or.th/wiki/index.php/Main_Page]<br />
<br />
== XO logo colors ==<br />
<br />
What are the 20 colors that will create the 400 different XO logo color combinations so kids can distinguish their laptops from each other?<br />
<br />
: If you don't mind reading source code, the hex codes ('RRGGBB', like in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_code#Hex_triplets HTML]) for all the color combinations are in the [http://dev.laptop.org/git.do?p=sugar;a=blob;f=sugar/graphics/xocolor.py;hb=HEAD xocolor.py] file in the repository, under the sugar/sugar/graphics directory. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 01:33, 26 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: I made [[XO colors | a page with the colors]]. It turns out there are 29 of them, and around 200 color pairs defined. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 22:09, 30 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== i am a homeschooler ==<br />
<br />
<br />
are homeschoolers going to be able to get a laptop like this<br />
<br />
:It will probably depend on your country for now. <br />
:-----------<br />
:''quote from elsewhere on this page''<br />
:As much as we would like to see an OLPC in the hands of every child on the planet, practical issues and humanitarian :criteria help decide the first people to get laptops:<br />
:* Children and teachers in developing countries whose governmental leaders have partnered with OLPC <br />
:-----------<br />
:But Quanta the manufacturer will probably be selling a commercialized version in the future for a higher price so you :may be able to get one then if your country isn't buying the laptops. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 00:05, 24 July 2007 :(EDT)<br />
<br />
== Support for application languages like Java? ==<br />
<br />
Hi<br />
<br />
I think this laptop could have huge potential as the hardware infrastructure for supporting scientific projects in the developing world. I´m a software engineer and I think it would be great to begin building custom applications that suited this particular kind of machine. <br />
<br />
Does anyone know what programming languages or software development kits work with this? Dare I ask whether standard Java applications would work on this? Java is supposed to work on Linux based systems but I wonder whether the AWT works with the kind of display used in the laptop.<br />
<br />
By the way, it would greatly help the developer community if we could get easier access to the laptops themselves. It could spawn all sorts of open source development projects to build software applications that were relevant to the groups who used them.<br />
<br />
: You might want to take a look at [[Getting_started_programming#Operating_Environment | the Getting started programming page]]. The main programming environment supported on the laptop itself is Python, but you can also develop in Smalltalk in Squeak and Javascript in a browser-based activity. Note that Python is currently used for a variety of [http://www.python.org/about/success/#scientific scientific applications].<br />
<br />
: Java is not in the official build, but I imagine Java and AWT can be made to work, since it works on other Linux/GTK systems (although performance may be poor, given the limited-resource environment). Running a full Java (or C/C++) SDK on the laptop may prove difficult, though... The easiest way to get a particular Java application on the laptop might be to compile it to an x86 binary on a more powerful system.<br />
<br />
: You can [[Developers_program#How_to_apply_for_an_XO | apply for a laptop]] through the [[Developers program]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 17:23, 25 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== [[Source-code editor with transparent native-language display]] ==<br />
<br />
This is just a note to draw people's attention to my concept of [[Source-code editor with transparent native-language display]]. I think it is a perfect fit for the OLPC. --[[User:Homunq|Homunq]] 16:48, 25 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Power Issues==<br />
Now that the laptop is <br />
in use does it get <br />
hot slightly, hot <br />
or pretty hot.? <br />
How long <br />
would you <br />
say it <br />
takes <br />
to get <br />
hot; <br />
like <br />
an hour <br />
of use or <br />
longer? <br />
This <br />
is <br />
question for the people <br />
testing the laptop it self. <br />
It has also been noted cord <br />
connections in photos. <br />
Can the laptop be <br />
connected to <br />
electricity? <br />
7/27/07<br />
<br />
: Yes it can be connected to electricity quote "The laptop is capable of taking a DC input ranging from 5 volts to 25 volts to charge the 5-cell NiMH battery inside" http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Battery_and_power. The heat question is better answered by others but I can tell you that the laptop has been designed to be very power efficient so it shouldn't expel much heat. They were experimenting with a new battery type which is a lot safer and cooler but I'm not sure if it's been included in all the mass production units. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 08:25, 27 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== To obtain a laptop in Peru? ==<br />
<br />
I have family in Peru that are of low income and there are4 kids within the family how would they be able to ontain a laptop and where woud they have to go?<br />
<br />
: The laptops are paid for and distributed by the ministries of education of each country, so you'd need to contact the Peruvian ministry of education to get the details on how the laptops are being deployed. There may be additional details on the [[OLPC Peru]] page. Other means of getting a laptop may be available in the future; for example, [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070329-olpc-xo-manufacturer-to-sell-budget-portables-in-developed-countries.html Quanta] may sell a commercial version of the XO, or the OLPC may distribute to [[Our_market#Can_a_legitimate_NGO_or_foundation_apply_for_your_program.3F | non-governmental organizations]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 01:23, 26 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Accessing another school's Mesh Network ==<br />
<br />
If a teacher takes an OLPC laptop to another school for a meeting, can they access the other school's Mesh Network to transfer documents and software, etc? Is a laptop strictly limited to only accessing one school's network (without some time-consuming reconfiguration of access-permissions)? If access is possible, how would it be granted?<br />
<br />
--[[User:Ricardo|Ricardo]] 12:43, 26 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: I don't think this has been entirely worked out yet, but a [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/sugar/2007-July/002910.html recent post to the Sugar mailing list] shows that the developers are indeed considering the case where an external laptop (either XO or non-XO) wants to participate in the school's local network. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 19:07, 26 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== access of offline content with browser ==<br />
<br />
I am interested to see some of my html content on the OLPC before the content is uploaded. <br />
My content is on flash disk. I managed to mount the Flash Disk using the shell. Then I tried to <br />
use the browser in the sugar interface to access my index.html file from the Flash Disk. But, <br />
so far, all I got is error message. I need your guide.<br />
<br />
:What is the error message? [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 07:32, 28 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Page Load Error is the message. <br />
I am just trying to access an html file from my flash disk <br />
with out being connected to the internet. I used the path to my html file in place of URL.<br />
<br />
== How can Wikipedia editors help? ==<br />
<br />
I'm a relatively experienced Wikipedia editor (User:Creidieki@en), and I've heard that the Wikipedia project will be involved in some way with OLPC. However, I can't find any concrete information about this, either on this site or on Wikipedia. Are there wiki-related tasks which need to be done to help prepare content for the OLPC project? Which wikiprojects will be included on the OLPC? How can I help? -- [[User:Creidieki|Creidieki]] 12:41, 2 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: You might want to ask [[User:Sj | SJ Klein]], as he is apparently something of a [http://www.olpcnews.com/people/leadership/samuel_klein_joins_o.html liaison between OLPC and Wikipedia], as well as being the OLPC director of content. I believe the plan is to ship a subset of Wikipedia with either the laptops themselves or the school servers (in case internet connectivity isn't locally available), although I'm not sure how the subset is being chosen. I think contributions to the [http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Simple English Wikipedia] would be helpful, as these articles are likely to be used both for English instruction and in the case where translated articles are not available. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 18:42, 2 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
The [[One encyclopedia per child]] page may be relevent to this (see both the Article and Discussion pages). It covers a Wikipedia for children, cut-down to fit on CD/DVD. --[[User:Ricardo|Ricardo]] 04:44, 12 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== how is it fun? ==<br />
<br />
what can my children do to have fun?<br />
: Play games, learn, create content, draw, make music, film videos etc [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 19:47, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
can they install games?<br />
: That depends on the game. There are lots of linux games already out as well as some on the xo already. Windows games are more of an issue. The hardware is also not suitable for playing the advanced 3d games. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 19:47, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
my children play an online game.is that possible on this?<br />
: That depends what game it is. For example if it's just a browser game it can be played. If it uses flash then you would have to install the flash plugin yourself. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 19:47, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:: Actually, I saw an XO demo unit recently, and Flash (or some sort of Flash substitute) was working well enough to play videos from YouTube in the web activity. I don't know if the final distribution includes Flash capability, but it seems likely, given that the demo unit did. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 00:36, 10 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
::: I just tested on my laptop with a base install of build 542 and it has gnash installed by default. It can indeed play a lot of the flash games though some may not work ()http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnash [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 02:39, 10 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
how far does the internet reach?<br />
: That depends on your router or wireless provider. If you mean the mesh network then there has been a test of over 2.1km line of sight on flat ground from machine to machine. Of course this would be much less in buildings. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 19:47, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I provide free English as a Second Language lessons to students in different countries. My main method of communication is Skype. Will this laptop and its peer-to-peer network be able to handle Skype?<br />
: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/VoIP [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 19:47, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Where are you and your children from as all nations have not recived the laptop yet?--[[User:216.194.21.130|216.194.21.130]] 17:52, 9 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==OLPC's NEW FORMAT==<br />
how do i order one?<br />
: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/How_can_I_get_one%3F [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 22:50, 11 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
is this able to access yahoo and myspace?<br />
: It has a web browser so yes. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 22:50, 11 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
If I make sites for kids how can the OLPC child find me? and <br />
can you give me the best Meta key words?<br />
<br />
== Display Technology ==<br />
<br />
Is there in-depth information available on the display technology, including any associated patents?<br />
<br />
: In addition to reading the [[Display]] page, you might try reading the publications of [http://www.joeinc.tv/ Mary Lou Jepsen], who, as I understand it, is responsible for many of the display's innovations. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 16:51, 15 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== How to get the price down ==<br />
<br />
I use computer for 30 years and what I see is the price getting down and the power up.<br />
<br />
You may have some good political reasons to limit the spreading of the OLPC to some countries.<br />
<br />
What I think is the OLPC can become for rich countries a cute device like the iPod, and you could sell millions getting the price down.<br />
I am sure that getting a low price (with a good quality) is very important for the poor children of developping countries.<br />
<br />
I see another point, by selling OLPC to the developped world you create a mode (like iPod) that would make easier to negociate with governments and make the OLPC more accepted by people.<br />
Did you like me to give (or sell) you, poor guy of Vietnam, a special device just made for you, a device that I, and my children, would not use.<br />
That mean that this device is just good enough for you. It is not very pleasant.<br />
But if I give or sell iPod (or Nokia phone, or ...) I will be welcome.<br />
<br />
My idea is OLPC must be a "must have" in Paris, NYC, London, ... before to be given to children or teacher in Ouagadougou.<br />
<br />
Remy Pericard from Versailles, France <br />
(I have 4 PC and 1 MAC at home and I don't need OLPC but I would buy one OLPC just to help decreasing the price.)<br />
<br />
== Laptop case/bag? ==<br />
<br />
Why does the olpc has no bag or simple small case which could optimize its lifespan ? [[User:Hardouin|Hardouin]] 07:56, 15 August 2007<br />
<br />
:The handle is designed to accommodate a strap; but we hope and expect it will be something that is done locally, not by us. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 17:12, 15 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Hard drive? ==<br />
<br />
How come it doesn't include a built-in hardrive?<br />
<br />
: The XO laptop is designed without a mechanical hard drive in an effort to minimize the number of moving parts, to make the laptop more rugged. By some estimations, the mechanical hard drive in a typical laptop [http://www.pctoday.com/Editorial/article.asp?article=articles/2005/t0306/23t06/23t06.asp&guid= is its most fragile part]; it can fail after being bumped or dropped, especially if it is reading or writing data at the time. Instead, the XO laptops use an internal flash drive for storage&mdash;flash memory is nigh-invulnerable to bumps and falls, and it consumes less power, too. ''(see also [[Hardware uniqueness]].)'' &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 16:23, 15 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== A Camera For Education? ==<br />
<br />
I need to know... how does a web camera (or digital camera whatever it so be called) help educate children? Don't get me wrong, I think education is extremely important and I use computers to learn more than I ever learned in school. The OLPC is a great idea with pros and cons like any tool ever invented. However; being a graduate of a Computer Security Investigations diploma and working with law enforcement on the subject of technology involved with online child exploitation, it is evident that yes a powerful and positive tool may be used for most any ill intended act. <br />
<br />
What I do not understand is why a web camera is essential in a tool for education. I understand that a large portion of communities who receive this laptop will not have Internet access, but it doesn't take Internet access to exploit children. One camera that can self develop digital photos is just as dangerous as having so many young children prowling through the Internet. I do not see loosing any educational value by removing the web camera from these laptops. The only outcome would be less power consumption, lower cost, and a safer experience for any child. I agree that Internet safety training can help educate children safe Internet use, but even with just community networking, is “safe computer training” really as efficient as removing a piece of this laptop that does not contribute to any educational purpose. D, Canada.<br />
<br />
: A big part of this project is the idea of the children creating content themselves. And a camera allows them to do this in a large way. Whether it's just filming each other for fun, or creating a video to show others (showing people across the world what your town looks like or a video showing a cow giving birth etc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOzBTGGVWNg)). The camera only uses power when it's on, and the cost is small due to the improvements caused by mobile phones. I will leave the exploitation question up to others since its late and I must sleep. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 10:39, 21 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::Any science-fair, nature-observation, or drama project can benefit from a camera, just to start. <br />
<br />
::As for exploitation, it would be good if you elaborated on what specific threats you see. I'm especially confused by your statement that "it doesn't take internet access to exploit children"; while obviously true, it seems that any such threat (for international profit, or by simply local perverts) would also not need this laptop to succeed. As for other threats: this laptop has extremely high security against traditional "virus" and "spyware"; and its social and sharing features make it relatively likely that willing participation of children in their own exploitation will be caught before it goes too far. [[User:Homunq|Homunq]] 12:30, 21 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
: Yes! As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words"... be a picture of yourself, your friends, your house, your pet, or whatever critter may be crawling around that weird plant... great for learning biology and/or botany; being able to capture something (in a picture or video) is a great way to learn about many things: time based pictures that show how a bean grows into a plant, or how the position of the sun changes through the year, and these are just off the top of my head.<br />
: I think that there are many more positive (read educational) uses for cameras. A strawman argument is to replace 'camera' with 'pencil': you can write lies, rumours, even poke yourself in the eye with them... but nobody is about to take pencils away from children, are they? [[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 13:08, 21 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
From maddyj123@hotmail.com maybe sometimes kids want to video tape themselfs or something but i agree why is a camera there but its a use full idea for kids that ill like to purchase one myself for my child!<br />
<br />
== Network library for Python ==<br />
<br />
<br />
I am trying to write a code in Python that will establish direct communication between OLPC computers via WiFi.<br />
<br />
Normally I would use the "twisted matrix" library or the "raknet" library. Does anyone know if one of these libraries (or other equivalent) will be included in the OLPC build?<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />
: The main networking library to be distributed with the laptops is [[Activity Sharing#Tubes |Telepathy Tubes]]&mdash;see the relevant section of [[Getting started programming#How do I do networking in Sugar? | Getting started programming]]. According to that page, other libraries are not being distributed, probably for space concerns. The python [http://docs.python.org/lib/module-socket.html socket] library is, of course, also available. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 09:58, 26 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Any place where OLPC applications usage experience is documented? ==<br />
<br />
I've looked at the several Wiki pages on OLPC activities (applications) and done extensive Googling, but I don't find any place where those experimenting with OLPCs are documenting what they find out about using them. While the essence is trial-and-error to teach yourself, it is easy to just plain get stuck or to overlook some feature.<br />
<br />
For example, and this is just one example, I've started to use Write to compile my comments on using the OLPC. While I appear to be saving the document from session to session, I absolutely can't find a way to give the document a name, so that if I accumulate several documents I can find the one of interest. Gotta be there, but I'm knocking myself out trying to find it.<br />
: There's a box in the top left side of the screen in most activities where you can give it a name. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 00:43, 25 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: If there is such a box in the Write activity, I don't see it. I've poked, prodded, and clicked every place I can think of in Write and can't figure out how to save a file by name or then, later, open it by name. - Bubba Bob<br />
<br />
:: On the first tab in the Write Activity's toolbar, there should be an oval containing the text "Write Activity". This is actually a text entry box for the document's Journal entry label; "Write Activity" is the default label for things made in the Write Activity. You can change the label by clicking in the oval and typing something else. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 09:35, 26 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Here's another reason for wanting to know the file name. I concluded that there is probably not an email activity installed yet. So I used the Web browser to go to my Gmail account and send myself some email. I wanted to email myself the Write document, but what to attach, how to navigate to the file itself? Best I could do was try attaching my current Write journal, but on the receiving end that proved to be an indecipherable binary.<br />
<br />
Besides, these specifics, this is the kind of discussion I'm looking for, across the range of activites. - Bubba Bob<br />
<br />
: There has been some discussion of applications, initial impressions of Sugar, and cross-platform communications on the [http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/sugar Sugar mailing list]. A lot of this stuff is still being decided (and changes weekly, it seems), so the mailing list tracks it better than a wiki or web page. You might try asking your technical questions there. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 11:07, 25 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== How interact with the SUGAR operating system? ==<br />
<br />
I've seen several answers to questions that indicate it is somehow possible to interact with Linux or the SUGAR interface, such as to install software, but in those instances there is no indication of how to do it. <br />
<br />
Is that discussed anywhere? Is there some magic key combination (a la Windows) that allows interruption of the boot sequence at the right moment? Or, after booting up to the normal user interface, is there some magic way to escape to a Linux prompt and, if so, would it indeed look like Red Hat Linux? Or ... ?? - Bubba Bob<br />
: One of the ways to interact is to use the terminal. Which can be accessed via pressing "alt +" You can there use yum etc. I assume by looking by Red Hat Linux you mean using gnome as the window manager. If so then no, as you would have to install that separately. [[User:Crazybus|Crazybus]] 00:39, 25 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: See [[Sugar Instructions#Shortcut Keys | Sugar Instructions shortcut keys]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 12:28, 25 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Refugees returning to Southern Sudan ==<br />
<br />
I will be helping set up aid programs for Nuer refugees returning to their homeland in Southern Sudan. I have over thirty years computer (programming) experience and would like to help set up an OLPC program for the children of the refugees. If you could give me a contact I would appreciate it.<br />
<br />
03:43, 1 September 2007 (EDT) This is a follow-up comment: I've been checking every day and haven't seen a response. We will be going to Juba and then to Akobo where the people are returning. I would like to talk to someone from OLPC about a possible program either funded by charities and or the provisional government. Am I in the right area for a question like this? Thank you.<br />
<br />
: I am not an OLPC official, but according to [[Ask_OLPC_a_Question_about_Distribution#Where_or_how_can_I_get_one.3F | the distribution page]], the OLPC people are currently limiting their efforts to large orders from ministries of education, although there may be other options available in the future. Sudan is not currently on the [[Countries | list of interested countries]]. You could also try the [http://www.laptop.org/en/contact.shtml OLPC contact page], but that will probably get you a similar answer. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 12:36, 1 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Can I raise funds to purchase olpc computers for a third world school and my own? ==<br />
<br />
I am a principal of an elementary school in the United States with a significant number of students who are impacted by poverty. If I were able to mobilize my community to raise enough money to purchase these computers for a school in a third world country, would it be possible for us to purchase these computers for ourselves? I believe our community could raise $30,000 to fund the purchase of these laptops for a school of 300 students. I actually have a school in mind?<br />
<br />
: You might want to read the [[Ask_OLPC_a_Question_about_Distribution#Where_or_how_can_I_get_one%3F | Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution page]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 13:30, 1 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Charging the Battery ==<br />
<br />
Hi all, I an a Software Tester browsing on the BBC Web Site when I came across an artical about your laptop. I see that to charge the laptop you need to pull a rip cord. I was wondering why solor cells where not used on the top of the laptop (otherside of the screen) So it could be charged when closed? Or even a Solar-powered tray that slides out from the bottom so it could charge while being used.<br />
<br />
I ask out of pure curiosity. Good work with the Project, I think you are on the right track. A Laptop with Books stored on it for education and internet access is a lot better than books on there own.<br />
<br />
Lee Clifford<br />
Senior Technical Tester<br />
lee.clifford@virginmobile.com<br />
<br />
:We will have a solar-power option for the laptop, but it will be tethered, not attached. This gives the children more flexibility in terms of how they position themselves relative to the sun. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 06:52, 27 August 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Did you know? Peer Reviewed studies show no teacher/counselor needed to teach CBT(Cognitive Behavior Therapy... aka killing negative thoughts permanently). Stanford's Dr.David D.Burns is developing.. ==<br />
<br />
Did you know? <br />
<br />
Peer Reviewed studies show no teacher/counselor needed to teach CBT(Cognitive Behavior Therapy... aka killing negative thoughts permanently). Stanford's Dr.David D.Burns is developing web based training("CBT for CBT"?) for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. This has already been tested in semi literate patient populations.<br />
<br />
Since studies show Cognitive Behavior Therapy beats drugs and therapy, and stigmas block many from admitting widespread/common depression/anxiety...<br />
<br />
...a child with his/her own laptop is a good platform to learn how to stop negative thoughts without stigma and where drugs and therapy are not available.<br />
<br />
Please note: Attainment of the elusive "positive attitude" has decades of science that comes pretty damn close: CBT.<br />
<br />
CBT has been used for:<br />
depression<br />
anxiety<br />
procrastination<br />
phobias<br />
fear of speaking<br />
insecurities<br />
doubts<br />
stigmas<br />
shyness<br />
<br />
Moore@ThankYouMichaelMoore.com<br />
<br />
== Algeria? ==<br />
<br />
I am very intersted to know the progress of working with the government of Algeria. I have a journalist friend who writes about the problems with the children of his city of 160,000 where they have only two swimming pools, a summer heat of 118 F, no parks and rising drug/alcohol use. While the OLPC would not solve these problems they could provide an opportunity for the children to learn and be occupied in more potentially educational activities. Please advise as while I would not want to jepardize any ongoing talks with Algeria I would engage in promoting this project.<br />
Thank you,<br />
<br />
Margie Reese<br />
San Diego, CA<br />
<br />
== Coming to the US ? ==<br />
<br />
is this laptop going to be sold in the U.S. like in stores or just for the peolpe in need? If so how much would it cost and when will it come this is the coolest laptop anybody invented for years!!!! thanks for the help!<br />
email me at maddyj123@hotmail.com thanks sooo much!!!!<br />
im the same person who did the question i live in florida in the united states in ft. <br />
laraudale. thanks!<br />
<br />
: See [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Where or how can I get one?]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 13:33, 1 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==I know a Program incredible powerful to operate these,U aparatus ==<br />
<br />
the program is so simple and powerfull that you must have it!<br />
basically is pictures in/out almost by brain power so to speak!<br />
i like you to have it because i am Braziliam Born american, and love to do somthing big for the poverty of the richest nation on earth!<br />
Your project to Brazil "Brasil" was welcome, because the President know what is to be poor, he can see what you see!<br />
depending on circustances i personaly am willing to donate equivalent to serveral millions to your porgram!<br />
jrb.my cell phone 8178973421 any time gemssuply1@aol.com<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== 3 inquiries: USB boot? SD boot? SD expansion? ==<br />
<br />
~Will it have an option (either in BIOS or automatically) to be bootable off of USB or SD for either use of other operating systems, diagnostic work, or system backups/restores?<br />
:Yes<br />
<br />
~In today's market, SD cards can reach up to 64-128 gigabytes. Will this OS recognize these sizes?<br />
:8-gigabyte cards have been tested. I am not sure beyond that.<br />
<br />
My reasoning for these questions is for the potential of programmers in the fields.<br />
<br />
== About e-waste ==<br />
<br />
At some point this products will be obsolet. What about then? Will they be recycled? How is this going to be managed? Can they be refurbished? In third world countries there are no regulations about e-waste management. Will OLPC take care of recolecting the laptops when they are no longer in use?<br />
<br />
== How many schools will have internet connections on rollout? ==<br />
<br />
As far as I know most (all?) of the trials in Peru, Uruguay Nigeria and elsewhere, schools where provided with permanent internet access via dial-up, satellite etc. <br />
I would like to know if there are any estimations on how many of schools will actually be connected to the internet when the big rollout begins`?<br />
<br />
--[[User:Nils|Nils]] 11:20, 12 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:The roll-out plan includes providing a connected school server; our plan is that 100% of schools will have a connection to the Internet. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:53, 12 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Single family homes ==<br />
<br />
I have a niece who is in a one parent home struggling financially to make ends meet here in the USA,<br />
she has 3 sons, 2, 11 and 12 years old. Her oldest son is in the 6th grade, she cannot afford the monthly fees for the internet, nor the cost of a computer for her oldest sons.<br />
I think this is an unbelievable project!<br />
I checked the website out just to see if I could purchase one for my nephews but I see from the reading material I cannot.<br />
<br />
But, I sure would like the idea of prioritizing single family homes as the first to receive them, if you eventually allow state or county non-profits to buy them for individuals or schools or maybe the USA federal government, naaa that would take too long.<br />
<br />
Anyway, if a non profit could be set up in South Carolina, I would be willing to be a volunteer.<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />
==Lima,Peru==<br />
Are children in Lima expected to get the laptops?<br />
And when?--[[User:216.194.22.10|216.194.22.10]] 07:31, 20 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: Peru is one of the [[OLPC_Status_by_Country | "green status" countries]], so I'd expect they would, although the exact distribution and timeframe would be determined by the ministry of education. There may be more details on the [[OLPC_Peru | Peru]] page, and you can read about a [[OLPC_Peru/Arahuay | Peruvian pilot program]] taking place "not far from Lima". [http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/peru/laptop_peruvian_child.html This article] suggests that the deployment by the ministry of education will happen sooner than later, due to opportunities presented by recent earthquakes. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 13:04, 20 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== FreeDOS ==<br />
<br />
Any plans of a FreeDOS alternative or to drop GNU/Linux completely? FreeDOS is very effective and small. It is open source. [[User:Greowsigbwoe|Greowsigbwoe]]<br />
:No plans to drop GNU/Linux, although we expect that some children will want to experiment with other operating systems. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 15:00, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
::So it will only be possible if they download them selves? And how will they be able to boot and install? The laptop have neither CD-ROM or floppy drives. [[User:Greowsigbwoe|Greowsigbwoe]]<br />
::Is FreeDOS preinstalled not even an possible alternative to you? [[User:Greowsigbwoe|Greowsigbwoe]]<br />
:::They'll be able to boot from an SD card or USB. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 15:33, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::::I have heard that LinuxBIOS can not boot DOS, but OK. You have not answered if the company might consider FreeDOS preinstalled. [[User:Greowsigbwoe|Greowsigbwoe]]<br />
:::::We are not using LinuxBIOS. We are using Open Firmware as our bootloader. OFW does not emulate all the legacy PC hardware you'd need to run DOS, e.g., VESA (since the VESA emulation code in AMD's Geode VSA was the one part they could not open source due to not owning rights), and the PCI configuration emulation code (which gets in our way for fast resume). There are third parties working on a BIOS for the machine but there is a fair amount of driver work required, e.g., DCON. As far as whether or not we would consider FreeDOS preinstalled, if there is sufficient demand for it and it enables us to meet our epistemological goals, then yes. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 15:52, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::::: I hope there will be someday. But i am not so sure, GNU/Linux is taking over almost everything. From big mainframes to these laptops. Thank you for your answers. [[User:Greowsigbwoe|Greowsigbwoe]]<br />
<br />
::::::DOS knows nothing of PCI, so the emulation code is not needed. DOS programs generally don't care either. DOS also doesn't need VESA, but many DOS programs do need it. DOS certainly needs a pile of BIOS calls, but these could be built right into FreeDOS. (in other words, hack FreeDOS to boot from OpenFirmware and supply its own BIOS crud) DOS also needs a text mode video screen; this would be difficult but possible. [[User:AlbertCahalan|AlbertCahalan]] 17:18, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::::One of the emulators is probably a better choice. It could even be wrapped up as a Sugar activity. If the emulators shipped with the OS itself, then one might be able to write DOS-based activities that are thin wrappers around DOS programs. Maybe there could be an easy way to share DOS disk images, much like TamTam projects can be shared. [[User:AlbertCahalan|AlbertCahalan]] 17:18, 23 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Partnering Schools ==<br />
<br />
My children visit a small primary school in Scotland, which is actively looking to find a partner school in the developing world. From talking to other parents, I believe I would be able find enough interest to purchase 30-40 OLPC laptops on your 'buy two - get one' scheme. Would it be possible to distribute the 'donated' laptops in one particular school and such create a community between the two schools?<br />
<br />
== individual use in USA ==<br />
<br />
If I "buy one - get one," I would give mine to my 6 year old grandson. Will he be able to network with kids around the world? Can the camera-mic be used to communicate with kids in Nigeria, Peru, etc?<br />
<br />
Along the same lines, how will networking work outside the expected Mesh Network environment. For instance, can my 6 year old nephew use the WiFi hub in his home?<br />
<br />
== How can I get an XO outside USA and Canada? ==<br />
<br />
Why is the Give One, Get One program being restricted to the USA and Canada only? Lots of application/content developers in other countries will also be interested in buying an XO to work with. If you use the services of an international shipping company like DHL and accept credit card payment only, then it is really no more difficult to ship to other countries than to North America.<br />
<br />
: I don't know the details of any country restrictions for the Give One Get One program, but please note that developers in other countries can also [[Developers_program#How_to_apply_for_an_XO | apply for a machine through the developer's program]]. &mdash;[[User:Leejc|Joe]] 12:31, 24 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
: You've obviously never tried shipping outside the USA... shipping the XO prototypes had its saga of glitches caused by local bureaucracies and some 'issues' (to put it mildly) from the shipping company. So I would disagree that it would be ''no more difficult to ship to other countries''... [[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 14:05, 24 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::I realize that there are some countries in the world where it can be difficult to ship things. I myself have experienced difficulties with Russia and Ukraine. But surely Western Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand are pretty straightforward. In any case, this is not a prototype circuit board that someone thinks might be a bomb controller. It is a finished and packaged laptop. Every single box going out should be identical. This is the type of situation that a shipping company like DHL can easily deal with. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 16:16, 24 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Parallel Purchasing Program ==<br />
<br />
Have you investigated the idea of having Dell or other major manufacturers give people the option of adding an OLPC Laptop to their orders? I think this is something my company and others could easily support; throwing in one of these laptops every time we buy a new computer. It would be nice, simple method of supporting your efforts.<br />
Just a thought<br />
<br />
== Server applications: Should Squid caching, and Sendmail or other e-mail be included ==<br />
<br />
Should the server include Squid cache, Sendmail or some other open sourece POP3 and SMTP server, and an admin interface such as WebMin? My experience is that there is a great benefit to using off-peak network capacity and one-way satellite downloads so people have their e-mail with attachments waiting nearby when they log in. Many web documents can be e-mailed to the viewer and downloaded as low-priority bits, what Nicholas calls "Stand-by Bits." from Edresor (I now have a username.)<br />
<br />
== using xo machine as music streamer ==<br />
<br />
i am interested in doing the 2 for 1 program; I would like to know if the machine can be used to contually stream music off the internet (using rhapsody service)/ thank you<br />
<br />
== Unlimited Give 1 Get 1 program ==<br />
<br />
I think that OLPC has underestimated the general interest and strong demand for their laptops. I think that the Give 1 Get 1 program should run for now and forever, and not be just a limited 2 week engagement - there are far too many people in the US that want to provide a laptop for their children, like the laptop designed, and think that the Give 1 Get 1 program is perfect - they can get 1 for their children or relatives, and at the same time they can give 1 to another country that needs it. As many other people have requested in previous questions and comments, they wanted the ability to directly purchase the laptop or somehow provide it to their communities in the US. The Give 1 Get 1 program helps to fill BOTH needs simultaneously. Do not just run this program for the limited time. You accidently hit upon what can push this program into overdrive. As you have found, Governments will never shovel out cash for anything. BUT private individuals will - if they can get something for their efforts as well.<br />
<br />
== access to email & the internet ==<br />
<br />
Will access to email and the internet be available if a wireless connection is available?<br />
<br />
== Other software ==<br />
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Will you be able to load other software packages (small) on OLPC? For example data logger or GPS software?</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=OLPC_myths&diff=65198OLPC myths2007-09-17T08:09:08Z<p>Memracom: /* OLPC is rewriting practically all code above the OS and UI gadget level in Python. On an underpowered platform, this will lead to intolerable performance. */</p>
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<div><noinclude>{{Translations}}</noinclude><br />
<br />
'''Myths'''<br />
<br />
Separated by "False" and "Falsehood" (inaccuracies) misunderstandings, and other responses where appropriate.<br />
<br />
=== [http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyid=2006-03-16T011042Z_01_N15248895_RTRUKOC_0_US-MICROSOFT-GATES.xml The laptop does not have internal storage such as a hard drive.] ===<br />
False: The laptop has 1GB of internal Flash memory similar to the inexpensive thumb drives sold at many computer stores. Operating systems can be installed and/or files can be saved on this memory. The laptop also has USB ports for external hard drives; so internal Flash storage can be used for the OS and some file storage, and common external USB drives can take up the slack if needed. Further, the laptop has an SD-card slot for further expansion.<br />
<br />
===The laptop will be really clunky with a hand crank on the side===<br />
True, early prototypes included a hand crank, but it was removed in subsequent versions. The actual shipping units will use an off-board human-power system, connected to the power brick. Candidates include a foot-pedal charger similar to the [[Freecharge portable charger]], solar panels, a crank, and a pulley system.<br />
<br />
=== You're expecting this to be a magic bullet for poverty. ===<br />
False: Not at all. It is simply a tool for education and communication and only helps, in part, in contributing to the entirety of aid programs where these laptops are distributed. Nevertheless it provides access to education, health, technology, economic opportunity, and more, and a few children will be able pull themselves out of poverty with no other assistance.<br />
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=== The laptop isn't powerful enough to run modern 3D games and other resource-heavy programs such as video-editing software. ===<br />
True in some cases but irrelevant: That's not the purpose of this laptop. It is designed to be an inexpensive way for people of limited means to use a computer for such things as internet and educational software. The choice is not currently between this system and a more capable one: it is between this and nothing. This is better. [What programs the laptop will run well is more about how well the program is written than the functionality of the program, e.g., the laptop will have little forgiveness for programs with memory leaks.]<br />
<br />
=== The proposed $100 machine will be Linux-based ===<br />
It is true that the first prototypes will run a slimmed down version of [[Fedora Core]] with the Sugar user interface produced by [http://redhat.com Red Hat], however [[Talk:System_Software#Operating_System_Selection|other systems have also been considered]] and could be loaded later.<br />
<br />
=== The proposed $100 machine will run a Microsoft Windows operating system ===<br />
True: Microsoft is working on a Windows based system that can be executed on the OLPC laptop.<br />
False: There is no strategy change. The OLPC is continuing to develop a Linux-based software set for the laptop in conjunction with Red Hat. But since the OLPC project is open we cannot (and maybe even don't want to) stop other people from developing and supplying alternate software packages.<br />
<br />
=== An old Pentium laptop can do the same thing. ===<br />
False: The point of this laptop is to keep people connected with the modern computer net-based society. Using a laptop that may be on its way to obsolescence from a second-hand store, or building new expensive Pentium laptops for this purpose isn't feasible. You have to design something specifically to answer all the requirements of the $100 laptop. If we could make a reliable $2 laptop that is modern and can do everything required of it in our program, we would absolutely make such a device. Another problem with the "old- or used-computer" approach is that it doesn't scale. The overhead of deployment and support would overshadow any potential economies in terms of the capital costs. A final, insurmountable problem with the "old- or used-computer" approach is power. The XO laptop uses an order of magnitude less power than the typical laptop. It is both environmentally reckless and economically infeasible to power used computers in developing world.<br />
<br />
=== You're forcing this on poverty stricken areas that need food, water and housing rather than a laptop. ===<br />
Falsehood: Not at all. Like it was said earlier, this is only a tool and should not be seen as more than that. We agree that other more urgent matters must be attended to before you insert high tech into the situation of poverty. <br />
:Not everybody agrees with that idea. Some think that access to the Net is the fastest way for poor people to get the political clout to require their governments to provide services to them. Or to get the education for real jobs that take them out of poverty completely. Or access to innovative technologies for providing food, water, clothing, shelter, energy, etc.<br />
<br />
But we believe education and communication with the modern world to be important as well. Food, water, clothing and other necessities come first. Nevertheless, a world view and good education can do wonders for a child's mind and continued health. Computers, especially those that are networked, have shown to be development 'multipliers', that is they help to improve the delivery of medical, educational and communication services.<br />
<br />
:Whilst I applaud the innovative nature of the project and particularly the conceptual model surrounding "Sugar", it worries me that it is being foisted upon the so-called third-world communities; it all smacks too much of the flavour of some kind of social pedagogical "experiment". There is, I suppose, a great deal of sense in the argument that such communities have not been exposed to and pre-conditioned by existing interfaces and their established standards, and will thus be more amenable to alternatives. However, I can't help feeling that strategies for optimum learning are by their very nature culturally dependent, as indeed are any notions of what might be considered valuable knowledge. I can't help thinking that it is unlikely that these "third-world" communities have had much genuine say in the OLPC project's design and planning... Once again, "wisdom" seems to be in the hands of the rich, generous, patriarchal white nations of the "West". Perhaps the "experiment" would have been better carried out in the US?<br />
<br />
:Nevertheless, I find the concepts truly fascinating and regardless of my concerns I certainly hope the project proves successful. All going well, the interface will hopefully be flexible enough to mould itself to the cultural behaviour and activities of its users. The hierarchical model of the traditional desktop GUI, on the other hand, certainly models the Linnaean-like structures of the colonial past and, I fear, of the postcolonial present.<br />
:[[User:Mcewanw|Mcewanw]] 19:26, 13 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::A few comments about "pedagogical experiments" and Sugar: OLPC pedagogy is based upon Constructionism, the gist of which is that you learn through doing, so if you want more learning, you want more doing. While this approach is not epistemologically agnostic, it is for the most part culturally agnostic: it is -- by design -- amenable to adaptation to local cultural values in regard to what "doing" is appropriate. Projects tend to be grounded in local contexts; one role of the teacher is to help the children shape their constructions within these contexts. Constructionism is not a new idea -- it has been used by teachers and learning for many decades, not just in the "West" but in virtually every corner of planet. Many of its greatest theorists and practitioners come from the developing world.<br />
<br />
::The role of Sugar is simply to provide some affordances that enable children to explore, express, and communicate. Sugar is a community project that has contributors from a diverse base; feedback from teachers and students in roughly one-dozen trials in the developing world has greatly influenced the design. Further, it is -- by design -- free and open. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 04:11, 15 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
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=== [http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9584_22-5989067.html This isn't a laptop. This is a gadget.] ===<br />
Falsehood: What does this mean? To call it a "gadget" implies that this is nothing more than a toy or an insignificant object of interest. Can a commercially available PDA do better? Highly unlikely. Can a cell phone do better? Why waste a cell phone that may not have the needed features in an effort to avoid designing something to really solve these problems? This is not to say that others can't come up with better ideas; we encourage it. In the strictest utilitarian sense our hope is that this technology we call a laptop can do much more than mere gadgetry. And we're confident it can.<br />
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=== You can't use a laptop in a place that might not have power. ===<br />
False: If the laptop comes with a method of inexpensive self-contained rechargeable power, such as wind-up power that lasts a good long time, this is not true. [We are aiming for a minimum of a 10:1 ratio between time put into reading the eBook and time human-powering, i.e., one minute of cranking gives you at least ten minutes of reading.] You might be surprised at the number and variety of energy sources available in poor countries, including solar, wind, water, bicycle, animal, biomass, etc.<br />
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=== It is not made of recyclable components ===<br />
<br />
False: The XO is the greenest laptop ever made. EPEAT (www.epeat.net) is an organization that measures the environmental impact of laptops. OLPC is in process of applying for a rating for them, which we believe will be excellent. XO appears destined to be the first laptop to receive their Gold Rating, and in fact, it has been suggested that the XO may warrant establishing a new, even higher rating.<br />
<br />
=== It will contribute to the landfills worldwide if made in vast quantities ===<br />
We hope that is not true. If the program is run well by governments all or most laptops will be accounted for. No doubt some laptops will find their way into trash bins and garbage dumps, where there are strong financial incentives for almost all of them to be reclaimed. Will broken laptops be brought back and recycled or parted out for new laptops (refurbished)? Hopefully. And hopefully distribution and reclamation will be conducted in a responsible manner.<br />
<br />
=== If others are coming up with their own ideas then there must be something inherently wrong with your idea. ===<br />
Falsehood: Not so. Like mentioned earlier, if other groups and businesses come up with their own ideas then we encourage it. That doesn't automatically put a value judgement on competing ideas. Some ideas or projects may have strengths and weaknesses that others do not. We can only learn from each other to better each other's ideas and we hope we will in the spirit of goodwill towards those who need it. But what we hope this does not turn into is petty rivalry and cutthroat politics in business that is not conducive to a cause we happen to champion.<br />
<br />
=== This laptop will do more harm than good. ===<br />
How so?: If it's simply a tool as water purifying machines are tools, how will it harm the people it's intended to help? If you're talking about the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide digital divide] in most places where this program may be instituted, think on that a minute. If this laptop does what it's intended to do it can only open avenues to better close that divide. If you're talking about the environment, read the entries on that further up the list. Or do you think that these laptops will, for example, destroy languages and cultures? Hardly. Even now, minority languages that seemed to be dying out, such as Hawai'ian, Welsh and Irish, and Yiddish are coming back. Why wouldn't that work for languages of Africa or Asia? These laptops will provide unequalled opportunities for saving once endangered aspects of civilization and bring them to the attention and consideration of the entire world community. This is what we generally mean by "communication" and this laptop can only help, not hinder, in the achievement of this goal.<br />
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=== Why this hasn't been done before is because there must be a very good reason against it. ===<br />
False: All things have a beginning. And not doing things just because others before you haven't done those things is no reason not to do them or make excuses why not to do them. Most likely because possible previous attempts have failed (presumably) is because the right technology just wasn't there to begin with. Now we have technology that is cheap enough and available enough to attempt something of this magnitude. That's how it's always been. We are trying to "stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us" and learn from their mistakes, and we have had to invent some things from scratch to bypass some of the well-known pitfalls of such a project. This evolution of technology is based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_Law Moore's Law]. The evolution of the epistemology--recall that this is a learning project--is based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructionist_learning 40 years of research into technology and learning]. Eventually the written word spread across the globe and obviously was developed as civilization developed. It had to start somewhere with someone. Same with technology and its eventual seeming ubiquity.<br />
<br />
=== OLPC has no plan for (insert topic of objection) ===<br />
<br />
People say that OLPC has no plan for recycling the laptops, or training teachers, or getting software into local languages, or preventing wholesale theft and resale of the machines, or a host of other things that we clearly should plan for. The fact is that it is too soon to have an '''announced''' plan for any of these things. But lack of an announced plan does not equate to lack of planning. Significant numbers of people are putting their best thoughts and other efforts into these problems, and will have much to say at the appropriate times.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, how can we plan in any detail for such huge transforming events as bringing a generation out of poverty? Look at countries where it has happened, like South Korea, or is happening, like Thailand. Who could have predicted twenty or thirty years ago where they would be today, and what they would need next? Who could have predicted that South Korea would become the most highly digitally-connected nation on Earth, or the state of the North Korean and Burmese refugee problems?<br />
<br />
So the kind of planning we have to do is what software developers call [http://agilemanifesto.org/ Agile] Planning. We have to know what we can do next, and we have to create a process for understanding what happens when we do it, and how we can proceed from wherever we get to. The opposite of the infamous Soviet or Indian Five-Year Plan, or the Waterfall model of software development, where everything is supposed to be known in advance, whether it can be or not.<br />
<br />
What do we need to do next? <br />
<br />
* Build and test the computer, and get it ready for production<br />
* Get more software for it in more languages<br />
* Get financial commitments for the first production run and field trials<br />
* Plan enough of the training and logistics for the trials<br />
* Research the trials<br />
* Plan the next larger rollout<br />
<br />
We have a pretty good idea how to do the first two, Sales & Marketing (AKA Prof. Negroponte) is working the third about as well as he can, and it's still too soon to do more than outline the last three. The problems of training and logistics will be different in every country. We will need to focus considerable energy on the issues that actually arise, and not wish for a plan that could meet every possible contingency. <br />
<br />
How can we tell what happened?<br />
<br />
* Pay attention, AKA research, done by professional researchers and by the people concerned. Read the children's blogs, for one major thing.<br />
<br />
Then what?<br />
<br />
* Oh, just another 200 or so countries where 6,000+ languages are spoken, major health problems, the odd civil war or tyranny, a little of this and a little of that, you know. No shortage of challenges. The perfect setting for a flowering of ingenuity that will put the Industrial Revolution to shame. I'm counting on the brainpower and energy of a few hundred million hungry children. You and I can't outthink them, especially not in advance.<br />
<br />
So are you going to stand there cursing the darkness, or teach people to make candles?<br />
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=== OLPC is rewriting practically all code above the OS and UI gadget level in Python. On an underpowered platform, this will lead to intolerable performance. ===<br />
<br />
This is probably false. The reasons probably include significant code not rewritten in Python (examples?), the fact that python isn't as slow as interpreted languages used to be (statistics?), and empirical evidence that things are working fine on the OLPC (examples?). <br />
<br />
(When this answer is rewritten with specifics, please remove my signature: [[User:Homunq|Homunq]] 15:30, 29 July 2007 (EDT))<br />
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:The L2 Cache on the LX has a big impact on Python performance as well... --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 20:20, 29 July 2007 (EDT)<br />
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:I also wonder how cpu intensive it is; I can't imagine it being lightweight in terms of the resources it needs.<br />
:[[User:Mcewanw|Mcewanw]] 19:13, 13 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
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=== The price is rising horribly, it's already $189 ===<br />
<br />
It is depressing to see the price of the laptop going up every week. Isn't this going to make it harder to distribute as many laptops as we want to?<br />
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:The price rises quoted in the press are based on converting the Taiwanese manufacturer's cost into US Dollars. However, this assumes that the payments for the laptop are sent to the US first and then to Taiwan. Since a large part of this price rise is based on the weakening of the U.S. Dollar, there are two ways that buying countries can mitigate the situation and maintain a lower price for the laptop.<br />
<br />
:First, they can send their money directly to Taiwan. Chances are that the relative values of currency between Taiwan and a developing country are not shifting that much. Secondly, they can take advantage of the fact that the US dollar is weakening which allows them to buy more US Dollars with their home currency than they could previously. If the US Dollar strengthens, then it is possible to lock in a savings by buying USD at its weakest and then paying the USD price later, after the price has dropped.<br />
<br />
:Bottom line is that you should not worry about price changes due to currency fluctuations. In addition, the current price of the laptop in the early days, is not terribly relevant. The really important price issue is how low we can push the price by raming up the volume of laptops manufactured and shipped.<br />
--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 04:09, 17 September 2007 (EDT)<br />
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[[Category:OLPC FAQ]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=25343Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-02-19T19:17:04Z<p>Memracom: /* Nigerian Ophanage as Beta Site */</p>
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<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
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==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
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Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
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In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
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This is a very interesting question. This question may have some answers in a recent article In CNN Money.<br />
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[http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/20/technology/fastforward_thirdworld.fortune/index.htm]<br />
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--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 09:55, 10 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
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==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
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:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
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:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
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::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
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:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
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==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
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--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal]<br />
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:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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Further to the question above, does the OLPC initiative include distributing laptops to children who are currently going through patient care in a hospital setting? And if so do you have links to devices that can allow a child to utilize a laptop from a hospital bed (i.e., wall mounted mechanical laptop ARM)? This is a great initiative!!!<br />
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Regards<br />
CReid<br />
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:Technically, it's the governments '''buying''' the laptop that will distribute them ('''not''' the OLPC), and while I see no difference between a child in a hospital bed or a cabin in the mountains (from a distribution PoV), my guess is that hospitals in these countries have other priorities to allocate their budgets instead of [http://www.infologixsys.com/products/Healthcare/Healthcare-Solutions/Point-of-Care/Wall-Mount-Workstation/C-Wallmount-Cabinet/default.asp fancy trays] (as cool as they might be ;) --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:05, 23 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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As a representative of an NGO type organization I just recently commented to a UN officer about a similar subject. “Fancy Trays”' are not always at the request of the country or donor agency in general. Part of what makes these items or services that may not at first glance seem functional is the vision of the donor. Just like the water go round in Africa sponsored by Ex US president Bill Clinton and the water see saw in another nation that promotes the washing of your hands. It is not always up to the receiver in what it is they are to receive .<br />
There are also many sites that go in-depth about theses issues and the how and why's of the matters. If you are interested in finding out more you can direct searches about: third world programs, world aid and I am sure you can find more information as to why a fancy tray may have been purchased or donated as well as many other interesting things.<br />
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== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
:This is brilliant! My niece and nephew recently gave me a flashlight that is charged by shaking a weight back and forth through windings where the D cell batteries would go in handle of "normal" flashpoint. It is very low power LED bulb but the accumulated energy could be significant. Something similar but maybe with steel balls to roll around a racetrack or arc designed for ergonomic motions in a couple of different walking "games" would charge the power storage all the way home or to school! We need to find an ergonomics specialist to help (and maybe a child pyschologist or game specialist) and an electrical engineer to design the circuits for the generator ..... maybe we could find some soon at Wikiversity? ... or we could track down someone knowledgeable from the power summit recently held. Power summit for One Laptop Per Child project[http://lwn.net/Articles/181687/] .... I am not sure how to proceed. I am currently trying to get a pedagogy project going http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Self_Paced_Reading_Labs. I do not have time for this but the kids need power to access the internet and get to Wikiversity. 8( Maybe someone will pick your idea up. It is a really good one. [[User:Mirwin|Mirwin]] 13:59, 11 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
:See the section about [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Training & Capacity Building]]... but in general, that is upto the deploying countries to decide how it'll work - you should contact that side of the equation (or any organizations they name when the time comes).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:54, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
: For information about such security topics, see the [[Bitfrost]] specification. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:20, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of [[Fedora]] with the [[Sugar]] os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
---Yes but you cant ignore Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A starving kid with a starving family at home will not see OLPC as an education tool but instead as something he can sell to buy food. Exploitation in India by international IT companies may be morally wrong by the developed world standards but the alternative for indian programmers to that kind of exploitation is unemployment. I'm not ignoring the fact that one needs education to be a programmer, OLPC can provide that education. "Education first" slogan sounds great, but realistically speaking you can't skip the layers in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.<br />
<br />
::The interesting thing about Maslow and technology is that it sometimes results are ''counter-intuitive''. For example, many reports have been written about how cell-phone technology actually has improved the standard of living for subsistence farmers, fishermen, etc. because they extend one basic need: communication & mobility (two things targeted by the laptop). --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:58, 17 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lamp is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
:Hey "scampsd" i couldnt work out how to contact you about this, I am interested in alternative scales, mail me, simon att simon chadwick dt net<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two approaches to solve short-term and long-term problems of the developing world? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = investing in a better future for them and their societies. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against polarity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
May be a project similar to OLPC can be initiated to narrow the digital divide in the US. But instead of inventing a whole new laptop like the OLPC old PCs and laptops can be recycled and install linux to save cost? You'll find that when you run Linux on old computers they're not so "old." :-)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
*This will be the responsibility of the country in which the laptops are deployed. They are more familiar with local culture, local social issues and local laws.<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Rugged Laptops ==<br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
:'Huge' is relative, you can measure it in number of units or monetary value. And given that the market is a niche, it implies a small volume and high monetary value&mdash;the opposite of what the OLPC target market is (afaik). I see your point in 'overpricing' this 'commercial rugged laptops', but that would only create incentives to divert machines to the black/grey market. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:10, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />
---(JK, USA) There ought to be a sister project of the OLPC to bring internet connection to schools in the developing world. One internet connection per school wouldn't be a bad name for such project. Wireless Gateway/APs powered by environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, perhaps linked to a bidirectional satellite internet receiver, and then use [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/]WifiPaypal so that donors in the developed world can donate mothly Satellite connection bill direct to the schools using Paypal.<br />
<br />
*I think you should develop your idea and get about doing it. Gus, Chile<br />
<br />
Yes, that would be great to get internet capabilities, I agree -- I hope you do start that up!<br />
<br />
Does anybody know about the approximate power needs for the gateways? I know somebody working on microbial fuel cells and he asked me to find out what the power needs would be, and I just have no idea. I'm assuming that power is going to be a biggish issue for the gateways, as many of them will be in areas with no elecricity -- Am I wrong? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
:Generally ages 6 to 17. (First grade to the end of high school in the US.) The emphasis is ages 6 to 10 or so. A careful look at OLPC pictures indicates that they are really sized for 6 to 10 year olds. --[[User:Tef|tef]] 13 Jan 2007<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. <br />
<br />
:There is no "buy 2 get 1" scheme. If you would read the [[Retail]] page then you would know this.<br />
<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
<br />
:This is not an OLPC idea. The OLPC project has no intention to distribute laptops over Ebay and if people started to sell stolen laptops on Ebay we would work to shut that down.<br />
<br />
==Relaunching software as freeware==<br />
We are reviving ChipWits - an award-winning iconic programming game - and would like to encourage a freeware version to be developed for the OLPC. Is there a forum to discuss it?<br />
<br />
:There are several [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo mailing lists] (note the link in the 'about olpc' box at the top-left of the page. Also, there's a section on how to get around [[Sharing your content with OLPC]].<br />
:BTW, the OLPC is commited to [[Open Source]], so 'free' would probably not be enough, methinks.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:43, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
::ChipWits will be open source. Thanks for the pointer to the mailing list.<br />
<br />
== Tested with destructive children? ==<br />
<br />
Regardless of cultural background, everywhere these laptops will go there will be some children who'll break anything they get their hands on within a few days or even minutes.<br />
<br />
Have these two tests been conducted with actual children?<br />
<br />
Rotate the screen 90 degrees then have various children attempt to push the screen down as if it was going to be closed normally or in e-book position. If the hinge breaks then it's not strong enough.<br />
<br />
The angry child test. Anyone who has ever seen kids get upset at not being able to figure out a toy or game or puzzle and *has not* seen at least one kid hurl the thing across the room or swat it off a table hasn't been around enough children. With the screen in various positions, test it from merely dropping to the floor from table height to being shoved off at various speeds. To gather velocity data, have various children push and throw test objects of size and weight similar to the current BTest laptop design, then use that data with a pusher device on an actual BTest laptop.<br />
<br />
One possibility may be to build in some amount of flexibility, similar to spring hinges on eyeglasses, or make a non-twist design for the youngest children. Put some glasses frames on some kids then have them play volleyball. Mix the frames half with spring hinges, half without. Observe the effect of a volleyball to the head and what happens to the frames. (Having your frames broken three times in three consecutive games is a great way to convinve the parents to spend the extra $ on frames with spring hinges!)<br />
<br />
Another possible way to reduce damage potential is to make the hinge with a cam action so that it can only be twisted around when it's open to 90 degrees, and attempting to turn it when it's open more or less will push the screen to 90 degrees before allowing it to rotate very far. Joints like this are used in many products already, to ensure the joint can only be manipulated in paths that will work properly. Examine as many existing twist screen laptops as possible to see if any already have such 'forced path' screen hinges. Couple this with a simple spring loaded, double acting "saloon door" type hinge between the screen and the twist and fold hinge already on the BTest laptops could make the hinge system extremely tough.<br />
<br />
What could be a bit of a compromise system is to design the screen to 'breakaway' from the top of the hinge, with a reinforced data cable and a braided steel cable for extra durability. The screen could be easily snapped back on, but durability of the snap joint could be an issue, especially if the snap together parts are plastic.<br />
<br />
The idea that all or most children who're growing up with next to nothing will give these laptops super loving care is major 'blue sky'. The twist hinge is a big potential failure point. One big thing anyone working on any complex system has to keep in mind is that the more points of potential failure there are, the more likely there will be failures.<br />
<br />
Design the screen hinge to take abuse and there will be minimal problems with the abuse it will definately recieve. Leave it with the current hinge design and you'll be seeing plenty coming back with broken hinges.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''True but...'''<br />
I would like to add that based on the statement '''“Cultural Background”''' there is in some ways a much more stronger type life style that many that will be eligible for the lap top live.<br />
But because it is a learning program with a parable infrastructure their has to be in the distribution and training of those who will hand them out a part about responsibility.<br />
It should be explained to each child in their groups of receiving the Laptop that if it breaks there is a chance that they may not get another ,as only one lap top per child or family. Since it is the government and their sponsors that are to foot the bill, <br />
this is a very serious consideration. Creating a <br />
lesson plan with in the training material about <br />
the ups and downs of the unit if it brakes. Can '''One:''' <br />
Move the government too, with in their budget to acquire <br />
parts and as well as service contracts in how long <br />
they will support the Laptop if it breaks. '''Two:'''<br />
Where locally will they be able to bring the <br />
laptop in for service. '''Three:''' be prepared <br />
for local people to get in on the act and tinker with the laptop if it is a hinge and find ways to fix it. I also think your expression about child anger was some what misleading and misinformed. <br />
I think the possibility of a goat <br />
or farm animal stepping on the lap top <br />
that belonged to a child that had brought the lap top along to do family chores could be a better scenario<br />
I believe this is much more realistic. <br />
I don't think presenting such negative <br />
leads towards aggression ,as to have faith in <br />
the little children that they are good and can handle the responsibility of caring for their new <br />
computer friend. <br />
I hope in the future to share my <br />
experience based on countless hours of research <br />
in to the presentation of third world issues <br />
that there are some inconsistencies in what is presented by media in general and the real life of that matter. <br />
This is also a generalization as in all walks <br />
of life the real truth can only be known by the<br />
actors and witness of the fact at hand. <br />
That's for every one too!--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 08:53, 19 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== LiveCD OS Images ==<br />
<br />
I downloaded a few of the recent LiveCD image builds (231), but for some reason the system does not load up and run. Obviously in this case you need a PC that has a CD/DVD reader etc. I may not be burning the CD correctly although Grub seems to start ok.<br />
Is there any particular hardware needed that a typical PC does not have, or something that I am not doing properly? Anyone out there that has this working and can share some ideas would be great. Thanks in advance.<br />
<br />
== Color Coded Maps and Color Blind People==<br />
<br />
Would you please consider a written list of country status for those of us that are colorblind and can't make heads nor tails of your map?<br />
<br />
:There's an [[OLPC Status by Country]] page with a table - but darn! It too is color coded! ...just checked :( <br />
:I'll update it to make it text AND color coded.<br />
:It covers [[OLPC Status by Country#Africa|Africa]], the [[OLPC Status by Country#The Americas|Americas]] and [[OLPC Status by Country#Asia|Asia]], and it's '''NOT''' official (iow, the coding of some countries could be wrong).<br />
:And yes, there should be a link to that table in the [[#Countries|Countries section above]] and in the [[Map]] page.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:30, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Bad netiquette, answering to self, but it's already done! See [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
::This question and it's answer will soon be moved to the [[#Country]] section above.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:58, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Chrekula Uganda ==<br />
<br />
We are opening aprivate school in the village of Cherekula Uganda. I was going to provide two laptop computers but we are facing a problem with the lack of electrical power. We are exploring the purchase of a gas generator. I have bee folling the OLPC project for seceral years and am now convinced this is a better alternative. How do I enlist the Ugandan government so that I can take sveral OLPC computers to the choll when we visit this March (2007). We are completely willing to purchase them and we can transport the or have them shipped. I know that these would be pilots (beta?). We just want to try and get moving ahead on providing internet access to some very deprived children. This school is a high school. The first one ever in this village. It is located about 250 km from Kampala. Can you advise me on how to proceed. We can document the school i required. THanks ./Jim May jimlind@ameritech.net Farmington Hills Mi. USA 48336<br />
<br />
:You are going at this the wrong way. The first thing you need to do is find someone who is an expert in electrical power generation and storage to give you advice. They are unlikely to suggest buying a gas-powered generator for two laptops. Ten years ago people in Africa were running laptops off car batteries that were charged up by bicycle-driven generators. You should be doing something similar today. That means choosing older laptops with lower power consumption, choosing laptops that run off 12 volts DC (like RV owners and yachtsmen do) and then getting a generator rigged from old car parts. The one thing different today from 10 years ago is that solar panels are a viable source for charging the batteries.<br />
<br />
:Forget the OLPC. You cannot buy them ([[Retail]]) and you need to get your government's support in order to get access to them.<br />
<br />
== Website woes ==<br />
<br />
Am I the only one having a problem with www.laptop.org? It seems to be formatted for those using widescreen computers. I suggest you reformat the page so that it can be accessed by any computer user.<br />
The verbage also seems to be targeted toward the academic community. While I can read what was written, it isn't user-friendly. <br />
<br />
Have you considered your target audience? It's difficult to build support for your movement if you make it difficult for potential supporters to access your information. <br />
<br />
L. Mundschau<br />
<br />
:Scroll your screen to the left to find the Contact link in the upper left hand corner. http://www.laptop.org/contact.shtml<br />
Either send an email or write a letter with your concerns. If you can include a screenshot of your screen that would help.<br />
<br />
== Investing ==<br />
<br />
How can an individual make an investment in the stock options?<br />
<br />
:There are no stocks or stock options to invest in.<br />
<br />
== What about students k-12 and college students in the USA? ==<br />
<br />
Do I qualify? I filled out the fafsa forms do you need those to determine those for financial need? If so, is there a way I can pass the computer to another "financial need base" student? I see that your organization goes around the world but didn't know if you were including the United States.<br />
<br />
:There are no plans to distribute the OLPC computers in the USA. If you want to lobby for this to happen, then read [[OLPC4USA]].<br />
<br />
== can i get one for my 2 kids??? ==<br />
<br />
dear sir/madam;<br />
<br />
i am a mother of two from the Philippines, my eldest son is only 4 yrs. old, he's now at the nursery level, and i notice that he is interested about computers, he even know how to operate my laptop and start his educational game and i am proud of it. that is why i am asking you a question if i can get one for my eldest son so he can pursue his interest in studying by using laptop, and soon will teach his baby brother to use it.<br />
<br />
thank you very much,<br />
<br />
laarni muldong<br />
<br />
:As explained in several places, the short answer is '''no'''.<br />
:See<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Where or how can I get one?]]<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question#Distribution, Roll-out, Marketing & Sales]]<br />
<br />
== freifunk.net volunteers ==<br />
<br />
I wrote an e-mail to volunteers@laptop.org <br />
ten days ago, which has not been replyed to yet.<br />
I will submit this mail here just for <br />
making sure it reaches you:<br />
<br />
:Deleted this private letter. If you do not get a reply to your email, either wait patiently, or send another email. This wiki is not a mailbox!<br />
<br />
We noticed that you are<br />
looking for people from the freifunk.net community for <br />
implementing the <br />
BATMAN software into your system. <br />
<br />
---[[User:Konstantin|Konstantin]] 09:27, 27 January 2007 (EST)---<br />
<br />
:The OLPC OS already has a built-in mesh networking system. It is highly unlikely that your BATMAN mesh networking system will be of any use. There is already a [[Developers program]] where you can offer your services.<br />
<br />
== Information about OLPC for people in pure countries ==<br />
<br />
There is lots of written material about OLPC for people in rich countries. <br />
The newspapers are full of OLPC stories.<br />
People in pure counties don't know much about OLPC but maybe the children will<br />
receive a laptop in near future.<br />
<br />
I will be in SO Asia for some month and will be in contact with teachers (as I am), mayors, children,...<br />
I like it to talk about this project with these people. There is lots of information about the<br />
project like technical specification, pedagogic methods,...<br />
<br />
But the thing I'm looking for is a simple description of the project in easy English that is use full<br />
for the local people.<br />
<br />
2-3 Pages in PDF would be great - does this already exist?<br />
--[[User:Bz|Bz]] 21:23, 29 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Hello, I'm Laura Barsottini, an italian journalist. I would like to know if is true that the laptop will be distribuited in april 2007. If not, when will be distribuited? At 130$ at the beginning? When it will be possible to begin the 2 for 1?<br />
Thenk you<br />
Laura Barsottini<br />
<br />
== RealPlayer in OPLC and applications download ==<br />
<br />
We are developing some applications that can be used to education purpose and we have some doubts:<br />
- Is it possible to make applications download using the OLPC ?<br />
- Is it possible to run the RealPlayer in OLPC ?<br />
Thanks in advance<br />
Vivian<br />
(vivianlona@hotmail.com)<br />
<br />
:The OLPC is based on downloadable activities, not applications. It will not have any RealPlayer support so you will need to encode in an open-source format. Ogg/Vorbis is good for music while Ogg/Speex is better for pure voice recordings. Read the [[Activity bundles]] page to see how to program a downloadable activity in Python.<br />
<br />
:: What format do you require? RealPlayer can play many different formats. Quicktime can be played with [http://gstreamer.net/ GStreamer] through [http://www.openquicktime.org/ OpenQuicktime] and [http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ Gnash] is mostly SWF v7 compliant (this makes Flash an open-source format). Gnash can play Flash movies from local files. If you would like to see either GStreamer or Gnash included you could add them to [[:Category:Feedback]]. [[Thin client]] explains about use of the OLPC as a web client or thin client. --[[User:Fasten|Fasten]] 11:40, 31 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
See also: [[Flash Player]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Economies of scale? ==<br />
<br />
How would it not be in your interests if you hired a non-profit-org to sell laptops to citizens of more rich countries?<br />
<br />
You claim that it has to do with scale and all, but do you understand how many of these would sell? I'm sitting in front of a dual AMD turion laptop, yet I'd love the idea of having a laptop for my room and car both. You could sell millions of these here in the states. Would that not be scale for you? What # are you looking at would be for "scale" to occur?<br />
<br />
:This is not so much of answer given that I ignore the details, '''thus I'm assuming'''.<br />
:It would seem that the deal struck between the OLPC and [[Quanta]] is ~USD 135 per unit EXW / FOB for a minimum order of 5 million units. So the OLPC has to ensure ''at least'' a 5 million order, before Quanta pushes the go button. Afaik, that is the "scale" needed.<br />
<br />
== Preventing Porn/Adult Content? ==<br />
<br />
At launch time will the laptop include any software for content controls (to prevent porn, etc). I realize that one's definition of "acceptable content" varies over regions, but isn't most content filtering software for the client Win-based?<br />
<br />
: This will, as far as I know, be left up to countries. Because the hardware and software OLPC will provide is as open as possible, there is no real way to implement such filtering on the laptops themselves; the kids could just change the software to get around such restrictions. --[[User:18.85.46.22|18.85.46.22]] 19:16, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Since most computers will be used with no Internet access whatsoever, this is a minor problem. In areas where there will be Internet access it will be provided by a school gateway. The filtering will either be implemented on the school gateway or at a central regional gateway.<br />
<br />
== Mesh Network Emulation ==<br />
<br />
I'd like to try running a mesh network with emulation software; using say several laptops and a server (they could all be on one physical machine). I can't figure out how to create a mesh network using the qemu image, and don't see any images for the server. Thanks.<br />
<br />
(I am a graduate student in Computer Science and Education, and would like to contribute to this project; but need to evaluate a working environment first)<br />
<br />
:Could this [[Virtualized Sugar]] page be what you're looking for? --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:26, 6 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Thanks... maybe. I fired up two instances of olpc on moka5, on separate machines in the same LAN, but couldn't them in the neighborhood. What more tinkering is required?<br />
<br />
:Looks like it didn't work, uh? I would suggest then that you raise the issue in one of the [[Community mailing lists|mailing lists]] probably [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/networking networking]. If you find an answer (solution or reason on why not) please post it here, so that we may then add it somewhere. Thanks and good luck! --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 00:45, 7 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Environmental End-of-life considerations ==<br />
<br />
The environmental impacts and economic costs of disposing of obsolete/broken ICT hardware are well-known. The energy-efficiency of the laptop helps minimise it's impact during operational life. Can some details be given on steps that have or will be taken in the manufacturing and "ultimate disposal" stages of the hardware lifecycle to minimise environmental costs? I'm thinking here of embedded energy in manufacture, and disposal costs. Will recycling costs/incentives be built into the purchase cost? Will a recovery program be up to the individual government , or part of the agreement between OLPC and clients?<br />
<br />
== MARVELL? ==<br />
<br />
I notice that Marvell is the provider of the wireless solution, but there's no hyperlink to the company. Is this the same company?<br />
Marvell Semiconductor, Inc.<br />
5488 Marvell Lane<br />
Santa Clara, CA 95054<br />
Phone: 408-222-2500<br />
Fax: 408-752-9028<br />
A search on their website: http://www.marvell.com/products/wireless/index.jsp<br />
Does not show a "Libertas" product, which is what is mentioned on the hardware page:<br />
Wireless: Marvell Libertas 88W8388+88W8015, 802.11b/g compatible; dual adjustable, rotating coaxial antennas; supports diversity reception <br />
<br />
The reason for the question is if this wireless product draws such low power, it seems like a good fit for other applications?<br />
Just wondering...<br />
<br />
: It would seem so. Particularly noting that the drivers mentioned in the [[wireless]] page link to that site, and other info in the [[Libertas]] page. I'm guessing, but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11s 802.11s (mesh)] is still fuzzy, so it probably hasn't made it to the 'product' level yet. See also [[:Category:Network]]. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:48, 8 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== XOs in operation: Observations from Nigeria ==<br />
<br />
'''XOs @ Alteq's (OLPC4Nigeria) Engineering Unit'''<br />
<br />
[[Image:Using Abiword and Browser.jpg|thumb|Nothing beats the XO experience.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Clipboard Ops.jpg|thumb|Editing the Wiki via an XO]]<br />
<br />
* One of our XOs (among the first 40 units to arrive in Nigeria) nicknamed '''alteq eng 1''' is displaying some anomalous behavior: Whenever its browser and RSS viewer (Penguin TV) are launched, their icons slowly/gently "flash" in the "circle of running applications". Whenever the flashing Penguin TV icon or Browser icon is clicked on, they each disappear.<br />
[[Image:Adding my observations.jpg|thumb|Redefining the concept of fun.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Neighborhood "radar"_1.jpg|thumb|Everyone can see everyone.]]<br />
<br />
*The '''MeshNets''' don't always work as expected; sometimes, some of the XOs indicate that their MeshNets are active...yet they don't see one another...particularly those XOs that have been "tagged" as "friends". I usually solve this by restarting.<br />
<br />
* When an application or more is shared on the MeshNet, another XO that clicks on the shared application (in the neighborhood "radar") will have its respective application launched but won't have a view of the content from the host XO that shared its application. For instance, if XO "Alpha" is viewing the web page '''http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot''' and it shares its browser, XO "Beta" can see "Alpha's" shared browser on the neighborhood radar and click on it. Whenever this is done on the XOs at Alteq (OLPC4Nigeria), "Beta" and any other XO that clicks on "Alpha's" shared browser will end up having their respective browsers going to their default URLs instead of the page that XO "Alpha" is viewing (http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot).<br />
<br />
My observations were posted onto this page using an XO (copy-and-paste from Abiword to browser).<br />
[[Image:A pair of XOs seeing each other via Mesh Net.jpg|thumb|Just the 2 of us]]<br />
<br />
--Ahmad 03:12, 12 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== autoreinstalation image through usb is not working..help.. ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i have successfully update image from this site...(olpc/manuals%20notes/Auto re installation_image.htm)...but after giving response ok at the end of setup...machine didn't reboot or shutdown... after waiting long time i shutdown the machine and then turn on .. then message comes : trying startup script disk:\boot\olpc-boot.fth..........and then no response for 5 minutes...after 5 minutes again a 4 lines message comes....<br />
<br />
boot-file = ro root=mtd0 rootfstype=jffs2 console=ttys0, 115200 console =tty0 fbcon=font:sun12*22 pci=nobios video=gxfb:1024*768-16<br />
boot-device = nand .....<br />
and machine held with this message....and no response ....<br />
<br />
can any body help me in this issue ?? <br />
-- <br />
Salman Minhas<br />
System Administrator<br />
Electronic Government Directorate<br />
<br />
:We have seen a few cases of auto-installer failures apparently due to "botched" downloads onto USB disks. We plan to mitigate that by including a manifest in the installer image, with checksums/hashes. In the interim, please try downloadinga new build image. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 20:21, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==What are the costs of implementation? Economic costs of not implementing? Who will pay?==<br />
<br />
I am doing an economics project regarding the OLPC as an economic policy to solve third world education. I was just wondering if you could provide me with answers regarding these questions, espsecially about the long-term and short-term costs including social, political, and economic, domestic and international.<br />
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Thanks, Kevin, Toronto<br />
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: The costs of implementation are just those you'd expect: infrastructure, hardware, distribution, etc. I'm not sure what you're asking about "economic costs of not implementing"; the idea is that economic benefits of education vastly outweigh the costs of laptops. National governments will pay, for the moment, though other schemes, such as one nation helping to pay for another's laptops, etc. will undoubtedly be explored as the program expands. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:34, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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== computers for children? ==<br />
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yes having a computer is great.but shouldnt we all make certain everyone is fed,first of all.people in every country go hungry each day.where is your 100$ technological advancement for that?<br />
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:Congratulations. You are the 10,000th person to ask this question. We direct you to the answer prominently displayed in [[Our mission]].</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=25342Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-02-19T19:16:41Z<p>Memracom: /* Economies of scale? */</p>
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<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
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This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
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==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
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Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
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In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
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Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
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According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
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This is a very interesting question. This question may have some answers in a recent article In CNN Money.<br />
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[http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/20/technology/fastforward_thirdworld.fortune/index.htm]<br />
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--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 09:55, 10 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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==Usability and User Testing==<br />
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There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
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==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
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Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
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:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
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::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
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:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
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::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
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However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
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:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
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:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
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==Accessibility==<br />
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What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
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--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal]<br />
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:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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Further to the question above, does the OLPC initiative include distributing laptops to children who are currently going through patient care in a hospital setting? And if so do you have links to devices that can allow a child to utilize a laptop from a hospital bed (i.e., wall mounted mechanical laptop ARM)? This is a great initiative!!!<br />
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Regards<br />
CReid<br />
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:Technically, it's the governments '''buying''' the laptop that will distribute them ('''not''' the OLPC), and while I see no difference between a child in a hospital bed or a cabin in the mountains (from a distribution PoV), my guess is that hospitals in these countries have other priorities to allocate their budgets instead of [http://www.infologixsys.com/products/Healthcare/Healthcare-Solutions/Point-of-Care/Wall-Mount-Workstation/C-Wallmount-Cabinet/default.asp fancy trays] (as cool as they might be ;) --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:05, 23 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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As a representative of an NGO type organization I just recently commented to a UN officer about a similar subject. “Fancy Trays”' are not always at the request of the country or donor agency in general. Part of what makes these items or services that may not at first glance seem functional is the vision of the donor. Just like the water go round in Africa sponsored by Ex US president Bill Clinton and the water see saw in another nation that promotes the washing of your hands. It is not always up to the receiver in what it is they are to receive .<br />
There are also many sites that go in-depth about theses issues and the how and why's of the matters. If you are interested in finding out more you can direct searches about: third world programs, world aid and I am sure you can find more information as to why a fancy tray may have been purchased or donated as well as many other interesting things.<br />
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== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
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We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
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Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
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We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
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I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
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Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
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Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
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--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
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== Self-winding generator ==<br />
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Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
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:This is brilliant! My niece and nephew recently gave me a flashlight that is charged by shaking a weight back and forth through windings where the D cell batteries would go in handle of "normal" flashpoint. It is very low power LED bulb but the accumulated energy could be significant. Something similar but maybe with steel balls to roll around a racetrack or arc designed for ergonomic motions in a couple of different walking "games" would charge the power storage all the way home or to school! We need to find an ergonomics specialist to help (and maybe a child pyschologist or game specialist) and an electrical engineer to design the circuits for the generator ..... maybe we could find some soon at Wikiversity? ... or we could track down someone knowledgeable from the power summit recently held. Power summit for One Laptop Per Child project[http://lwn.net/Articles/181687/] .... I am not sure how to proceed. I am currently trying to get a pedagogy project going http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Self_Paced_Reading_Labs. I do not have time for this but the kids need power to access the internet and get to Wikiversity. 8( Maybe someone will pick your idea up. It is a really good one. [[User:Mirwin|Mirwin]] 13:59, 11 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
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Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
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== Volunteering ==<br />
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How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
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:See the section about [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Training & Capacity Building]]... but in general, that is upto the deploying countries to decide how it'll work - you should contact that side of the equation (or any organizations they name when the time comes).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:54, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
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Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
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<br />
----<br />
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== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
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Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
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:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
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== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
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<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
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Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
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Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
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yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
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JK, USA<br />
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: For information about such security topics, see the [[Bitfrost]] specification. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:20, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
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Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
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Wish there was a version of [[Fedora]] with the [[Sugar]] os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
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== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
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:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Beyond education ==<br />
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These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
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--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
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JK, USA<br />
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:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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---Yes but you cant ignore Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A starving kid with a starving family at home will not see OLPC as an education tool but instead as something he can sell to buy food. Exploitation in India by international IT companies may be morally wrong by the developed world standards but the alternative for indian programmers to that kind of exploitation is unemployment. I'm not ignoring the fact that one needs education to be a programmer, OLPC can provide that education. "Education first" slogan sounds great, but realistically speaking you can't skip the layers in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.<br />
<br />
::The interesting thing about Maslow and technology is that it sometimes results are ''counter-intuitive''. For example, many reports have been written about how cell-phone technology actually has improved the standard of living for subsistence farmers, fishermen, etc. because they extend one basic need: communication & mobility (two things targeted by the laptop). --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:58, 17 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lamp is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
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:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
:Hey "scampsd" i couldnt work out how to contact you about this, I am interested in alternative scales, mail me, simon att simon chadwick dt net<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two approaches to solve short-term and long-term problems of the developing world? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = investing in a better future for them and their societies. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against polarity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
May be a project similar to OLPC can be initiated to narrow the digital divide in the US. But instead of inventing a whole new laptop like the OLPC old PCs and laptops can be recycled and install linux to save cost? You'll find that when you run Linux on old computers they're not so "old." :-)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
*This will be the responsibility of the country in which the laptops are deployed. They are more familiar with local culture, local social issues and local laws.<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Rugged Laptops ==<br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
:'Huge' is relative, you can measure it in number of units or monetary value. And given that the market is a niche, it implies a small volume and high monetary value&mdash;the opposite of what the OLPC target market is (afaik). I see your point in 'overpricing' this 'commercial rugged laptops', but that would only create incentives to divert machines to the black/grey market. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:10, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />
---(JK, USA) There ought to be a sister project of the OLPC to bring internet connection to schools in the developing world. One internet connection per school wouldn't be a bad name for such project. Wireless Gateway/APs powered by environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, perhaps linked to a bidirectional satellite internet receiver, and then use [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/]WifiPaypal so that donors in the developed world can donate mothly Satellite connection bill direct to the schools using Paypal.<br />
<br />
*I think you should develop your idea and get about doing it. Gus, Chile<br />
<br />
Yes, that would be great to get internet capabilities, I agree -- I hope you do start that up!<br />
<br />
Does anybody know about the approximate power needs for the gateways? I know somebody working on microbial fuel cells and he asked me to find out what the power needs would be, and I just have no idea. I'm assuming that power is going to be a biggish issue for the gateways, as many of them will be in areas with no elecricity -- Am I wrong? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
:Generally ages 6 to 17. (First grade to the end of high school in the US.) The emphasis is ages 6 to 10 or so. A careful look at OLPC pictures indicates that they are really sized for 6 to 10 year olds. --[[User:Tef|tef]] 13 Jan 2007<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. <br />
<br />
:There is no "buy 2 get 1" scheme. If you would read the [[Retail]] page then you would know this.<br />
<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
<br />
:This is not an OLPC idea. The OLPC project has no intention to distribute laptops over Ebay and if people started to sell stolen laptops on Ebay we would work to shut that down.<br />
<br />
==Relaunching software as freeware==<br />
We are reviving ChipWits - an award-winning iconic programming game - and would like to encourage a freeware version to be developed for the OLPC. Is there a forum to discuss it?<br />
<br />
:There are several [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo mailing lists] (note the link in the 'about olpc' box at the top-left of the page. Also, there's a section on how to get around [[Sharing your content with OLPC]].<br />
:BTW, the OLPC is commited to [[Open Source]], so 'free' would probably not be enough, methinks.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:43, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
::ChipWits will be open source. Thanks for the pointer to the mailing list.<br />
<br />
== Tested with destructive children? ==<br />
<br />
Regardless of cultural background, everywhere these laptops will go there will be some children who'll break anything they get their hands on within a few days or even minutes.<br />
<br />
Have these two tests been conducted with actual children?<br />
<br />
Rotate the screen 90 degrees then have various children attempt to push the screen down as if it was going to be closed normally or in e-book position. If the hinge breaks then it's not strong enough.<br />
<br />
The angry child test. Anyone who has ever seen kids get upset at not being able to figure out a toy or game or puzzle and *has not* seen at least one kid hurl the thing across the room or swat it off a table hasn't been around enough children. With the screen in various positions, test it from merely dropping to the floor from table height to being shoved off at various speeds. To gather velocity data, have various children push and throw test objects of size and weight similar to the current BTest laptop design, then use that data with a pusher device on an actual BTest laptop.<br />
<br />
One possibility may be to build in some amount of flexibility, similar to spring hinges on eyeglasses, or make a non-twist design for the youngest children. Put some glasses frames on some kids then have them play volleyball. Mix the frames half with spring hinges, half without. Observe the effect of a volleyball to the head and what happens to the frames. (Having your frames broken three times in three consecutive games is a great way to convinve the parents to spend the extra $ on frames with spring hinges!)<br />
<br />
Another possible way to reduce damage potential is to make the hinge with a cam action so that it can only be twisted around when it's open to 90 degrees, and attempting to turn it when it's open more or less will push the screen to 90 degrees before allowing it to rotate very far. Joints like this are used in many products already, to ensure the joint can only be manipulated in paths that will work properly. Examine as many existing twist screen laptops as possible to see if any already have such 'forced path' screen hinges. Couple this with a simple spring loaded, double acting "saloon door" type hinge between the screen and the twist and fold hinge already on the BTest laptops could make the hinge system extremely tough.<br />
<br />
What could be a bit of a compromise system is to design the screen to 'breakaway' from the top of the hinge, with a reinforced data cable and a braided steel cable for extra durability. The screen could be easily snapped back on, but durability of the snap joint could be an issue, especially if the snap together parts are plastic.<br />
<br />
The idea that all or most children who're growing up with next to nothing will give these laptops super loving care is major 'blue sky'. The twist hinge is a big potential failure point. One big thing anyone working on any complex system has to keep in mind is that the more points of potential failure there are, the more likely there will be failures.<br />
<br />
Design the screen hinge to take abuse and there will be minimal problems with the abuse it will definately recieve. Leave it with the current hinge design and you'll be seeing plenty coming back with broken hinges.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''True but...'''<br />
I would like to add that based on the statement '''“Cultural Background”''' there is in some ways a much more stronger type life style that many that will be eligible for the lap top live.<br />
But because it is a learning program with a parable infrastructure their has to be in the distribution and training of those who will hand them out a part about responsibility.<br />
It should be explained to each child in their groups of receiving the Laptop that if it breaks there is a chance that they may not get another ,as only one lap top per child or family. Since it is the government and their sponsors that are to foot the bill, <br />
this is a very serious consideration. Creating a <br />
lesson plan with in the training material about <br />
the ups and downs of the unit if it brakes. Can '''One:''' <br />
Move the government too, with in their budget to acquire <br />
parts and as well as service contracts in how long <br />
they will support the Laptop if it breaks. '''Two:'''<br />
Where locally will they be able to bring the <br />
laptop in for service. '''Three:''' be prepared <br />
for local people to get in on the act and tinker with the laptop if it is a hinge and find ways to fix it. I also think your expression about child anger was some what misleading and misinformed. <br />
I think the possibility of a goat <br />
or farm animal stepping on the lap top <br />
that belonged to a child that had brought the lap top along to do family chores could be a better scenario<br />
I believe this is much more realistic. <br />
I don't think presenting such negative <br />
leads towards aggression ,as to have faith in <br />
the little children that they are good and can handle the responsibility of caring for their new <br />
computer friend. <br />
I hope in the future to share my <br />
experience based on countless hours of research <br />
in to the presentation of third world issues <br />
that there are some inconsistencies in what is presented by media in general and the real life of that matter. <br />
This is also a generalization as in all walks <br />
of life the real truth can only be known by the<br />
actors and witness of the fact at hand. <br />
That's for every one too!--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 08:53, 19 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== LiveCD OS Images ==<br />
<br />
I downloaded a few of the recent LiveCD image builds (231), but for some reason the system does not load up and run. Obviously in this case you need a PC that has a CD/DVD reader etc. I may not be burning the CD correctly although Grub seems to start ok.<br />
Is there any particular hardware needed that a typical PC does not have, or something that I am not doing properly? Anyone out there that has this working and can share some ideas would be great. Thanks in advance.<br />
<br />
== Color Coded Maps and Color Blind People==<br />
<br />
Would you please consider a written list of country status for those of us that are colorblind and can't make heads nor tails of your map?<br />
<br />
:There's an [[OLPC Status by Country]] page with a table - but darn! It too is color coded! ...just checked :( <br />
:I'll update it to make it text AND color coded.<br />
:It covers [[OLPC Status by Country#Africa|Africa]], the [[OLPC Status by Country#The Americas|Americas]] and [[OLPC Status by Country#Asia|Asia]], and it's '''NOT''' official (iow, the coding of some countries could be wrong).<br />
:And yes, there should be a link to that table in the [[#Countries|Countries section above]] and in the [[Map]] page.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:30, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Bad netiquette, answering to self, but it's already done! See [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
::This question and it's answer will soon be moved to the [[#Country]] section above.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:58, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Chrekula Uganda ==<br />
<br />
We are opening aprivate school in the village of Cherekula Uganda. I was going to provide two laptop computers but we are facing a problem with the lack of electrical power. We are exploring the purchase of a gas generator. I have bee folling the OLPC project for seceral years and am now convinced this is a better alternative. How do I enlist the Ugandan government so that I can take sveral OLPC computers to the choll when we visit this March (2007). We are completely willing to purchase them and we can transport the or have them shipped. I know that these would be pilots (beta?). We just want to try and get moving ahead on providing internet access to some very deprived children. This school is a high school. The first one ever in this village. It is located about 250 km from Kampala. Can you advise me on how to proceed. We can document the school i required. THanks ./Jim May jimlind@ameritech.net Farmington Hills Mi. USA 48336<br />
<br />
:You are going at this the wrong way. The first thing you need to do is find someone who is an expert in electrical power generation and storage to give you advice. They are unlikely to suggest buying a gas-powered generator for two laptops. Ten years ago people in Africa were running laptops off car batteries that were charged up by bicycle-driven generators. You should be doing something similar today. That means choosing older laptops with lower power consumption, choosing laptops that run off 12 volts DC (like RV owners and yachtsmen do) and then getting a generator rigged from old car parts. The one thing different today from 10 years ago is that solar panels are a viable source for charging the batteries.<br />
<br />
:Forget the OLPC. You cannot buy them ([[Retail]]) and you need to get your government's support in order to get access to them.<br />
<br />
== Website woes ==<br />
<br />
Am I the only one having a problem with www.laptop.org? It seems to be formatted for those using widescreen computers. I suggest you reformat the page so that it can be accessed by any computer user.<br />
The verbage also seems to be targeted toward the academic community. While I can read what was written, it isn't user-friendly. <br />
<br />
Have you considered your target audience? It's difficult to build support for your movement if you make it difficult for potential supporters to access your information. <br />
<br />
L. Mundschau<br />
<br />
:Scroll your screen to the left to find the Contact link in the upper left hand corner. http://www.laptop.org/contact.shtml<br />
Either send an email or write a letter with your concerns. If you can include a screenshot of your screen that would help.<br />
<br />
== Investing ==<br />
<br />
How can an individual make an investment in the stock options?<br />
<br />
:There are no stocks or stock options to invest in.<br />
<br />
== What about students k-12 and college students in the USA? ==<br />
<br />
Do I qualify? I filled out the fafsa forms do you need those to determine those for financial need? If so, is there a way I can pass the computer to another "financial need base" student? I see that your organization goes around the world but didn't know if you were including the United States.<br />
<br />
:There are no plans to distribute the OLPC computers in the USA. If you want to lobby for this to happen, then read [[OLPC4USA]].<br />
<br />
== can i get one for my 2 kids??? ==<br />
<br />
dear sir/madam;<br />
<br />
i am a mother of two from the Philippines, my eldest son is only 4 yrs. old, he's now at the nursery level, and i notice that he is interested about computers, he even know how to operate my laptop and start his educational game and i am proud of it. that is why i am asking you a question if i can get one for my eldest son so he can pursue his interest in studying by using laptop, and soon will teach his baby brother to use it.<br />
<br />
thank you very much,<br />
<br />
laarni muldong<br />
<br />
:As explained in several places, the short answer is '''no'''.<br />
:See<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Where or how can I get one?]]<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question#Distribution, Roll-out, Marketing & Sales]]<br />
<br />
== freifunk.net volunteers ==<br />
<br />
I wrote an e-mail to volunteers@laptop.org <br />
ten days ago, which has not been replyed to yet.<br />
I will submit this mail here just for <br />
making sure it reaches you:<br />
<br />
:Deleted this private letter. If you do not get a reply to your email, either wait patiently, or send another email. This wiki is not a mailbox!<br />
<br />
We noticed that you are<br />
looking for people from the freifunk.net community for <br />
implementing the <br />
BATMAN software into your system. <br />
<br />
---[[User:Konstantin|Konstantin]] 09:27, 27 January 2007 (EST)---<br />
<br />
:The OLPC OS already has a built-in mesh networking system. It is highly unlikely that your BATMAN mesh networking system will be of any use. There is already a [[Developers program]] where you can offer your services.<br />
<br />
== Information about OLPC for people in pure countries ==<br />
<br />
There is lots of written material about OLPC for people in rich countries. <br />
The newspapers are full of OLPC stories.<br />
People in pure counties don't know much about OLPC but maybe the children will<br />
receive a laptop in near future.<br />
<br />
I will be in SO Asia for some month and will be in contact with teachers (as I am), mayors, children,...<br />
I like it to talk about this project with these people. There is lots of information about the<br />
project like technical specification, pedagogic methods,...<br />
<br />
But the thing I'm looking for is a simple description of the project in easy English that is use full<br />
for the local people.<br />
<br />
2-3 Pages in PDF would be great - does this already exist?<br />
--[[User:Bz|Bz]] 21:23, 29 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Hello, I'm Laura Barsottini, an italian journalist. I would like to know if is true that the laptop will be distribuited in april 2007. If not, when will be distribuited? At 130$ at the beginning? When it will be possible to begin the 2 for 1?<br />
Thenk you<br />
Laura Barsottini<br />
<br />
== RealPlayer in OPLC and applications download ==<br />
<br />
We are developing some applications that can be used to education purpose and we have some doubts:<br />
- Is it possible to make applications download using the OLPC ?<br />
- Is it possible to run the RealPlayer in OLPC ?<br />
Thanks in advance<br />
Vivian<br />
(vivianlona@hotmail.com)<br />
<br />
:The OLPC is based on downloadable activities, not applications. It will not have any RealPlayer support so you will need to encode in an open-source format. Ogg/Vorbis is good for music while Ogg/Speex is better for pure voice recordings. Read the [[Activity bundles]] page to see how to program a downloadable activity in Python.<br />
<br />
:: What format do you require? RealPlayer can play many different formats. Quicktime can be played with [http://gstreamer.net/ GStreamer] through [http://www.openquicktime.org/ OpenQuicktime] and [http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ Gnash] is mostly SWF v7 compliant (this makes Flash an open-source format). Gnash can play Flash movies from local files. If you would like to see either GStreamer or Gnash included you could add them to [[:Category:Feedback]]. [[Thin client]] explains about use of the OLPC as a web client or thin client. --[[User:Fasten|Fasten]] 11:40, 31 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
See also: [[Flash Player]]<br />
<br />
== Nigerian Ophanage as Beta Site ==<br />
<br />
The Shalom Orphanage is in Nigeria and has 2000 ophans resulting from the AIDS epidemic. The orphange is poor but could be an ideal beta site to demonstrate the impact of the $100 computer to change the lives of children at risk. If this is a possibility I will gladly provide more details in addition to contacts in Nigeria. I am also trying to get recycled computers for the Nigerian children as well as children I am helping in Newark, NJ that have their mothers in jail.My dream is to hook -up the at risk kids in two inner cities with kids from other countries in an attempt to create a positive virtual environment in view of my inability to change their real environment.<br />
<br />
Larry Ostuni<br />
973-383-8384<br />
973-383-8868 fax<br />
<br />
== Economies of scale? ==<br />
<br />
How would it not be in your interests if you hired a non-profit-org to sell laptops to citizens of more rich countries?<br />
<br />
You claim that it has to do with scale and all, but do you understand how many of these would sell? I'm sitting in front of a dual AMD turion laptop, yet I'd love the idea of having a laptop for my room and car both. You could sell millions of these here in the states. Would that not be scale for you? What # are you looking at would be for "scale" to occur?<br />
<br />
:This is not so much of answer given that I ignore the details, '''thus I'm assuming'''.<br />
:It would seem that the deal struck between the OLPC and [[Quanta]] is ~USD 135 per unit EXW / FOB for a minimum order of 5 million units. So the OLPC has to ensure ''at least'' a 5 million order, before Quanta pushes the go button. Afaik, that is the "scale" needed.<br />
<br />
== Preventing Porn/Adult Content? ==<br />
<br />
At launch time will the laptop include any software for content controls (to prevent porn, etc). I realize that one's definition of "acceptable content" varies over regions, but isn't most content filtering software for the client Win-based?<br />
<br />
: This will, as far as I know, be left up to countries. Because the hardware and software OLPC will provide is as open as possible, there is no real way to implement such filtering on the laptops themselves; the kids could just change the software to get around such restrictions. --[[User:18.85.46.22|18.85.46.22]] 19:16, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Since most computers will be used with no Internet access whatsoever, this is a minor problem. In areas where there will be Internet access it will be provided by a school gateway. The filtering will either be implemented on the school gateway or at a central regional gateway.<br />
<br />
== Mesh Network Emulation ==<br />
<br />
I'd like to try running a mesh network with emulation software; using say several laptops and a server (they could all be on one physical machine). I can't figure out how to create a mesh network using the qemu image, and don't see any images for the server. Thanks.<br />
<br />
(I am a graduate student in Computer Science and Education, and would like to contribute to this project; but need to evaluate a working environment first)<br />
<br />
:Could this [[Virtualized Sugar]] page be what you're looking for? --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:26, 6 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Thanks... maybe. I fired up two instances of olpc on moka5, on separate machines in the same LAN, but couldn't them in the neighborhood. What more tinkering is required?<br />
<br />
:Looks like it didn't work, uh? I would suggest then that you raise the issue in one of the [[Community mailing lists|mailing lists]] probably [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/networking networking]. If you find an answer (solution or reason on why not) please post it here, so that we may then add it somewhere. Thanks and good luck! --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 00:45, 7 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Environmental End-of-life considerations ==<br />
<br />
The environmental impacts and economic costs of disposing of obsolete/broken ICT hardware are well-known. The energy-efficiency of the laptop helps minimise it's impact during operational life. Can some details be given on steps that have or will be taken in the manufacturing and "ultimate disposal" stages of the hardware lifecycle to minimise environmental costs? I'm thinking here of embedded energy in manufacture, and disposal costs. Will recycling costs/incentives be built into the purchase cost? Will a recovery program be up to the individual government , or part of the agreement between OLPC and clients?<br />
<br />
== MARVELL? ==<br />
<br />
I notice that Marvell is the provider of the wireless solution, but there's no hyperlink to the company. Is this the same company?<br />
Marvell Semiconductor, Inc.<br />
5488 Marvell Lane<br />
Santa Clara, CA 95054<br />
Phone: 408-222-2500<br />
Fax: 408-752-9028<br />
A search on their website: http://www.marvell.com/products/wireless/index.jsp<br />
Does not show a "Libertas" product, which is what is mentioned on the hardware page:<br />
Wireless: Marvell Libertas 88W8388+88W8015, 802.11b/g compatible; dual adjustable, rotating coaxial antennas; supports diversity reception <br />
<br />
The reason for the question is if this wireless product draws such low power, it seems like a good fit for other applications?<br />
Just wondering...<br />
<br />
: It would seem so. Particularly noting that the drivers mentioned in the [[wireless]] page link to that site, and other info in the [[Libertas]] page. I'm guessing, but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11s 802.11s (mesh)] is still fuzzy, so it probably hasn't made it to the 'product' level yet. See also [[:Category:Network]]. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:48, 8 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== XOs in operation: Observations from Nigeria ==<br />
<br />
'''XOs @ Alteq's (OLPC4Nigeria) Engineering Unit'''<br />
<br />
[[Image:Using Abiword and Browser.jpg|thumb|Nothing beats the XO experience.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Clipboard Ops.jpg|thumb|Editing the Wiki via an XO]]<br />
<br />
* One of our XOs (among the first 40 units to arrive in Nigeria) nicknamed '''alteq eng 1''' is displaying some anomalous behavior: Whenever its browser and RSS viewer (Penguin TV) are launched, their icons slowly/gently "flash" in the "circle of running applications". Whenever the flashing Penguin TV icon or Browser icon is clicked on, they each disappear.<br />
[[Image:Adding my observations.jpg|thumb|Redefining the concept of fun.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Neighborhood "radar"_1.jpg|thumb|Everyone can see everyone.]]<br />
<br />
*The '''MeshNets''' don't always work as expected; sometimes, some of the XOs indicate that their MeshNets are active...yet they don't see one another...particularly those XOs that have been "tagged" as "friends". I usually solve this by restarting.<br />
<br />
* When an application or more is shared on the MeshNet, another XO that clicks on the shared application (in the neighborhood "radar") will have its respective application launched but won't have a view of the content from the host XO that shared its application. For instance, if XO "Alpha" is viewing the web page '''http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot''' and it shares its browser, XO "Beta" can see "Alpha's" shared browser on the neighborhood radar and click on it. Whenever this is done on the XOs at Alteq (OLPC4Nigeria), "Beta" and any other XO that clicks on "Alpha's" shared browser will end up having their respective browsers going to their default URLs instead of the page that XO "Alpha" is viewing (http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot).<br />
<br />
My observations were posted onto this page using an XO (copy-and-paste from Abiword to browser).<br />
[[Image:A pair of XOs seeing each other via Mesh Net.jpg|thumb|Just the 2 of us]]<br />
<br />
--Ahmad 03:12, 12 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== autoreinstalation image through usb is not working..help.. ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i have successfully update image from this site...(olpc/manuals%20notes/Auto re installation_image.htm)...but after giving response ok at the end of setup...machine didn't reboot or shutdown... after waiting long time i shutdown the machine and then turn on .. then message comes : trying startup script disk:\boot\olpc-boot.fth..........and then no response for 5 minutes...after 5 minutes again a 4 lines message comes....<br />
<br />
boot-file = ro root=mtd0 rootfstype=jffs2 console=ttys0, 115200 console =tty0 fbcon=font:sun12*22 pci=nobios video=gxfb:1024*768-16<br />
boot-device = nand .....<br />
and machine held with this message....and no response ....<br />
<br />
can any body help me in this issue ?? <br />
-- <br />
Salman Minhas<br />
System Administrator<br />
Electronic Government Directorate<br />
<br />
:We have seen a few cases of auto-installer failures apparently due to "botched" downloads onto USB disks. We plan to mitigate that by including a manifest in the installer image, with checksums/hashes. In the interim, please try downloadinga new build image. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 20:21, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==What are the costs of implementation? Economic costs of not implementing? Who will pay?==<br />
<br />
I am doing an economics project regarding the OLPC as an economic policy to solve third world education. I was just wondering if you could provide me with answers regarding these questions, espsecially about the long-term and short-term costs including social, political, and economic, domestic and international.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Kevin, Toronto<br />
<br />
: The costs of implementation are just those you'd expect: infrastructure, hardware, distribution, etc. I'm not sure what you're asking about "economic costs of not implementing"; the idea is that economic benefits of education vastly outweigh the costs of laptops. National governments will pay, for the moment, though other schemes, such as one nation helping to pay for another's laptops, etc. will undoubtedly be explored as the program expands. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:34, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== computers for children? ==<br />
<br />
yes having a computer is great.but shouldnt we all make certain everyone is fed,first of all.people in every country go hungry each day.where is your 100$ technological advancement for that?<br />
<br />
:Congratulations. You are the 10,000th person to ask this question. We direct you to the answer prominently displayed in [[Our mission]].</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=25341Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-02-19T19:14:53Z<p>Memracom: /* Preventing Porn/Adult Content? */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
This is a very interesting question. This question may have some answers in a recent article In CNN Money.<br />
<br />
[http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/20/technology/fastforward_thirdworld.fortune/index.htm]<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 09:55, 10 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal]<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
Further to the question above, does the OLPC initiative include distributing laptops to children who are currently going through patient care in a hospital setting? And if so do you have links to devices that can allow a child to utilize a laptop from a hospital bed (i.e., wall mounted mechanical laptop ARM)? This is a great initiative!!!<br />
<br />
Regards<br />
CReid<br />
<br />
:Technically, it's the governments '''buying''' the laptop that will distribute them ('''not''' the OLPC), and while I see no difference between a child in a hospital bed or a cabin in the mountains (from a distribution PoV), my guess is that hospitals in these countries have other priorities to allocate their budgets instead of [http://www.infologixsys.com/products/Healthcare/Healthcare-Solutions/Point-of-Care/Wall-Mount-Workstation/C-Wallmount-Cabinet/default.asp fancy trays] (as cool as they might be ;) --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:05, 23 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As a representative of an NGO type organization I just recently commented to a UN officer about a similar subject. “Fancy Trays”' are not always at the request of the country or donor agency in general. Part of what makes these items or services that may not at first glance seem functional is the vision of the donor. Just like the water go round in Africa sponsored by Ex US president Bill Clinton and the water see saw in another nation that promotes the washing of your hands. It is not always up to the receiver in what it is they are to receive .<br />
There are also many sites that go in-depth about theses issues and the how and why's of the matters. If you are interested in finding out more you can direct searches about: third world programs, world aid and I am sure you can find more information as to why a fancy tray may have been purchased or donated as well as many other interesting things.<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
:This is brilliant! My niece and nephew recently gave me a flashlight that is charged by shaking a weight back and forth through windings where the D cell batteries would go in handle of "normal" flashpoint. It is very low power LED bulb but the accumulated energy could be significant. Something similar but maybe with steel balls to roll around a racetrack or arc designed for ergonomic motions in a couple of different walking "games" would charge the power storage all the way home or to school! We need to find an ergonomics specialist to help (and maybe a child pyschologist or game specialist) and an electrical engineer to design the circuits for the generator ..... maybe we could find some soon at Wikiversity? ... or we could track down someone knowledgeable from the power summit recently held. Power summit for One Laptop Per Child project[http://lwn.net/Articles/181687/] .... I am not sure how to proceed. I am currently trying to get a pedagogy project going http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Self_Paced_Reading_Labs. I do not have time for this but the kids need power to access the internet and get to Wikiversity. 8( Maybe someone will pick your idea up. It is a really good one. [[User:Mirwin|Mirwin]] 13:59, 11 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
:See the section about [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Training & Capacity Building]]... but in general, that is upto the deploying countries to decide how it'll work - you should contact that side of the equation (or any organizations they name when the time comes).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:54, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
: For information about such security topics, see the [[Bitfrost]] specification. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:20, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of [[Fedora]] with the [[Sugar]] os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
---Yes but you cant ignore Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A starving kid with a starving family at home will not see OLPC as an education tool but instead as something he can sell to buy food. Exploitation in India by international IT companies may be morally wrong by the developed world standards but the alternative for indian programmers to that kind of exploitation is unemployment. I'm not ignoring the fact that one needs education to be a programmer, OLPC can provide that education. "Education first" slogan sounds great, but realistically speaking you can't skip the layers in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.<br />
<br />
::The interesting thing about Maslow and technology is that it sometimes results are ''counter-intuitive''. For example, many reports have been written about how cell-phone technology actually has improved the standard of living for subsistence farmers, fishermen, etc. because they extend one basic need: communication & mobility (two things targeted by the laptop). --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:58, 17 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lamp is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
:Hey "scampsd" i couldnt work out how to contact you about this, I am interested in alternative scales, mail me, simon att simon chadwick dt net<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two approaches to solve short-term and long-term problems of the developing world? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = investing in a better future for them and their societies. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against polarity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
May be a project similar to OLPC can be initiated to narrow the digital divide in the US. But instead of inventing a whole new laptop like the OLPC old PCs and laptops can be recycled and install linux to save cost? You'll find that when you run Linux on old computers they're not so "old." :-)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
*This will be the responsibility of the country in which the laptops are deployed. They are more familiar with local culture, local social issues and local laws.<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Rugged Laptops ==<br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
:'Huge' is relative, you can measure it in number of units or monetary value. And given that the market is a niche, it implies a small volume and high monetary value&mdash;the opposite of what the OLPC target market is (afaik). I see your point in 'overpricing' this 'commercial rugged laptops', but that would only create incentives to divert machines to the black/grey market. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:10, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />
---(JK, USA) There ought to be a sister project of the OLPC to bring internet connection to schools in the developing world. One internet connection per school wouldn't be a bad name for such project. Wireless Gateway/APs powered by environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, perhaps linked to a bidirectional satellite internet receiver, and then use [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/]WifiPaypal so that donors in the developed world can donate mothly Satellite connection bill direct to the schools using Paypal.<br />
<br />
*I think you should develop your idea and get about doing it. Gus, Chile<br />
<br />
Yes, that would be great to get internet capabilities, I agree -- I hope you do start that up!<br />
<br />
Does anybody know about the approximate power needs for the gateways? I know somebody working on microbial fuel cells and he asked me to find out what the power needs would be, and I just have no idea. I'm assuming that power is going to be a biggish issue for the gateways, as many of them will be in areas with no elecricity -- Am I wrong? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
:Generally ages 6 to 17. (First grade to the end of high school in the US.) The emphasis is ages 6 to 10 or so. A careful look at OLPC pictures indicates that they are really sized for 6 to 10 year olds. --[[User:Tef|tef]] 13 Jan 2007<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. <br />
<br />
:There is no "buy 2 get 1" scheme. If you would read the [[Retail]] page then you would know this.<br />
<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
<br />
:This is not an OLPC idea. The OLPC project has no intention to distribute laptops over Ebay and if people started to sell stolen laptops on Ebay we would work to shut that down.<br />
<br />
==Relaunching software as freeware==<br />
We are reviving ChipWits - an award-winning iconic programming game - and would like to encourage a freeware version to be developed for the OLPC. Is there a forum to discuss it?<br />
<br />
:There are several [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo mailing lists] (note the link in the 'about olpc' box at the top-left of the page. Also, there's a section on how to get around [[Sharing your content with OLPC]].<br />
:BTW, the OLPC is commited to [[Open Source]], so 'free' would probably not be enough, methinks.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:43, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
::ChipWits will be open source. Thanks for the pointer to the mailing list.<br />
<br />
== Tested with destructive children? ==<br />
<br />
Regardless of cultural background, everywhere these laptops will go there will be some children who'll break anything they get their hands on within a few days or even minutes.<br />
<br />
Have these two tests been conducted with actual children?<br />
<br />
Rotate the screen 90 degrees then have various children attempt to push the screen down as if it was going to be closed normally or in e-book position. If the hinge breaks then it's not strong enough.<br />
<br />
The angry child test. Anyone who has ever seen kids get upset at not being able to figure out a toy or game or puzzle and *has not* seen at least one kid hurl the thing across the room or swat it off a table hasn't been around enough children. With the screen in various positions, test it from merely dropping to the floor from table height to being shoved off at various speeds. To gather velocity data, have various children push and throw test objects of size and weight similar to the current BTest laptop design, then use that data with a pusher device on an actual BTest laptop.<br />
<br />
One possibility may be to build in some amount of flexibility, similar to spring hinges on eyeglasses, or make a non-twist design for the youngest children. Put some glasses frames on some kids then have them play volleyball. Mix the frames half with spring hinges, half without. Observe the effect of a volleyball to the head and what happens to the frames. (Having your frames broken three times in three consecutive games is a great way to convinve the parents to spend the extra $ on frames with spring hinges!)<br />
<br />
Another possible way to reduce damage potential is to make the hinge with a cam action so that it can only be twisted around when it's open to 90 degrees, and attempting to turn it when it's open more or less will push the screen to 90 degrees before allowing it to rotate very far. Joints like this are used in many products already, to ensure the joint can only be manipulated in paths that will work properly. Examine as many existing twist screen laptops as possible to see if any already have such 'forced path' screen hinges. Couple this with a simple spring loaded, double acting "saloon door" type hinge between the screen and the twist and fold hinge already on the BTest laptops could make the hinge system extremely tough.<br />
<br />
What could be a bit of a compromise system is to design the screen to 'breakaway' from the top of the hinge, with a reinforced data cable and a braided steel cable for extra durability. The screen could be easily snapped back on, but durability of the snap joint could be an issue, especially if the snap together parts are plastic.<br />
<br />
The idea that all or most children who're growing up with next to nothing will give these laptops super loving care is major 'blue sky'. The twist hinge is a big potential failure point. One big thing anyone working on any complex system has to keep in mind is that the more points of potential failure there are, the more likely there will be failures.<br />
<br />
Design the screen hinge to take abuse and there will be minimal problems with the abuse it will definately recieve. Leave it with the current hinge design and you'll be seeing plenty coming back with broken hinges.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''True but...'''<br />
I would like to add that based on the statement '''“Cultural Background”''' there is in some ways a much more stronger type life style that many that will be eligible for the lap top live.<br />
But because it is a learning program with a parable infrastructure their has to be in the distribution and training of those who will hand them out a part about responsibility.<br />
It should be explained to each child in their groups of receiving the Laptop that if it breaks there is a chance that they may not get another ,as only one lap top per child or family. Since it is the government and their sponsors that are to foot the bill, <br />
this is a very serious consideration. Creating a <br />
lesson plan with in the training material about <br />
the ups and downs of the unit if it brakes. Can '''One:''' <br />
Move the government too, with in their budget to acquire <br />
parts and as well as service contracts in how long <br />
they will support the Laptop if it breaks. '''Two:'''<br />
Where locally will they be able to bring the <br />
laptop in for service. '''Three:''' be prepared <br />
for local people to get in on the act and tinker with the laptop if it is a hinge and find ways to fix it. I also think your expression about child anger was some what misleading and misinformed. <br />
I think the possibility of a goat <br />
or farm animal stepping on the lap top <br />
that belonged to a child that had brought the lap top along to do family chores could be a better scenario<br />
I believe this is much more realistic. <br />
I don't think presenting such negative <br />
leads towards aggression ,as to have faith in <br />
the little children that they are good and can handle the responsibility of caring for their new <br />
computer friend. <br />
I hope in the future to share my <br />
experience based on countless hours of research <br />
in to the presentation of third world issues <br />
that there are some inconsistencies in what is presented by media in general and the real life of that matter. <br />
This is also a generalization as in all walks <br />
of life the real truth can only be known by the<br />
actors and witness of the fact at hand. <br />
That's for every one too!--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 08:53, 19 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== LiveCD OS Images ==<br />
<br />
I downloaded a few of the recent LiveCD image builds (231), but for some reason the system does not load up and run. Obviously in this case you need a PC that has a CD/DVD reader etc. I may not be burning the CD correctly although Grub seems to start ok.<br />
Is there any particular hardware needed that a typical PC does not have, or something that I am not doing properly? Anyone out there that has this working and can share some ideas would be great. Thanks in advance.<br />
<br />
== Color Coded Maps and Color Blind People==<br />
<br />
Would you please consider a written list of country status for those of us that are colorblind and can't make heads nor tails of your map?<br />
<br />
:There's an [[OLPC Status by Country]] page with a table - but darn! It too is color coded! ...just checked :( <br />
:I'll update it to make it text AND color coded.<br />
:It covers [[OLPC Status by Country#Africa|Africa]], the [[OLPC Status by Country#The Americas|Americas]] and [[OLPC Status by Country#Asia|Asia]], and it's '''NOT''' official (iow, the coding of some countries could be wrong).<br />
:And yes, there should be a link to that table in the [[#Countries|Countries section above]] and in the [[Map]] page.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:30, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Bad netiquette, answering to self, but it's already done! See [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
::This question and it's answer will soon be moved to the [[#Country]] section above.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:58, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Chrekula Uganda ==<br />
<br />
We are opening aprivate school in the village of Cherekula Uganda. I was going to provide two laptop computers but we are facing a problem with the lack of electrical power. We are exploring the purchase of a gas generator. I have bee folling the OLPC project for seceral years and am now convinced this is a better alternative. How do I enlist the Ugandan government so that I can take sveral OLPC computers to the choll when we visit this March (2007). We are completely willing to purchase them and we can transport the or have them shipped. I know that these would be pilots (beta?). We just want to try and get moving ahead on providing internet access to some very deprived children. This school is a high school. The first one ever in this village. It is located about 250 km from Kampala. Can you advise me on how to proceed. We can document the school i required. THanks ./Jim May jimlind@ameritech.net Farmington Hills Mi. USA 48336<br />
<br />
:You are going at this the wrong way. The first thing you need to do is find someone who is an expert in electrical power generation and storage to give you advice. They are unlikely to suggest buying a gas-powered generator for two laptops. Ten years ago people in Africa were running laptops off car batteries that were charged up by bicycle-driven generators. You should be doing something similar today. That means choosing older laptops with lower power consumption, choosing laptops that run off 12 volts DC (like RV owners and yachtsmen do) and then getting a generator rigged from old car parts. The one thing different today from 10 years ago is that solar panels are a viable source for charging the batteries.<br />
<br />
:Forget the OLPC. You cannot buy them ([[Retail]]) and you need to get your government's support in order to get access to them.<br />
<br />
== Website woes ==<br />
<br />
Am I the only one having a problem with www.laptop.org? It seems to be formatted for those using widescreen computers. I suggest you reformat the page so that it can be accessed by any computer user.<br />
The verbage also seems to be targeted toward the academic community. While I can read what was written, it isn't user-friendly. <br />
<br />
Have you considered your target audience? It's difficult to build support for your movement if you make it difficult for potential supporters to access your information. <br />
<br />
L. Mundschau<br />
<br />
:Scroll your screen to the left to find the Contact link in the upper left hand corner. http://www.laptop.org/contact.shtml<br />
Either send an email or write a letter with your concerns. If you can include a screenshot of your screen that would help.<br />
<br />
== Investing ==<br />
<br />
How can an individual make an investment in the stock options?<br />
<br />
:There are no stocks or stock options to invest in.<br />
<br />
== What about students k-12 and college students in the USA? ==<br />
<br />
Do I qualify? I filled out the fafsa forms do you need those to determine those for financial need? If so, is there a way I can pass the computer to another "financial need base" student? I see that your organization goes around the world but didn't know if you were including the United States.<br />
<br />
:There are no plans to distribute the OLPC computers in the USA. If you want to lobby for this to happen, then read [[OLPC4USA]].<br />
<br />
== can i get one for my 2 kids??? ==<br />
<br />
dear sir/madam;<br />
<br />
i am a mother of two from the Philippines, my eldest son is only 4 yrs. old, he's now at the nursery level, and i notice that he is interested about computers, he even know how to operate my laptop and start his educational game and i am proud of it. that is why i am asking you a question if i can get one for my eldest son so he can pursue his interest in studying by using laptop, and soon will teach his baby brother to use it.<br />
<br />
thank you very much,<br />
<br />
laarni muldong<br />
<br />
:As explained in several places, the short answer is '''no'''.<br />
:See<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Where or how can I get one?]]<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question#Distribution, Roll-out, Marketing & Sales]]<br />
<br />
== freifunk.net volunteers ==<br />
<br />
I wrote an e-mail to volunteers@laptop.org <br />
ten days ago, which has not been replyed to yet.<br />
I will submit this mail here just for <br />
making sure it reaches you:<br />
<br />
:Deleted this private letter. If you do not get a reply to your email, either wait patiently, or send another email. This wiki is not a mailbox!<br />
<br />
We noticed that you are<br />
looking for people from the freifunk.net community for <br />
implementing the <br />
BATMAN software into your system. <br />
<br />
---[[User:Konstantin|Konstantin]] 09:27, 27 January 2007 (EST)---<br />
<br />
:The OLPC OS already has a built-in mesh networking system. It is highly unlikely that your BATMAN mesh networking system will be of any use. There is already a [[Developers program]] where you can offer your services.<br />
<br />
== Information about OLPC for people in pure countries ==<br />
<br />
There is lots of written material about OLPC for people in rich countries. <br />
The newspapers are full of OLPC stories.<br />
People in pure counties don't know much about OLPC but maybe the children will<br />
receive a laptop in near future.<br />
<br />
I will be in SO Asia for some month and will be in contact with teachers (as I am), mayors, children,...<br />
I like it to talk about this project with these people. There is lots of information about the<br />
project like technical specification, pedagogic methods,...<br />
<br />
But the thing I'm looking for is a simple description of the project in easy English that is use full<br />
for the local people.<br />
<br />
2-3 Pages in PDF would be great - does this already exist?<br />
--[[User:Bz|Bz]] 21:23, 29 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Hello, I'm Laura Barsottini, an italian journalist. I would like to know if is true that the laptop will be distribuited in april 2007. If not, when will be distribuited? At 130$ at the beginning? When it will be possible to begin the 2 for 1?<br />
Thenk you<br />
Laura Barsottini<br />
<br />
== RealPlayer in OPLC and applications download ==<br />
<br />
We are developing some applications that can be used to education purpose and we have some doubts:<br />
- Is it possible to make applications download using the OLPC ?<br />
- Is it possible to run the RealPlayer in OLPC ?<br />
Thanks in advance<br />
Vivian<br />
(vivianlona@hotmail.com)<br />
<br />
:The OLPC is based on downloadable activities, not applications. It will not have any RealPlayer support so you will need to encode in an open-source format. Ogg/Vorbis is good for music while Ogg/Speex is better for pure voice recordings. Read the [[Activity bundles]] page to see how to program a downloadable activity in Python.<br />
<br />
:: What format do you require? RealPlayer can play many different formats. Quicktime can be played with [http://gstreamer.net/ GStreamer] through [http://www.openquicktime.org/ OpenQuicktime] and [http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ Gnash] is mostly SWF v7 compliant (this makes Flash an open-source format). Gnash can play Flash movies from local files. If you would like to see either GStreamer or Gnash included you could add them to [[:Category:Feedback]]. [[Thin client]] explains about use of the OLPC as a web client or thin client. --[[User:Fasten|Fasten]] 11:40, 31 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
See also: [[Flash Player]]<br />
<br />
== Nigerian Ophanage as Beta Site ==<br />
<br />
The Shalom Orphanage is in Nigeria and has 2000 ophans resulting from the AIDS epidemic. The orphange is poor but could be an ideal beta site to demonstrate the impact of the $100 computer to change the lives of children at risk. If this is a possibility I will gladly provide more details in addition to contacts in Nigeria. I am also trying to get recycled computers for the Nigerian children as well as children I am helping in Newark, NJ that have their mothers in jail.My dream is to hook -up the at risk kids in two inner cities with kids from other countries in an attempt to create a positive virtual environment in view of my inability to change their real environment.<br />
<br />
Larry Ostuni<br />
973-383-8384<br />
973-383-8868 fax<br />
<br />
== Economies of scale? ==<br />
<br />
How would it not be in your interests if you hired a non-profit-org to sell laptops to citizens of more rich countries?<br />
<br />
You claim that it has to do with scale and all, but do you understand how many of these would sell? I'm sitting in front of a dual AMD turion laptop, yet I'd love the idea of having a laptop for my room and car both. You could sell millions of these here in the states. Would that not be scale for you? What # are you looking at would be for "scale" to occur?<br />
<br />
You all just need a web presence. Im sure one of the major credit card holders would give you a break, if not free processing for the purchase. I'm assuming that you already have warehouse space to store these things, so all you'd need is a volunteer army to ship them out. Not that hard, when you can make a fair profit back (or pay the "volunteers").<br />
<br />
150$ would be a very fair price point for those blessed with wealth in the States. I'd probably still buy 2 if they were 200$.<br />
<br />
:This is not so much of answer given that I ignore the details, '''thus I'm assuming'''.<br />
:It would seem that the deal struck between the OLPC and [[Quanta]] is ~USD 135 per unit EXW / FOB for a minimum order of 5 million units. So the OLPC has to ensure ''at least'' a 5 million order, before Quanta pushes the go button. Afaik, that is the "scale" needed.<br />
:You say how many could be sold? I have no clue really, but taking from the [[Retail#Pledgebank|3,678 pledged]] at the failed [http://www.pledgebank.com/100laptop pledgebank.com]... I don't see that number growing into a significant chunk of the 5,000,000 required.<br />
:You say hire an NGO, who'll pay for it? Self-financing you say? Maybe (but retail distribution is not that cheap) so in the end, much of the effort and (possible) profit will go to support the retail market. Maybe as PR activity, draw attention and support, developer community mind-share, and such&mdash;but that's another game. BTW, it takes a lot more than just a simple web-presence, credit card processing and stamp-licking-volunteers to get the boxes somewhere.<br />
:Warehouses? None that I know of. Afaik, OLPC is not even remotely interested in the distribution logistics. So even after [[Quanta]] hits the go-button, you still have the enormous task of actually distributing them&mdash;afaik, each country is responsible of doing their part.<br />
:Devoting and/or diverting efforts aimed at the [[retail]] market is not simple, and it would strain the launch process. Remember that ''it's an education project, not a laptop project.'' So even if you manage a retail market for 5 million units, the [[Our mission|project's objectives]] will '''still be unsatisfied'''.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 13:02, 1 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Preventing Porn/Adult Content? ==<br />
<br />
At launch time will the laptop include any software for content controls (to prevent porn, etc). I realize that one's definition of "acceptable content" varies over regions, but isn't most content filtering software for the client Win-based?<br />
<br />
: This will, as far as I know, be left up to countries. Because the hardware and software OLPC will provide is as open as possible, there is no real way to implement such filtering on the laptops themselves; the kids could just change the software to get around such restrictions. --[[User:18.85.46.22|18.85.46.22]] 19:16, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Since most computers will be used with no Internet access whatsoever, this is a minor problem. In areas where there will be Internet access it will be provided by a school gateway. The filtering will either be implemented on the school gateway or at a central regional gateway.<br />
<br />
== Mesh Network Emulation ==<br />
<br />
I'd like to try running a mesh network with emulation software; using say several laptops and a server (they could all be on one physical machine). I can't figure out how to create a mesh network using the qemu image, and don't see any images for the server. Thanks.<br />
<br />
(I am a graduate student in Computer Science and Education, and would like to contribute to this project; but need to evaluate a working environment first)<br />
<br />
:Could this [[Virtualized Sugar]] page be what you're looking for? --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:26, 6 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Thanks... maybe. I fired up two instances of olpc on moka5, on separate machines in the same LAN, but couldn't them in the neighborhood. What more tinkering is required?<br />
<br />
:Looks like it didn't work, uh? I would suggest then that you raise the issue in one of the [[Community mailing lists|mailing lists]] probably [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/networking networking]. If you find an answer (solution or reason on why not) please post it here, so that we may then add it somewhere. Thanks and good luck! --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 00:45, 7 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Environmental End-of-life considerations ==<br />
<br />
The environmental impacts and economic costs of disposing of obsolete/broken ICT hardware are well-known. The energy-efficiency of the laptop helps minimise it's impact during operational life. Can some details be given on steps that have or will be taken in the manufacturing and "ultimate disposal" stages of the hardware lifecycle to minimise environmental costs? I'm thinking here of embedded energy in manufacture, and disposal costs. Will recycling costs/incentives be built into the purchase cost? Will a recovery program be up to the individual government , or part of the agreement between OLPC and clients?<br />
<br />
== MARVELL? ==<br />
<br />
I notice that Marvell is the provider of the wireless solution, but there's no hyperlink to the company. Is this the same company?<br />
Marvell Semiconductor, Inc.<br />
5488 Marvell Lane<br />
Santa Clara, CA 95054<br />
Phone: 408-222-2500<br />
Fax: 408-752-9028<br />
A search on their website: http://www.marvell.com/products/wireless/index.jsp<br />
Does not show a "Libertas" product, which is what is mentioned on the hardware page:<br />
Wireless: Marvell Libertas 88W8388+88W8015, 802.11b/g compatible; dual adjustable, rotating coaxial antennas; supports diversity reception <br />
<br />
The reason for the question is if this wireless product draws such low power, it seems like a good fit for other applications?<br />
Just wondering...<br />
<br />
: It would seem so. Particularly noting that the drivers mentioned in the [[wireless]] page link to that site, and other info in the [[Libertas]] page. I'm guessing, but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11s 802.11s (mesh)] is still fuzzy, so it probably hasn't made it to the 'product' level yet. See also [[:Category:Network]]. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:48, 8 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== XOs in operation: Observations from Nigeria ==<br />
<br />
'''XOs @ Alteq's (OLPC4Nigeria) Engineering Unit'''<br />
<br />
[[Image:Using Abiword and Browser.jpg|thumb|Nothing beats the XO experience.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Clipboard Ops.jpg|thumb|Editing the Wiki via an XO]]<br />
<br />
* One of our XOs (among the first 40 units to arrive in Nigeria) nicknamed '''alteq eng 1''' is displaying some anomalous behavior: Whenever its browser and RSS viewer (Penguin TV) are launched, their icons slowly/gently "flash" in the "circle of running applications". Whenever the flashing Penguin TV icon or Browser icon is clicked on, they each disappear.<br />
[[Image:Adding my observations.jpg|thumb|Redefining the concept of fun.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Neighborhood "radar"_1.jpg|thumb|Everyone can see everyone.]]<br />
<br />
*The '''MeshNets''' don't always work as expected; sometimes, some of the XOs indicate that their MeshNets are active...yet they don't see one another...particularly those XOs that have been "tagged" as "friends". I usually solve this by restarting.<br />
<br />
* When an application or more is shared on the MeshNet, another XO that clicks on the shared application (in the neighborhood "radar") will have its respective application launched but won't have a view of the content from the host XO that shared its application. For instance, if XO "Alpha" is viewing the web page '''http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot''' and it shares its browser, XO "Beta" can see "Alpha's" shared browser on the neighborhood radar and click on it. Whenever this is done on the XOs at Alteq (OLPC4Nigeria), "Beta" and any other XO that clicks on "Alpha's" shared browser will end up having their respective browsers going to their default URLs instead of the page that XO "Alpha" is viewing (http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot).<br />
<br />
My observations were posted onto this page using an XO (copy-and-paste from Abiword to browser).<br />
[[Image:A pair of XOs seeing each other via Mesh Net.jpg|thumb|Just the 2 of us]]<br />
<br />
--Ahmad 03:12, 12 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== autoreinstalation image through usb is not working..help.. ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i have successfully update image from this site...(olpc/manuals%20notes/Auto re installation_image.htm)...but after giving response ok at the end of setup...machine didn't reboot or shutdown... after waiting long time i shutdown the machine and then turn on .. then message comes : trying startup script disk:\boot\olpc-boot.fth..........and then no response for 5 minutes...after 5 minutes again a 4 lines message comes....<br />
<br />
boot-file = ro root=mtd0 rootfstype=jffs2 console=ttys0, 115200 console =tty0 fbcon=font:sun12*22 pci=nobios video=gxfb:1024*768-16<br />
boot-device = nand .....<br />
and machine held with this message....and no response ....<br />
<br />
can any body help me in this issue ?? <br />
-- <br />
Salman Minhas<br />
System Administrator<br />
Electronic Government Directorate<br />
<br />
:We have seen a few cases of auto-installer failures apparently due to "botched" downloads onto USB disks. We plan to mitigate that by including a manifest in the installer image, with checksums/hashes. In the interim, please try downloadinga new build image. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 20:21, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==What are the costs of implementation? Economic costs of not implementing? Who will pay?==<br />
<br />
I am doing an economics project regarding the OLPC as an economic policy to solve third world education. I was just wondering if you could provide me with answers regarding these questions, espsecially about the long-term and short-term costs including social, political, and economic, domestic and international.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Kevin, Toronto<br />
<br />
: The costs of implementation are just those you'd expect: infrastructure, hardware, distribution, etc. I'm not sure what you're asking about "economic costs of not implementing"; the idea is that economic benefits of education vastly outweigh the costs of laptops. National governments will pay, for the moment, though other schemes, such as one nation helping to pay for another's laptops, etc. will undoubtedly be explored as the program expands. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:34, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== computers for children? ==<br />
<br />
yes having a computer is great.but shouldnt we all make certain everyone is fed,first of all.people in every country go hungry each day.where is your 100$ technological advancement for that?<br />
<br />
:Congratulations. You are the 10,000th person to ask this question. We direct you to the answer prominently displayed in [[Our mission]].</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=25340Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-02-19T19:11:38Z<p>Memracom: /* MARVELL? */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
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In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
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Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
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According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
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This is a very interesting question. This question may have some answers in a recent article In CNN Money.<br />
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[http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/20/technology/fastforward_thirdworld.fortune/index.htm]<br />
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--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 09:55, 10 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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==Usability and User Testing==<br />
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There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
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==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
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Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
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:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
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::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
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:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
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::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
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However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
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:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
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:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
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==Accessibility==<br />
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What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
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--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal]<br />
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:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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Further to the question above, does the OLPC initiative include distributing laptops to children who are currently going through patient care in a hospital setting? And if so do you have links to devices that can allow a child to utilize a laptop from a hospital bed (i.e., wall mounted mechanical laptop ARM)? This is a great initiative!!!<br />
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Regards<br />
CReid<br />
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:Technically, it's the governments '''buying''' the laptop that will distribute them ('''not''' the OLPC), and while I see no difference between a child in a hospital bed or a cabin in the mountains (from a distribution PoV), my guess is that hospitals in these countries have other priorities to allocate their budgets instead of [http://www.infologixsys.com/products/Healthcare/Healthcare-Solutions/Point-of-Care/Wall-Mount-Workstation/C-Wallmount-Cabinet/default.asp fancy trays] (as cool as they might be ;) --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:05, 23 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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As a representative of an NGO type organization I just recently commented to a UN officer about a similar subject. “Fancy Trays”' are not always at the request of the country or donor agency in general. Part of what makes these items or services that may not at first glance seem functional is the vision of the donor. Just like the water go round in Africa sponsored by Ex US president Bill Clinton and the water see saw in another nation that promotes the washing of your hands. It is not always up to the receiver in what it is they are to receive .<br />
There are also many sites that go in-depth about theses issues and the how and why's of the matters. If you are interested in finding out more you can direct searches about: third world programs, world aid and I am sure you can find more information as to why a fancy tray may have been purchased or donated as well as many other interesting things.<br />
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== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
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We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
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Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
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We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
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I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
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Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
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Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
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--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
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== Self-winding generator ==<br />
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Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
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:This is brilliant! My niece and nephew recently gave me a flashlight that is charged by shaking a weight back and forth through windings where the D cell batteries would go in handle of "normal" flashpoint. It is very low power LED bulb but the accumulated energy could be significant. Something similar but maybe with steel balls to roll around a racetrack or arc designed for ergonomic motions in a couple of different walking "games" would charge the power storage all the way home or to school! We need to find an ergonomics specialist to help (and maybe a child pyschologist or game specialist) and an electrical engineer to design the circuits for the generator ..... maybe we could find some soon at Wikiversity? ... or we could track down someone knowledgeable from the power summit recently held. Power summit for One Laptop Per Child project[http://lwn.net/Articles/181687/] .... I am not sure how to proceed. I am currently trying to get a pedagogy project going http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Self_Paced_Reading_Labs. I do not have time for this but the kids need power to access the internet and get to Wikiversity. 8( Maybe someone will pick your idea up. It is a really good one. [[User:Mirwin|Mirwin]] 13:59, 11 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
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Hello,<br />
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I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
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Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
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== Volunteering ==<br />
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How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
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:See the section about [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Training & Capacity Building]]... but in general, that is upto the deploying countries to decide how it'll work - you should contact that side of the equation (or any organizations they name when the time comes).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:54, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
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Hi,<br />
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I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
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== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
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Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
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:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
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== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
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Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
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Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
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Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
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yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
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JK, USA<br />
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: For information about such security topics, see the [[Bitfrost]] specification. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:20, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
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Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
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Wish there was a version of [[Fedora]] with the [[Sugar]] os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
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== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
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:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Beyond education ==<br />
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These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
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--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
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JK, USA<br />
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:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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---Yes but you cant ignore Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A starving kid with a starving family at home will not see OLPC as an education tool but instead as something he can sell to buy food. Exploitation in India by international IT companies may be morally wrong by the developed world standards but the alternative for indian programmers to that kind of exploitation is unemployment. I'm not ignoring the fact that one needs education to be a programmer, OLPC can provide that education. "Education first" slogan sounds great, but realistically speaking you can't skip the layers in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.<br />
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::The interesting thing about Maslow and technology is that it sometimes results are ''counter-intuitive''. For example, many reports have been written about how cell-phone technology actually has improved the standard of living for subsistence farmers, fishermen, etc. because they extend one basic need: communication & mobility (two things targeted by the laptop). --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:58, 17 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Basic concept ==<br />
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Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
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because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lamp is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
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JK, USA<br />
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:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Science curriculum ==<br />
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I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
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:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
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My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
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--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
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the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
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to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
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== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
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Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
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The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
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In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
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:Hey "scampsd" i couldnt work out how to contact you about this, I am interested in alternative scales, mail me, simon att simon chadwick dt net<br />
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== Random generator entropy ==<br />
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Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
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== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
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I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two approaches to solve short-term and long-term problems of the developing world? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = investing in a better future for them and their societies. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against polarity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
May be a project similar to OLPC can be initiated to narrow the digital divide in the US. But instead of inventing a whole new laptop like the OLPC old PCs and laptops can be recycled and install linux to save cost? You'll find that when you run Linux on old computers they're not so "old." :-)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
*This will be the responsibility of the country in which the laptops are deployed. They are more familiar with local culture, local social issues and local laws.<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Rugged Laptops ==<br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
:'Huge' is relative, you can measure it in number of units or monetary value. And given that the market is a niche, it implies a small volume and high monetary value&mdash;the opposite of what the OLPC target market is (afaik). I see your point in 'overpricing' this 'commercial rugged laptops', but that would only create incentives to divert machines to the black/grey market. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:10, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />
---(JK, USA) There ought to be a sister project of the OLPC to bring internet connection to schools in the developing world. One internet connection per school wouldn't be a bad name for such project. Wireless Gateway/APs powered by environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, perhaps linked to a bidirectional satellite internet receiver, and then use [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/]WifiPaypal so that donors in the developed world can donate mothly Satellite connection bill direct to the schools using Paypal.<br />
<br />
*I think you should develop your idea and get about doing it. Gus, Chile<br />
<br />
Yes, that would be great to get internet capabilities, I agree -- I hope you do start that up!<br />
<br />
Does anybody know about the approximate power needs for the gateways? I know somebody working on microbial fuel cells and he asked me to find out what the power needs would be, and I just have no idea. I'm assuming that power is going to be a biggish issue for the gateways, as many of them will be in areas with no elecricity -- Am I wrong? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
:Generally ages 6 to 17. (First grade to the end of high school in the US.) The emphasis is ages 6 to 10 or so. A careful look at OLPC pictures indicates that they are really sized for 6 to 10 year olds. --[[User:Tef|tef]] 13 Jan 2007<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. <br />
<br />
:There is no "buy 2 get 1" scheme. If you would read the [[Retail]] page then you would know this.<br />
<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
<br />
:This is not an OLPC idea. The OLPC project has no intention to distribute laptops over Ebay and if people started to sell stolen laptops on Ebay we would work to shut that down.<br />
<br />
==Relaunching software as freeware==<br />
We are reviving ChipWits - an award-winning iconic programming game - and would like to encourage a freeware version to be developed for the OLPC. Is there a forum to discuss it?<br />
<br />
:There are several [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo mailing lists] (note the link in the 'about olpc' box at the top-left of the page. Also, there's a section on how to get around [[Sharing your content with OLPC]].<br />
:BTW, the OLPC is commited to [[Open Source]], so 'free' would probably not be enough, methinks.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:43, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
::ChipWits will be open source. Thanks for the pointer to the mailing list.<br />
<br />
== Tested with destructive children? ==<br />
<br />
Regardless of cultural background, everywhere these laptops will go there will be some children who'll break anything they get their hands on within a few days or even minutes.<br />
<br />
Have these two tests been conducted with actual children?<br />
<br />
Rotate the screen 90 degrees then have various children attempt to push the screen down as if it was going to be closed normally or in e-book position. If the hinge breaks then it's not strong enough.<br />
<br />
The angry child test. Anyone who has ever seen kids get upset at not being able to figure out a toy or game or puzzle and *has not* seen at least one kid hurl the thing across the room or swat it off a table hasn't been around enough children. With the screen in various positions, test it from merely dropping to the floor from table height to being shoved off at various speeds. To gather velocity data, have various children push and throw test objects of size and weight similar to the current BTest laptop design, then use that data with a pusher device on an actual BTest laptop.<br />
<br />
One possibility may be to build in some amount of flexibility, similar to spring hinges on eyeglasses, or make a non-twist design for the youngest children. Put some glasses frames on some kids then have them play volleyball. Mix the frames half with spring hinges, half without. Observe the effect of a volleyball to the head and what happens to the frames. (Having your frames broken three times in three consecutive games is a great way to convinve the parents to spend the extra $ on frames with spring hinges!)<br />
<br />
Another possible way to reduce damage potential is to make the hinge with a cam action so that it can only be twisted around when it's open to 90 degrees, and attempting to turn it when it's open more or less will push the screen to 90 degrees before allowing it to rotate very far. Joints like this are used in many products already, to ensure the joint can only be manipulated in paths that will work properly. Examine as many existing twist screen laptops as possible to see if any already have such 'forced path' screen hinges. Couple this with a simple spring loaded, double acting "saloon door" type hinge between the screen and the twist and fold hinge already on the BTest laptops could make the hinge system extremely tough.<br />
<br />
What could be a bit of a compromise system is to design the screen to 'breakaway' from the top of the hinge, with a reinforced data cable and a braided steel cable for extra durability. The screen could be easily snapped back on, but durability of the snap joint could be an issue, especially if the snap together parts are plastic.<br />
<br />
The idea that all or most children who're growing up with next to nothing will give these laptops super loving care is major 'blue sky'. The twist hinge is a big potential failure point. One big thing anyone working on any complex system has to keep in mind is that the more points of potential failure there are, the more likely there will be failures.<br />
<br />
Design the screen hinge to take abuse and there will be minimal problems with the abuse it will definately recieve. Leave it with the current hinge design and you'll be seeing plenty coming back with broken hinges.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''True but...'''<br />
I would like to add that based on the statement '''“Cultural Background”''' there is in some ways a much more stronger type life style that many that will be eligible for the lap top live.<br />
But because it is a learning program with a parable infrastructure their has to be in the distribution and training of those who will hand them out a part about responsibility.<br />
It should be explained to each child in their groups of receiving the Laptop that if it breaks there is a chance that they may not get another ,as only one lap top per child or family. Since it is the government and their sponsors that are to foot the bill, <br />
this is a very serious consideration. Creating a <br />
lesson plan with in the training material about <br />
the ups and downs of the unit if it brakes. Can '''One:''' <br />
Move the government too, with in their budget to acquire <br />
parts and as well as service contracts in how long <br />
they will support the Laptop if it breaks. '''Two:'''<br />
Where locally will they be able to bring the <br />
laptop in for service. '''Three:''' be prepared <br />
for local people to get in on the act and tinker with the laptop if it is a hinge and find ways to fix it. I also think your expression about child anger was some what misleading and misinformed. <br />
I think the possibility of a goat <br />
or farm animal stepping on the lap top <br />
that belonged to a child that had brought the lap top along to do family chores could be a better scenario<br />
I believe this is much more realistic. <br />
I don't think presenting such negative <br />
leads towards aggression ,as to have faith in <br />
the little children that they are good and can handle the responsibility of caring for their new <br />
computer friend. <br />
I hope in the future to share my <br />
experience based on countless hours of research <br />
in to the presentation of third world issues <br />
that there are some inconsistencies in what is presented by media in general and the real life of that matter. <br />
This is also a generalization as in all walks <br />
of life the real truth can only be known by the<br />
actors and witness of the fact at hand. <br />
That's for every one too!--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 08:53, 19 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== LiveCD OS Images ==<br />
<br />
I downloaded a few of the recent LiveCD image builds (231), but for some reason the system does not load up and run. Obviously in this case you need a PC that has a CD/DVD reader etc. I may not be burning the CD correctly although Grub seems to start ok.<br />
Is there any particular hardware needed that a typical PC does not have, or something that I am not doing properly? Anyone out there that has this working and can share some ideas would be great. Thanks in advance.<br />
<br />
== Color Coded Maps and Color Blind People==<br />
<br />
Would you please consider a written list of country status for those of us that are colorblind and can't make heads nor tails of your map?<br />
<br />
:There's an [[OLPC Status by Country]] page with a table - but darn! It too is color coded! ...just checked :( <br />
:I'll update it to make it text AND color coded.<br />
:It covers [[OLPC Status by Country#Africa|Africa]], the [[OLPC Status by Country#The Americas|Americas]] and [[OLPC Status by Country#Asia|Asia]], and it's '''NOT''' official (iow, the coding of some countries could be wrong).<br />
:And yes, there should be a link to that table in the [[#Countries|Countries section above]] and in the [[Map]] page.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:30, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Bad netiquette, answering to self, but it's already done! See [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
::This question and it's answer will soon be moved to the [[#Country]] section above.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:58, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Chrekula Uganda ==<br />
<br />
We are opening aprivate school in the village of Cherekula Uganda. I was going to provide two laptop computers but we are facing a problem with the lack of electrical power. We are exploring the purchase of a gas generator. I have bee folling the OLPC project for seceral years and am now convinced this is a better alternative. How do I enlist the Ugandan government so that I can take sveral OLPC computers to the choll when we visit this March (2007). We are completely willing to purchase them and we can transport the or have them shipped. I know that these would be pilots (beta?). We just want to try and get moving ahead on providing internet access to some very deprived children. This school is a high school. The first one ever in this village. It is located about 250 km from Kampala. Can you advise me on how to proceed. We can document the school i required. THanks ./Jim May jimlind@ameritech.net Farmington Hills Mi. USA 48336<br />
<br />
:You are going at this the wrong way. The first thing you need to do is find someone who is an expert in electrical power generation and storage to give you advice. They are unlikely to suggest buying a gas-powered generator for two laptops. Ten years ago people in Africa were running laptops off car batteries that were charged up by bicycle-driven generators. You should be doing something similar today. That means choosing older laptops with lower power consumption, choosing laptops that run off 12 volts DC (like RV owners and yachtsmen do) and then getting a generator rigged from old car parts. The one thing different today from 10 years ago is that solar panels are a viable source for charging the batteries.<br />
<br />
:Forget the OLPC. You cannot buy them ([[Retail]]) and you need to get your government's support in order to get access to them.<br />
<br />
== Website woes ==<br />
<br />
Am I the only one having a problem with www.laptop.org? It seems to be formatted for those using widescreen computers. I suggest you reformat the page so that it can be accessed by any computer user.<br />
The verbage also seems to be targeted toward the academic community. While I can read what was written, it isn't user-friendly. <br />
<br />
Have you considered your target audience? It's difficult to build support for your movement if you make it difficult for potential supporters to access your information. <br />
<br />
L. Mundschau<br />
<br />
:Scroll your screen to the left to find the Contact link in the upper left hand corner. http://www.laptop.org/contact.shtml<br />
Either send an email or write a letter with your concerns. If you can include a screenshot of your screen that would help.<br />
<br />
== Investing ==<br />
<br />
How can an individual make an investment in the stock options?<br />
<br />
:There are no stocks or stock options to invest in.<br />
<br />
== What about students k-12 and college students in the USA? ==<br />
<br />
Do I qualify? I filled out the fafsa forms do you need those to determine those for financial need? If so, is there a way I can pass the computer to another "financial need base" student? I see that your organization goes around the world but didn't know if you were including the United States.<br />
<br />
:There are no plans to distribute the OLPC computers in the USA. If you want to lobby for this to happen, then read [[OLPC4USA]].<br />
<br />
== can i get one for my 2 kids??? ==<br />
<br />
dear sir/madam;<br />
<br />
i am a mother of two from the Philippines, my eldest son is only 4 yrs. old, he's now at the nursery level, and i notice that he is interested about computers, he even know how to operate my laptop and start his educational game and i am proud of it. that is why i am asking you a question if i can get one for my eldest son so he can pursue his interest in studying by using laptop, and soon will teach his baby brother to use it.<br />
<br />
thank you very much,<br />
<br />
laarni muldong<br />
<br />
:As explained in several places, the short answer is '''no'''.<br />
:See<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Where or how can I get one?]]<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question#Distribution, Roll-out, Marketing & Sales]]<br />
<br />
== freifunk.net volunteers ==<br />
<br />
I wrote an e-mail to volunteers@laptop.org <br />
ten days ago, which has not been replyed to yet.<br />
I will submit this mail here just for <br />
making sure it reaches you:<br />
<br />
:Deleted this private letter. If you do not get a reply to your email, either wait patiently, or send another email. This wiki is not a mailbox!<br />
<br />
We noticed that you are<br />
looking for people from the freifunk.net community for <br />
implementing the <br />
BATMAN software into your system. <br />
<br />
---[[User:Konstantin|Konstantin]] 09:27, 27 January 2007 (EST)---<br />
<br />
:The OLPC OS already has a built-in mesh networking system. It is highly unlikely that your BATMAN mesh networking system will be of any use. There is already a [[Developers program]] where you can offer your services.<br />
<br />
== Information about OLPC for people in pure countries ==<br />
<br />
There is lots of written material about OLPC for people in rich countries. <br />
The newspapers are full of OLPC stories.<br />
People in pure counties don't know much about OLPC but maybe the children will<br />
receive a laptop in near future.<br />
<br />
I will be in SO Asia for some month and will be in contact with teachers (as I am), mayors, children,...<br />
I like it to talk about this project with these people. There is lots of information about the<br />
project like technical specification, pedagogic methods,...<br />
<br />
But the thing I'm looking for is a simple description of the project in easy English that is use full<br />
for the local people.<br />
<br />
2-3 Pages in PDF would be great - does this already exist?<br />
--[[User:Bz|Bz]] 21:23, 29 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Hello, I'm Laura Barsottini, an italian journalist. I would like to know if is true that the laptop will be distribuited in april 2007. If not, when will be distribuited? At 130$ at the beginning? When it will be possible to begin the 2 for 1?<br />
Thenk you<br />
Laura Barsottini<br />
<br />
== RealPlayer in OPLC and applications download ==<br />
<br />
We are developing some applications that can be used to education purpose and we have some doubts:<br />
- Is it possible to make applications download using the OLPC ?<br />
- Is it possible to run the RealPlayer in OLPC ?<br />
Thanks in advance<br />
Vivian<br />
(vivianlona@hotmail.com)<br />
<br />
:The OLPC is based on downloadable activities, not applications. It will not have any RealPlayer support so you will need to encode in an open-source format. Ogg/Vorbis is good for music while Ogg/Speex is better for pure voice recordings. Read the [[Activity bundles]] page to see how to program a downloadable activity in Python.<br />
<br />
:: What format do you require? RealPlayer can play many different formats. Quicktime can be played with [http://gstreamer.net/ GStreamer] through [http://www.openquicktime.org/ OpenQuicktime] and [http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ Gnash] is mostly SWF v7 compliant (this makes Flash an open-source format). Gnash can play Flash movies from local files. If you would like to see either GStreamer or Gnash included you could add them to [[:Category:Feedback]]. [[Thin client]] explains about use of the OLPC as a web client or thin client. --[[User:Fasten|Fasten]] 11:40, 31 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
See also: [[Flash Player]]<br />
<br />
== Nigerian Ophanage as Beta Site ==<br />
<br />
The Shalom Orphanage is in Nigeria and has 2000 ophans resulting from the AIDS epidemic. The orphange is poor but could be an ideal beta site to demonstrate the impact of the $100 computer to change the lives of children at risk. If this is a possibility I will gladly provide more details in addition to contacts in Nigeria. I am also trying to get recycled computers for the Nigerian children as well as children I am helping in Newark, NJ that have their mothers in jail.My dream is to hook -up the at risk kids in two inner cities with kids from other countries in an attempt to create a positive virtual environment in view of my inability to change their real environment.<br />
<br />
Larry Ostuni<br />
973-383-8384<br />
973-383-8868 fax<br />
<br />
== Economies of scale? ==<br />
<br />
How would it not be in your interests if you hired a non-profit-org to sell laptops to citizens of more rich countries?<br />
<br />
You claim that it has to do with scale and all, but do you understand how many of these would sell? I'm sitting in front of a dual AMD turion laptop, yet I'd love the idea of having a laptop for my room and car both. You could sell millions of these here in the states. Would that not be scale for you? What # are you looking at would be for "scale" to occur?<br />
<br />
You all just need a web presence. Im sure one of the major credit card holders would give you a break, if not free processing for the purchase. I'm assuming that you already have warehouse space to store these things, so all you'd need is a volunteer army to ship them out. Not that hard, when you can make a fair profit back (or pay the "volunteers").<br />
<br />
150$ would be a very fair price point for those blessed with wealth in the States. I'd probably still buy 2 if they were 200$.<br />
<br />
:This is not so much of answer given that I ignore the details, '''thus I'm assuming'''.<br />
:It would seem that the deal struck between the OLPC and [[Quanta]] is ~USD 135 per unit EXW / FOB for a minimum order of 5 million units. So the OLPC has to ensure ''at least'' a 5 million order, before Quanta pushes the go button. Afaik, that is the "scale" needed.<br />
:You say how many could be sold? I have no clue really, but taking from the [[Retail#Pledgebank|3,678 pledged]] at the failed [http://www.pledgebank.com/100laptop pledgebank.com]... I don't see that number growing into a significant chunk of the 5,000,000 required.<br />
:You say hire an NGO, who'll pay for it? Self-financing you say? Maybe (but retail distribution is not that cheap) so in the end, much of the effort and (possible) profit will go to support the retail market. Maybe as PR activity, draw attention and support, developer community mind-share, and such&mdash;but that's another game. BTW, it takes a lot more than just a simple web-presence, credit card processing and stamp-licking-volunteers to get the boxes somewhere.<br />
:Warehouses? None that I know of. Afaik, OLPC is not even remotely interested in the distribution logistics. So even after [[Quanta]] hits the go-button, you still have the enormous task of actually distributing them&mdash;afaik, each country is responsible of doing their part.<br />
:Devoting and/or diverting efforts aimed at the [[retail]] market is not simple, and it would strain the launch process. Remember that ''it's an education project, not a laptop project.'' So even if you manage a retail market for 5 million units, the [[Our mission|project's objectives]] will '''still be unsatisfied'''.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 13:02, 1 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Preventing Porn/Adult Content? ==<br />
<br />
At launch time will the laptop include any software for content controls (to prevent porn, etc). I realize that one's definition of "acceptable content" varies over regions, but isn't most content filtering software for the client Win-based?<br />
<br />
: This will, as far as I know, be left up to countries. Because the hardware and software OLPC will provide is as open as possible, there is no real way to implement such filtering on the laptops themselves; the kids could just change the software to get around such restrictions. --[[User:18.85.46.22|18.85.46.22]] 19:16, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Mesh Network Emulation ==<br />
<br />
I'd like to try running a mesh network with emulation software; using say several laptops and a server (they could all be on one physical machine). I can't figure out how to create a mesh network using the qemu image, and don't see any images for the server. Thanks.<br />
<br />
(I am a graduate student in Computer Science and Education, and would like to contribute to this project; but need to evaluate a working environment first)<br />
<br />
:Could this [[Virtualized Sugar]] page be what you're looking for? --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:26, 6 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Thanks... maybe. I fired up two instances of olpc on moka5, on separate machines in the same LAN, but couldn't them in the neighborhood. What more tinkering is required?<br />
<br />
:Looks like it didn't work, uh? I would suggest then that you raise the issue in one of the [[Community mailing lists|mailing lists]] probably [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/networking networking]. If you find an answer (solution or reason on why not) please post it here, so that we may then add it somewhere. Thanks and good luck! --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 00:45, 7 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Environmental End-of-life considerations ==<br />
<br />
The environmental impacts and economic costs of disposing of obsolete/broken ICT hardware are well-known. The energy-efficiency of the laptop helps minimise it's impact during operational life. Can some details be given on steps that have or will be taken in the manufacturing and "ultimate disposal" stages of the hardware lifecycle to minimise environmental costs? I'm thinking here of embedded energy in manufacture, and disposal costs. Will recycling costs/incentives be built into the purchase cost? Will a recovery program be up to the individual government , or part of the agreement between OLPC and clients?<br />
<br />
== MARVELL? ==<br />
<br />
I notice that Marvell is the provider of the wireless solution, but there's no hyperlink to the company. Is this the same company?<br />
Marvell Semiconductor, Inc.<br />
5488 Marvell Lane<br />
Santa Clara, CA 95054<br />
Phone: 408-222-2500<br />
Fax: 408-752-9028<br />
A search on their website: http://www.marvell.com/products/wireless/index.jsp<br />
Does not show a "Libertas" product, which is what is mentioned on the hardware page:<br />
Wireless: Marvell Libertas 88W8388+88W8015, 802.11b/g compatible; dual adjustable, rotating coaxial antennas; supports diversity reception <br />
<br />
The reason for the question is if this wireless product draws such low power, it seems like a good fit for other applications?<br />
Just wondering...<br />
<br />
: It would seem so. Particularly noting that the drivers mentioned in the [[wireless]] page link to that site, and other info in the [[Libertas]] page. I'm guessing, but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11s 802.11s (mesh)] is still fuzzy, so it probably hasn't made it to the 'product' level yet. See also [[:Category:Network]]. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:48, 8 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== XOs in operation: Observations from Nigeria ==<br />
<br />
'''XOs @ Alteq's (OLPC4Nigeria) Engineering Unit'''<br />
<br />
[[Image:Using Abiword and Browser.jpg|thumb|Nothing beats the XO experience.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Clipboard Ops.jpg|thumb|Editing the Wiki via an XO]]<br />
<br />
* One of our XOs (among the first 40 units to arrive in Nigeria) nicknamed '''alteq eng 1''' is displaying some anomalous behavior: Whenever its browser and RSS viewer (Penguin TV) are launched, their icons slowly/gently "flash" in the "circle of running applications". Whenever the flashing Penguin TV icon or Browser icon is clicked on, they each disappear.<br />
[[Image:Adding my observations.jpg|thumb|Redefining the concept of fun.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Neighborhood "radar"_1.jpg|thumb|Everyone can see everyone.]]<br />
<br />
*The '''MeshNets''' don't always work as expected; sometimes, some of the XOs indicate that their MeshNets are active...yet they don't see one another...particularly those XOs that have been "tagged" as "friends". I usually solve this by restarting.<br />
<br />
* When an application or more is shared on the MeshNet, another XO that clicks on the shared application (in the neighborhood "radar") will have its respective application launched but won't have a view of the content from the host XO that shared its application. For instance, if XO "Alpha" is viewing the web page '''http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot''' and it shares its browser, XO "Beta" can see "Alpha's" shared browser on the neighborhood radar and click on it. Whenever this is done on the XOs at Alteq (OLPC4Nigeria), "Beta" and any other XO that clicks on "Alpha's" shared browser will end up having their respective browsers going to their default URLs instead of the page that XO "Alpha" is viewing (http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot).<br />
<br />
My observations were posted onto this page using an XO (copy-and-paste from Abiword to browser).<br />
[[Image:A pair of XOs seeing each other via Mesh Net.jpg|thumb|Just the 2 of us]]<br />
<br />
--Ahmad 03:12, 12 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== autoreinstalation image through usb is not working..help.. ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i have successfully update image from this site...(olpc/manuals%20notes/Auto re installation_image.htm)...but after giving response ok at the end of setup...machine didn't reboot or shutdown... after waiting long time i shutdown the machine and then turn on .. then message comes : trying startup script disk:\boot\olpc-boot.fth..........and then no response for 5 minutes...after 5 minutes again a 4 lines message comes....<br />
<br />
boot-file = ro root=mtd0 rootfstype=jffs2 console=ttys0, 115200 console =tty0 fbcon=font:sun12*22 pci=nobios video=gxfb:1024*768-16<br />
boot-device = nand .....<br />
and machine held with this message....and no response ....<br />
<br />
can any body help me in this issue ?? <br />
-- <br />
Salman Minhas<br />
System Administrator<br />
Electronic Government Directorate<br />
<br />
:We have seen a few cases of auto-installer failures apparently due to "botched" downloads onto USB disks. We plan to mitigate that by including a manifest in the installer image, with checksums/hashes. In the interim, please try downloadinga new build image. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 20:21, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==What are the costs of implementation? Economic costs of not implementing? Who will pay?==<br />
<br />
I am doing an economics project regarding the OLPC as an economic policy to solve third world education. I was just wondering if you could provide me with answers regarding these questions, espsecially about the long-term and short-term costs including social, political, and economic, domestic and international.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Kevin, Toronto<br />
<br />
: The costs of implementation are just those you'd expect: infrastructure, hardware, distribution, etc. I'm not sure what you're asking about "economic costs of not implementing"; the idea is that economic benefits of education vastly outweigh the costs of laptops. National governments will pay, for the moment, though other schemes, such as one nation helping to pay for another's laptops, etc. will undoubtedly be explored as the program expands. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:34, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== computers for children? ==<br />
<br />
yes having a computer is great.but shouldnt we all make certain everyone is fed,first of all.people in every country go hungry each day.where is your 100$ technological advancement for that?<br />
<br />
:Congratulations. You are the 10,000th person to ask this question. We direct you to the answer prominently displayed in [[Our mission]].</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=25339Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-02-19T19:09:19Z<p>Memracom: /* education? */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
This is a very interesting question. This question may have some answers in a recent article In CNN Money.<br />
<br />
[http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/20/technology/fastforward_thirdworld.fortune/index.htm]<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 09:55, 10 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal]<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
Further to the question above, does the OLPC initiative include distributing laptops to children who are currently going through patient care in a hospital setting? And if so do you have links to devices that can allow a child to utilize a laptop from a hospital bed (i.e., wall mounted mechanical laptop ARM)? This is a great initiative!!!<br />
<br />
Regards<br />
CReid<br />
<br />
:Technically, it's the governments '''buying''' the laptop that will distribute them ('''not''' the OLPC), and while I see no difference between a child in a hospital bed or a cabin in the mountains (from a distribution PoV), my guess is that hospitals in these countries have other priorities to allocate their budgets instead of [http://www.infologixsys.com/products/Healthcare/Healthcare-Solutions/Point-of-Care/Wall-Mount-Workstation/C-Wallmount-Cabinet/default.asp fancy trays] (as cool as they might be ;) --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:05, 23 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As a representative of an NGO type organization I just recently commented to a UN officer about a similar subject. “Fancy Trays”' are not always at the request of the country or donor agency in general. Part of what makes these items or services that may not at first glance seem functional is the vision of the donor. Just like the water go round in Africa sponsored by Ex US president Bill Clinton and the water see saw in another nation that promotes the washing of your hands. It is not always up to the receiver in what it is they are to receive .<br />
There are also many sites that go in-depth about theses issues and the how and why's of the matters. If you are interested in finding out more you can direct searches about: third world programs, world aid and I am sure you can find more information as to why a fancy tray may have been purchased or donated as well as many other interesting things.<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
:This is brilliant! My niece and nephew recently gave me a flashlight that is charged by shaking a weight back and forth through windings where the D cell batteries would go in handle of "normal" flashpoint. It is very low power LED bulb but the accumulated energy could be significant. Something similar but maybe with steel balls to roll around a racetrack or arc designed for ergonomic motions in a couple of different walking "games" would charge the power storage all the way home or to school! We need to find an ergonomics specialist to help (and maybe a child pyschologist or game specialist) and an electrical engineer to design the circuits for the generator ..... maybe we could find some soon at Wikiversity? ... or we could track down someone knowledgeable from the power summit recently held. Power summit for One Laptop Per Child project[http://lwn.net/Articles/181687/] .... I am not sure how to proceed. I am currently trying to get a pedagogy project going http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Self_Paced_Reading_Labs. I do not have time for this but the kids need power to access the internet and get to Wikiversity. 8( Maybe someone will pick your idea up. It is a really good one. [[User:Mirwin|Mirwin]] 13:59, 11 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
:See the section about [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Training & Capacity Building]]... but in general, that is upto the deploying countries to decide how it'll work - you should contact that side of the equation (or any organizations they name when the time comes).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:54, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
: For information about such security topics, see the [[Bitfrost]] specification. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:20, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of [[Fedora]] with the [[Sugar]] os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
---Yes but you cant ignore Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A starving kid with a starving family at home will not see OLPC as an education tool but instead as something he can sell to buy food. Exploitation in India by international IT companies may be morally wrong by the developed world standards but the alternative for indian programmers to that kind of exploitation is unemployment. I'm not ignoring the fact that one needs education to be a programmer, OLPC can provide that education. "Education first" slogan sounds great, but realistically speaking you can't skip the layers in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.<br />
<br />
::The interesting thing about Maslow and technology is that it sometimes results are ''counter-intuitive''. For example, many reports have been written about how cell-phone technology actually has improved the standard of living for subsistence farmers, fishermen, etc. because they extend one basic need: communication & mobility (two things targeted by the laptop). --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:58, 17 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lamp is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
:Hey "scampsd" i couldnt work out how to contact you about this, I am interested in alternative scales, mail me, simon att simon chadwick dt net<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two approaches to solve short-term and long-term problems of the developing world? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = investing in a better future for them and their societies. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against polarity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
May be a project similar to OLPC can be initiated to narrow the digital divide in the US. But instead of inventing a whole new laptop like the OLPC old PCs and laptops can be recycled and install linux to save cost? You'll find that when you run Linux on old computers they're not so "old." :-)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
*This will be the responsibility of the country in which the laptops are deployed. They are more familiar with local culture, local social issues and local laws.<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Rugged Laptops ==<br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
:'Huge' is relative, you can measure it in number of units or monetary value. And given that the market is a niche, it implies a small volume and high monetary value&mdash;the opposite of what the OLPC target market is (afaik). I see your point in 'overpricing' this 'commercial rugged laptops', but that would only create incentives to divert machines to the black/grey market. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:10, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />
---(JK, USA) There ought to be a sister project of the OLPC to bring internet connection to schools in the developing world. One internet connection per school wouldn't be a bad name for such project. Wireless Gateway/APs powered by environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, perhaps linked to a bidirectional satellite internet receiver, and then use [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/]WifiPaypal so that donors in the developed world can donate mothly Satellite connection bill direct to the schools using Paypal.<br />
<br />
*I think you should develop your idea and get about doing it. Gus, Chile<br />
<br />
Yes, that would be great to get internet capabilities, I agree -- I hope you do start that up!<br />
<br />
Does anybody know about the approximate power needs for the gateways? I know somebody working on microbial fuel cells and he asked me to find out what the power needs would be, and I just have no idea. I'm assuming that power is going to be a biggish issue for the gateways, as many of them will be in areas with no elecricity -- Am I wrong? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
:Generally ages 6 to 17. (First grade to the end of high school in the US.) The emphasis is ages 6 to 10 or so. A careful look at OLPC pictures indicates that they are really sized for 6 to 10 year olds. --[[User:Tef|tef]] 13 Jan 2007<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. <br />
<br />
:There is no "buy 2 get 1" scheme. If you would read the [[Retail]] page then you would know this.<br />
<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
<br />
:This is not an OLPC idea. The OLPC project has no intention to distribute laptops over Ebay and if people started to sell stolen laptops on Ebay we would work to shut that down.<br />
<br />
==Relaunching software as freeware==<br />
We are reviving ChipWits - an award-winning iconic programming game - and would like to encourage a freeware version to be developed for the OLPC. Is there a forum to discuss it?<br />
<br />
:There are several [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo mailing lists] (note the link in the 'about olpc' box at the top-left of the page. Also, there's a section on how to get around [[Sharing your content with OLPC]].<br />
:BTW, the OLPC is commited to [[Open Source]], so 'free' would probably not be enough, methinks.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:43, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
::ChipWits will be open source. Thanks for the pointer to the mailing list.<br />
<br />
== Tested with destructive children? ==<br />
<br />
Regardless of cultural background, everywhere these laptops will go there will be some children who'll break anything they get their hands on within a few days or even minutes.<br />
<br />
Have these two tests been conducted with actual children?<br />
<br />
Rotate the screen 90 degrees then have various children attempt to push the screen down as if it was going to be closed normally or in e-book position. If the hinge breaks then it's not strong enough.<br />
<br />
The angry child test. Anyone who has ever seen kids get upset at not being able to figure out a toy or game or puzzle and *has not* seen at least one kid hurl the thing across the room or swat it off a table hasn't been around enough children. With the screen in various positions, test it from merely dropping to the floor from table height to being shoved off at various speeds. To gather velocity data, have various children push and throw test objects of size and weight similar to the current BTest laptop design, then use that data with a pusher device on an actual BTest laptop.<br />
<br />
One possibility may be to build in some amount of flexibility, similar to spring hinges on eyeglasses, or make a non-twist design for the youngest children. Put some glasses frames on some kids then have them play volleyball. Mix the frames half with spring hinges, half without. Observe the effect of a volleyball to the head and what happens to the frames. (Having your frames broken three times in three consecutive games is a great way to convinve the parents to spend the extra $ on frames with spring hinges!)<br />
<br />
Another possible way to reduce damage potential is to make the hinge with a cam action so that it can only be twisted around when it's open to 90 degrees, and attempting to turn it when it's open more or less will push the screen to 90 degrees before allowing it to rotate very far. Joints like this are used in many products already, to ensure the joint can only be manipulated in paths that will work properly. Examine as many existing twist screen laptops as possible to see if any already have such 'forced path' screen hinges. Couple this with a simple spring loaded, double acting "saloon door" type hinge between the screen and the twist and fold hinge already on the BTest laptops could make the hinge system extremely tough.<br />
<br />
What could be a bit of a compromise system is to design the screen to 'breakaway' from the top of the hinge, with a reinforced data cable and a braided steel cable for extra durability. The screen could be easily snapped back on, but durability of the snap joint could be an issue, especially if the snap together parts are plastic.<br />
<br />
The idea that all or most children who're growing up with next to nothing will give these laptops super loving care is major 'blue sky'. The twist hinge is a big potential failure point. One big thing anyone working on any complex system has to keep in mind is that the more points of potential failure there are, the more likely there will be failures.<br />
<br />
Design the screen hinge to take abuse and there will be minimal problems with the abuse it will definately recieve. Leave it with the current hinge design and you'll be seeing plenty coming back with broken hinges.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''True but...'''<br />
I would like to add that based on the statement '''“Cultural Background”''' there is in some ways a much more stronger type life style that many that will be eligible for the lap top live.<br />
But because it is a learning program with a parable infrastructure their has to be in the distribution and training of those who will hand them out a part about responsibility.<br />
It should be explained to each child in their groups of receiving the Laptop that if it breaks there is a chance that they may not get another ,as only one lap top per child or family. Since it is the government and their sponsors that are to foot the bill, <br />
this is a very serious consideration. Creating a <br />
lesson plan with in the training material about <br />
the ups and downs of the unit if it brakes. Can '''One:''' <br />
Move the government too, with in their budget to acquire <br />
parts and as well as service contracts in how long <br />
they will support the Laptop if it breaks. '''Two:'''<br />
Where locally will they be able to bring the <br />
laptop in for service. '''Three:''' be prepared <br />
for local people to get in on the act and tinker with the laptop if it is a hinge and find ways to fix it. I also think your expression about child anger was some what misleading and misinformed. <br />
I think the possibility of a goat <br />
or farm animal stepping on the lap top <br />
that belonged to a child that had brought the lap top along to do family chores could be a better scenario<br />
I believe this is much more realistic. <br />
I don't think presenting such negative <br />
leads towards aggression ,as to have faith in <br />
the little children that they are good and can handle the responsibility of caring for their new <br />
computer friend. <br />
I hope in the future to share my <br />
experience based on countless hours of research <br />
in to the presentation of third world issues <br />
that there are some inconsistencies in what is presented by media in general and the real life of that matter. <br />
This is also a generalization as in all walks <br />
of life the real truth can only be known by the<br />
actors and witness of the fact at hand. <br />
That's for every one too!--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 08:53, 19 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== LiveCD OS Images ==<br />
<br />
I downloaded a few of the recent LiveCD image builds (231), but for some reason the system does not load up and run. Obviously in this case you need a PC that has a CD/DVD reader etc. I may not be burning the CD correctly although Grub seems to start ok.<br />
Is there any particular hardware needed that a typical PC does not have, or something that I am not doing properly? Anyone out there that has this working and can share some ideas would be great. Thanks in advance.<br />
<br />
== Color Coded Maps and Color Blind People==<br />
<br />
Would you please consider a written list of country status for those of us that are colorblind and can't make heads nor tails of your map?<br />
<br />
:There's an [[OLPC Status by Country]] page with a table - but darn! It too is color coded! ...just checked :( <br />
:I'll update it to make it text AND color coded.<br />
:It covers [[OLPC Status by Country#Africa|Africa]], the [[OLPC Status by Country#The Americas|Americas]] and [[OLPC Status by Country#Asia|Asia]], and it's '''NOT''' official (iow, the coding of some countries could be wrong).<br />
:And yes, there should be a link to that table in the [[#Countries|Countries section above]] and in the [[Map]] page.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:30, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Bad netiquette, answering to self, but it's already done! See [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
::This question and it's answer will soon be moved to the [[#Country]] section above.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:58, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Chrekula Uganda ==<br />
<br />
We are opening aprivate school in the village of Cherekula Uganda. I was going to provide two laptop computers but we are facing a problem with the lack of electrical power. We are exploring the purchase of a gas generator. I have bee folling the OLPC project for seceral years and am now convinced this is a better alternative. How do I enlist the Ugandan government so that I can take sveral OLPC computers to the choll when we visit this March (2007). We are completely willing to purchase them and we can transport the or have them shipped. I know that these would be pilots (beta?). We just want to try and get moving ahead on providing internet access to some very deprived children. This school is a high school. The first one ever in this village. It is located about 250 km from Kampala. Can you advise me on how to proceed. We can document the school i required. THanks ./Jim May jimlind@ameritech.net Farmington Hills Mi. USA 48336<br />
<br />
:You are going at this the wrong way. The first thing you need to do is find someone who is an expert in electrical power generation and storage to give you advice. They are unlikely to suggest buying a gas-powered generator for two laptops. Ten years ago people in Africa were running laptops off car batteries that were charged up by bicycle-driven generators. You should be doing something similar today. That means choosing older laptops with lower power consumption, choosing laptops that run off 12 volts DC (like RV owners and yachtsmen do) and then getting a generator rigged from old car parts. The one thing different today from 10 years ago is that solar panels are a viable source for charging the batteries.<br />
<br />
:Forget the OLPC. You cannot buy them ([[Retail]]) and you need to get your government's support in order to get access to them.<br />
<br />
== Website woes ==<br />
<br />
Am I the only one having a problem with www.laptop.org? It seems to be formatted for those using widescreen computers. I suggest you reformat the page so that it can be accessed by any computer user.<br />
The verbage also seems to be targeted toward the academic community. While I can read what was written, it isn't user-friendly. <br />
<br />
Have you considered your target audience? It's difficult to build support for your movement if you make it difficult for potential supporters to access your information. <br />
<br />
L. Mundschau<br />
<br />
:Scroll your screen to the left to find the Contact link in the upper left hand corner. http://www.laptop.org/contact.shtml<br />
Either send an email or write a letter with your concerns. If you can include a screenshot of your screen that would help.<br />
<br />
== Investing ==<br />
<br />
How can an individual make an investment in the stock options?<br />
<br />
:There are no stocks or stock options to invest in.<br />
<br />
== What about students k-12 and college students in the USA? ==<br />
<br />
Do I qualify? I filled out the fafsa forms do you need those to determine those for financial need? If so, is there a way I can pass the computer to another "financial need base" student? I see that your organization goes around the world but didn't know if you were including the United States.<br />
<br />
:There are no plans to distribute the OLPC computers in the USA. If you want to lobby for this to happen, then read [[OLPC4USA]].<br />
<br />
== can i get one for my 2 kids??? ==<br />
<br />
dear sir/madam;<br />
<br />
i am a mother of two from the Philippines, my eldest son is only 4 yrs. old, he's now at the nursery level, and i notice that he is interested about computers, he even know how to operate my laptop and start his educational game and i am proud of it. that is why i am asking you a question if i can get one for my eldest son so he can pursue his interest in studying by using laptop, and soon will teach his baby brother to use it.<br />
<br />
thank you very much,<br />
<br />
laarni muldong<br />
<br />
:As explained in several places, the short answer is '''no'''.<br />
:See<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Where or how can I get one?]]<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question#Distribution, Roll-out, Marketing & Sales]]<br />
<br />
== freifunk.net volunteers ==<br />
<br />
I wrote an e-mail to volunteers@laptop.org <br />
ten days ago, which has not been replyed to yet.<br />
I will submit this mail here just for <br />
making sure it reaches you:<br />
<br />
:Deleted this private letter. If you do not get a reply to your email, either wait patiently, or send another email. This wiki is not a mailbox!<br />
<br />
We noticed that you are<br />
looking for people from the freifunk.net community for <br />
implementing the <br />
BATMAN software into your system. <br />
<br />
---[[User:Konstantin|Konstantin]] 09:27, 27 January 2007 (EST)---<br />
<br />
:The OLPC OS already has a built-in mesh networking system. It is highly unlikely that your BATMAN mesh networking system will be of any use. There is already a [[Developers program]] where you can offer your services.<br />
<br />
== Information about OLPC for people in pure countries ==<br />
<br />
There is lots of written material about OLPC for people in rich countries. <br />
The newspapers are full of OLPC stories.<br />
People in pure counties don't know much about OLPC but maybe the children will<br />
receive a laptop in near future.<br />
<br />
I will be in SO Asia for some month and will be in contact with teachers (as I am), mayors, children,...<br />
I like it to talk about this project with these people. There is lots of information about the<br />
project like technical specification, pedagogic methods,...<br />
<br />
But the thing I'm looking for is a simple description of the project in easy English that is use full<br />
for the local people.<br />
<br />
2-3 Pages in PDF would be great - does this already exist?<br />
--[[User:Bz|Bz]] 21:23, 29 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Hello, I'm Laura Barsottini, an italian journalist. I would like to know if is true that the laptop will be distribuited in april 2007. If not, when will be distribuited? At 130$ at the beginning? When it will be possible to begin the 2 for 1?<br />
Thenk you<br />
Laura Barsottini<br />
<br />
== RealPlayer in OPLC and applications download ==<br />
<br />
We are developing some applications that can be used to education purpose and we have some doubts:<br />
- Is it possible to make applications download using the OLPC ?<br />
- Is it possible to run the RealPlayer in OLPC ?<br />
Thanks in advance<br />
Vivian<br />
(vivianlona@hotmail.com)<br />
<br />
:The OLPC is based on downloadable activities, not applications. It will not have any RealPlayer support so you will need to encode in an open-source format. Ogg/Vorbis is good for music while Ogg/Speex is better for pure voice recordings. Read the [[Activity bundles]] page to see how to program a downloadable activity in Python.<br />
<br />
:: What format do you require? RealPlayer can play many different formats. Quicktime can be played with [http://gstreamer.net/ GStreamer] through [http://www.openquicktime.org/ OpenQuicktime] and [http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ Gnash] is mostly SWF v7 compliant (this makes Flash an open-source format). Gnash can play Flash movies from local files. If you would like to see either GStreamer or Gnash included you could add them to [[:Category:Feedback]]. [[Thin client]] explains about use of the OLPC as a web client or thin client. --[[User:Fasten|Fasten]] 11:40, 31 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
See also: [[Flash Player]]<br />
<br />
== Nigerian Ophanage as Beta Site ==<br />
<br />
The Shalom Orphanage is in Nigeria and has 2000 ophans resulting from the AIDS epidemic. The orphange is poor but could be an ideal beta site to demonstrate the impact of the $100 computer to change the lives of children at risk. If this is a possibility I will gladly provide more details in addition to contacts in Nigeria. I am also trying to get recycled computers for the Nigerian children as well as children I am helping in Newark, NJ that have their mothers in jail.My dream is to hook -up the at risk kids in two inner cities with kids from other countries in an attempt to create a positive virtual environment in view of my inability to change their real environment.<br />
<br />
Larry Ostuni<br />
973-383-8384<br />
973-383-8868 fax<br />
<br />
== Economies of scale? ==<br />
<br />
How would it not be in your interests if you hired a non-profit-org to sell laptops to citizens of more rich countries?<br />
<br />
You claim that it has to do with scale and all, but do you understand how many of these would sell? I'm sitting in front of a dual AMD turion laptop, yet I'd love the idea of having a laptop for my room and car both. You could sell millions of these here in the states. Would that not be scale for you? What # are you looking at would be for "scale" to occur?<br />
<br />
You all just need a web presence. Im sure one of the major credit card holders would give you a break, if not free processing for the purchase. I'm assuming that you already have warehouse space to store these things, so all you'd need is a volunteer army to ship them out. Not that hard, when you can make a fair profit back (or pay the "volunteers").<br />
<br />
150$ would be a very fair price point for those blessed with wealth in the States. I'd probably still buy 2 if they were 200$.<br />
<br />
:This is not so much of answer given that I ignore the details, '''thus I'm assuming'''.<br />
:It would seem that the deal struck between the OLPC and [[Quanta]] is ~USD 135 per unit EXW / FOB for a minimum order of 5 million units. So the OLPC has to ensure ''at least'' a 5 million order, before Quanta pushes the go button. Afaik, that is the "scale" needed.<br />
:You say how many could be sold? I have no clue really, but taking from the [[Retail#Pledgebank|3,678 pledged]] at the failed [http://www.pledgebank.com/100laptop pledgebank.com]... I don't see that number growing into a significant chunk of the 5,000,000 required.<br />
:You say hire an NGO, who'll pay for it? Self-financing you say? Maybe (but retail distribution is not that cheap) so in the end, much of the effort and (possible) profit will go to support the retail market. Maybe as PR activity, draw attention and support, developer community mind-share, and such&mdash;but that's another game. BTW, it takes a lot more than just a simple web-presence, credit card processing and stamp-licking-volunteers to get the boxes somewhere.<br />
:Warehouses? None that I know of. Afaik, OLPC is not even remotely interested in the distribution logistics. So even after [[Quanta]] hits the go-button, you still have the enormous task of actually distributing them&mdash;afaik, each country is responsible of doing their part.<br />
:Devoting and/or diverting efforts aimed at the [[retail]] market is not simple, and it would strain the launch process. Remember that ''it's an education project, not a laptop project.'' So even if you manage a retail market for 5 million units, the [[Our mission|project's objectives]] will '''still be unsatisfied'''.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 13:02, 1 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Preventing Porn/Adult Content? ==<br />
<br />
At launch time will the laptop include any software for content controls (to prevent porn, etc). I realize that one's definition of "acceptable content" varies over regions, but isn't most content filtering software for the client Win-based?<br />
<br />
: This will, as far as I know, be left up to countries. Because the hardware and software OLPC will provide is as open as possible, there is no real way to implement such filtering on the laptops themselves; the kids could just change the software to get around such restrictions. --[[User:18.85.46.22|18.85.46.22]] 19:16, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Mesh Network Emulation ==<br />
<br />
I'd like to try running a mesh network with emulation software; using say several laptops and a server (they could all be on one physical machine). I can't figure out how to create a mesh network using the qemu image, and don't see any images for the server. Thanks.<br />
<br />
(I am a graduate student in Computer Science and Education, and would like to contribute to this project; but need to evaluate a working environment first)<br />
<br />
:Could this [[Virtualized Sugar]] page be what you're looking for? --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:26, 6 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Thanks... maybe. I fired up two instances of olpc on moka5, on separate machines in the same LAN, but couldn't them in the neighborhood. What more tinkering is required?<br />
<br />
:Looks like it didn't work, uh? I would suggest then that you raise the issue in one of the [[Community mailing lists|mailing lists]] probably [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/networking networking]. If you find an answer (solution or reason on why not) please post it here, so that we may then add it somewhere. Thanks and good luck! --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 00:45, 7 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Environmental End-of-life considerations ==<br />
<br />
The environmental impacts and economic costs of disposing of obsolete/broken ICT hardware are well-known. The energy-efficiency of the laptop helps minimise it's impact during operational life. Can some details be given on steps that have or will be taken in the manufacturing and "ultimate disposal" stages of the hardware lifecycle to minimise environmental costs? I'm thinking here of embedded energy in manufacture, and disposal costs. Will recycling costs/incentives be built into the purchase cost? Will a recovery program be up to the individual government , or part of the agreement between OLPC and clients?<br />
<br />
== MARVELL? ==<br />
<br />
I notice that Marvell is the provider of the wireless solution, but there's no hyperlink to the company. Is this the same company?<br />
Marvell Semiconductor, Inc.<br />
5488 Marvell Lane<br />
Santa Clara, CA 95054<br />
Phone: 408-222-2500<br />
Fax: 408-752-9028<br />
A search on their website: http://www.marvell.com/products/wireless/index.jsp<br />
Does not show a "Libertas" product, which is what is mentioned on the hardware page:<br />
Wireless: Marvell Libertas 88W8388+88W8015, 802.11b/g compatible; dual adjustable, rotating coaxial antennas; supports diversity reception <br />
<br />
The reason for the question is if this wireless product draws such low power, it seems like a good fit for other applications?<br />
Just wondering...<br />
<br />
: It would seem so. Particularly noting that the drivers mentioned in the [[wireless]] page link to that site, and other info in the [[Libertas]] page. I'm guessing, but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11s 802.11s (mesh)] is still fuzzy, so it probably hasn't made it to the 'product' level yet. See also [[:Category:Network]]. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:48, 8 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
hello, i´m argentinian, i was watching a tv program about you marvelous proyect, and i have an idea, i know that my country is involved with your proyect, but i was wondering how to get one of that computers, and then i think, this is a beautiful proyect, and the main reason is help non fortunate childres, so, i think that is a good option try to include all the comunity, so this is my idea, why don´t sell to the public, but they will have to pay for example 150 u$s, so if 2 pc weare sold, 1 pc goes to childres.<br />
i hope you don´t missundertand my intention, and please forgime for my horrible english!!!<br />
i´m looking foward to hearing from you in a very near future (my mail is x_judo@hotmail.com)<br />
<br />
== XOs in operation: Observations from Nigeria ==<br />
<br />
'''XOs @ Alteq's (OLPC4Nigeria) Engineering Unit'''<br />
<br />
[[Image:Using Abiword and Browser.jpg|thumb|Nothing beats the XO experience.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Clipboard Ops.jpg|thumb|Editing the Wiki via an XO]]<br />
<br />
* One of our XOs (among the first 40 units to arrive in Nigeria) nicknamed '''alteq eng 1''' is displaying some anomalous behavior: Whenever its browser and RSS viewer (Penguin TV) are launched, their icons slowly/gently "flash" in the "circle of running applications". Whenever the flashing Penguin TV icon or Browser icon is clicked on, they each disappear.<br />
[[Image:Adding my observations.jpg|thumb|Redefining the concept of fun.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Neighborhood "radar"_1.jpg|thumb|Everyone can see everyone.]]<br />
<br />
*The '''MeshNets''' don't always work as expected; sometimes, some of the XOs indicate that their MeshNets are active...yet they don't see one another...particularly those XOs that have been "tagged" as "friends". I usually solve this by restarting.<br />
<br />
* When an application or more is shared on the MeshNet, another XO that clicks on the shared application (in the neighborhood "radar") will have its respective application launched but won't have a view of the content from the host XO that shared its application. For instance, if XO "Alpha" is viewing the web page '''http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot''' and it shares its browser, XO "Beta" can see "Alpha's" shared browser on the neighborhood radar and click on it. Whenever this is done on the XOs at Alteq (OLPC4Nigeria), "Beta" and any other XO that clicks on "Alpha's" shared browser will end up having their respective browsers going to their default URLs instead of the page that XO "Alpha" is viewing (http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot).<br />
<br />
My observations were posted onto this page using an XO (copy-and-paste from Abiword to browser).<br />
[[Image:A pair of XOs seeing each other via Mesh Net.jpg|thumb|Just the 2 of us]]<br />
<br />
--Ahmad 03:12, 12 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== autoreinstalation image through usb is not working..help.. ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i have successfully update image from this site...(olpc/manuals%20notes/Auto re installation_image.htm)...but after giving response ok at the end of setup...machine didn't reboot or shutdown... after waiting long time i shutdown the machine and then turn on .. then message comes : trying startup script disk:\boot\olpc-boot.fth..........and then no response for 5 minutes...after 5 minutes again a 4 lines message comes....<br />
<br />
boot-file = ro root=mtd0 rootfstype=jffs2 console=ttys0, 115200 console =tty0 fbcon=font:sun12*22 pci=nobios video=gxfb:1024*768-16<br />
boot-device = nand .....<br />
and machine held with this message....and no response ....<br />
<br />
can any body help me in this issue ?? <br />
-- <br />
Salman Minhas<br />
System Administrator<br />
Electronic Government Directorate<br />
<br />
:We have seen a few cases of auto-installer failures apparently due to "botched" downloads onto USB disks. We plan to mitigate that by including a manifest in the installer image, with checksums/hashes. In the interim, please try downloadinga new build image. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 20:21, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==What are the costs of implementation? Economic costs of not implementing? Who will pay?==<br />
<br />
I am doing an economics project regarding the OLPC as an economic policy to solve third world education. I was just wondering if you could provide me with answers regarding these questions, espsecially about the long-term and short-term costs including social, political, and economic, domestic and international.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Kevin, Toronto<br />
<br />
: The costs of implementation are just those you'd expect: infrastructure, hardware, distribution, etc. I'm not sure what you're asking about "economic costs of not implementing"; the idea is that economic benefits of education vastly outweigh the costs of laptops. National governments will pay, for the moment, though other schemes, such as one nation helping to pay for another's laptops, etc. will undoubtedly be explored as the program expands. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:34, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== computers for children? ==<br />
<br />
yes having a computer is great.but shouldnt we all make certain everyone is fed,first of all.people in every country go hungry each day.where is your 100$ technological advancement for that?<br />
<br />
:Congratulations. You are the 10,000th person to ask this question. We direct you to the answer prominently displayed in [[Our mission]].</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=25338Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-02-19T19:08:58Z<p>Memracom: /* computers for children? */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
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Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
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In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
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Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
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<br />
This is a very interesting question. This question may have some answers in a recent article In CNN Money.<br />
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[http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/20/technology/fastforward_thirdworld.fortune/index.htm]<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 09:55, 10 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
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==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
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:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
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::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
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:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
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::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
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However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
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:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
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==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
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--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal]<br />
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:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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Further to the question above, does the OLPC initiative include distributing laptops to children who are currently going through patient care in a hospital setting? And if so do you have links to devices that can allow a child to utilize a laptop from a hospital bed (i.e., wall mounted mechanical laptop ARM)? This is a great initiative!!!<br />
<br />
Regards<br />
CReid<br />
<br />
:Technically, it's the governments '''buying''' the laptop that will distribute them ('''not''' the OLPC), and while I see no difference between a child in a hospital bed or a cabin in the mountains (from a distribution PoV), my guess is that hospitals in these countries have other priorities to allocate their budgets instead of [http://www.infologixsys.com/products/Healthcare/Healthcare-Solutions/Point-of-Care/Wall-Mount-Workstation/C-Wallmount-Cabinet/default.asp fancy trays] (as cool as they might be ;) --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:05, 23 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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<br />
As a representative of an NGO type organization I just recently commented to a UN officer about a similar subject. “Fancy Trays”' are not always at the request of the country or donor agency in general. Part of what makes these items or services that may not at first glance seem functional is the vision of the donor. Just like the water go round in Africa sponsored by Ex US president Bill Clinton and the water see saw in another nation that promotes the washing of your hands. It is not always up to the receiver in what it is they are to receive .<br />
There are also many sites that go in-depth about theses issues and the how and why's of the matters. If you are interested in finding out more you can direct searches about: third world programs, world aid and I am sure you can find more information as to why a fancy tray may have been purchased or donated as well as many other interesting things.<br />
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== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
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We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
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Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
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We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
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I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
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Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
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--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
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From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
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== Self-winding generator ==<br />
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Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
:This is brilliant! My niece and nephew recently gave me a flashlight that is charged by shaking a weight back and forth through windings where the D cell batteries would go in handle of "normal" flashpoint. It is very low power LED bulb but the accumulated energy could be significant. Something similar but maybe with steel balls to roll around a racetrack or arc designed for ergonomic motions in a couple of different walking "games" would charge the power storage all the way home or to school! We need to find an ergonomics specialist to help (and maybe a child pyschologist or game specialist) and an electrical engineer to design the circuits for the generator ..... maybe we could find some soon at Wikiversity? ... or we could track down someone knowledgeable from the power summit recently held. Power summit for One Laptop Per Child project[http://lwn.net/Articles/181687/] .... I am not sure how to proceed. I am currently trying to get a pedagogy project going http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Self_Paced_Reading_Labs. I do not have time for this but the kids need power to access the internet and get to Wikiversity. 8( Maybe someone will pick your idea up. It is a really good one. [[User:Mirwin|Mirwin]] 13:59, 11 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
:See the section about [[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Training & Capacity Building]]... but in general, that is upto the deploying countries to decide how it'll work - you should contact that side of the equation (or any organizations they name when the time comes).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:54, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
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== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
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== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
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JK, USA<br />
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: For information about such security topics, see the [[Bitfrost]] specification. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:20, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of [[Fedora]] with the [[Sugar]] os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
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== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
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:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
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JK, USA<br />
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:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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---Yes but you cant ignore Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A starving kid with a starving family at home will not see OLPC as an education tool but instead as something he can sell to buy food. Exploitation in India by international IT companies may be morally wrong by the developed world standards but the alternative for indian programmers to that kind of exploitation is unemployment. I'm not ignoring the fact that one needs education to be a programmer, OLPC can provide that education. "Education first" slogan sounds great, but realistically speaking you can't skip the layers in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.<br />
<br />
::The interesting thing about Maslow and technology is that it sometimes results are ''counter-intuitive''. For example, many reports have been written about how cell-phone technology actually has improved the standard of living for subsistence farmers, fishermen, etc. because they extend one basic need: communication & mobility (two things targeted by the laptop). --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:58, 17 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lamp is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
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:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
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<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
:Hey "scampsd" i couldnt work out how to contact you about this, I am interested in alternative scales, mail me, simon att simon chadwick dt net<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two approaches to solve short-term and long-term problems of the developing world? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = investing in a better future for them and their societies. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against polarity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
May be a project similar to OLPC can be initiated to narrow the digital divide in the US. But instead of inventing a whole new laptop like the OLPC old PCs and laptops can be recycled and install linux to save cost? You'll find that when you run Linux on old computers they're not so "old." :-)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
*This will be the responsibility of the country in which the laptops are deployed. They are more familiar with local culture, local social issues and local laws.<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Rugged Laptops ==<br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
:'Huge' is relative, you can measure it in number of units or monetary value. And given that the market is a niche, it implies a small volume and high monetary value&mdash;the opposite of what the OLPC target market is (afaik). I see your point in 'overpricing' this 'commercial rugged laptops', but that would only create incentives to divert machines to the black/grey market. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:10, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />
---(JK, USA) There ought to be a sister project of the OLPC to bring internet connection to schools in the developing world. One internet connection per school wouldn't be a bad name for such project. Wireless Gateway/APs powered by environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, perhaps linked to a bidirectional satellite internet receiver, and then use [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/]WifiPaypal so that donors in the developed world can donate mothly Satellite connection bill direct to the schools using Paypal.<br />
<br />
*I think you should develop your idea and get about doing it. Gus, Chile<br />
<br />
Yes, that would be great to get internet capabilities, I agree -- I hope you do start that up!<br />
<br />
Does anybody know about the approximate power needs for the gateways? I know somebody working on microbial fuel cells and he asked me to find out what the power needs would be, and I just have no idea. I'm assuming that power is going to be a biggish issue for the gateways, as many of them will be in areas with no elecricity -- Am I wrong? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
:Generally ages 6 to 17. (First grade to the end of high school in the US.) The emphasis is ages 6 to 10 or so. A careful look at OLPC pictures indicates that they are really sized for 6 to 10 year olds. --[[User:Tef|tef]] 13 Jan 2007<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. <br />
<br />
:There is no "buy 2 get 1" scheme. If you would read the [[Retail]] page then you would know this.<br />
<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
<br />
:This is not an OLPC idea. The OLPC project has no intention to distribute laptops over Ebay and if people started to sell stolen laptops on Ebay we would work to shut that down.<br />
<br />
==Relaunching software as freeware==<br />
We are reviving ChipWits - an award-winning iconic programming game - and would like to encourage a freeware version to be developed for the OLPC. Is there a forum to discuss it?<br />
<br />
:There are several [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo mailing lists] (note the link in the 'about olpc' box at the top-left of the page. Also, there's a section on how to get around [[Sharing your content with OLPC]].<br />
:BTW, the OLPC is commited to [[Open Source]], so 'free' would probably not be enough, methinks.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:43, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
::ChipWits will be open source. Thanks for the pointer to the mailing list.<br />
<br />
== Tested with destructive children? ==<br />
<br />
Regardless of cultural background, everywhere these laptops will go there will be some children who'll break anything they get their hands on within a few days or even minutes.<br />
<br />
Have these two tests been conducted with actual children?<br />
<br />
Rotate the screen 90 degrees then have various children attempt to push the screen down as if it was going to be closed normally or in e-book position. If the hinge breaks then it's not strong enough.<br />
<br />
The angry child test. Anyone who has ever seen kids get upset at not being able to figure out a toy or game or puzzle and *has not* seen at least one kid hurl the thing across the room or swat it off a table hasn't been around enough children. With the screen in various positions, test it from merely dropping to the floor from table height to being shoved off at various speeds. To gather velocity data, have various children push and throw test objects of size and weight similar to the current BTest laptop design, then use that data with a pusher device on an actual BTest laptop.<br />
<br />
One possibility may be to build in some amount of flexibility, similar to spring hinges on eyeglasses, or make a non-twist design for the youngest children. Put some glasses frames on some kids then have them play volleyball. Mix the frames half with spring hinges, half without. Observe the effect of a volleyball to the head and what happens to the frames. (Having your frames broken three times in three consecutive games is a great way to convinve the parents to spend the extra $ on frames with spring hinges!)<br />
<br />
Another possible way to reduce damage potential is to make the hinge with a cam action so that it can only be twisted around when it's open to 90 degrees, and attempting to turn it when it's open more or less will push the screen to 90 degrees before allowing it to rotate very far. Joints like this are used in many products already, to ensure the joint can only be manipulated in paths that will work properly. Examine as many existing twist screen laptops as possible to see if any already have such 'forced path' screen hinges. Couple this with a simple spring loaded, double acting "saloon door" type hinge between the screen and the twist and fold hinge already on the BTest laptops could make the hinge system extremely tough.<br />
<br />
What could be a bit of a compromise system is to design the screen to 'breakaway' from the top of the hinge, with a reinforced data cable and a braided steel cable for extra durability. The screen could be easily snapped back on, but durability of the snap joint could be an issue, especially if the snap together parts are plastic.<br />
<br />
The idea that all or most children who're growing up with next to nothing will give these laptops super loving care is major 'blue sky'. The twist hinge is a big potential failure point. One big thing anyone working on any complex system has to keep in mind is that the more points of potential failure there are, the more likely there will be failures.<br />
<br />
Design the screen hinge to take abuse and there will be minimal problems with the abuse it will definately recieve. Leave it with the current hinge design and you'll be seeing plenty coming back with broken hinges.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''True but...'''<br />
I would like to add that based on the statement '''“Cultural Background”''' there is in some ways a much more stronger type life style that many that will be eligible for the lap top live.<br />
But because it is a learning program with a parable infrastructure their has to be in the distribution and training of those who will hand them out a part about responsibility.<br />
It should be explained to each child in their groups of receiving the Laptop that if it breaks there is a chance that they may not get another ,as only one lap top per child or family. Since it is the government and their sponsors that are to foot the bill, <br />
this is a very serious consideration. Creating a <br />
lesson plan with in the training material about <br />
the ups and downs of the unit if it brakes. Can '''One:''' <br />
Move the government too, with in their budget to acquire <br />
parts and as well as service contracts in how long <br />
they will support the Laptop if it breaks. '''Two:'''<br />
Where locally will they be able to bring the <br />
laptop in for service. '''Three:''' be prepared <br />
for local people to get in on the act and tinker with the laptop if it is a hinge and find ways to fix it. I also think your expression about child anger was some what misleading and misinformed. <br />
I think the possibility of a goat <br />
or farm animal stepping on the lap top <br />
that belonged to a child that had brought the lap top along to do family chores could be a better scenario<br />
I believe this is much more realistic. <br />
I don't think presenting such negative <br />
leads towards aggression ,as to have faith in <br />
the little children that they are good and can handle the responsibility of caring for their new <br />
computer friend. <br />
I hope in the future to share my <br />
experience based on countless hours of research <br />
in to the presentation of third world issues <br />
that there are some inconsistencies in what is presented by media in general and the real life of that matter. <br />
This is also a generalization as in all walks <br />
of life the real truth can only be known by the<br />
actors and witness of the fact at hand. <br />
That's for every one too!--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 08:53, 19 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== LiveCD OS Images ==<br />
<br />
I downloaded a few of the recent LiveCD image builds (231), but for some reason the system does not load up and run. Obviously in this case you need a PC that has a CD/DVD reader etc. I may not be burning the CD correctly although Grub seems to start ok.<br />
Is there any particular hardware needed that a typical PC does not have, or something that I am not doing properly? Anyone out there that has this working and can share some ideas would be great. Thanks in advance.<br />
<br />
== Color Coded Maps and Color Blind People==<br />
<br />
Would you please consider a written list of country status for those of us that are colorblind and can't make heads nor tails of your map?<br />
<br />
:There's an [[OLPC Status by Country]] page with a table - but darn! It too is color coded! ...just checked :( <br />
:I'll update it to make it text AND color coded.<br />
:It covers [[OLPC Status by Country#Africa|Africa]], the [[OLPC Status by Country#The Americas|Americas]] and [[OLPC Status by Country#Asia|Asia]], and it's '''NOT''' official (iow, the coding of some countries could be wrong).<br />
:And yes, there should be a link to that table in the [[#Countries|Countries section above]] and in the [[Map]] page.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:30, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
::Bad netiquette, answering to self, but it's already done! See [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
::This question and it's answer will soon be moved to the [[#Country]] section above.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 18:58, 21 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Chrekula Uganda ==<br />
<br />
We are opening aprivate school in the village of Cherekula Uganda. I was going to provide two laptop computers but we are facing a problem with the lack of electrical power. We are exploring the purchase of a gas generator. I have bee folling the OLPC project for seceral years and am now convinced this is a better alternative. How do I enlist the Ugandan government so that I can take sveral OLPC computers to the choll when we visit this March (2007). We are completely willing to purchase them and we can transport the or have them shipped. I know that these would be pilots (beta?). We just want to try and get moving ahead on providing internet access to some very deprived children. This school is a high school. The first one ever in this village. It is located about 250 km from Kampala. Can you advise me on how to proceed. We can document the school i required. THanks ./Jim May jimlind@ameritech.net Farmington Hills Mi. USA 48336<br />
<br />
:You are going at this the wrong way. The first thing you need to do is find someone who is an expert in electrical power generation and storage to give you advice. They are unlikely to suggest buying a gas-powered generator for two laptops. Ten years ago people in Africa were running laptops off car batteries that were charged up by bicycle-driven generators. You should be doing something similar today. That means choosing older laptops with lower power consumption, choosing laptops that run off 12 volts DC (like RV owners and yachtsmen do) and then getting a generator rigged from old car parts. The one thing different today from 10 years ago is that solar panels are a viable source for charging the batteries.<br />
<br />
:Forget the OLPC. You cannot buy them ([[Retail]]) and you need to get your government's support in order to get access to them.<br />
<br />
== Website woes ==<br />
<br />
Am I the only one having a problem with www.laptop.org? It seems to be formatted for those using widescreen computers. I suggest you reformat the page so that it can be accessed by any computer user.<br />
The verbage also seems to be targeted toward the academic community. While I can read what was written, it isn't user-friendly. <br />
<br />
Have you considered your target audience? It's difficult to build support for your movement if you make it difficult for potential supporters to access your information. <br />
<br />
L. Mundschau<br />
<br />
:Scroll your screen to the left to find the Contact link in the upper left hand corner. http://www.laptop.org/contact.shtml<br />
Either send an email or write a letter with your concerns. If you can include a screenshot of your screen that would help.<br />
<br />
== Investing ==<br />
<br />
How can an individual make an investment in the stock options?<br />
<br />
:There are no stocks or stock options to invest in.<br />
<br />
== What about students k-12 and college students in the USA? ==<br />
<br />
Do I qualify? I filled out the fafsa forms do you need those to determine those for financial need? If so, is there a way I can pass the computer to another "financial need base" student? I see that your organization goes around the world but didn't know if you were including the United States.<br />
<br />
:There are no plans to distribute the OLPC computers in the USA. If you want to lobby for this to happen, then read [[OLPC4USA]].<br />
<br />
== can i get one for my 2 kids??? ==<br />
<br />
dear sir/madam;<br />
<br />
i am a mother of two from the Philippines, my eldest son is only 4 yrs. old, he's now at the nursery level, and i notice that he is interested about computers, he even know how to operate my laptop and start his educational game and i am proud of it. that is why i am asking you a question if i can get one for my eldest son so he can pursue his interest in studying by using laptop, and soon will teach his baby brother to use it.<br />
<br />
thank you very much,<br />
<br />
laarni muldong<br />
<br />
:As explained in several places, the short answer is '''no'''.<br />
:See<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Where or how can I get one?]]<br />
:*[[Ask OLPC a Question#Distribution, Roll-out, Marketing & Sales]]<br />
<br />
== freifunk.net volunteers ==<br />
<br />
I wrote an e-mail to volunteers@laptop.org <br />
ten days ago, which has not been replyed to yet.<br />
I will submit this mail here just for <br />
making sure it reaches you:<br />
<br />
:Deleted this private letter. If you do not get a reply to your email, either wait patiently, or send another email. This wiki is not a mailbox!<br />
<br />
We noticed that you are<br />
looking for people from the freifunk.net community for <br />
implementing the <br />
BATMAN software into your system. <br />
<br />
---[[User:Konstantin|Konstantin]] 09:27, 27 January 2007 (EST)---<br />
<br />
:The OLPC OS already has a built-in mesh networking system. It is highly unlikely that your BATMAN mesh networking system will be of any use. There is already a [[Developers program]] where you can offer your services.<br />
<br />
== Information about OLPC for people in pure countries ==<br />
<br />
There is lots of written material about OLPC for people in rich countries. <br />
The newspapers are full of OLPC stories.<br />
People in pure counties don't know much about OLPC but maybe the children will<br />
receive a laptop in near future.<br />
<br />
I will be in SO Asia for some month and will be in contact with teachers (as I am), mayors, children,...<br />
I like it to talk about this project with these people. There is lots of information about the<br />
project like technical specification, pedagogic methods,...<br />
<br />
But the thing I'm looking for is a simple description of the project in easy English that is use full<br />
for the local people.<br />
<br />
2-3 Pages in PDF would be great - does this already exist?<br />
--[[User:Bz|Bz]] 21:23, 29 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Hello, I'm Laura Barsottini, an italian journalist. I would like to know if is true that the laptop will be distribuited in april 2007. If not, when will be distribuited? At 130$ at the beginning? When it will be possible to begin the 2 for 1?<br />
Thenk you<br />
Laura Barsottini<br />
<br />
== RealPlayer in OPLC and applications download ==<br />
<br />
We are developing some applications that can be used to education purpose and we have some doubts:<br />
- Is it possible to make applications download using the OLPC ?<br />
- Is it possible to run the RealPlayer in OLPC ?<br />
Thanks in advance<br />
Vivian<br />
(vivianlona@hotmail.com)<br />
<br />
:The OLPC is based on downloadable activities, not applications. It will not have any RealPlayer support so you will need to encode in an open-source format. Ogg/Vorbis is good for music while Ogg/Speex is better for pure voice recordings. Read the [[Activity bundles]] page to see how to program a downloadable activity in Python.<br />
<br />
:: What format do you require? RealPlayer can play many different formats. Quicktime can be played with [http://gstreamer.net/ GStreamer] through [http://www.openquicktime.org/ OpenQuicktime] and [http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ Gnash] is mostly SWF v7 compliant (this makes Flash an open-source format). Gnash can play Flash movies from local files. If you would like to see either GStreamer or Gnash included you could add them to [[:Category:Feedback]]. [[Thin client]] explains about use of the OLPC as a web client or thin client. --[[User:Fasten|Fasten]] 11:40, 31 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
See also: [[Flash Player]]<br />
<br />
== Nigerian Ophanage as Beta Site ==<br />
<br />
The Shalom Orphanage is in Nigeria and has 2000 ophans resulting from the AIDS epidemic. The orphange is poor but could be an ideal beta site to demonstrate the impact of the $100 computer to change the lives of children at risk. If this is a possibility I will gladly provide more details in addition to contacts in Nigeria. I am also trying to get recycled computers for the Nigerian children as well as children I am helping in Newark, NJ that have their mothers in jail.My dream is to hook -up the at risk kids in two inner cities with kids from other countries in an attempt to create a positive virtual environment in view of my inability to change their real environment.<br />
<br />
Larry Ostuni<br />
973-383-8384<br />
973-383-8868 fax<br />
<br />
== Economies of scale? ==<br />
<br />
How would it not be in your interests if you hired a non-profit-org to sell laptops to citizens of more rich countries?<br />
<br />
You claim that it has to do with scale and all, but do you understand how many of these would sell? I'm sitting in front of a dual AMD turion laptop, yet I'd love the idea of having a laptop for my room and car both. You could sell millions of these here in the states. Would that not be scale for you? What # are you looking at would be for "scale" to occur?<br />
<br />
You all just need a web presence. Im sure one of the major credit card holders would give you a break, if not free processing for the purchase. I'm assuming that you already have warehouse space to store these things, so all you'd need is a volunteer army to ship them out. Not that hard, when you can make a fair profit back (or pay the "volunteers").<br />
<br />
150$ would be a very fair price point for those blessed with wealth in the States. I'd probably still buy 2 if they were 200$.<br />
<br />
:This is not so much of answer given that I ignore the details, '''thus I'm assuming'''.<br />
:It would seem that the deal struck between the OLPC and [[Quanta]] is ~USD 135 per unit EXW / FOB for a minimum order of 5 million units. So the OLPC has to ensure ''at least'' a 5 million order, before Quanta pushes the go button. Afaik, that is the "scale" needed.<br />
:You say how many could be sold? I have no clue really, but taking from the [[Retail#Pledgebank|3,678 pledged]] at the failed [http://www.pledgebank.com/100laptop pledgebank.com]... I don't see that number growing into a significant chunk of the 5,000,000 required.<br />
:You say hire an NGO, who'll pay for it? Self-financing you say? Maybe (but retail distribution is not that cheap) so in the end, much of the effort and (possible) profit will go to support the retail market. Maybe as PR activity, draw attention and support, developer community mind-share, and such&mdash;but that's another game. BTW, it takes a lot more than just a simple web-presence, credit card processing and stamp-licking-volunteers to get the boxes somewhere.<br />
:Warehouses? None that I know of. Afaik, OLPC is not even remotely interested in the distribution logistics. So even after [[Quanta]] hits the go-button, you still have the enormous task of actually distributing them&mdash;afaik, each country is responsible of doing their part.<br />
:Devoting and/or diverting efforts aimed at the [[retail]] market is not simple, and it would strain the launch process. Remember that ''it's an education project, not a laptop project.'' So even if you manage a retail market for 5 million units, the [[Our mission|project's objectives]] will '''still be unsatisfied'''.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 13:02, 1 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Preventing Porn/Adult Content? ==<br />
<br />
At launch time will the laptop include any software for content controls (to prevent porn, etc). I realize that one's definition of "acceptable content" varies over regions, but isn't most content filtering software for the client Win-based?<br />
<br />
: This will, as far as I know, be left up to countries. Because the hardware and software OLPC will provide is as open as possible, there is no real way to implement such filtering on the laptops themselves; the kids could just change the software to get around such restrictions. --[[User:18.85.46.22|18.85.46.22]] 19:16, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Mesh Network Emulation ==<br />
<br />
I'd like to try running a mesh network with emulation software; using say several laptops and a server (they could all be on one physical machine). I can't figure out how to create a mesh network using the qemu image, and don't see any images for the server. Thanks.<br />
<br />
(I am a graduate student in Computer Science and Education, and would like to contribute to this project; but need to evaluate a working environment first)<br />
<br />
:Could this [[Virtualized Sugar]] page be what you're looking for? --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 08:26, 6 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Thanks... maybe. I fired up two instances of olpc on moka5, on separate machines in the same LAN, but couldn't them in the neighborhood. What more tinkering is required?<br />
<br />
:Looks like it didn't work, uh? I would suggest then that you raise the issue in one of the [[Community mailing lists|mailing lists]] probably [http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/networking networking]. If you find an answer (solution or reason on why not) please post it here, so that we may then add it somewhere. Thanks and good luck! --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 00:45, 7 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Environmental End-of-life considerations ==<br />
<br />
The environmental impacts and economic costs of disposing of obsolete/broken ICT hardware are well-known. The energy-efficiency of the laptop helps minimise it's impact during operational life. Can some details be given on steps that have or will be taken in the manufacturing and "ultimate disposal" stages of the hardware lifecycle to minimise environmental costs? I'm thinking here of embedded energy in manufacture, and disposal costs. Will recycling costs/incentives be built into the purchase cost? Will a recovery program be up to the individual government , or part of the agreement between OLPC and clients?<br />
<br />
== MARVELL? ==<br />
<br />
I notice that Marvell is the provider of the wireless solution, but there's no hyperlink to the company. Is this the same company?<br />
Marvell Semiconductor, Inc.<br />
5488 Marvell Lane<br />
Santa Clara, CA 95054<br />
Phone: 408-222-2500<br />
Fax: 408-752-9028<br />
A search on their website: http://www.marvell.com/products/wireless/index.jsp<br />
Does not show a "Libertas" product, which is what is mentioned on the hardware page:<br />
Wireless: Marvell Libertas 88W8388+88W8015, 802.11b/g compatible; dual adjustable, rotating coaxial antennas; supports diversity reception <br />
<br />
The reason for the question is if this wireless product draws such low power, it seems like a good fit for other applications?<br />
Just wondering...<br />
<br />
: It would seem so. Particularly noting that the drivers mentioned in the [[wireless]] page link to that site, and other info in the [[Libertas]] page. I'm guessing, but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11s 802.11s (mesh)] is still fuzzy, so it probably hasn't made it to the 'product' level yet. See also [[:Category:Network]]. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 15:48, 8 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
hello, i´m argentinian, i was watching a tv program about you marvelous proyect, and i have an idea, i know that my country is involved with your proyect, but i was wondering how to get one of that computers, and then i think, this is a beautiful proyect, and the main reason is help non fortunate childres, so, i think that is a good option try to include all the comunity, so this is my idea, why don´t sell to the public, but they will have to pay for example 150 u$s, so if 2 pc weare sold, 1 pc goes to childres.<br />
i hope you don´t missundertand my intention, and please forgime for my horrible english!!!<br />
i´m looking foward to hearing from you in a very near future (my mail is x_judo@hotmail.com)<br />
<br />
== XOs in operation: Observations from Nigeria ==<br />
<br />
'''XOs @ Alteq's (OLPC4Nigeria) Engineering Unit'''<br />
<br />
[[Image:Using Abiword and Browser.jpg|thumb|Nothing beats the XO experience.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Clipboard Ops.jpg|thumb|Editing the Wiki via an XO]]<br />
<br />
* One of our XOs (among the first 40 units to arrive in Nigeria) nicknamed '''alteq eng 1''' is displaying some anomalous behavior: Whenever its browser and RSS viewer (Penguin TV) are launched, their icons slowly/gently "flash" in the "circle of running applications". Whenever the flashing Penguin TV icon or Browser icon is clicked on, they each disappear.<br />
[[Image:Adding my observations.jpg|thumb|Redefining the concept of fun.]]<br />
<br />
[[Image:Neighborhood "radar"_1.jpg|thumb|Everyone can see everyone.]]<br />
<br />
*The '''MeshNets''' don't always work as expected; sometimes, some of the XOs indicate that their MeshNets are active...yet they don't see one another...particularly those XOs that have been "tagged" as "friends". I usually solve this by restarting.<br />
<br />
* When an application or more is shared on the MeshNet, another XO that clicks on the shared application (in the neighborhood "radar") will have its respective application launched but won't have a view of the content from the host XO that shared its application. For instance, if XO "Alpha" is viewing the web page '''http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot''' and it shares its browser, XO "Beta" can see "Alpha's" shared browser on the neighborhood radar and click on it. Whenever this is done on the XOs at Alteq (OLPC4Nigeria), "Beta" and any other XO that clicks on "Alpha's" shared browser will end up having their respective browsers going to their default URLs instead of the page that XO "Alpha" is viewing (http://uk.360.yahoo.com/wingless_pilot).<br />
<br />
My observations were posted onto this page using an XO (copy-and-paste from Abiword to browser).<br />
[[Image:A pair of XOs seeing each other via Mesh Net.jpg|thumb|Just the 2 of us]]<br />
<br />
--Ahmad 03:12, 12 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== autoreinstalation image through usb is not working..help.. ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i have successfully update image from this site...(olpc/manuals%20notes/Auto re installation_image.htm)...but after giving response ok at the end of setup...machine didn't reboot or shutdown... after waiting long time i shutdown the machine and then turn on .. then message comes : trying startup script disk:\boot\olpc-boot.fth..........and then no response for 5 minutes...after 5 minutes again a 4 lines message comes....<br />
<br />
boot-file = ro root=mtd0 rootfstype=jffs2 console=ttys0, 115200 console =tty0 fbcon=font:sun12*22 pci=nobios video=gxfb:1024*768-16<br />
boot-device = nand .....<br />
and machine held with this message....and no response ....<br />
<br />
can any body help me in this issue ?? <br />
-- <br />
Salman Minhas<br />
System Administrator<br />
Electronic Government Directorate<br />
<br />
:We have seen a few cases of auto-installer failures apparently due to "botched" downloads onto USB disks. We plan to mitigate that by including a manifest in the installer image, with checksums/hashes. In the interim, please try downloadinga new build image. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 20:21, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
==What are the costs of implementation? Economic costs of not implementing? Who will pay?==<br />
<br />
I am doing an economics project regarding the OLPC as an economic policy to solve third world education. I was just wondering if you could provide me with answers regarding these questions, espsecially about the long-term and short-term costs including social, political, and economic, domestic and international.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Kevin, Toronto<br />
<br />
: The costs of implementation are just those you'd expect: infrastructure, hardware, distribution, etc. I'm not sure what you're asking about "economic costs of not implementing"; the idea is that economic benefits of education vastly outweigh the costs of laptops. National governments will pay, for the moment, though other schemes, such as one nation helping to pay for another's laptops, etc. will undoubtedly be explored as the program expands. --[[User:Jacobolus|Jacobolus]] 19:34, 17 February 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== computers for children? ==<br />
<br />
yes having a computer is great.but shouldnt we all make certain everyone is fed,first of all.people in every country go hungry each day.where is your 100$ technological advancement for that?<br />
<br />
:Congratulations. You are the 10,000th person to ask this question. We direct you to the answer prominently displayed in [[Our mission]].<br />
<br />
== education? ==<br />
<br />
is not your education that of your culture.to spread an higherarchy of education is detrimental.the cia's infiltration of islamic education practices caused a distrust and there for fundamentalism.your disengadged process of helping is not the pathway to success.your bribing people and profiting from it.intentionaly or not.</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Talk:Challenges_to_free_culture&diff=25336Talk:Challenges to free culture2007-02-19T19:02:54Z<p>Memracom: </p>
<hr />
<div>Why is this called challenges to free culture.<br />
It seems to me that this is a list of things to do.</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Scientific_method&diff=25335Scientific method2007-02-19T19:01:03Z<p>Memracom: close up TOC with text</p>
<hr />
<div>{|align=left<br />
|__TOC__<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Introduction==<br />
Because the OLPC comes from a lineage of [[constructionist]] education projects, we want to place some emphasis on teaching of the scientific method. Too often, our current science education is based upon memorization of scientific facts or on the history of science. We want the OLPC to actively engage children in the '''doing''' of science. Since the scientific method is the basis of all scientific research, any science teaching materials for the OLPC need to help the children learn and apply the scientific method.<br />
<br />
==The Four Steps==<br />
# Observation and description of a phenomenon or group of phenomena. <br />
# Formulation of an hypothesis to explain the phenomena. In physics, the hypothesis often takes the form of a causal mechanism or a mathematical relation. <br />
# Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to predict quantitatively the results of new observations. Truth and falsity of the hypothesis must give rise to different predictions.<br />
# Performance of experimental tests of the predictions by several independent experimenters in properly performed experiments with proper analysis of the results.<br />
<br />
These steps can be carried out in real research, simulated in directed laboratory experiments, or simulated in software. Each has a place in the education process. Real scientists repeat laboratory experiments to confirm the results of others, and carry out elaborate software simulations as part of the analysis and prediction processes.<br />
<br />
<br />
===Observation===<br />
Wiki software such as [[Wikidpad]] is an ideal tool for collecting and organizing observations. Its only lack is dealing with structured data such as measurements. One could possibly fix this by building a simple spreadsheet in [[Javascript]] to integrate with Wikidpad. Ideally, the spreadsheet would record the data in [[Wikidpad]]'s [[SQLite]] database in a way that it can easily be retrieved by other applications.<br />
<br />
There are many low-cost scientific and medical instruments that can [[USB peripherals|connect to a USB]] or other computer port, and there is Free/Open Source software for collecting and analyzing data.<br />
<br />
===Hypothesis===<br />
This will probably be handled mostly by e-book content. It's mostly a matter of asking kids, ''What do you think explains these observations?''. In a case where there are lots of measurements, one could deal with both Hypothesis and Prediction in a charting application but that is not always appropriate.<br />
<br />
Or one could test the prevailing hypotheses of the culture, such as astrology, herbal medicine, and so on. Some will be confirmed and some disproven if you do it right, giving the students and any observers something to think about.<br />
<br />
===Prediction===<br />
This is an area that can be nicely supported by software because it can involve statistics, trend lines, neural networks, and other mathematical and graphical things. Error analysis is also an important topic. What are the expected errors in measurement? Are there other sources of systematic error? Have you found all the possible sources of error? What is the value of having independent kinds of observation?<br />
<br />
===Experiment===<br />
The OLPC can run simulation software that can be used directly to do experiments, for instance physical simulation software. The [[Squeak]] team and [[Alan Kay]] have done a lot of work on this type of thing.<br />
<br />
Some of the most important physics experiments, such as those of Gilbert with magnets and Galileo with gravity, require mostly apparatus that children can easily make or find, and procedures that they can follow.<br />
<br />
==Background Information==<br />
Here you can list pointers to other pages or sites that are relevant to the teaching of science by doing.<br />
<br />
* [[George Washington Carver]] was a great proponent of teaching students to do science, not watch it.<br />
* [http://www.vernier.com/about/ Vernier Software and Technology] makes cheap [[USB peripherals|USB measurement devices]] and software for education.<br />
<br />
==Curriculum Ideas==<br />
There is still a great deal of research being done by amateurs, particularly in biological field observations, agriculture, anthropology, archaeology, and astronomy, where the professionals simply can't get to all the opportunities on their own. There are also several branches of mathematics, such as combinatorial game theory, where amateurs like [http://www.cut-the-knot.org/books/berlekamp/preface.shtml Omar, Our Most Assiduous Reader] can make significant contributions. <br />
<br />
There is also huge scope for scientific demonstrations within one's community. In poor communities there can be minimal knowledge of modern medicine or technology. On the other hand, poverty does not mean that they lack intelligence. The Andaman Islands had nearly no loss of life in the tsunami because the tale had been passed down over many generations that you had to run for high ground any time the sea went away. That's science.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Pedagogical ideas]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Scientific_method&diff=25331Scientific method2007-02-19T18:51:47Z<p>Memracom: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Introduction==<br />
Because the OLPC comes from a lineage of [[constructionist]] education projects, we want to place some emphasis on teaching of the scientific method. Too often, our current science education is based upon memorization of scientific facts or on the history of science. We want the OLPC to actively engage children in the '''doing''' of science. Since the scientific method is the basis of all scientific research, any science teaching materials for the OLPC need to help the children learn and apply the scientific method.<br />
<br />
==The Four Steps==<br />
# Observation and description of a phenomenon or group of phenomena. <br />
# Formulation of an hypothesis to explain the phenomena. In physics, the hypothesis often takes the form of a causal mechanism or a mathematical relation. <br />
# Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to predict quantitatively the results of new observations. Truth and falsity of the hypothesis must give rise to different predictions.<br />
# Performance of experimental tests of the predictions by several independent experimenters in properly performed experiments with proper analysis of the results.<br />
<br />
These steps can be carried out in real research, simulated in directed laboratory experiments, or simulated in software. Each has a place in the education process. Real scientists repeat laboratory experiments to confirm the results of others, and carry out elaborate software simulations as part of the analysis and prediction processes.<br />
<br />
<br />
===Observation===<br />
Wiki software such as [[Wikidpad]] is an ideal tool for collecting and organizing observations. Its only lack is dealing with structured data such as measurements. One could possibly fix this by building a simple spreadsheet in [[Javascript]] to integrate with Wikidpad. Ideally, the spreadsheet would record the data in [[Wikidpad]]'s [[SQLite]] database in a way that it can easily be retrieved by other applications.<br />
<br />
There are many low-cost scientific and medical instruments that can [[USB peripherals|connect to a USB]] or other computer port, and there is Free/Open Source software for collecting and analyzing data.<br />
<br />
===Hypothesis===<br />
This will probably be handled mostly by e-book content. It's mostly a matter of asking kids, ''What do you think explains these observations?''. In a case where there are lots of measurements, one could deal with both Hypothesis and Prediction in a charting application but that is not always appropriate.<br />
<br />
Or one could test the prevailing hypotheses of the culture, such as astrology, herbal medicine, and so on. Some will be confirmed and some disproven if you do it right, giving the students and any observers something to think about.<br />
<br />
===Prediction===<br />
This is an area that can be nicely supported by software because it can involve statistics, trend lines, neural networks, and other mathematical and graphical things. Error analysis is also an important topic. What are the expected errors in measurement? Are there other sources of systematic error? Have you found all the possible sources of error? What is the value of having independent kinds of observation?<br />
<br />
===Experiment===<br />
The OLPC can run simulation software that can be used directly to do experiments, for instance physical simulation software. The [[Squeak]] team and [[Alan Kay]] have done a lot of work on this type of thing.<br />
<br />
Some of the most important physics experiments, such as those of Gilbert with magnets and Galileo with gravity, require mostly apparatus that children can easily make or find, and procedures that they can follow.<br />
<br />
==Background Information==<br />
Here you can list pointers to other pages or sites that are relevant to the teaching of science by doing.<br />
<br />
* [[George Washington Carver]] was a great proponent of teaching students to do science, not watch it.<br />
* [http://www.vernier.com/about/ Vernier Software and Technology] makes cheap [[USB peripherals|USB measurement devices]] and software for education.<br />
<br />
==Curriculum Ideas==<br />
There is still a great deal of research being done by amateurs, particularly in biological field observations, agriculture, anthropology, archaeology, and astronomy, where the professionals simply can't get to all the opportunities on their own. There are also several branches of mathematics, such as combinatorial game theory, where amateurs like [http://www.cut-the-knot.org/books/berlekamp/preface.shtml Omar, Our Most Assiduous Reader] can make significant contributions. <br />
<br />
There is also huge scope for scientific demonstrations within one's community. In poor communities there can be minimal knowledge of modern medicine or technology. On the other hand, poverty does not mean that they lack intelligence. The Andaman Islands had nearly no loss of life in the tsunami because the tale had been passed down over many generations that you had to run for high ground any time the sea went away. That's science.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Pedagogical ideas]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Talk:Scientific_method&diff=25326Talk:Scientific method2007-02-19T18:44:47Z<p>Memracom: Constructivist or not</p>
<hr />
<div>=== Scientific method or Scientifics methods ? ===<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
This scientific method is the traditional method in science, but there are others methods in science more constructivists.<br />
<br />
I'm student in science in education. So would you that I talk you about the others scientifics methods ? <br />
<br />
--[[User:Zyacat|Zyacat]]<br />
<br />
== Constructivist or not ==<br />
<br />
First, I disagree that the scientific method is not constructivist. If the student is taught so that they apply the scientific method directly themselves, then it is constructivist. <br />
<br />
If you wish to explain other methods for teaching science then feel free, but please keep it to other pages. This page should be reserved for explaining '''The Scientific Method''' in a constructivist context.--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 13:44, 19 February 2007 (EST)</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Using_QEMU_on_Troubleshooting&diff=20946Using QEMU on Troubleshooting2007-01-13T10:58:21Z<p>Memracom: fix linewrap problem on line warning about nano linewrapping! ;-)</p>
<hr />
<div>More often than not, technology manages to get us 95% of the way... being the last 5% a mix of magical incantations, rituals and other esoteric activities only clear to the initiated. This page tries to take some of the magic away from the ''sufficiently advanced science''<br />
<br />
If you want to use '''nano''' for system file edits,<br />
make sure line wrap is disabled by '''Alt-L''' .<br />
<br />
== My emulator is very slow ==<br />
Are you using the kqemu or qvm accelerator modules? You do have to have administrator rights to install the services. QEMU manager (in Windows) knows to start these services according to your profile settings.<br />
See [http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~qemu-win/ Qemu on Windows] and [http://fabrice.bellard.free.fr/qemu/download.html QEMU Home Page]<br />
<br />
Does the version of the QEMU support KQEMU? Type ctrl+alt+2 and type '''info kqemu'''. Use ctrl+alt+1 to return to OLPC screen.<br />
<br />
== Configuring X ==<br />
<br />
* In some builds X is configured to load the Geode driver by default. You need to modify it to load the frame buffer driver instead. In '''/etc/X11/xorg.conf''', go to the "Device" section and change the Driver setting from "amd" to "fbdev"<br />
<br />
* You can then change '''XKbLayOut''' in the same file to ''your keyboard code'' with for example '''nano''' text editor by<br />
<br />
nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf<br />
<br />
<br />
== Setting Framebuffer resolution ==<br />
<br />
'''NOTE:''' If you don't set the VGA kernel parameter to <tt>'''0x317'''</tt> (in order to get a 1024x768 with 64k colors) you will NOT be able to view / use [[Etoys]] properly.<br />
<br />
In order to set the framebuffer's VGA kernel parameter you must edit <tt>/boot/grub/grub.conf</tt> according to the following table:<br />
<br />
<tt><br />
{|align=center border="1" style="text-align: center;"<br />
|+VGA kernel color / resolution table<br />
!Colors!!640x480!!800x600!!1024x768!!1280x1024<br />
|-<br />
!256<br />
|0x301||0x303||0x305||0x307<br />
|-<br />
!32k<br />
|0x310||0x313||0x316||0x319<br />
|-<br />
!64k<br />
|0x311||0x314||style="background:green"|0x317||0x31A<br />
|-<br />
!16M<br />
|0x312||0x315||0x318||0x31B<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
</tt><br />
<br />
== Sound ==<br />
<br />
Latest images add support of sound. Emulation does not work properly with Tam-Tam, yet, even with kqemu at 2 GHz Pentium4 (performance or insufficient emulation issue?). Maybe somebody could install Csound in host and pipe sound over the virtual network?<br />
Windows version can be found in [http://www.studioimaginaire.com/~tamtam/Cecilia/ Cecilia and Csound for Windows installer]<br />
--[[User:Tonyv|Tonyv]]<br />
<br />
== Keyboard and Mouse ==<br />
<br />
A typical case is that their keyboard and mouse don't work. A solution to the problem is:<br />
#Make sure the the window has the focus (label should say <tt>QEMU - Press Ctrl-Alt to exit grab</tt>).<br />
#Press <tt>Alt + Ctrl + 1</tt> (or <tt>Alt + Ctrl + 3</tt>) to enter the terminal mode of the OLPC. Notice that QEMu seems to respond better to by pushing first down Ctrl, after Alt and finally the number.<br />
#Make sure that you're logged in.<br />
#*If not, just hit <tt>enter</tt> and it'll ask you to.<br />
#*Login as <tt>root</tt> (no password is required)<br />
#Type <tt>modprobe i8042</tt> (oddly, you may need to try this multiple times before it works, so ''keep trying!'')<br />
[[Image:Tty1_ps.PNG]]<br />
#Press <tt>Alt + Ctrl + 7</tt> to return to the graphical mode of the OLPC.<br />
#Your keyboard and mouse should be working fine.<br />
#*Usually the result is a continuous series of 1's will flow (as if the key is stuck)<br />
#*Just hit any key (to stop it) and delete the offending 1's<br />
Alternatively you can use the developers console and <tt> su </tt> command. I have not been able to bring up the terminal in most images. Quote from [[BTest-1_Release_Notes]] :<br />
<br />
The terminal (activity) does not appear on the Frame, but can be launched by typing Alt-Shift-F11. <br />
(F11 is found in the 3rd position from the left in the Volume Slider key.)<br />
Note that on some newer builds, the terminal window (Memphis) is launched by typing Alt-Shift-F12.<br />
In even more recent builds, e.g., '''Build 224, Memphis is launched by typing<br />
Alt-View_Source or Alt-F12'''. <br />
<br />
See also [[Sugar_Instructions#Terminal_.28linux_prompt.29|Sugar Instructions:Terminal]]<br />
--[[User:Tonyv|Tonyv]] 01:24, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Network ==<br />
<br />
Chances are that the network will not be enabled. Following are two possible ways to enable it.<br />
<br />
=== Enabling the Network Alternative #1 ===<br />
When the emulator is starting GRUB boot loader, press a key.<br />
#Choose then the Qemu line with arrow keys.<br />
#Press ''E''<br />
#Move to the 'Kernel' line and press ''End'' <br />
#Add Space ''1'' to end of the line<br />
#Press ''Enter''<br />
#Press ''B''<br />
<br />
You will be automaticaly log in as superuser in terminal (in single user mode).<br />
<br />
You can start network and put your local keyboard layout command there like this (using tabulator key to complete the filenames):<br />
<br />
echo ifup eth0: >> /etc/rc.local<br />
or<br />
#(change '''ONBOOT''' from "no" to '''"yes"''')<br />
nano '''/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0'''<br />
#(disable NetworkManager)<br />
mv /etc/rc5.d/S98NetworkManager /etc/rc5.d/K98NetworkManager<br />
<br />
Put your own keyboard layout for text terminals <br />
<br />
echo loadkeys ''Your_two_letter_country_code'' >> /etc/rc.local<br />
. /etc/rc.local<br />
<br />
Type '''Ctrl-D''' to continue normal boot.<br />
<br />
Keyboard layout and network should work automatically every time you start the QEMU image.<br />
--[[User:Tonyv|Tonyv]] 01:52, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
=== Enabling the Network Alternative #2 ===<br />
Make sure the the window has the focus (label should say <tt>QEMU - Press Ctrl-Alt to exit grab</tt>).<br />
If the following keys do not work try pushing also the Shift key down to exit the Sugar environment. <br />
If it does not work see the sendkey method of Alternative #3<br />
#<br />
#Press <tt>Alt + Ctrl + 1</tt> to enter the terminal mode of the OLPC.<br />
#Make sure that you're logged in.<br />
#*If not, just hit <tt>enter</tt> and it'll ask you to.<br />
#*Login as <tt>root</tt> (no password is required)<br />
#Type <tt>dhclient</tt><br />
#Press <tt>Alt + Ctrl + 7</tt> to return to the graphical mode of the OLPC.<br />
#Your browser / network connection should be working fine.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Enabling the Network Alternative #3 ===<br />
<br />
The steps below work on QEmu regardless of which operating system you are running.<br />
<br />
'''If you are having trouble getting an internet connection inside QEmu:'''<br />
<br />
Get the image running in QEmu so that you can see the normal view with the XO icon in the middle.<br />
[[Image:Empty_no_apps_no_frame.png|300px]]<br />
<br />
Make sure your mouse is active in QEmu, then press ctrl+alt+2 together.<br />
<br />
This will bring up a screen like a command line, called the QEmu monitor. <br />
<br />
Type the following:<br />
<br />
sendkey ctrl-alt-f1<br />
<br />
And press return.<br />
<br />
Then with the keyboard hold down the following keys: '''ctrl+alt+7'''<br />
<br />
Another text based screen will appear, asking you to log-in. Sometimes there can be an extra "1" after the word "Login:", just delete it. Type '''root''' and press return<br />
<br />
Then type:<br />
<br />
dhclient<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
ifup eth0:<br />
<br />
You should see the screen fill with text. <br />
<br />
[[Image:QEmu_running_dhclent.png|400px]]<br />
<br />
Some of the numbers have been removed from the screenshot above - they're not important.<br />
<br />
Then hold down the following keys on the keyboard: '''ctrl+alt+2'''<br />
<br />
and type the following:<br />
<br />
sendkey ctrl-alt-f7<br />
<br />
Then using the keyboard, hold down the following keys: '''ctrl+alt+1'''<br />
<br />
Now open the browser and you should have internet access.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Sugar_browser_with_frame_google_home_page.png|300px]]<br />
[[Image:OLPC_20070104.png|300px]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Emulation]]<br />
[[Category:Feedback]]<br />
[[Category:OS]]<br />
[[Category:Developers]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20945Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:49:32Z<p>Memracom: /* Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. <br />
<br />
:There is no such thing as the "Buy two give one free" program. See the [[Retail]] page for details.<br />
<br />
But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. <br />
<br />
:There is no handcrank charger.<br />
<br />
I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
:The OLPC laptop will be cheaper than that, more durable than a used laptop, and will not require the expensive repairs that a used laptop requires.<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against parity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Rugged Laptops ==<br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. <br />
<br />
:There is no "buy 2 get 1" scheme. If you would read the [[Retail]] page then you would know this.<br />
<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
<br />
:This is not an OLPC idea. The OLPC project has no intention to distribute laptops over Ebay and if people started to sell stolen laptops on Ebay we would work to shut that down.</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20944Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:46:15Z<p>Memracom: /* Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. <br />
<br />
:There is no such thing as the "Buy two give one free" program. See the [[Retail]] page for details.<br />
<br />
But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. <br />
<br />
:There is no handcrank charger.<br />
<br />
I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
:The OLPC laptop will be cheaper than that, more durable than a used laptop, and will not require the expensive repairs that a used laptop requires.<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against parity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Rugged Laptops ==<br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20943Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:45:02Z<p>Memracom: /* Governments & schools - a western construct */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. <br />
<br />
:There is no such thing as the "Buy two give one free" program. See the [[Retail]] page for details.<br />
<br />
But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. <br />
<br />
:There is no handcrank charger.<br />
<br />
I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
:The OLPC laptop will be cheaper than that, more durable than a used laptop, and will not require the expensive repairs that a used laptop requires.<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against parity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
Schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC project is not developing new schools to be delivered to these countries. We are developing laptop computers to be delivered to children. The laptops themselves will be a rich educational environment even in the absence of teachers. In addition, the philosophy that we follow is a [[constructivist]] educational philosophy which focuses on leading the child to discover knowledge for themselves. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
:There is no "Buy two get one free" idea. Check the [[Retail]] page for details. As for spare parts, the OLPC project is recommending that recipient countries maintain a reasonable level of spares for the computers that they receive. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:45, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20942Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:40:17Z<p>Memracom: /* I'd like to help teach. */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. <br />
<br />
:There is no such thing as the "Buy two give one free" program. See the [[Retail]] page for details.<br />
<br />
But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. <br />
<br />
:There is no handcrank charger.<br />
<br />
I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
:The OLPC laptop will be cheaper than that, more durable than a used laptop, and will not require the expensive repairs that a used laptop requires.<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against parity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC does not actually deploy the computers in these countries. If you want to work in the field, then start by reading our news section to see where the first computers are headed. Then contact the ministry of education in one of these countries to offer your services. They will likely be working together with one or more charitable organizations who operate in their country. Currently, Brazil, Libya and Rwanda are target countries. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:40, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20941Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:37:18Z<p>Memracom: /* Request for direction to power generation discussion */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. <br />
<br />
:There is no such thing as the "Buy two give one free" program. See the [[Retail]] page for details.<br />
<br />
But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. <br />
<br />
:There is no handcrank charger.<br />
<br />
I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
:The OLPC laptop will be cheaper than that, more durable than a used laptop, and will not require the expensive repairs that a used laptop requires.<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
:Most of this is discussed on the [[Battery and power]] page. The OLPC laptop doesn't have a built-in power generator. Instead, it has a DC power input that will accept a wide range of voltage with protection against parity reversal. This means that any number of alternate power sources can be used. We will be shipping a hand-powered generator with the initial devices but we are open to any new ideas, especially if they are backed up with prototypes and with some solid research showing how they are used by kids in the field. In addition, if a device can be built by the kids (with the help of their teachers) then it would be appropriate to provide detailled building instructions in one of the [[Ebooks|Ebook formats]] that we support. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:37, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20940Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:31:03Z<p>Memracom: /* CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. <br />
<br />
:There is no such thing as the "Buy two give one free" program. See the [[Retail]] page for details.<br />
<br />
But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. <br />
<br />
:There is no handcrank charger.<br />
<br />
I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
:The OLPC laptop will be cheaper than that, more durable than a used laptop, and will not require the expensive repairs that a used laptop requires.<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20939Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:30:30Z<p>Memracom: /* Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. <br />
<br />
:There is no such thing as the "Buy two give one free" program. See the [[Retail]] page for details.<br />
<br />
But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. <br />
<br />
:There is no handcrank charger.<br />
<br />
I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
:The OLPC laptop will be cheaper than that, more durable than a used laptop, and will not require the expensive repairs that a used laptop requires.<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
:The OLPC includes [[csound]] software which can be adapted to work with any type of musical system. If you want to document these systems and any csound software that works with them, feel free to start a new page on this wiki. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:30, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20938Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:27:38Z<p>Memracom: /* XO for Propaganda? */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. <br />
<br />
:There is no such thing as the "Buy two give one free" program. See the [[Retail]] page for details.<br />
<br />
But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. <br />
<br />
:There is no handcrank charger.<br />
<br />
I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
:The OLPC laptop will be cheaper than that, more durable than a used laptop, and will not require the expensive repairs that a used laptop requires.<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20937Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:27:00Z<p>Memracom: /* security */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. <br />
<br />
:There is no such thing as the "Buy two give one free" program. See the [[Retail]] page for details.<br />
<br />
But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. <br />
<br />
:There is no handcrank charger.<br />
<br />
I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
:The OLPC laptop will be cheaper than that, more durable than a used laptop, and will not require the expensive repairs that a used laptop requires.<br />
<br />
== Self-winding generator ==<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
== XO for Propaganda? ==<br />
<br />
Dear OLPC,<br />
<br />
I believe wholly in the OLPC program and am very happy to learn that units are shipping. I do, however, have one concern:<br />
<br />
Is it possible for education ministries, who will be distributing the XO laptop, to map political propaganda onto the XO prior to release? Imagine if a particular political party in power had used their party's political messaging in the splash screen at XO startup. That messaging would be carried with a child for a very long time.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, if a particular country has a problem that needs tackling, such as AIDS, then it would be beneficial if there were messaging intended to tackle that problem embedded as a default [but end-user changeable] setting.<br />
<br />
I assert that OLPC needs to take top-down initiative to ensure that governments do not abuse this new mode of communication.<br />
<br />
carter.cliff@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20936Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:25:58Z<p>Memracom: /* What about poor kids in our country (USA)? */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. <br />
<br />
:There is no such thing as the "Buy two give one free" program. See the [[Retail]] page for details.<br />
<br />
But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. <br />
<br />
:There is no handcrank charger.<br />
<br />
I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
:The OLPC laptop will be cheaper than that, more durable than a used laptop, and will not require the expensive repairs that a used laptop requires.<br />
<br />
== security ==<br />
<br />
i just learned of this project today and am very excited about it. one of the things that holds poor children back is lack of experience. children have so many marvelous ideas in their heads, but if a child doesn't know that architects or engineers exist, he or she can't hope to become one. not that becoming one is the point. the point is having a future to hope for as well as something to enjoy in the present. the children will develop these computers in ways none of us can imagine. some will create great works of art. some will become business moguls. some will find ways to help others. what a wonderful thing.<br />
i can also see how this project might become another economic project for the whole village. like the entrepreneur who buys a cell phone and sells minutes of its use, somebody's going to buy a hard drive and a USB cable. or do something else i can't imagine. i hope mohammed yunas knows about this.<br />
which brings me to my concern. as described on these pages, these machines are incredibly useful. i want one myself. i can wait until the idea makes it to the open market, but many adults are not so patient. i can see these powerful machines and their mesh network ability being very attractive to bandits, drug dealers, the parents of the children who can use them in their businesses and so on. it's not just that the children would lose their laptops. i am concerned for their safety, and that this will become another tool to enslave child for the benefit of adults. (i'm not talking about the child keeping the books for a family business, which helps the whole family.) i have no doubt that the minds who designed these incredible machines can solve this dilemma as well. i think you have probably already thought about this, but i didn't find where the site addressed it. i felt it would be wrong not to bring it up to be sure the children are protected.<br />
thank you for doing this for the world's children. i look forward to learning more and finding ways to contribute.<br />
dee pearson<br />
(just want the "creators" to know the following comment regarding energy is not from dee.)<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
== XO for Propaganda? ==<br />
<br />
Dear OLPC,<br />
<br />
I believe wholly in the OLPC program and am very happy to learn that units are shipping. I do, however, have one concern:<br />
<br />
Is it possible for education ministries, who will be distributing the XO laptop, to map political propaganda onto the XO prior to release? Imagine if a particular political party in power had used their party's political messaging in the splash screen at XO startup. That messaging would be carried with a child for a very long time.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, if a particular country has a problem that needs tackling, such as AIDS, then it would be beneficial if there were messaging intended to tackle that problem embedded as a default [but end-user changeable] setting.<br />
<br />
I assert that OLPC needs to take top-down initiative to ensure that governments do not abuse this new mode of communication.<br />
<br />
carter.cliff@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20935Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:23:34Z<p>Memracom: /* Web content and browsing */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
== security ==<br />
<br />
i just learned of this project today and am very excited about it. one of the things that holds poor children back is lack of experience. children have so many marvelous ideas in their heads, but if a child doesn't know that architects or engineers exist, he or she can't hope to become one. not that becoming one is the point. the point is having a future to hope for as well as something to enjoy in the present. the children will develop these computers in ways none of us can imagine. some will create great works of art. some will become business moguls. some will find ways to help others. what a wonderful thing.<br />
i can also see how this project might become another economic project for the whole village. like the entrepreneur who buys a cell phone and sells minutes of its use, somebody's going to buy a hard drive and a USB cable. or do something else i can't imagine. i hope mohammed yunas knows about this.<br />
which brings me to my concern. as described on these pages, these machines are incredibly useful. i want one myself. i can wait until the idea makes it to the open market, but many adults are not so patient. i can see these powerful machines and their mesh network ability being very attractive to bandits, drug dealers, the parents of the children who can use them in their businesses and so on. it's not just that the children would lose their laptops. i am concerned for their safety, and that this will become another tool to enslave child for the benefit of adults. (i'm not talking about the child keeping the books for a family business, which helps the whole family.) i have no doubt that the minds who designed these incredible machines can solve this dilemma as well. i think you have probably already thought about this, but i didn't find where the site addressed it. i felt it would be wrong not to bring it up to be sure the children are protected.<br />
thank you for doing this for the world's children. i look forward to learning more and finding ways to contribute.<br />
dee pearson<br />
(just want the "creators" to know the following comment regarding energy is not from dee.)<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
== XO for Propaganda? ==<br />
<br />
Dear OLPC,<br />
<br />
I believe wholly in the OLPC program and am very happy to learn that units are shipping. I do, however, have one concern:<br />
<br />
Is it possible for education ministries, who will be distributing the XO laptop, to map political propaganda onto the XO prior to release? Imagine if a particular political party in power had used their party's political messaging in the splash screen at XO startup. That messaging would be carried with a child for a very long time.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, if a particular country has a problem that needs tackling, such as AIDS, then it would be beneficial if there were messaging intended to tackle that problem embedded as a default [but end-user changeable] setting.<br />
<br />
I assert that OLPC needs to take top-down initiative to ensure that governments do not abuse this new mode of communication.<br />
<br />
carter.cliff@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20934Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:23:05Z<p>Memracom: /* Science curriculum */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
== security ==<br />
<br />
i just learned of this project today and am very excited about it. one of the things that holds poor children back is lack of experience. children have so many marvelous ideas in their heads, but if a child doesn't know that architects or engineers exist, he or she can't hope to become one. not that becoming one is the point. the point is having a future to hope for as well as something to enjoy in the present. the children will develop these computers in ways none of us can imagine. some will create great works of art. some will become business moguls. some will find ways to help others. what a wonderful thing.<br />
i can also see how this project might become another economic project for the whole village. like the entrepreneur who buys a cell phone and sells minutes of its use, somebody's going to buy a hard drive and a USB cable. or do something else i can't imagine. i hope mohammed yunas knows about this.<br />
which brings me to my concern. as described on these pages, these machines are incredibly useful. i want one myself. i can wait until the idea makes it to the open market, but many adults are not so patient. i can see these powerful machines and their mesh network ability being very attractive to bandits, drug dealers, the parents of the children who can use them in their businesses and so on. it's not just that the children would lose their laptops. i am concerned for their safety, and that this will become another tool to enslave child for the benefit of adults. (i'm not talking about the child keeping the books for a family business, which helps the whole family.) i have no doubt that the minds who designed these incredible machines can solve this dilemma as well. i think you have probably already thought about this, but i didn't find where the site addressed it. i felt it would be wrong not to bring it up to be sure the children are protected.<br />
thank you for doing this for the world's children. i look forward to learning more and finding ways to contribute.<br />
dee pearson<br />
(just want the "creators" to know the following comment regarding energy is not from dee.)<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
== XO for Propaganda? ==<br />
<br />
Dear OLPC,<br />
<br />
I believe wholly in the OLPC program and am very happy to learn that units are shipping. I do, however, have one concern:<br />
<br />
Is it possible for education ministries, who will be distributing the XO laptop, to map political propaganda onto the XO prior to release? Imagine if a particular political party in power had used their party's political messaging in the splash screen at XO startup. That messaging would be carried with a child for a very long time.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, if a particular country has a problem that needs tackling, such as AIDS, then it would be beneficial if there were messaging intended to tackle that problem embedded as a default [but end-user changeable] setting.<br />
<br />
I assert that OLPC needs to take top-down initiative to ensure that governments do not abuse this new mode of communication.<br />
<br />
carter.cliff@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
:Every page has a search section in the column on the left. If you don't see something in the table of contents then use the search capabilities to find it. If you still can't find something which you think should be on the wiki, then start a new page and write an outline of what you think we should have. Others will fill in that outline for you. If you return in a week or two, you will have your answer. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:23, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Web content and browsing ==<br />
<br />
I could not find any information on the browsing capabilities / restrictions on these laptops. Can you please ensure that some filter mechanisms are in place that protects these children from the malicious content out there on the web today?<br />
<br />
--I have just had a different version of the internet question answered for me by somebody else on this page, which is all that I know about it, but they just told me that the mesh networks that will be used will usually/often not in fact be connected to the internet at all. The OLPC does not proved internet connectivity -- that possibility is there for countries that want to make it available, but that is entirely up to the countries. It was also pointed out to me that for many of these children, there is hardly anything on the internet in a language that they speak. If I knew how to put links into this, I would put a link here, but if you go to the question on School Gateways, there is a link there. Please if I've gotten something wrong somebody else edit this response.<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20933Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:21:03Z<p>Memracom: /* Basic concept */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
== security ==<br />
<br />
i just learned of this project today and am very excited about it. one of the things that holds poor children back is lack of experience. children have so many marvelous ideas in their heads, but if a child doesn't know that architects or engineers exist, he or she can't hope to become one. not that becoming one is the point. the point is having a future to hope for as well as something to enjoy in the present. the children will develop these computers in ways none of us can imagine. some will create great works of art. some will become business moguls. some will find ways to help others. what a wonderful thing.<br />
i can also see how this project might become another economic project for the whole village. like the entrepreneur who buys a cell phone and sells minutes of its use, somebody's going to buy a hard drive and a USB cable. or do something else i can't imagine. i hope mohammed yunas knows about this.<br />
which brings me to my concern. as described on these pages, these machines are incredibly useful. i want one myself. i can wait until the idea makes it to the open market, but many adults are not so patient. i can see these powerful machines and their mesh network ability being very attractive to bandits, drug dealers, the parents of the children who can use them in their businesses and so on. it's not just that the children would lose their laptops. i am concerned for their safety, and that this will become another tool to enslave child for the benefit of adults. (i'm not talking about the child keeping the books for a family business, which helps the whole family.) i have no doubt that the minds who designed these incredible machines can solve this dilemma as well. i think you have probably already thought about this, but i didn't find where the site addressed it. i felt it would be wrong not to bring it up to be sure the children are protected.<br />
thank you for doing this for the world's children. i look forward to learning more and finding ways to contribute.<br />
dee pearson<br />
(just want the "creators" to know the following comment regarding energy is not from dee.)<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
== XO for Propaganda? ==<br />
<br />
Dear OLPC,<br />
<br />
I believe wholly in the OLPC program and am very happy to learn that units are shipping. I do, however, have one concern:<br />
<br />
Is it possible for education ministries, who will be distributing the XO laptop, to map political propaganda onto the XO prior to release? Imagine if a particular political party in power had used their party's political messaging in the splash screen at XO startup. That messaging would be carried with a child for a very long time.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, if a particular country has a problem that needs tackling, such as AIDS, then it would be beneficial if there were messaging intended to tackle that problem embedded as a default [but end-user changeable] setting.<br />
<br />
I assert that OLPC needs to take top-down initiative to ensure that governments do not abuse this new mode of communication.<br />
<br />
carter.cliff@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:Indeed the idea of this as a laptop is a bit limiting. The OLPC project has put a considerable effort into making this much more than a laptop. If a student wants to use it as a lamp, they can because they are the producers of the electricity required. If they want to communicate with their friends, not only can they send text messages and SVG drawings, they can also record messages and share activities that they have programmed. This is far more flexible than existing cellular phones. The main thing missing is the long range communications ability of cellular but since that comes with a very steep fee per minute of use, it won't be missed. Because the OLPC laptop is an open system it will allow people to build low-cost cellular bypass systems like [[Motoman]].--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:21, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
== Web content and browsing ==<br />
<br />
I could not find any information on the browsing capabilities / restrictions on these laptops. Can you please ensure that some filter mechanisms are in place that protects these children from the malicious content out there on the web today?<br />
<br />
--I have just had a different version of the internet question answered for me by somebody else on this page, which is all that I know about it, but they just told me that the mesh networks that will be used will usually/often not in fact be connected to the internet at all. The OLPC does not proved internet connectivity -- that possibility is there for countries that want to make it available, but that is entirely up to the countries. It was also pointed out to me that for many of these children, there is hardly anything on the internet in a language that they speak. If I knew how to put links into this, I would put a link here, but if you go to the question on School Gateways, there is a link there. Please if I've gotten something wrong somebody else edit this response.<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20932Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:15:15Z<p>Memracom: /* Is there a better alternative? */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
== security ==<br />
<br />
i just learned of this project today and am very excited about it. one of the things that holds poor children back is lack of experience. children have so many marvelous ideas in their heads, but if a child doesn't know that architects or engineers exist, he or she can't hope to become one. not that becoming one is the point. the point is having a future to hope for as well as something to enjoy in the present. the children will develop these computers in ways none of us can imagine. some will create great works of art. some will become business moguls. some will find ways to help others. what a wonderful thing.<br />
i can also see how this project might become another economic project for the whole village. like the entrepreneur who buys a cell phone and sells minutes of its use, somebody's going to buy a hard drive and a USB cable. or do something else i can't imagine. i hope mohammed yunas knows about this.<br />
which brings me to my concern. as described on these pages, these machines are incredibly useful. i want one myself. i can wait until the idea makes it to the open market, but many adults are not so patient. i can see these powerful machines and their mesh network ability being very attractive to bandits, drug dealers, the parents of the children who can use them in their businesses and so on. it's not just that the children would lose their laptops. i am concerned for their safety, and that this will become another tool to enslave child for the benefit of adults. (i'm not talking about the child keeping the books for a family business, which helps the whole family.) i have no doubt that the minds who designed these incredible machines can solve this dilemma as well. i think you have probably already thought about this, but i didn't find where the site addressed it. i felt it would be wrong not to bring it up to be sure the children are protected.<br />
thank you for doing this for the world's children. i look forward to learning more and finding ways to contribute.<br />
dee pearson<br />
(just want the "creators" to know the following comment regarding energy is not from dee.)<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
== XO for Propaganda? ==<br />
<br />
Dear OLPC,<br />
<br />
I believe wholly in the OLPC program and am very happy to learn that units are shipping. I do, however, have one concern:<br />
<br />
Is it possible for education ministries, who will be distributing the XO laptop, to map political propaganda onto the XO prior to release? Imagine if a particular political party in power had used their party's political messaging in the splash screen at XO startup. That messaging would be carried with a child for a very long time.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, if a particular country has a problem that needs tackling, such as AIDS, then it would be beneficial if there were messaging intended to tackle that problem embedded as a default [but end-user changeable] setting.<br />
<br />
I assert that OLPC needs to take top-down initiative to ensure that governments do not abuse this new mode of communication.<br />
<br />
carter.cliff@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:15, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
== Web content and browsing ==<br />
<br />
I could not find any information on the browsing capabilities / restrictions on these laptops. Can you please ensure that some filter mechanisms are in place that protects these children from the malicious content out there on the web today?<br />
<br />
--I have just had a different version of the internet question answered for me by somebody else on this page, which is all that I know about it, but they just told me that the mesh networks that will be used will usually/often not in fact be connected to the internet at all. The OLPC does not proved internet connectivity -- that possibility is there for countries that want to make it available, but that is entirely up to the countries. It was also pointed out to me that for many of these children, there is hardly anything on the internet in a language that they speak. If I knew how to put links into this, I would put a link here, but if you go to the question on School Gateways, there is a link there. Please if I've gotten something wrong somebody else edit this response.<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20931Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:14:51Z<p>Memracom: /* Beyond education */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
== security ==<br />
<br />
i just learned of this project today and am very excited about it. one of the things that holds poor children back is lack of experience. children have so many marvelous ideas in their heads, but if a child doesn't know that architects or engineers exist, he or she can't hope to become one. not that becoming one is the point. the point is having a future to hope for as well as something to enjoy in the present. the children will develop these computers in ways none of us can imagine. some will create great works of art. some will become business moguls. some will find ways to help others. what a wonderful thing.<br />
i can also see how this project might become another economic project for the whole village. like the entrepreneur who buys a cell phone and sells minutes of its use, somebody's going to buy a hard drive and a USB cable. or do something else i can't imagine. i hope mohammed yunas knows about this.<br />
which brings me to my concern. as described on these pages, these machines are incredibly useful. i want one myself. i can wait until the idea makes it to the open market, but many adults are not so patient. i can see these powerful machines and their mesh network ability being very attractive to bandits, drug dealers, the parents of the children who can use them in their businesses and so on. it's not just that the children would lose their laptops. i am concerned for their safety, and that this will become another tool to enslave child for the benefit of adults. (i'm not talking about the child keeping the books for a family business, which helps the whole family.) i have no doubt that the minds who designed these incredible machines can solve this dilemma as well. i think you have probably already thought about this, but i didn't find where the site addressed it. i felt it would be wrong not to bring it up to be sure the children are protected.<br />
thank you for doing this for the world's children. i look forward to learning more and finding ways to contribute.<br />
dee pearson<br />
(just want the "creators" to know the following comment regarding energy is not from dee.)<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
== XO for Propaganda? ==<br />
<br />
Dear OLPC,<br />
<br />
I believe wholly in the OLPC program and am very happy to learn that units are shipping. I do, however, have one concern:<br />
<br />
Is it possible for education ministries, who will be distributing the XO laptop, to map political propaganda onto the XO prior to release? Imagine if a particular political party in power had used their party's political messaging in the splash screen at XO startup. That messaging would be carried with a child for a very long time.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, if a particular country has a problem that needs tackling, such as AIDS, then it would be beneficial if there were messaging intended to tackle that problem embedded as a default [but end-user changeable] setting.<br />
<br />
I assert that OLPC needs to take top-down initiative to ensure that governments do not abuse this new mode of communication.<br />
<br />
carter.cliff@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond.<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
:First, the OLPC laptops have no Internet access and the users likely will not speak English. Forget ebay. Second, you point out that the devices would be great for educating about AIDS and then ask, "Why the focus on education?". Thirdly you suggest that kids could do "light programming" to earn money but you ignore the fact that education is required to be a programmer. India is an example of this. It has a good education system producing many skilled programmers who were unable to find work locally. This was exploited by foreign companies who offshored their programming needs. But it all began with "education". Now, perhaps you see why the OLPC project focus is on education first. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 05:14, 13 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
== Web content and browsing ==<br />
<br />
I could not find any information on the browsing capabilities / restrictions on these laptops. Can you please ensure that some filter mechanisms are in place that protects these children from the malicious content out there on the web today?<br />
<br />
--I have just had a different version of the internet question answered for me by somebody else on this page, which is all that I know about it, but they just told me that the mesh networks that will be used will usually/often not in fact be connected to the internet at all. The OLPC does not proved internet connectivity -- that possibility is there for countries that want to make it available, but that is entirely up to the countries. It was also pointed out to me that for many of these children, there is hardly anything on the internet in a language that they speak. If I knew how to put links into this, I would put a link here, but if you go to the question on School Gateways, there is a link there. Please if I've gotten something wrong somebody else edit this response.<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20930Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:10:25Z<p>Memracom: /* Is there a better alternative? */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
== security ==<br />
<br />
i just learned of this project today and am very excited about it. one of the things that holds poor children back is lack of experience. children have so many marvelous ideas in their heads, but if a child doesn't know that architects or engineers exist, he or she can't hope to become one. not that becoming one is the point. the point is having a future to hope for as well as something to enjoy in the present. the children will develop these computers in ways none of us can imagine. some will create great works of art. some will become business moguls. some will find ways to help others. what a wonderful thing.<br />
i can also see how this project might become another economic project for the whole village. like the entrepreneur who buys a cell phone and sells minutes of its use, somebody's going to buy a hard drive and a USB cable. or do something else i can't imagine. i hope mohammed yunas knows about this.<br />
which brings me to my concern. as described on these pages, these machines are incredibly useful. i want one myself. i can wait until the idea makes it to the open market, but many adults are not so patient. i can see these powerful machines and their mesh network ability being very attractive to bandits, drug dealers, the parents of the children who can use them in their businesses and so on. it's not just that the children would lose their laptops. i am concerned for their safety, and that this will become another tool to enslave child for the benefit of adults. (i'm not talking about the child keeping the books for a family business, which helps the whole family.) i have no doubt that the minds who designed these incredible machines can solve this dilemma as well. i think you have probably already thought about this, but i didn't find where the site addressed it. i felt it would be wrong not to bring it up to be sure the children are protected.<br />
thank you for doing this for the world's children. i look forward to learning more and finding ways to contribute.<br />
dee pearson<br />
(just want the "creators" to know the following comment regarding energy is not from dee.)<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
== XO for Propaganda? ==<br />
<br />
Dear OLPC,<br />
<br />
I believe wholly in the OLPC program and am very happy to learn that units are shipping. I do, however, have one concern:<br />
<br />
Is it possible for education ministries, who will be distributing the XO laptop, to map political propaganda onto the XO prior to release? Imagine if a particular political party in power had used their party's political messaging in the splash screen at XO startup. That messaging would be carried with a child for a very long time.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, if a particular country has a problem that needs tackling, such as AIDS, then it would be beneficial if there were messaging intended to tackle that problem embedded as a default [but end-user changeable] setting.<br />
<br />
I assert that OLPC needs to take top-down initiative to ensure that governments do not abuse this new mode of communication.<br />
<br />
carter.cliff@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:This question ignores a very important part of the economic equation. Textbooks. The cost of primary school textbooks is kept hidden from most of us but a trip to a college bookstore will show you that textbooks cost a lot of money. The primary economic enabler of the OLPC laptops is that they allow textbooks to be distributed very cheaply. Compared to physical textbooks, electronic ones don't have to be printed and they can be shipped on very low-weight media such as CD-ROMs. Of course, in order to realize the economic benefit of electronic textbooks, you first have to invest in an e-book reader. That is the core of the OLPC project. If you investigate existing e-book reader projects you will dicsover that they are all based around a general-purpose computer with some software that restricts the capabilities to only reading books. The OLPC project goal is to create an e-book reader that exploits as many of the capabilities of the hardware as possible. The end-result is a single device that can serve many different educational functions and is versatile enough to be used throughout the student's educational life and beyond.<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
== Web content and browsing ==<br />
<br />
I could not find any information on the browsing capabilities / restrictions on these laptops. Can you please ensure that some filter mechanisms are in place that protects these children from the malicious content out there on the web today?<br />
<br />
--I have just had a different version of the internet question answered for me by somebody else on this page, which is all that I know about it, but they just told me that the mesh networks that will be used will usually/often not in fact be connected to the internet at all. The OLPC does not proved internet connectivity -- that possibility is there for countries that want to make it available, but that is entirely up to the countries. It was also pointed out to me that for many of these children, there is hardly anything on the internet in a language that they speak. If I knew how to put links into this, I would put a link here, but if you go to the question on School Gateways, there is a link there. Please if I've gotten something wrong somebody else edit this response.<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&diff=20928Ask OLPC a Question/New2007-01-13T10:03:14Z<p>Memracom: /* Proposed "Buy 2 Get 1" Sales */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{ask-olpc|title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New}}<br />
<br />
This section is for new questions for OLPC. Please read through ''[[Ask OLPC a Question]]'' before [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Ask_OLPC_a_Question/New&action=edit&section=new adding a question] here.<br />
<br />
==Image about the World Summit in Tunisia, showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan when presenting the laptop==<br />
Hello, I am writing an article in the german Wikipedia on the "100-Dollar-Laptop" aka "Children's Machine" (link: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-Dollar-Laptop). I would like to add an image showing Nicholas Negroponte and Kofi Annan in Tunisia on the World Summit. Unfortunately on flickr there is no photo, which is compatible zu the gnu-licence. Only Creative Commons 2.5. with the right of commercial use and of course the gnu-licence are allowed to be uploaded in Wikipedia. <br />
<br />
Do you have such a picture in your portfolio? Can you upload this picture with compatible licence on Wikipedia?<br />
<br />
In my opinion such a picture would have positive impact on OLPC's image. If you google for "Children's Machine" the german Wikipedia-article has the best page rank. You can contact me on the german Wikipedia, search word "Betbuster".<br />
<br />
Thanks, Wikipedia user: Betbuster [[User:134.2.57.213|134.2.57.213]] 09:20, 19 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== School Gateways ==<br />
<br />
I've looked around the site for a while and cannot find much about gateways at the schools. Can somebody tell me about the connectivity to the internet for the whole mesh network through gateways at schools? I'm especially interested in what the power requirements will be for a gateway, because I'm hoping to find out how hard it would be to set one up in an area where there is no electricity. Thank you!<br />
<br />
:The OLPC networking concept is not Internet-based. We assume that there will be no Internet connectivity and no Internet gateways. The laptops are being deployed into countries which do not have a lot of native-language content available on the Internet. The networking focus is to make sure that the laptops will be able to communicate with each other over a larger than normal area, and that they will be able to communicate with resources in the school. In most cases, these school resources will not be Internet gateways but will be more like a cross between a library and an FTP site with content that kids can download to their laptops. Of course some schools will have Internet access and may copy Internet content for use by the kids, but the laptops are not intended to be used for direct Internet surfing.<br />
<br />
::OLPC is not interested in taking on the added burden of Internet connectivity for dozens of countries, but others are, including [[OLPC4USA]]. See [[Internet]] for more. --[[User:Mokurai|Mokurai]] 15:30, 26 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
:In regard to your questions about power, you may wish to read the [[Battery and power]] page for tips.<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) I think it would be a good idea to use satellite broadband connection with the school gateway/routers in areas where local broadband access is too expensive or local internet infrastructure is poor. And then on the local school gateway it would be a good idea to include paypal donation feature like this one [http://wifipaypal.sourceforge.net/ PayPal& Wifi APs] so that donors living in the 1st world countries can make direct and easy donations to specific schools where funding is very limited.<br />
<br />
== Technology innovation is moving at a very rapid pace ==<br />
<br />
How are you guys planning for the future. How are you guys preparing for the technology currently planned to be used inside the laptop becoming absolete. What is your turnaround time between parts going into production and actually being distributed to the people? <br />
--[[User:314159271828|314159271828]] 01:55, 4 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
(JK, USA) To ensure long-term sustainable success and growth of the OLPC project, especially in regard to your concern over future parts availability I think the OLPC hardware designers should use as many generic parts as possible. And I think the retail "Buy2 give 1 free" program will help boost the production numbers so that in future there will be abundance of used spare parts for the OLPC. I think the OLPC project should create an online database where donors can register the serviceable used parts that they want to donate. While discussing the same topic I would like to propose another project for school gateways and wifi APs that would meet the needs of 3rd world countries. i.e. using solar or wind power etc.<br />
<br />
==Maximum Altitude Spec==<br />
<br />
According to the [[Hardware specification]] the ''Maximum altitude: -15m to 3048m (14.7 to 10.1 psia) (operating), -15m to 12192m (14.7 to 4.4 psia) (non-operating''... would it be possible to operate (safely) above that altitude? After all, in the Andes (and I'll assume the Himalayas) many people live higher... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto El Alto 4150m], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD Potosi 3967m], etc... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:47, 30 November 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Usability and User Testing==<br />
<br />
There is very little public information about requirements gathering, usability and user testing. In other words, how do you know whether the OLPC (i) will meet your users' needs and (ii) is easy enough for them to use? Have the target user groups been characterized? What ongoing plans do you have for this?<br />
I`d Like test the OLPC in Argentina, Please contct with me to know how.<br />
Thanks.<br />
:As far as I know, there are two local groups in [[OLPC Argentina|Argentina]] with test boards (don't know if anybody has the 2B1/XO prototypes though). They are [https://www.ututo.org/www/modules/downloads/downloads.php?ID_downloads_category=21 Ututo] and [http://tuquito.org.ar/olpc/index.php?title=Portada Tuquito]. I know [http://www.ututo.org/ Ututo] had some explicit arrangements to let other people use/test the boards. If anybody knows about other groups (or about any local XOs) please let me know (or post in the [[OLPC Argentina]] pages. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 6 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
What about usability testing for children? A recent article quoted the OLPC chairman as saying: "Granted, I'm not a child. I don't know if it's going to be intuitive to children." Was there research?<br />
<br />
==Deployment Criteria & Metrics==<br />
<br />
Although these issues are basically 'national' prerogatives, is there anything being done at the OLPC level? In many countries, 1 million laptops will either be too little or too much. All along, before, during and after the deployment they should be able to assess the result of the effort (metrics), be it to keep the course, or change things, or try new things, etc.<br />
<br />
:We do not believe there is such a thing as too little. In countries where 1 million laptops is too many, we won't be able to do an early deployment, but we do expect that after a few million units are in the field, there will be other organizations who will deploy smaller quantities to smaller countries, such as many island nations. In fact, Libya has announced their intention to buy laptops for some poorer African nations.<br />
<br />
::I think that spanish speaking latin american countries do fit in a gray-zone there; there are many that individually would have to wait for later stages, but together they could probably put something - ie: central american countries.<br />
<br />
:As far ans metrics are concerned, we take that very seriously both in the design of the laptops and in the whole deployment process. We are constantly measuring, analysing and making course corrections based on the data. We will continue to do so.<br />
<br />
::Seriousness is good. Transparency too. :) I've somehow managed to reach the [[Pilot Projects#Diversity Matrix]], which I find a bit shallow and unstructured for my taste, so I'm assuming that more structured guidelines are being thought out, planned and to be published, right? After all, as the proposers of the idea, the performance analysis and other measurements should be your domain of expertise. For example, which population segment is known to make the most out of the laptop experience? Is income considered a (key) factor? People with very-low, low, medium, high, or very-high income are 'all equal' or they somehow 'profit' differently in respect to their original educational levels? Under all circumstances?<br />
::I'm well aware that these are mostly unanswered questions (I'm not looking for an answer here) and will be subject to many factors and variables; notwithstanding, what kind of information is being thought as necessary to evaluate or consider? All I'm asking is to be able to see the guidelines - and hopefully a way to collaborate.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 17:04, 9 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Timor Leste (East Timor) not involved yet and how to get the process off on the right foot==<br />
<br />
I am a volunteer IT worker here in Dili. I wish to follow through on getting the Government/Min of Education involved. <br />
Is there a set of templates/docs/procedures for me to follow? If so, then I think that they would be very useful for other countries.<br />
thanks chris <br />
mansonc@usa.net<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for writing in.<br />
Right now I think the whole world knows about the program. You may contact your countries Minster of Education and try to start a dialogue about the service OLPC is offering. If they are interested you may then try with in your country to find big donor corporations that will come up with the funds for your country and you can also contact me on this site to ask more questions in how you can do that. I am sure you speak the native language which would make this much easier that you can also speak English too. This way I can explain this to you as in how to do that.<br />
Thanks<br />
Hunter--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:36, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
==Social Benefit==<br />
<br />
How will OLPC benefit countries when the majority of children do not attend public school or public school is not available?<br />
<br />
:Your statistics are questionable. What is your source for such an outrageous statement? In any case, the OLPC is not distributing laptops to schools, they are distributing laptops to kids. In thousands of small towns and villages, the existence of a mesh of laptops will create a learning infrastructure that can function without a school building.<br />
<br />
Mention was made in the NY Times article of a sponsorship program where people could fund a OLPC for a child in a target country. The quote was attributed to Nicholas N. How do we sign up?<br />
<br />
:If there was such a quote, it was incorrect. The laptops are being purchased by national ministries of education. If you want to sponsor the purchase of laptops then you must make arrangements with a national ministry of education. --[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:12, 8 January 2007 (EST) OLPC4USA is not connected to Hunter or the Hands of Love Program.<br />
<br />
The OLPC will not be involved at all in such arrangements. In the USA you should contact [[OLPC4USA]]. For personal purchase you should read the [[Retail]] page.<br />
<br />
OLPC4USA is it true that the OLPC lapop <br />
cost $500.00 to $700.00(US) <br />
if it is not provided by a <br />
third world program as retail?<br />
<br />
==Support for Self-Learners==<br />
<br />
However, what about those children who cannot attend to schools and have no teachers, which is not uncommon in really poor 3rd world countries? I still cannot imagine how illiterate kids (probably having illiterate parents) teach themselves the usage of the OLPC laptop and moreover teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.<br />
<br />
:The goal of the project is to '''provide/propose''' to governments a laptop that is (financially) cheap enough to be massively distributed to kids while being powerful enough to do all sorts of things. It'll be upto those governments to decide how they'll be deployed, what content will be included (and/or developed), etc. In some target [[countries]] schooling is so widespread making your scenario a marginal one (but nevertheless important). In other countries, I agree, things are quite the opposite. An interesting reading is the [[Learning Vision]] and its reference to the [http://pedia.media.mit.edu/wiki/Create_Project CREATE] project in Costa Rica, where some families moved into a town that had 1:1 computer education just so that their kids would have access to that kind of education. IOW, the population pro-actively flocked to that schooling system.<br />
<br />
:If you can't imagine how kids can use a computer for learning in the absence of teachers then you need to read about the [http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm Hole In The Wall Project] in India.<br />
<br />
==Accessibility==<br />
<br />
What mechanism olpc is going to adopt to make it accessable for child with physical disabilities? Will there be seperate keyboards for blind with braile? Will there be alternate input methods for child with dysfunctioning hands? <br />
<br />
--Ankur Sharma, [http://olpcnepal.org olpc Nepal] (ankur@olpcnepal.org)<br />
<br />
:As far as I know, OLPC keybords are standardized for each country's language/s, but not braille. The OLPC has [[Hardware specification#Specifications|3 USB ports]] to which external (braille) keyboards may be connected ([http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usb+braille+keyboard&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quick search] and [http://www.portset.co.uk/braillekey1.htm sample result] or [http://www.hooleon.com/menu-stickers-braille.htm?gclid=CNWevcfho4kCFSiANAodGG3twA alternative method]). In order to better gauge the dimension of the issue, the [http://www.who.int/ World Health Organization] (WHO) has some statistics on the [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ incidence of blindness].<br />
:I have posted some observations about [[Input methods#Dasher - gesture text entry|Dasher]] as an alternative [[Input methods|input method]], not only for physical disabilities but general use too. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:45, 21 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Programming ==<br />
<br />
Does the os suport basic programming.<br />
:Short answer: yes.<br />
:A bit longer, assuming that by 'basic programming' you mean 'simple programming' (instead of the BASIC language), you have [[Etoys]] ([[Squeak]]), [[LOGO]], [[Javascript]], [[Csound]], and most other things are in [[Python]]. You should also check the pages on [[software]] and [[our software]]. And since the project is based on an [[OLPC on open source software|open-source]] philosophy, even the OS will be accessible to kids to fiddle with.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:49, 27 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I question whether there is some benefit for us or you by getting involved ==<br />
<br />
We are a St. Louis MO based charity doing Health Related activity in many poor parts of the world including Ecuador, Africa, Asia etc. We have recently been asked by Ecuador officials to assist in several different activates, including build schools, clinics, furnish computers etc.(we have a current request for 100 computers that we are trying to fulfill. <br />
<br />
Or name is Wings of Hope and you can view our website at www.wings-of-hope.org to get some idea of what we do and who we do it for, both locally and around the world. We are a volunteer organization with pilots, nurses and support people stationed in many countries in poverty stricken areas. We are non political, non religious based, have no ethnic motivations nor any other motivation based issues except to help people in need.<br />
<br />
We furnish air transport service to poor people in the central part of the United States to get them to health care facilities. We set up health clinics in poor areas of the US and we Donate aircraft to many areas of the world to be used as Air Ambulances. The website above will reveal a lot about Wings of Hope activates.<br />
<br />
I saw the article in Popular Science about your computers and I just feel there is something that we can offer that will advance your cause. Our relationships appear to be with the kind of folks you are trying to reach. If you feel we can be of any assistance to your efforts, we would like to discuss the issue(s).<br />
<br />
Please Contact our Director, MR. Douglas Clements, www.woh206@earthlink.net or 636-537-1302, 800-448-9487.<br />
<br />
Keith Barbero, WOH Board Member<br />
<br />
<br />
--[[User:Hunter|Hunter]] 10:45, 28 December 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
From what has been publicly displayed this is mainly a government program that has to have approval from the hosting country to be implemented. Depending on the type of services you are offering this may or may not be a a program that could fit in to your NGO's aim.<br />
But if you are intrested from the stand point of ONE LAP TOP FOR EVERY CHILD then you should keep in touch and ask more questions as they come to you.<br />
Thanks <br />
Hunter<br />
<br />
== Availability ==<br />
<br />
You could make this wonderful PC available to everyone on a commercial basis. Charge USD 150 or 200 for it (I would at least buy one) and let the profit sponsor kids in the 3rd world. This would also up the produced volume getting the hw costs even lower.<br />
<br />
:You should read the [[Retail]] page where this is covered. Any changes to the situation will be updated on that page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What about poor kids in our country (USA)? ==<br />
<br />
As a technology professional, I see tremendous value in OLPC. I see OLPC changing the way we educate our children. I understand that school children in the USA have more opportunities than school children in most parts of the world. However, we do have school children in this country that '''need''' the help that OLPC can provide.<br />
<br />
Why are children in the USA not even on the deployment radar? <br />
<br />
:OLPC does not '''deploy''' laptops. That job is done by national ministries of education. In the USA, this would be the Secretary of Education. You should direct your concerns to the Secretary or join with [[OLPC4USA]] to make this happen.<br />
<br />
I think under the "Buy two give one free" program the donor should be allowed to decide which country and child the OLPC should go to so that economically disadvantaged children in the 1st world can also benefit from it. But I think the OLPC is specifically designed and engineered to meet the needs of 3rd world countries though. Like the hnadcrank charger for example. I think it will be more cost efficient to donate a used laptop or a PC to economically disadvantaged children in the US. For $150 I think you can get a real used laptop with a hdd, cdrom drive and a bigger screen :-D<br />
<br />
== security ==<br />
<br />
i just learned of this project today and am very excited about it. one of the things that holds poor children back is lack of experience. children have so many marvelous ideas in their heads, but if a child doesn't know that architects or engineers exist, he or she can't hope to become one. not that becoming one is the point. the point is having a future to hope for as well as something to enjoy in the present. the children will develop these computers in ways none of us can imagine. some will create great works of art. some will become business moguls. some will find ways to help others. what a wonderful thing.<br />
i can also see how this project might become another economic project for the whole village. like the entrepreneur who buys a cell phone and sells minutes of its use, somebody's going to buy a hard drive and a USB cable. or do something else i can't imagine. i hope mohammed yunas knows about this.<br />
which brings me to my concern. as described on these pages, these machines are incredibly useful. i want one myself. i can wait until the idea makes it to the open market, but many adults are not so patient. i can see these powerful machines and their mesh network ability being very attractive to bandits, drug dealers, the parents of the children who can use them in their businesses and so on. it's not just that the children would lose their laptops. i am concerned for their safety, and that this will become another tool to enslave child for the benefit of adults. (i'm not talking about the child keeping the books for a family business, which helps the whole family.) i have no doubt that the minds who designed these incredible machines can solve this dilemma as well. i think you have probably already thought about this, but i didn't find where the site addressed it. i felt it would be wrong not to bring it up to be sure the children are protected.<br />
thank you for doing this for the world's children. i look forward to learning more and finding ways to contribute.<br />
dee pearson<br />
(just want the "creators" to know the following comment regarding energy is not from dee.)<br />
<br />
Regarding the energy source for the machine - I would love to imagine children walking or running to school or home with their machines swinging along. Since The Crank is out, how about self-winding, through movement? I have a 40-year old watch that does it. Have you thought about using self-winding as some part of the power question? Creators, commence!<br />
<br />
== Contribution towards Programming ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
I am really interested in contributing towards the programming efforts in linux kernel and python. Please let me know how shall I proceed and start contributing towards it?<br />
<br />
Suresh, <br />
Bangalore, India.<br />
<br />
== Volunteering ==<br />
<br />
How does a computer science professional contact OPLC about volunteering their time to help deploy the laptops and train new users? Is there an affliation with GeekCorps?<br />
<br />
== XO for Propaganda? ==<br />
<br />
Dear OLPC,<br />
<br />
I believe wholly in the OLPC program and am very happy to learn that units are shipping. I do, however, have one concern:<br />
<br />
Is it possible for education ministries, who will be distributing the XO laptop, to map political propaganda onto the XO prior to release? Imagine if a particular political party in power had used their party's political messaging in the splash screen at XO startup. That messaging would be carried with a child for a very long time.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, if a particular country has a problem that needs tackling, such as AIDS, then it would be beneficial if there were messaging intended to tackle that problem embedded as a default [but end-user changeable] setting.<br />
<br />
I assert that OLPC needs to take top-down initiative to ensure that governments do not abuse this new mode of communication.<br />
<br />
carter.cliff@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== Where can I see an OLPC in the UK? ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
I'm really interested in the OLPC project, and often add things to the wiki... But I've never actually seen one in real life... How many are there in the UK, and what are the chances of actually viewing one? Maybe you should do a grand tour?!<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== What about American Senior Citizens? ==<br />
<br />
Why are American Senior Citizens being excluded from this very worthwhile project? As a computer-literate senior citizen I have found that most wives (mine included) in the senior age category will be computer-helpless when they become widowed. Please, puhleeeeze consider opening the OLPC program to American seniors who have been left behind in the current computer obsessed world. Thanx, M. Zipes, Poughkeepsie, NY <font size="1">(Moved question originally posted by [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=69.121.101.152 69.121.101.152] in [[Image talk:Contentatlaptop.png]].</font><br />
<br />
:Uh? Not only this question was out of place, but also, dare say, conceptually. OLPC = One Laptop Per CHILD. In the best of worlds, it would be One Laptop Per CITIZEN&mdash;regardless of nationality, age, etc. but it's not the case. Children are the priority, and in developing countries.<br />
:A more congenial answer would be to point you to [[OLPC4USA]] and ask you to lobby your government with them.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 09:59, 2 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
there are classes available almost anywhere in the US for any adult, and specifically seniors, to take. in addition, US seniors, as a group, are the wealthiest people on the planet. your wife has a computer in the house and does not learn. puhleeeeze think of others who do not have the resources and try to help them. dee pearson<br />
<br />
== Theft of laptops from children ==<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it would be possible to use facial/voice recognition software and the laptop camera/microphone to ensure that the laptop will only work if one child (selected by an administrator using a complex password) is using it. (This would avoid situations where the child might give up a password under duress)?<br />
<br />
Wouldn't adding those extra features also significantly increase the price of the OLPC as well? Why not use the OLPC's built-in wifi adapter to track the signal and MAC address instead?<br />
<br />
Wifi adapter as an anti-theft device?<br />
<br />
yes I agree. I also think it would be useful to turn the built-in wifi adapter as an anti-theft device. The adapter should be made to start mandatorily at boot up and not allowed to disable it so that in the event that the laptop is stolen it will be trackable by using war driving software. <br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Nicholas Negroponte ==<br />
<br />
Hello - how can I get involved and help Nicholas with his $100 laptop project? I am an accountant by trade and am looking to get involved in the voluntary sectory. I should be grateful if you would pass this message on to him. Many thanks - ankit.dodhia@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Wish there was a version of fedora with the Sugar os, so they could be put on existing low end laptops and desktops. That would be great for schools that have older hardware, so they do not have to purchase newer machines. Great budget saver and great pr for RedHat also.<br />
just a thought...<br />
<br />
== Is there a better alternative? ==<br />
<br />
Could the children be better prepared for life learning to use, as I and MILLIONS of others had, with a BIG CHEIF tablet and a pencil (yet somehow I am computer literate now)? Total cost for pad and pencil: $2.75 ... left over for food and medical from the initial $150: $147.50.<br />
<br />
:add to your account books. Many of them , big large books. What about movies, multimidia, are you media literate? Can you fit the all the books and movies you can see in your budget?<br />
<br />
== Beyond education ==<br />
<br />
These machines could be used by adults as well as kids. Surely selling crafts on ebay, checking which markets have the best prices for livestock and downloading info on AIDS would be a great use for these. Why the exclusive ocus on education, and the consequential skew to mesh networking?<br />
<br />
--And if the IT companies can offer the kids after-school paid assignments like light programming and data entry tasks for like 1-2 hrs a day, it will also solve the problem of the kids or their parents selling the laptops for food money<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Basic concept ==<br />
<br />
Isn't the idea of this as a laptop a bit limiting? Why can't it be a phone, a lamp, a radio or whatever too? All this could be added very cheaply, and features like the swivelly screen seem such a distraction compared to such basics. Cellphone technology would also enable this to be networked over much larger distances.<br />
<br />
<br />
because a phone, a lamp, or a radio doesn't make a great learning tool like a laptop does. Cellphones have limited capabilities like the screensize, lack of fullsize keyboard, costly airtimes, data storage etc. A radio doesn't allow interactive learning like a laptop does. A lap is a necessity but with the LCD screen in the laptop the child will be able to read and do his homework in dark. OLPC project isn't about providing them with life's basic necessities, it's about giving children a great tool for education so that they can learn skills to end povery and hunger in their communities in future.<br />
<br />
<br />
JK, USA<br />
<br />
== Science curriculum ==<br />
<br />
I do not see any content related sections for the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and math. Can you please point me to that section or include this in your curriculum?<br />
<br />
== Web content and browsing ==<br />
<br />
I could not find any information on the browsing capabilities / restrictions on these laptops. Can you please ensure that some filter mechanisms are in place that protects these children from the malicious content out there on the web today?<br />
<br />
--I have just had a different version of the internet question answered for me by somebody else on this page, which is all that I know about it, but they just told me that the mesh networks that will be used will usually/often not in fact be connected to the internet at all. The OLPC does not proved internet connectivity -- that possibility is there for countries that want to make it available, but that is entirely up to the countries. It was also pointed out to me that for many of these children, there is hardly anything on the internet in a language that they speak. If I knew how to put links into this, I would put a link here, but if you go to the question on School Gateways, there is a link there. Please if I've gotten something wrong somebody else edit this response.<br />
<br />
== does OLPC not serve to widen the gap between the haves and have nots? ==<br />
<br />
My question is, by not supporting any of the common technology in the first world, and forcing a totally unique paradigm of user interface and technology, how is it that these disadvantaged societies will become more "advantaged"? It seems that a proprietary system will only serve to make a greater distinction between the poor and the rich. <br />
<br />
--Ryan Cameron, [http://www.habermanfoundation.org Haberman Educational Foundation]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
the OLPC and its Sugar User Interface are NOT a proprietary System. The technologies are open source and built on a tried and tested Kernel and Operating System. in fact, the OLPC's use of Free/Open Source technology will serve to ensure that children are not forced to think like the ms drones of today who believe that computer literacy is knowing how to operate MS Excel. These children are being given a computer where nothing is hidden from them, the internals of the operating system are there for them to inspect, learn from, and hopefully learn to improve. the sugar ui only serves to simplify things for the children until they are ready to look further into the OS and see what makes it tick. ideally in 10 years or so, these children will have an understanding of computers that greatly exceeds the children in our own developed countries because they are not forced into a proprietary paradigm of computing. If we gave these children a copy of windows on every laptop, what purpose would that serve? they could learn to use the applications that they are given, but that is NOT What this is about. the children need to learn how computers work and why they work the way they do, this cannot be accomplished with a closed-source proprietary operating system. I believe it is especially important that these children are able to see and improve the source code of these systems, that way, when they are older and have learned enough, they will have a new outlook on computing, much different from our own. their ideas of how to interact with computers will lead to new innovative software that will benefit everyone. diversity is important and we are giving these children the opportunity to progress in their own direction without the preconcieved notions that the rest of us have from being exposed to Windows and Mac OS for so long. <br />
<br />
to Summarize, since I rambled so much, your question is completely backwards. the disadvantage is OURS, the RICH have suffered from the proprietary nature of the Operating System that has been forced on many of us. these children are being given freedom to do as they please with their operating System, and at the same time, it will give them a firm understanding of the linux kernel and the underlying OS that will be much more beneficial to them in the future that anything microsoft or other proprietary software vendors can offer.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation of Musical Editor for local music systems ==<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
While browsing through the software that will be put on the B2 release, I remarked the screenshot of the Musical Editor, and I saw that it was based on the western notes system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do). These notes have more or less fixed frequencies ('la' has 440 Hz, and going from one note to another happens by stepping of halve tones where the frequencies need to be multiplicated or divided by 1.059, the twelfth root of 2).<br />
<br />
The OLPC project is ment for children in third world countries, like for instance India and China and other countries, where different music systems are used. Therefore I propose to foresee these adaptations within the Musical Editor (after all, it can't be the intention of forcing children to abandon their own musical culture :-?).<br />
<br />
In case OLPC people are interested, I am willing to do some investigation in order to figure out which are the mostly used music systems with corresponding frequencies in order to facilitate the work. I can be reached via my e-mail address under my OLPC subscription account 'scampsd'.<br />
<br />
Best regards and good luck with the project<br />
Dominique<br />
<br />
== Random generator entropy ==<br />
<br />
Hi, we came up with this issue at the 23c3 in a lecture about the /dev/(u)random generator in Linux. The algortihm gets most of its entropy from the harddisk. Because the OLPC lacks a hdd, this could be an issue, when you need a random number for cryptography at boot time. Of course the algorithm is still strong and sufficient enough for most applications (or at least i think so), but not as good as some people maybe think. (Other entropies: camera, microphone,...) (DustyDingo)<br />
<br />
== CHILD PROTECTION SOFTWARE ?!?!?!?! ==<br />
<br />
Hi, as this laptop is geared towards children and it seems as there is no hard drive to install software into the machine. Is there child protection software installed into the device with parental pin code to activate/decativate it?<br />
<br />
Also if there was a simple 512mb eeprom then it would be possible to install a few applications into the machine. I am sure this would only add a couple of dollars onto the price. (just a thought).<br />
<br />
Thanks From Vince.<br />
<br />
<br />
:Few apps? Not true. Some years ago we had less than that and we could run thousands of games and applications. Maybe the problem is the applications got fat. And besides a lot of the good stuff moved to the internet, so if the child wants a full blown video editing software he can use an online app. I do not know about parental control, the child seems to have total control over the machine, even to the source code. But the UI is social-oriented so it's geared thru making the child participate community activities, which is a good community control. If you know the child is drawing with peers then he is not be seeing porn - Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
<br />
== About emulating the OLPC disk Image ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure where to post this as it's a rather technical support like question. I am emulating the OLPC image (I am using olpc-182.zip) in a intel iMac using VMWare tools beta. The emulations runs well, but with a limited size (640 x 480) and I know the laptop goes way beyond this. I have read somewhere an email from the OLPC mailing list that this was a recurring issue and many of the blog posts with screenshots and reviews of the SUgar interface where getting it wrong because of this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to investigate this further (and help correct those blog reviews) and posted this question to the VMWare foruns, but they believe it's a problem with the OS image.<br />
<br />
Any insights on this?<br />
<br />
thank you<br />
<br />
Alexandre Van de Sande<br />
www.wanderingabout.com<br />
alexandrevandesande (at) the email provided by google<br />
<br />
:Please refer to the emulation section of this wiki, specifically [[OS images for emulation]] and [[User Feedback on Images]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:43, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I just want to try the software ==<br />
<br />
I've read about the software and the UI online.<br />
I want to try the software. I want something like a "liveCD" that I can stick<br />
in my computer to try it out and show other people.<br />
a) Is it possible?<br />
b) If possible, is it explained anywhere on this eiki?<br />
c) if yes, why is it so hard to find? A nice big link on the homepage might be nice.<br />
<br />
:Don't know if there's a LiveCD, but you can try an emulator. On the left there's a navigation bar with a section titled '''"about the laptops"''', and under it you'll find the '''[[OS images for emulation|emulation]]''' link that'll take there... That wasn't so hard, was it? Enjoy!--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:05, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== I would desperately want to get such a computer, eventhough I'm not eligible and could easely afford a usual computer ==<br />
<br />
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've heard about your project on the program "Click" at BBC World.<br />
I think the idea of a 100$ computer is absolutely marvelous!<br />
<br />
I would desperatly like to get one of these computers myself, eventhough I can afford usual computers.<br />
The problem is, that I'm living in Switzerland, which is still tinted grey on your world map.<br />
<br />
I would be prepared to pay double the price (200$) to get one of these computers.<br />
That way, you could actually build two of them and donate one of them to a child that really needs it.<br />
<br />
I think it would actually be a great idea to allow people who aren't eligible to own one of these computers, to get one for double its price - thus financing a free notebook for a child who really needs it.<br />
<br />
It would also prevent people who are eligible to get one to put it on an auctioning site to sell them to people who don't really need them.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a reply!<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
C.Beeli - Switzerland<br />
<br />
:It's good to read about your enthusiasm, but alas, quite some people had similar ideas before as the "[[Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution#Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?]]" section shows, and to which the short answer is '''no'''. A longer answer is that you can still participate and collaborate with time and effort to make the project a reality. And a full answer would be this whole wiki, your government, local NGOs, etc. --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 07:23, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Food For Children ==<br />
<br />
Shouldn't we be making sure that there is at least one meal per child rather than one laptop?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
there are plenty of organizations that already do this, and you are free to contribute to their cause, there is no need for yet another red-cross or whatever other NPO, the goals of the OLPC have not been addressed before and many people consider education a very important cause. "teach a man to fish"<br />
<br />
:I'm all for it! But what about drinking water? That too! And medicines? No doubt! Shelter? Peace? Love? Education? ''We'' is a lot of people (sometimes, the whole 6.5 billion)... much in the same way that specific organizations try to bring medicine to the dispossessed (ie: [http://www.msf.org/ Medecins sans frontieres]), or fight for their human rights (ie: [http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International]), provide better feeding and agriculture technologies (or emergency rations) (ie: [http://www.fao.org/ FAO / UN]), and education (ie: [http://www.unesco.org/ UNESCO]), the OLPC is trying to get this 'simple gadget' (a full blown laptop) into the hands of kids for them to learn, communicate, interact, and many other things...<br />
:Not one of the aforementioned organizations can make a better world by itself, each one is needed in their domain of expertise and competence. So let the specialized organizations do what they are good for: battle the odds to make a better world in their 'little' areas of competence. They are all needed, in an interconnected set of efforts that together they stand, divided they fail... (I know, it should read 'fall', but in development issues, it usually and nonchalantly fails).--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 12:27, 5 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can we look at them as two separate issues instead? Giving basic needs to the poor & needy in the 3rd world = helping them with their immediate needs while giving them OLPCs = providing them with a technological learning tool to help prepare for a better future. While I agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs we must also realize that teaching IT to children in the 3rd world countries is equally important so that hopefully one day they can use that knowledge/skills to get out of poverty and hunger.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
==Request for direction to power generation discussion==<br />
I am having a hard time finding a discussion about the '''power generator''' for the XO. Can you please direct me to the appropriate person or place? I have noticed that while my wife computes, her knee often bounces. And I wonder if that natural movement might be harnessed to generate power for the XO.<br />
<br />
I have calculated that such a movement of 2 to 5 cm twice a second under 100 to 200 Newtons of tension (or more naturally 1 to 2 cm at 4 Hz and 50 to 100 Newtons) could input '''2 to 40 Watts''' depending on the level of conscious effort vs. habituated movement and the ability to harness both legs. This is an old concept that was employed for '''treadle sewing machines and pump organs'''. The only difference in the case of the XO is the challenge to build it extremely portable for a few dollars, using such things as nylon straps and plastic pieces.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I would like the opportunity to follow the discussion of these concepts with the project team if possible if you would be so kind as to direct me. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you could e-mail me using my gmail address and my first name dot last name.<br />
<br />
Thanks.<br />
Tom Haws<br />
<br />
== What about OUR children in the US? ==<br />
<br />
I am tired of us giving and giving to other countries. What children right here in the United States? I teach in a poor Appalachian school district in Eastern Ohio and our children don't have computers. I have 2 computers in my classroom and one is very, very old. My own students do not get to use a computer, so why are we giving to other countries?<br />
<br />
:Nobody is asking you to give anything! As a matter of fact, the 'other countries' are '''investing'''. So, if you're tired, sit back, relax, and [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2676 read this] or you can lobby together with [[OLPC4USA]] '''your''' government to invest... --[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 16:02, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Black Market ==<br />
<br />
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the idea. I don't think is my opinion alone that the only way to stop poverty is by education, and this is a great tool for this.<br />
<br />
How do you plan to fight the black market of this computers? They more or less cost $100 each, and in many of the countries mentioned, families could try to sell them to buy food or fullfill any other basic need.<br />
<br />
One solution could be distributing them strategically first to children covered on basic needs, all the way to the least covered.<br />
<br />
Thank you and sorry if you have already talk about this.<br />
<br />
Yamil Fourzali<br />
<br />
The blackmarket for donated items has always existed in third world countries and especially a high-value item (by 3rd wolrd standards) like the OLPC will not be an exception. However, I think combination of social and technological solutions can help reduce this problem:<br />
(1) The OLPCs should be kept in school unless there's an absolute need for the child to take it home (i.e. homework assignments, exams). Also at the initial issue of the OLPC parents should be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to take care of it. <br />
(2) If the wifi adapter in the OLPC is made to turn on automatically at bootup then the unit will be trackable by detecting the wifi signal and MAC address. <br />
(3) The "Buy two give one free" program will help reduce the demand for the OLPC as a cheap substitute for a used laptop in the developed world. If it costs more than a used laptop with comparable or more powerful components that will reduce the demand in the blackmarket too. <br />
(4) depending on the number of theft incidents in each OLPC participant country, the local governments can launch public awareness advertisement campaigns to educate the public that stealing an OLPC is like stealing a child's future. <br />
(5) The OLPC campaign can ask online auctions like Ebay to ban/restrict the resale of OLPCs online.<br />
<br />
JK<br />
<br />
Great question which I was about to ask. I live in Argentina and will be interested in seeing how many of these laptops appear on the local ebay. In a country where wi-fi hardly exists and where many poor kids don't go to school and spend their time collecting discarded cardboard and paper to sell if they're not begging, the pessimist in me fails to see how this is going to work. I can in fact see things working better in remote regions of Africa where everybody is poor, for me it seems there are going to be problems in cities where there are very poor people who will be entitled to the laptop and richer people who will perhaps want to buy it. This is all of course provided corruption in the government actually ensure the poor kids get the laptops in the first place!<br />
<br />
J Martin<br />
<br />
== about the ic 321j50 ==<br />
<br />
What is the purpose IC 321j50 manufactured by your company?<br />
:I am not aware of any such IC associated with OLPC. Can you please cite a source of reference for this question?<br />
<br />
Who is Nicholas Negroponte?<br />
:Prof. Negroponte is the CEO of OLPC (Please refer to http://www.laptop.org/people.en_US.html for more details).<br />
<br />
What is an XO machine?<br />
:Please refer to [[The Children's Machine]] in this wiki.<br />
<br />
What school-focused framework is this article talking about?<br />
:I am not sure what article you refer to when you say "this article." There is an introduction to the OLPC [[Learning Vision]] in this wiki. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 08:40, 8 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
Can any one ask a question here or is this just for computer programers?<br />
If not where can the avarage person find out more about OLPC?<br />
<br />
== I'd like to help teach. ==<br />
<br />
I think your idea is marvelous! I heard recently about how cell phones are benefitting rural peoples in Africa, where landlines are almost non existent. and I can see how OLPC could be similarly beneficial -- perhaps more so.<br />
<br />
Are you are recruiting folks yet to help train teachers or children to use the laptops? I've worked as a newspaper journalist, writing instructor, and am now in marketing and public relations for a community college. But I'd like to do something more meaning and helpful on a larger scale. How can I find out if there is a use for my skills in your organization? I am willing to work oversees and in primative conditions.<br />
<br />
== Can this laptop run on old DOS programs? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
There are lots of free old DOS programs out there and DOS os takes very little RAM space.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to put DOS OS into this laptop?<br />
<br />
Is there any emulator under Linux to allow DOS to be used?<br />
<br />
If so, what kind of DOS? Freedos or msDOS<br />
<br />
Contents will be an issue when this computer comes out. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
alanfoo<br />
<br />
: We can't boot DOS with the current LinuxBIOS/OFW ROM we use - it lacks the legacy support that DOS needs. DOSEMU (http://www.dosemu.org/ is a decent emulator that may offer some support - how well this would all integrate into sugar is unknown, though. - [[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:00, 9 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
--(JK, USA) Don't forget the OLPC is not another commercial laptop project. The gola should be to port old DOS programs to OLPC and not make OLPC compatible with DOS.<br />
<br />
== Gambia ==<br />
<br />
Can anyone tell me if Gambia is among the countries where the Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in this laptop project? Since it is such a small country (situated along the Gambia river in Senegal), I can't tell from the map.<br />
<br />
:I '''think''' that Gambia's status is 'orange' (''those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher''). Another (unofficial) way of checking the status is [[OLPC Status by Country]].<br />
:This question should've been placed in [[Ask OLPC a Question about Countries]] and will soon be moved there.--[[User:Xavi|Xavi]] 10:04, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, Gambia is 'orange'. BTW, there is a higher-resolution version of the map in the wiki: [[Image:olpcmap.gif|thumb]]. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 11:19, 10 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Governments & schools - a western construct ==<br />
<br />
I think that the olpc is a wonderful concept and I am fully behind it - 100%. I am delighted that it has plumped for a Linux OS and is centred upon open source software solutions. <br />
<br />
I can also fully understand why it seems necessary to use government resources in developing countries to get these laptops into the hands of the children who need them.<br />
<br />
However (and you just knew that there was an however coming!) schools are nothing more than a western construct which the developed world seems hellbent on imposing on the devloping world even if the result is social destruction. Governments of all complections have a vested interest in exploiting this project. It seems to me that there is a desperate need to develop a new pedogogy involving non-traditional formal educational structures, possibly working with NGOs. Governments in developing countries will go the same way as many western governments and impose a nationalised curriculum which will be delivered via these laptops.<br />
<br />
For those of us who are committed to a constructivist apporach to learning and who recognise that imposition of western schooling is always destructive to enthusiasm for learning, olpc's commitment to only work with governments is ( whilst understandable) hugely disappointing. It may well make this a laptop project and not an education project<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the "Buy two get one free" idea is great because consumer demand for the OLPC will drive the production to mass numbers and it will help the future availability of used spare parts for service needs. I would also like to suggest for the creation of an online database where OLPC users in need of replacement parts can find donors and order them online.<br />
<br />
== Retail model: linking email addresses: RISK TO KIDS ==<br />
<br />
HI-<br />
<br />
I just read an article on BBC saying that one possible retail model for this machine would be: pay for two; you get one; the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world; and you and the kid get each others' email addresses so s/he can correspond with her/his "sponsor." <br />
<br />
Danger, Will Robinson! <br />
<br />
If you do this, predators will buy these machines in order to get access to kids' email addresses in countries where kids are naive about adults using email to prey on kids. And you will also end up with a huge legal liability as a result. In other words, DON'T DO IT. <br />
<br />
I agree with the idea of "pay for two, keep one, the other goes to a kid somewhere in the world." That's fine. I'd gladly buy these things for myself and for various family members (in my case I'm already using MacOSX, Linux, and WinXP, so this would be an additional unit for whatever practical uses it could fulfill), and pay a price that lets you ship additional machines to kids. <br />
<br />
As far as the "sponsorship" thing is concerned: Limit it to the following. Tell the kids who receive the machines, the name of the country where their sponsors are located (and that only, i.e. no exchange of personal information). That could be very good for international understanding and for wearing down some of the bad vibes that people in certain countries tend to have for people in certain other countries. <br />
<br />
While we're at it, consider this: <br />
<br />
There is a huge market for basic rugged laptops for use "in the field" in a number of industries. These would be cases that don't need the full functionality of e.g. a Panasonic Toughbook, and where basic will do and cost is critical. Develop a suite of work-related applications and/or provide certification for apps developed by others, and sell those on CD at reasonable cost, to bring in more money for free laptops for kids. <br />
<br />
The basic arrangement would be: Companies buy laptops at e.g. $200 per unit plus a required $200 per unit tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit foundation. Thus the effective cost is $400 per unit, but half of it is a tax deduction. If you do this, companies will buy these things in huge numbers and thereby pay for equivalent numbers of machines to be given away to kids.<br />
<br />
-- (JK, USA) IMHO, child predators will find ways to do their evil deeds whether they're using a regular laptop, PC or an OLPC. Besides, I'm sure the "Buy 2 give 1 free" donor will have to register his personal info with the OLPC project and in the unfortunate case of abuse of his/her rights a the donor it will be easier to find the individual than your average PC user.<br />
<br />
== School Gateways follow up ==<br />
<br />
Thank you very much for the response on School Gateways -- I had a big misconception about the internet. I am still curious, however, about how the School Gateways for the mesh networks are intended to be powered, and how much energy they will require. I looked at the power page, and it mentioned microbial fuel cells, which is what I was going to ask about. Are the gateways going to require a lot more power than a microbial fuel cell could provide? Thank you!<br />
<br />
== Keyboard lamp? Key color contrast. ==<br />
<br />
Oh. Nevermind. Where it says "Keyboard LEDs" in the photo I thought they were lock indicators.<br />
<br />
Green lettering on white keys could be a good idea though.<br />
<br />
== One Laptop Per how old? Child ==<br />
<br />
We're saying One Laptop Per Child, but how old does a child have to be to qualify? Attending school? How old is that? I know, personally, of 3 year old children who could make good use of this device.<br />
<br />
== Regular Laptops as OLPC Clones? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the OLPC OS and all the software should be made to run on regular x86 laptops and distributed freely. One benefit of making the OS and software opensource and multiplatform compatible will be that the kids will be able to run it on donated used laptops until there are enough OLPCs for everychild :-)<br />
<br />
== Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen? ==<br />
<br />
Hi there,<br />
Is the 'buy 2 and get 1' scheme going to happen or not? There have been many reports that suggested that it was planned for next year. There has actually even been a little hype about it with lots of people (especially on the bbc news blog) getting excited. Some of them think it's such a good idea that they would even want to buy multiple machines thus enabling more children in the developing world to get one for free.<br />
I think this whole idea of connecting receipient with donor and the distribution over ebay is a really fresh and clever idea of you.<br />
However the reporter at BBC news has now said that this scheme wasn't going to happen, which is a really pitty in my view. It could've helped the project in so many ways, not only in gaining popularity. Even some of your comments at the board suggested that it was actually planned, but then again. I asked to buy one of these for the price of two and was declined, only two days before the statement at the BBC World News program. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.<br />
<br />
I still hope you wont abbandon that idea though.<br />
I'd participate in that program, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
All the best for your project. It's going to benefit mankind with, or without a public buy scheme.<br />
<br />
Best Regards<br />
<br />
cbeeli@gmail.com</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=End-user_application_software&diff=20927End-user application software2007-01-13T10:01:30Z<p>Memracom: /* Instant/SMS Messaging */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Collaborative Editor==<br />
<br />
A collaborative text editor with built-in chat like [http://gobby.0x539.de/ Gobby]. Of course, the OLPC team is building their own chat application, but in the long run, it is better to adopt an existing project and work with them, than it is to reinvent the wheel. The OLPC may need some different low-level protocol work to cope with intermittent connectivity, but that could be done by improving Gobby.<br />
<br />
A similar idea would be the syncronization between wikis. MoinMoin provides such syncronization. A student could work on a page on her laptop and the next day sycronize with the server at the school.<br />
<br />
==OpenDocument Viewer==<br />
<br />
An [[OpenDocument Viewer]] will be very important.<br />
OpenDocument Format (ODF) is a highly-compressed format for documents, a fully open international standard (ISO 26300), and viewers can be very small. It can "flow" much better than PDF can, yet it's easier to distribute and more capable than HTML. Perfect for elecronic books and presentations but it does require material to be re-edited into ODF format.<br />
<br />
== Graphing Calculator ==<br />
<br />
A Graphing Calculator software should be added as well as these devices are quite costly and not widely available. An example would be the TVH-72g Graphing Calculator for mobile phones, see [[OGCPS|One Graphing Calculator Per Student]]<br />
<br />
== Recording & Sending Voice Messages ==<br />
<br />
Recording and subsequently listening to voice messages - this is not very big in "our" world, other than the voice mail on your phone; few people seem to record and attach voice messages to typed emails. But if you don't have phones at all, and no always-on for VOIP, maybe recording a voice clip and sending it could prove to be a popular usage - particularly for the parents of the kid that the laptop belongs to, who may be unable to read and write much?<br />
<br />
[[User:Vorburger|Vorburger]]<br />
<br />
: Recording is VERY important - say in [[OGG|OGG/Speex]] format. One application is taking '''Voice Notes'' however an important use-case is simply recording class sessions. Students who missed class would find this invaluable. Should be possible to store recorded class sessions on a class or school sever and periodically burn them onto CD/DVD.<br />
<br />
== Fonts ==<br />
<br />
The Gentium font has support for lots of languages which use latin and extended latin characters, such as Vietnamese and Pan-Nigerian. It also supports Greek and Cyrillic characters. The [http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&item_id=Gentium_glyphs currently supported glyphs] are on the [http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&id=Gentium Gentium website].<br />
<br />
The above page includes the following quote:<br />
:Gentium is freely available and may be used by anyone at no cost. It is now released under the SIL Open Font License, a free and open source license that permits modification and redistribution. Our hope is that it will stimulate literature production and elevate extended Latin alphabets to greater parity with the basic Latin alphabet. We also hope it will encourage other type designers to appreciate and support those fascinating and beautiful extra letters.<br />
<br />
The Gentium FAQ explicitly notes that the license allows Gentium to be distributed with both open source and commercial projects.<br />
<br />
:[http://dejavu.sourceforge.net/ DejaVu] is a font project to enhance [http://www.gnome.org/fonts/ Bitstream Vera] by fixing bugs and increasing the Unicode coverage. DejaVu is a free and open-source font. Currently, DejaVu has [http://svn.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.cgi/*checkout*/dejavu/trunk/dejavu-fonts/langcover.txt good Unicode coverage], supporting the full Latin Unicode block (Vietnamese, Pan-Nigerian, etc), Greek (extended) and Cyrillic (extended). DejaVu also covers [http://www.unicode.org/charts/symbols.html Unicode symbols] such as [http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2700.pdf Dingbats (PDF)] which would make kids happy to include in their documents. DejaVu comes in three typefaces, Sans, Serif and Monospace which is good for a uniform desktop. -- [[User:Simosx|Simosx]] 14:55, 17 June 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:In my opinion, Gentium is an excellent font for printed materials, but it does not read well on a screen, especially at small font sizes. --[[User:SamatJain|SamatJain]] 13:17, 7 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
[http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/fonts.html#gentium Coverage of Gentium] and [http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/fonts.html#dejavusans Coverage of DejaVu].<br />
<br />
== Game Console Emulators ==<br />
<br />
Make some Nintendo and Sega console emulators (NES, SNES, GG, MS), try to ask Nintendo and Sega if they agree to let you load onto the machine a selection of hundreds of the best console games from the 80'ies and 90'ies for the children to have fun with.<br />
<br />
You could maybe even ask Nintendo and Sega join the OLPC as corporate members, they could provide their games, and provide upgraded wireless mesh-networking gameplay functionality for some of those games.<br />
<br />
=== I have not seen, many educational games in Nintendo or Sega ===<br />
<br />
Obviously you have never played SESAME STREET COUNTING CAFE, an execllent game for Sega, I actually played it far more than I care to admit. Educational games tend to have poor sales and little media attention so it is not suprising that you haven't heard of them. Futhermore even games that are not strictlly educational have value too, they can help kids develop abstract problem solving skills, pattern reconition, and the ability to experiment. And any ways what is wrong with letting kids have so fun? Or is that only allowed in first world countries. Lout april 5<br />
<br />
However we must [[Constructivism|not confuse Constructivism with Edutainment]].<br />
<br />
=== Games ===<br />
<br />
I totaly agree with Lout.<br />
My opinion about games : for learning physics and mathematics, some non educational games can be of a great interest.<br />
For example, the classical asteroid-like games : you need to control a spaceship moving in space, you can only rotate and add a pushing force in the forward direction (so, to stop you need to rotate 180 degrees, and add a force that will oppose the inertia). This kind of game can give the children a good feeling of Newton law of motion.<br />
They are many games of similar interest. Another for example is [http://telcontar.net/Misc/Gorillas/ Gorillas], that explores parabollic movement. It would be nice if the kids could program their gorillas to calculate the initial velocities and angles using feedback given from the game engine:<br />
the explosive banana landed 30 units to far.<br />
the explosive banana was blocked by a building.<br />
<br />
Another advantage : when the children play, they will be more likely to try to make there own games, and that the best way to learn how to code (What the fun for a child in hacking or making an educational software ?) --[[User:Charlie137|Charlie]]<br />
: I am a software developer, and my embarrasing confession stems from games. My first exposure to computers was hacking the saved game files to cheat and give myself more credits. But this introduced me to hexadecimal (a whole different counting system than base 10!), endianness (I have 0x01c0 credits, why it is stored as c0 01?), and reprogramming a game to give myself infinite (insert power/resource here). There is absolutely nothing wrong with providing games, and even more so if the games are "hackable". -[[User:PatrickTou|PatrickTou]] 18:20, 15 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
And in games where the player can choose between a lot of stuff (an example is the modern game need for speed underground) help kids develop creativity. --[[User:Commodore|Commodore]]<br />
<br />
===More===<br />
<br />
I am very interested in using the machines for massive multiplayer geophysical games. I have a paper in Edutainment 2006 "EPSS-GE." I like to think of the MMOGs as a large collaborative space linking people from all over the world. I think that the B1 machine is a very good hardware platform to make this possible.<br />
GBS<br />
<br />
=== Focus should be put on creating games for linux not emulation ===<br />
<br />
Emulation is not very efficient since it requires more space and CPU overhead than a program written for the native OS. By having developers creating new games and clones of existing games, no cost or licensing is required and a lot of the unnecessary bloat can be cut out leaving the core of the game, saving valuable space.<br />
<br />
Also games don’t necessarily have to be educational. Simple 2d games are a great way to pass time and have fun. Video games are a big part of technology, and I believe all children should be able to experience them. By including the source code of the games students can use it to help them program their own games.<br />
<br />
Including both educational and popular 2d games played in our society can help get children excited about this technology and give them incentive to use the device to further their minds.--[[User:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
<br />
== Instant/SMS Messaging ==<br />
<br />
The OLPC project includes a full-blown messaging/buddy system based on the built-in mesh networking.<br />
<br />
:See discussions and solutions on [[Instant Messaging Challenges]] and [[Talk:Instant Messaging Challenges]]:<br />
<br />
== Midi player/composing software ==<br />
<br />
Including a midi or similar engine would allow music to be stored in very small instrumental files and by including composing software using various instruments allow students to create music of their own with out worrying about running out of space.<br />
<br />
The freeware Anvil studio is a good example of composing software<br />
http://www.anvilstudio.com/<br />
<br />
A similar program with the bloat taken out would be a great musical education tool.<br />
<br />
By including this engine it would allow games and programs to have sound effects and music while only adding a very tiny amount of data. I think it would be a cool idea to include a small library of various types of music in .mid or a similar format so that students can listen to music, open it in the composing software, and get excited about making their own.<br />
<br />
Also .mid and .kar files can carry a text channel allowing the device to act as a karaoke machine, fun ;). This could be quite useful for teaching language and other educational material. These formats are very compact; often a file of only 10 kilobytes can produce a full minute of music depending on simplicity of song, this would allow 500 two minute instrumental music files to fit in 1 mb, even more if compression is used. Good example of midi/kar player http://www.vanbasco.com/karaokeplayer/<br />
<br />
Here is a list of existing linux midi software<br />
http://linux-sound.org/midi.html<br />
<br />
--[[User:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
<br />
Sound would be very needed I agree but to include software for them to play music would be bloat maybe. I would like if they would play their own native instruments like didgeridoos or something :) --[[User:Commodore|Commodore]]<br />
<br />
The [[TamTam]] music and sound application is being developed specifically for the OLPC at the [http://www.umontreal.ca Université de Montréal] by a team of musicians, programmers and music educators. It rests on top of the Csound audio engine and proposes an environment for children to explore music structures and sound design.<br />
<br />
--[[User:ethrop|ethrop]]<br />
<br />
== Real time music keyboard ==<br />
<br />
Use the keyboard to make music, turns the laptop into an instrument! Simply map keyboard keys to notes and instruments, note length is determined by how long the keys are held down. Software keyboard is displayed on screen that shows what note is mapped to what keys and users can customize what range of notes and instruments are used.<br />
<br />
If a midi system is present this could be a very small program. Advanced features such as record to midi file could be added to let children save their song in a small format that could be played back and edited with a composition program. This program’s functionality could be included in the composing application, but could be a separate app to keep its simplicity.<br />
<br />
--[[User:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
:Music trackers (or mod players) do exactly this and were very popular back in the days when PC's like Amiga and Atari were common. I remember running tracker software on MS-DOS on a 286 computer. This is well suited to a limited storage machine like the OLPC. Some background on tracker software is in [http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/6/8/2524/90038 this article]. There are at least three trackers/modplayers for Linux:<br />
* http://www.soundtracker.org/<br />
* http://www.reduz.com.ar/cheesetronic/<br />
* http://timidity.sourceforge.net/<br />
<br />
==Video Player==<br />
<br />
The OLPC is capable of being used as a video player using a variety of codecs.<br />
<br />
Here is a quote from the progress report on the 11th of June 2006:<br />
:Jaya Kumar, the original author of the AMD CS5535/6 audio driver, reports from Malaysia progress with the current accelerated Xorg X Window System driver on the hardware, including Xv video support and a variety of codecs and audio. He is seeing good audio/video synchronization without frame dropping at full frame rate.<br />
<br />
== Text to speech ==<br />
<br />
As mchua said text to speech would be great for the disabled, I also think this would be great for a wide range of other uses...<br />
<br />
-reading aloud of textbooks, web, and text messages<br />
<br />
-Radio like ability, avoiding heavy bandwidth and storage requirements of sound files. Children could bring the laptop home and have a group of people around to listen to news/info as it is read aloud.<br />
<br />
-Proofreading their own histories or papers.<br />
<br />
-Ability of programmers to call and use this text to speech engine to speak and have dialog between two or more voices (saving space by not needing sound files)<br />
<br />
-Teaching of languages/pronunciation <br />
<br />
<br />
Since space and power is a concern, a speech to text engine would need to be small and not require a powerful CPU. By sacrificing quality a very small engine should be possible.<br />
<br />
Take a look at AnalogX SayIt<br />
http://www.analogx.com/CONTENTS/download/audio/sayit.htm<br />
<br />
It may not sound very pleasant, but with a little work a similar engine with various male/female voice presets would be quite feasible and have a small size. Work would be needed for different languages and pronunciations. Custom voices could also be created by students by adjusting speed, pitch, language and other settings.<br />
<br />
A list of existing linux text to speech applications<br />
http://linux-sound.org/speech.html<br />
<br />
--[[user:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
<br />
== Laptops determining relative positions ==<br />
<br />
Could the microphone be used for location determination?<br />
*Two laptops might determine their mutual distance by timing speaker sound arival time with wireless. Three or more could then fully locate each other in 2D, 4 in 3D. Using laptops or other noice source as a reference points, the laptops of everyone on the playground might know everyone's location. :) Perhaps one could drive the Sugar neighborhood view with actual physical position?<br />
*A couple of laptops working together should be able to do sound source tracking, at least in a simple open space.<br />
--[[User:66.30.117.127|66.30.117.127]] 06:13, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Other Software Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Programming and Compiling Software ===<br />
<br />
Since children have computers, they should have the tools to learn how to program them too. Probably with [[LOGO]] unless there are other programming languages that have been translated into other native natural languages other than English. Logo has been translated into many languages since the 80's, and there are books in those natural languages about Logo. [[Squeak]] is also suitable for children, especially the eToys component of Squeak. It runs identically under Linux, Mac and Windows OS.<br />
<br />
=== External Mass Storage Made Easy ===<br />
<br />
Software to make it easy (for the not so computers savvy teacher too) to have and access external mass storage through the mesh. Physically located perhaps on a school computer or perhaps even somewhere on the internet.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software ideas]]<br />
[[Category:Pedagogical ideas]]<br />
[[Category:Developers]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=End-user_application_software&diff=20926End-user application software2007-01-13T09:59:24Z<p>Memracom: /* Recording & Sending Voice Messages */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Collaborative Editor==<br />
<br />
A collaborative text editor with built-in chat like [http://gobby.0x539.de/ Gobby]. Of course, the OLPC team is building their own chat application, but in the long run, it is better to adopt an existing project and work with them, than it is to reinvent the wheel. The OLPC may need some different low-level protocol work to cope with intermittent connectivity, but that could be done by improving Gobby.<br />
<br />
A similar idea would be the syncronization between wikis. MoinMoin provides such syncronization. A student could work on a page on her laptop and the next day sycronize with the server at the school.<br />
<br />
==OpenDocument Viewer==<br />
<br />
An [[OpenDocument Viewer]] will be very important.<br />
OpenDocument Format (ODF) is a highly-compressed format for documents, a fully open international standard (ISO 26300), and viewers can be very small. It can "flow" much better than PDF can, yet it's easier to distribute and more capable than HTML. Perfect for elecronic books and presentations but it does require material to be re-edited into ODF format.<br />
<br />
== Graphing Calculator ==<br />
<br />
A Graphing Calculator software should be added as well as these devices are quite costly and not widely available. An example would be the TVH-72g Graphing Calculator for mobile phones, see [[OGCPS|One Graphing Calculator Per Student]]<br />
<br />
== Recording & Sending Voice Messages ==<br />
<br />
Recording and subsequently listening to voice messages - this is not very big in "our" world, other than the voice mail on your phone; few people seem to record and attach voice messages to typed emails. But if you don't have phones at all, and no always-on for VOIP, maybe recording a voice clip and sending it could prove to be a popular usage - particularly for the parents of the kid that the laptop belongs to, who may be unable to read and write much?<br />
<br />
[[User:Vorburger|Vorburger]]<br />
<br />
: Recording is VERY important - say in [[OGG|OGG/Speex]] format. One application is taking '''Voice Notes'' however an important use-case is simply recording class sessions. Students who missed class would find this invaluable. Should be possible to store recorded class sessions on a class or school sever and periodically burn them onto CD/DVD.<br />
<br />
== Fonts ==<br />
<br />
The Gentium font has support for lots of languages which use latin and extended latin characters, such as Vietnamese and Pan-Nigerian. It also supports Greek and Cyrillic characters. The [http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&item_id=Gentium_glyphs currently supported glyphs] are on the [http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&id=Gentium Gentium website].<br />
<br />
The above page includes the following quote:<br />
:Gentium is freely available and may be used by anyone at no cost. It is now released under the SIL Open Font License, a free and open source license that permits modification and redistribution. Our hope is that it will stimulate literature production and elevate extended Latin alphabets to greater parity with the basic Latin alphabet. We also hope it will encourage other type designers to appreciate and support those fascinating and beautiful extra letters.<br />
<br />
The Gentium FAQ explicitly notes that the license allows Gentium to be distributed with both open source and commercial projects.<br />
<br />
:[http://dejavu.sourceforge.net/ DejaVu] is a font project to enhance [http://www.gnome.org/fonts/ Bitstream Vera] by fixing bugs and increasing the Unicode coverage. DejaVu is a free and open-source font. Currently, DejaVu has [http://svn.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.cgi/*checkout*/dejavu/trunk/dejavu-fonts/langcover.txt good Unicode coverage], supporting the full Latin Unicode block (Vietnamese, Pan-Nigerian, etc), Greek (extended) and Cyrillic (extended). DejaVu also covers [http://www.unicode.org/charts/symbols.html Unicode symbols] such as [http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2700.pdf Dingbats (PDF)] which would make kids happy to include in their documents. DejaVu comes in three typefaces, Sans, Serif and Monospace which is good for a uniform desktop. -- [[User:Simosx|Simosx]] 14:55, 17 June 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:In my opinion, Gentium is an excellent font for printed materials, but it does not read well on a screen, especially at small font sizes. --[[User:SamatJain|SamatJain]] 13:17, 7 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
[http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/fonts.html#gentium Coverage of Gentium] and [http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/fonts.html#dejavusans Coverage of DejaVu].<br />
<br />
== Game Console Emulators ==<br />
<br />
Make some Nintendo and Sega console emulators (NES, SNES, GG, MS), try to ask Nintendo and Sega if they agree to let you load onto the machine a selection of hundreds of the best console games from the 80'ies and 90'ies for the children to have fun with.<br />
<br />
You could maybe even ask Nintendo and Sega join the OLPC as corporate members, they could provide their games, and provide upgraded wireless mesh-networking gameplay functionality for some of those games.<br />
<br />
=== I have not seen, many educational games in Nintendo or Sega ===<br />
<br />
Obviously you have never played SESAME STREET COUNTING CAFE, an execllent game for Sega, I actually played it far more than I care to admit. Educational games tend to have poor sales and little media attention so it is not suprising that you haven't heard of them. Futhermore even games that are not strictlly educational have value too, they can help kids develop abstract problem solving skills, pattern reconition, and the ability to experiment. And any ways what is wrong with letting kids have so fun? Or is that only allowed in first world countries. Lout april 5<br />
<br />
However we must [[Constructivism|not confuse Constructivism with Edutainment]].<br />
<br />
=== Games ===<br />
<br />
I totaly agree with Lout.<br />
My opinion about games : for learning physics and mathematics, some non educational games can be of a great interest.<br />
For example, the classical asteroid-like games : you need to control a spaceship moving in space, you can only rotate and add a pushing force in the forward direction (so, to stop you need to rotate 180 degrees, and add a force that will oppose the inertia). This kind of game can give the children a good feeling of Newton law of motion.<br />
They are many games of similar interest. Another for example is [http://telcontar.net/Misc/Gorillas/ Gorillas], that explores parabollic movement. It would be nice if the kids could program their gorillas to calculate the initial velocities and angles using feedback given from the game engine:<br />
the explosive banana landed 30 units to far.<br />
the explosive banana was blocked by a building.<br />
<br />
Another advantage : when the children play, they will be more likely to try to make there own games, and that the best way to learn how to code (What the fun for a child in hacking or making an educational software ?) --[[User:Charlie137|Charlie]]<br />
: I am a software developer, and my embarrasing confession stems from games. My first exposure to computers was hacking the saved game files to cheat and give myself more credits. But this introduced me to hexadecimal (a whole different counting system than base 10!), endianness (I have 0x01c0 credits, why it is stored as c0 01?), and reprogramming a game to give myself infinite (insert power/resource here). There is absolutely nothing wrong with providing games, and even more so if the games are "hackable". -[[User:PatrickTou|PatrickTou]] 18:20, 15 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
And in games where the player can choose between a lot of stuff (an example is the modern game need for speed underground) help kids develop creativity. --[[User:Commodore|Commodore]]<br />
<br />
===More===<br />
<br />
I am very interested in using the machines for massive multiplayer geophysical games. I have a paper in Edutainment 2006 "EPSS-GE." I like to think of the MMOGs as a large collaborative space linking people from all over the world. I think that the B1 machine is a very good hardware platform to make this possible.<br />
GBS<br />
<br />
=== Focus should be put on creating games for linux not emulation ===<br />
<br />
Emulation is not very efficient since it requires more space and CPU overhead than a program written for the native OS. By having developers creating new games and clones of existing games, no cost or licensing is required and a lot of the unnecessary bloat can be cut out leaving the core of the game, saving valuable space.<br />
<br />
Also games don’t necessarily have to be educational. Simple 2d games are a great way to pass time and have fun. Video games are a big part of technology, and I believe all children should be able to experience them. By including the source code of the games students can use it to help them program their own games.<br />
<br />
Including both educational and popular 2d games played in our society can help get children excited about this technology and give them incentive to use the device to further their minds.--[[User:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
<br />
== Instant/SMS Messaging ==<br />
<br />
To buddies in the mesh.<br />
<br />
Gaim Instant Messenger would probably be included, but a more advanced system, where you could maybe see everyone near you and chat with them would be cool.<br />
<br />
:See discussions and solutions on [[Instant Messaging Challenges]] and [[Talk:Instant Messaging Challenges]]: You can even use gaim in just that more advanced way as you suggest. --[[User:LynX|lynX]]<br />
<br />
''(Reader Contribution)'' Multilingual Instant Messaging requires translation libraries; a U.S. government thinktank created a good approach that runs native and translated languages in parallel; I have a research license, happy to explore. todd at cftw dot net<br />
<br />
== Midi player/composing software ==<br />
<br />
Including a midi or similar engine would allow music to be stored in very small instrumental files and by including composing software using various instruments allow students to create music of their own with out worrying about running out of space.<br />
<br />
The freeware Anvil studio is a good example of composing software<br />
http://www.anvilstudio.com/<br />
<br />
A similar program with the bloat taken out would be a great musical education tool.<br />
<br />
By including this engine it would allow games and programs to have sound effects and music while only adding a very tiny amount of data. I think it would be a cool idea to include a small library of various types of music in .mid or a similar format so that students can listen to music, open it in the composing software, and get excited about making their own.<br />
<br />
Also .mid and .kar files can carry a text channel allowing the device to act as a karaoke machine, fun ;). This could be quite useful for teaching language and other educational material. These formats are very compact; often a file of only 10 kilobytes can produce a full minute of music depending on simplicity of song, this would allow 500 two minute instrumental music files to fit in 1 mb, even more if compression is used. Good example of midi/kar player http://www.vanbasco.com/karaokeplayer/<br />
<br />
Here is a list of existing linux midi software<br />
http://linux-sound.org/midi.html<br />
<br />
--[[User:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
<br />
Sound would be very needed I agree but to include software for them to play music would be bloat maybe. I would like if they would play their own native instruments like didgeridoos or something :) --[[User:Commodore|Commodore]]<br />
<br />
The [[TamTam]] music and sound application is being developed specifically for the OLPC at the [http://www.umontreal.ca Université de Montréal] by a team of musicians, programmers and music educators. It rests on top of the Csound audio engine and proposes an environment for children to explore music structures and sound design.<br />
<br />
--[[User:ethrop|ethrop]]<br />
<br />
== Real time music keyboard ==<br />
<br />
Use the keyboard to make music, turns the laptop into an instrument! Simply map keyboard keys to notes and instruments, note length is determined by how long the keys are held down. Software keyboard is displayed on screen that shows what note is mapped to what keys and users can customize what range of notes and instruments are used.<br />
<br />
If a midi system is present this could be a very small program. Advanced features such as record to midi file could be added to let children save their song in a small format that could be played back and edited with a composition program. This program’s functionality could be included in the composing application, but could be a separate app to keep its simplicity.<br />
<br />
--[[User:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
:Music trackers (or mod players) do exactly this and were very popular back in the days when PC's like Amiga and Atari were common. I remember running tracker software on MS-DOS on a 286 computer. This is well suited to a limited storage machine like the OLPC. Some background on tracker software is in [http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/6/8/2524/90038 this article]. There are at least three trackers/modplayers for Linux:<br />
* http://www.soundtracker.org/<br />
* http://www.reduz.com.ar/cheesetronic/<br />
* http://timidity.sourceforge.net/<br />
<br />
==Video Player==<br />
<br />
The OLPC is capable of being used as a video player using a variety of codecs.<br />
<br />
Here is a quote from the progress report on the 11th of June 2006:<br />
:Jaya Kumar, the original author of the AMD CS5535/6 audio driver, reports from Malaysia progress with the current accelerated Xorg X Window System driver on the hardware, including Xv video support and a variety of codecs and audio. He is seeing good audio/video synchronization without frame dropping at full frame rate.<br />
<br />
== Text to speech ==<br />
<br />
As mchua said text to speech would be great for the disabled, I also think this would be great for a wide range of other uses...<br />
<br />
-reading aloud of textbooks, web, and text messages<br />
<br />
-Radio like ability, avoiding heavy bandwidth and storage requirements of sound files. Children could bring the laptop home and have a group of people around to listen to news/info as it is read aloud.<br />
<br />
-Proofreading their own histories or papers.<br />
<br />
-Ability of programmers to call and use this text to speech engine to speak and have dialog between two or more voices (saving space by not needing sound files)<br />
<br />
-Teaching of languages/pronunciation <br />
<br />
<br />
Since space and power is a concern, a speech to text engine would need to be small and not require a powerful CPU. By sacrificing quality a very small engine should be possible.<br />
<br />
Take a look at AnalogX SayIt<br />
http://www.analogx.com/CONTENTS/download/audio/sayit.htm<br />
<br />
It may not sound very pleasant, but with a little work a similar engine with various male/female voice presets would be quite feasible and have a small size. Work would be needed for different languages and pronunciations. Custom voices could also be created by students by adjusting speed, pitch, language and other settings.<br />
<br />
A list of existing linux text to speech applications<br />
http://linux-sound.org/speech.html<br />
<br />
--[[user:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
<br />
== Laptops determining relative positions ==<br />
<br />
Could the microphone be used for location determination?<br />
*Two laptops might determine their mutual distance by timing speaker sound arival time with wireless. Three or more could then fully locate each other in 2D, 4 in 3D. Using laptops or other noice source as a reference points, the laptops of everyone on the playground might know everyone's location. :) Perhaps one could drive the Sugar neighborhood view with actual physical position?<br />
*A couple of laptops working together should be able to do sound source tracking, at least in a simple open space.<br />
--[[User:66.30.117.127|66.30.117.127]] 06:13, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Other Software Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Programming and Compiling Software ===<br />
<br />
Since children have computers, they should have the tools to learn how to program them too. Probably with [[LOGO]] unless there are other programming languages that have been translated into other native natural languages other than English. Logo has been translated into many languages since the 80's, and there are books in those natural languages about Logo. [[Squeak]] is also suitable for children, especially the eToys component of Squeak. It runs identically under Linux, Mac and Windows OS.<br />
<br />
=== External Mass Storage Made Easy ===<br />
<br />
Software to make it easy (for the not so computers savvy teacher too) to have and access external mass storage through the mesh. Physically located perhaps on a school computer or perhaps even somewhere on the internet.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software ideas]]<br />
[[Category:Pedagogical ideas]]<br />
[[Category:Developers]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=End-user_application_software&diff=20923End-user application software2007-01-13T09:56:22Z<p>Memracom: /* OpenDocument Viewer */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Collaborative Editor==<br />
<br />
A collaborative text editor with built-in chat like [http://gobby.0x539.de/ Gobby]. Of course, the OLPC team is building their own chat application, but in the long run, it is better to adopt an existing project and work with them, than it is to reinvent the wheel. The OLPC may need some different low-level protocol work to cope with intermittent connectivity, but that could be done by improving Gobby.<br />
<br />
A similar idea would be the syncronization between wikis. MoinMoin provides such syncronization. A student could work on a page on her laptop and the next day sycronize with the server at the school.<br />
<br />
==OpenDocument Viewer==<br />
<br />
An [[OpenDocument Viewer]] will be very important.<br />
OpenDocument Format (ODF) is a highly-compressed format for documents, a fully open international standard (ISO 26300), and viewers can be very small. It can "flow" much better than PDF can, yet it's easier to distribute and more capable than HTML. Perfect for elecronic books and presentations but it does require material to be re-edited into ODF format.<br />
<br />
== Graphing Calculator ==<br />
<br />
A Graphing Calculator software should be added as well as these devices are quite costly and not widely available. An example would be the TVH-72g Graphing Calculator for mobile phones, see [[OGCPS|One Graphing Calculator Per Student]]<br />
<br />
== Recording & Sending Voice Messages ==<br />
<br />
Recording and subsequently listening to voice messages - this is not very big in "our" world, other than the voice mail on your phone; few people seem to record and attach voice messages to typed emails. But if you don't have phones at all, and no always-on for VOIP, maybe recording a voice clip and sending it could prove to be a popular usage - particularly for the parents of the kid that the laptop belongs to, who may be unable to read and write much?<br />
<br />
[[User:Vorburger|Vorburger]]<br />
<br />
: Recording is VERY important - say in [[OGG]] format. The main application perhaps is taking '''Voice Notes'' in class. There is need for software to support Voice Note synchronized typed or handwritten (a pen interface is important in many settings, including education) text (typed), sketched and Webcam captured content - and thus capture the flow of information in a class and fuse it with student notes. This would define a new type of "Notebook". Students who missed class would find this invaluable. Should be possible to store ''Note books'' on a class or school sever and periodically burn them onto CD/DVD. [[User:L Pfeffer|L Pfeffer]]<br />
<br />
== Fonts ==<br />
<br />
The Gentium font has support for lots of languages which use latin and extended latin characters, such as Vietnamese and Pan-Nigerian. It also supports Greek and Cyrillic characters. The [http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&item_id=Gentium_glyphs currently supported glyphs] are on the [http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&id=Gentium Gentium website].<br />
<br />
The above page includes the following quote:<br />
:Gentium is freely available and may be used by anyone at no cost. It is now released under the SIL Open Font License, a free and open source license that permits modification and redistribution. Our hope is that it will stimulate literature production and elevate extended Latin alphabets to greater parity with the basic Latin alphabet. We also hope it will encourage other type designers to appreciate and support those fascinating and beautiful extra letters.<br />
<br />
The Gentium FAQ explicitly notes that the license allows Gentium to be distributed with both open source and commercial projects.<br />
<br />
:[http://dejavu.sourceforge.net/ DejaVu] is a font project to enhance [http://www.gnome.org/fonts/ Bitstream Vera] by fixing bugs and increasing the Unicode coverage. DejaVu is a free and open-source font. Currently, DejaVu has [http://svn.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.cgi/*checkout*/dejavu/trunk/dejavu-fonts/langcover.txt good Unicode coverage], supporting the full Latin Unicode block (Vietnamese, Pan-Nigerian, etc), Greek (extended) and Cyrillic (extended). DejaVu also covers [http://www.unicode.org/charts/symbols.html Unicode symbols] such as [http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2700.pdf Dingbats (PDF)] which would make kids happy to include in their documents. DejaVu comes in three typefaces, Sans, Serif and Monospace which is good for a uniform desktop. -- [[User:Simosx|Simosx]] 14:55, 17 June 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:In my opinion, Gentium is an excellent font for printed materials, but it does not read well on a screen, especially at small font sizes. --[[User:SamatJain|SamatJain]] 13:17, 7 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
[http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/fonts.html#gentium Coverage of Gentium] and [http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/fonts.html#dejavusans Coverage of DejaVu].<br />
<br />
== Game Console Emulators ==<br />
<br />
Make some Nintendo and Sega console emulators (NES, SNES, GG, MS), try to ask Nintendo and Sega if they agree to let you load onto the machine a selection of hundreds of the best console games from the 80'ies and 90'ies for the children to have fun with.<br />
<br />
You could maybe even ask Nintendo and Sega join the OLPC as corporate members, they could provide their games, and provide upgraded wireless mesh-networking gameplay functionality for some of those games.<br />
<br />
=== I have not seen, many educational games in Nintendo or Sega ===<br />
<br />
Obviously you have never played SESAME STREET COUNTING CAFE, an execllent game for Sega, I actually played it far more than I care to admit. Educational games tend to have poor sales and little media attention so it is not suprising that you haven't heard of them. Futhermore even games that are not strictlly educational have value too, they can help kids develop abstract problem solving skills, pattern reconition, and the ability to experiment. And any ways what is wrong with letting kids have so fun? Or is that only allowed in first world countries. Lout april 5<br />
<br />
However we must [[Constructivism|not confuse Constructivism with Edutainment]].<br />
<br />
=== Games ===<br />
<br />
I totaly agree with Lout.<br />
My opinion about games : for learning physics and mathematics, some non educational games can be of a great interest.<br />
For example, the classical asteroid-like games : you need to control a spaceship moving in space, you can only rotate and add a pushing force in the forward direction (so, to stop you need to rotate 180 degrees, and add a force that will oppose the inertia). This kind of game can give the children a good feeling of Newton law of motion.<br />
They are many games of similar interest. Another for example is [http://telcontar.net/Misc/Gorillas/ Gorillas], that explores parabollic movement. It would be nice if the kids could program their gorillas to calculate the initial velocities and angles using feedback given from the game engine:<br />
the explosive banana landed 30 units to far.<br />
the explosive banana was blocked by a building.<br />
<br />
Another advantage : when the children play, they will be more likely to try to make there own games, and that the best way to learn how to code (What the fun for a child in hacking or making an educational software ?) --[[User:Charlie137|Charlie]]<br />
: I am a software developer, and my embarrasing confession stems from games. My first exposure to computers was hacking the saved game files to cheat and give myself more credits. But this introduced me to hexadecimal (a whole different counting system than base 10!), endianness (I have 0x01c0 credits, why it is stored as c0 01?), and reprogramming a game to give myself infinite (insert power/resource here). There is absolutely nothing wrong with providing games, and even more so if the games are "hackable". -[[User:PatrickTou|PatrickTou]] 18:20, 15 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
And in games where the player can choose between a lot of stuff (an example is the modern game need for speed underground) help kids develop creativity. --[[User:Commodore|Commodore]]<br />
<br />
===More===<br />
<br />
I am very interested in using the machines for massive multiplayer geophysical games. I have a paper in Edutainment 2006 "EPSS-GE." I like to think of the MMOGs as a large collaborative space linking people from all over the world. I think that the B1 machine is a very good hardware platform to make this possible.<br />
GBS<br />
<br />
=== Focus should be put on creating games for linux not emulation ===<br />
<br />
Emulation is not very efficient since it requires more space and CPU overhead than a program written for the native OS. By having developers creating new games and clones of existing games, no cost or licensing is required and a lot of the unnecessary bloat can be cut out leaving the core of the game, saving valuable space.<br />
<br />
Also games don’t necessarily have to be educational. Simple 2d games are a great way to pass time and have fun. Video games are a big part of technology, and I believe all children should be able to experience them. By including the source code of the games students can use it to help them program their own games.<br />
<br />
Including both educational and popular 2d games played in our society can help get children excited about this technology and give them incentive to use the device to further their minds.--[[User:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
<br />
== Instant/SMS Messaging ==<br />
<br />
To buddies in the mesh.<br />
<br />
Gaim Instant Messenger would probably be included, but a more advanced system, where you could maybe see everyone near you and chat with them would be cool.<br />
<br />
:See discussions and solutions on [[Instant Messaging Challenges]] and [[Talk:Instant Messaging Challenges]]: You can even use gaim in just that more advanced way as you suggest. --[[User:LynX|lynX]]<br />
<br />
''(Reader Contribution)'' Multilingual Instant Messaging requires translation libraries; a U.S. government thinktank created a good approach that runs native and translated languages in parallel; I have a research license, happy to explore. todd at cftw dot net<br />
<br />
== Midi player/composing software ==<br />
<br />
Including a midi or similar engine would allow music to be stored in very small instrumental files and by including composing software using various instruments allow students to create music of their own with out worrying about running out of space.<br />
<br />
The freeware Anvil studio is a good example of composing software<br />
http://www.anvilstudio.com/<br />
<br />
A similar program with the bloat taken out would be a great musical education tool.<br />
<br />
By including this engine it would allow games and programs to have sound effects and music while only adding a very tiny amount of data. I think it would be a cool idea to include a small library of various types of music in .mid or a similar format so that students can listen to music, open it in the composing software, and get excited about making their own.<br />
<br />
Also .mid and .kar files can carry a text channel allowing the device to act as a karaoke machine, fun ;). This could be quite useful for teaching language and other educational material. These formats are very compact; often a file of only 10 kilobytes can produce a full minute of music depending on simplicity of song, this would allow 500 two minute instrumental music files to fit in 1 mb, even more if compression is used. Good example of midi/kar player http://www.vanbasco.com/karaokeplayer/<br />
<br />
Here is a list of existing linux midi software<br />
http://linux-sound.org/midi.html<br />
<br />
--[[User:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
<br />
Sound would be very needed I agree but to include software for them to play music would be bloat maybe. I would like if they would play their own native instruments like didgeridoos or something :) --[[User:Commodore|Commodore]]<br />
<br />
The [[TamTam]] music and sound application is being developed specifically for the OLPC at the [http://www.umontreal.ca Université de Montréal] by a team of musicians, programmers and music educators. It rests on top of the Csound audio engine and proposes an environment for children to explore music structures and sound design.<br />
<br />
--[[User:ethrop|ethrop]]<br />
<br />
== Real time music keyboard ==<br />
<br />
Use the keyboard to make music, turns the laptop into an instrument! Simply map keyboard keys to notes and instruments, note length is determined by how long the keys are held down. Software keyboard is displayed on screen that shows what note is mapped to what keys and users can customize what range of notes and instruments are used.<br />
<br />
If a midi system is present this could be a very small program. Advanced features such as record to midi file could be added to let children save their song in a small format that could be played back and edited with a composition program. This program’s functionality could be included in the composing application, but could be a separate app to keep its simplicity.<br />
<br />
--[[User:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
:Music trackers (or mod players) do exactly this and were very popular back in the days when PC's like Amiga and Atari were common. I remember running tracker software on MS-DOS on a 286 computer. This is well suited to a limited storage machine like the OLPC. Some background on tracker software is in [http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/6/8/2524/90038 this article]. There are at least three trackers/modplayers for Linux:<br />
* http://www.soundtracker.org/<br />
* http://www.reduz.com.ar/cheesetronic/<br />
* http://timidity.sourceforge.net/<br />
<br />
==Video Player==<br />
<br />
The OLPC is capable of being used as a video player using a variety of codecs.<br />
<br />
Here is a quote from the progress report on the 11th of June 2006:<br />
:Jaya Kumar, the original author of the AMD CS5535/6 audio driver, reports from Malaysia progress with the current accelerated Xorg X Window System driver on the hardware, including Xv video support and a variety of codecs and audio. He is seeing good audio/video synchronization without frame dropping at full frame rate.<br />
<br />
== Text to speech ==<br />
<br />
As mchua said text to speech would be great for the disabled, I also think this would be great for a wide range of other uses...<br />
<br />
-reading aloud of textbooks, web, and text messages<br />
<br />
-Radio like ability, avoiding heavy bandwidth and storage requirements of sound files. Children could bring the laptop home and have a group of people around to listen to news/info as it is read aloud.<br />
<br />
-Proofreading their own histories or papers.<br />
<br />
-Ability of programmers to call and use this text to speech engine to speak and have dialog between two or more voices (saving space by not needing sound files)<br />
<br />
-Teaching of languages/pronunciation <br />
<br />
<br />
Since space and power is a concern, a speech to text engine would need to be small and not require a powerful CPU. By sacrificing quality a very small engine should be possible.<br />
<br />
Take a look at AnalogX SayIt<br />
http://www.analogx.com/CONTENTS/download/audio/sayit.htm<br />
<br />
It may not sound very pleasant, but with a little work a similar engine with various male/female voice presets would be quite feasible and have a small size. Work would be needed for different languages and pronunciations. Custom voices could also be created by students by adjusting speed, pitch, language and other settings.<br />
<br />
A list of existing linux text to speech applications<br />
http://linux-sound.org/speech.html<br />
<br />
--[[user:Rocke86|Rocke86]]<br />
<br />
== Laptops determining relative positions ==<br />
<br />
Could the microphone be used for location determination?<br />
*Two laptops might determine their mutual distance by timing speaker sound arival time with wireless. Three or more could then fully locate each other in 2D, 4 in 3D. Using laptops or other noice source as a reference points, the laptops of everyone on the playground might know everyone's location. :) Perhaps one could drive the Sugar neighborhood view with actual physical position?<br />
*A couple of laptops working together should be able to do sound source tracking, at least in a simple open space.<br />
--[[User:66.30.117.127|66.30.117.127]] 06:13, 7 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Other Software Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Programming and Compiling Software ===<br />
<br />
Since children have computers, they should have the tools to learn how to program them too. Probably with [[LOGO]] unless there are other programming languages that have been translated into other native natural languages other than English. Logo has been translated into many languages since the 80's, and there are books in those natural languages about Logo. [[Squeak]] is also suitable for children, especially the eToys component of Squeak. It runs identically under Linux, Mac and Windows OS.<br />
<br />
=== External Mass Storage Made Easy ===<br />
<br />
Software to make it easy (for the not so computers savvy teacher too) to have and access external mass storage through the mesh. Physically located perhaps on a school computer or perhaps even somewhere on the internet.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software ideas]]<br />
[[Category:Pedagogical ideas]]<br />
[[Category:Developers]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Talk:APL&diff=20883Talk:APL2007-01-12T23:59:05Z<p>Memracom: </p>
<hr />
<div>Why is this page here?<br />
<br />
Python already does everything that APL was capable of if you add the right libraries, such as Numeric Python.<br />
<br />
And people who want APL-like syntax usually use J from http://www.jsoftware.com.</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Application_Program:_Test_of_ability_with_arithmetic&diff=20861Application Program: Test of ability with arithmetic2007-01-12T18:45:45Z<p>Memracom: </p>
<hr />
<div>----<br />
IS THIS PAGE DEAD? Doesnt anyone want to contribute?<br />
<br />
:I think the page should be deleted. It is mainly the idea of one person who doesn't understand the constructivist approach and who seems unwilling to actually code up the idea. In my opinion, losing this page will not harm the wiki.--[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 13:45, 12 January 2007 (EST)<br />
<br />
Here is an idea for an application program for the laptop. As well as being a useful application program to have available, we hope the development of this application program will be an important opportunity to gain valuable experience is the development of applications for the laptop, covering such topics as design, documentation, localization and finding out whether a team of enthusiasts from around the globe can put together an application which will be of practical usefulness to the project.<br />
<br />
Please join in and edit this page so that the development of the application program can gradually proceed by using the knowledge and skills of many people.<br />
<br />
==How do we start?==<br />
<br />
Is the best way to write the documentation first, in English? If all strings are included in English then maybe people who do not have English as their native language yet who know English will choose to translate the strings into their native language. We hope the availability of those strings in various languages will help a programmer who knows the linux system and has sufficient knowledge of the laptop to produce an application program which will run on the laptop in a variety of languages. How would that be done? Would the strings be built in to the application program or would they be in an external file? Building strings into the program would make the program more self-contained yet putting the strings in a file would mean that localization to another language would be more straightforward. Is it best to start with, say, a Spanish version or a Portuguese version with the strings built in to the program as a first stage with the strings in an external file being a second stage, or should the attempt be made to go straightaway to an application program where the strings are in an external file? What is the best way to localize an application program on the linux platform?<br />
<br />
:I would suggest using gettext() (see glibc info pages). The English strings are stored in the program and used as the keys to look up localized strings in separate files. This would mean that it is best to write the program to use gettext and and start with the English version. (I believe that using a different language in the program would make English localization impossible, though there may be a way around this.)<br />
<br />
==An attempt to produce the documentation==<br />
<br />
Here is an attempt at the documentation.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Application Program: Test of ability with arithmetic<br />
<br />
This program provides a child with the opportunity to test his or her ability to perform basic arithmetical calculations using pen and paper and then enter his or her answer into the computer and receive feedback. The program starts by asking how many digits should the numbers use. The program then generates questions at random within that constraint. The program compares the answer provided by the child with the correct answer which it has computed. Feedback is either that the answer entered is correct or the correct answer is provided. Please note that the program does not state Incorrect or Wrong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
NEEDS MORE IN THE SECTION ABOVE.<br />
<br />
How should the program be terminated? Should it be for a fixed number of questions? How is the way to choose whether to have addition, subtraction, multiplication, division questions or a mixture of addition and subtraction questions or a mixture of all four types of question? What strings are needed for that choice to be made?<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
The following strings are needed. In each case NN refers to numbers expressed using digits. These numbers could vary from one digit to many digits.<br />
<br />
How many digits should the numbers use?<br />
<br />
Please key your answer into the computer and then press the enter key.<br />
<br />
Please add NN to NN and then enter your answer into the computer and then press the enter key.<br />
<br />
Please subtract NN from NN and then enter your answer into the computer and then press the enter key.<br />
<br />
Please multiply NN by NN and then enter your answer into the computer and then press the enter key.<br />
<br />
Please divide NN by NN and then enter your answer into the computer and then press the enter key.<br />
<br />
The answer which you entered is correct.<br />
<br />
The correct answer is NN.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
:I would suggest writing the problems in symbols (which don't need localization).<br />
<br />
As well the text strings mentioned above, the following string is needed. It would be convenient for this to be the first string in the list, as that could become the practice for other application programs as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
0123456789<br />
<br />
The program could start by extracting the [http://mydatapages.com/unicode.html Unicode] code points of ten individual digits to be used in the display. The same Unicode code points could be used for interpreting user responses as numbers. For some languages, such as Spanish and Portuguese the string could be localized as 0123456789 just as used for English: however, for languages written in other than the Latin script, the string may well be different from 0123456789 for localization in that script.<br />
<br />
As the program has division it might be a good idea to have a second string which consists of the decimal point, also including various other characters which might possibly be localized.<br />
<br />
First attempt at defining that string.<br />
<br />
+-*/=.<br />
<br />
The . in the above string is for use as a decimal point in numbers, not as a full stop at the end of a sentence. Thus localization is needed for use in producing a number such as 3.5 as the correct answer to the following request.<br />
<br />
Please divide 7 by 2 and then enter your answer into the computer and then press the enter key. <br />
<br />
:I believe you want to look at the locale support in glibc.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
since these are randomly generated numbers, what about recuring digits? .. is the child suppose to answer 3 1/2 or 3.5 when s/he is asked 7 / 2?<br />
<br />
then what about 10/3? or what might be easier actually, is to say 7/2 = 3 remainder 1<br />
any thoughts on this?<br />
<br />
:This is a good point. The questions could be produced using random numbers such that the answer and the number by which the first number is divided are random whole numbers and the first number is produced behind the scenes by the program before the question is asked by multiplying together the two random whole numbers. Thus the question asked would be such that the answer would always be a whole number. However, that method does not address the fact that real world divisions do not always work out as whole numbers. However, the idea for this application program is to try to get something started and perhaps to test out the ready-to-test idea if peope think that the ready-to-test idea is something worth trying to put into practice. It might well be that if the basic program could be implemented, tested and deployed that a second stage could be to have a program where divisions do have an answer which is not just a whole number. More information about the ready-to-test idea is available on [[The ready-to-test idea]] page of this wiki.<br />
<br />
:This page already shows that people are willing to provide the translations of the sentences so that the application can be produced in many languages. As far as I know, the application has not been coded and got running on the OLPC platform. This could be for a variety of reasons: one might be that the idea of having the program implemented is not thought to be a good idea by people who could implement it. However, it might be that people have lots to do and that things have priorities and that implementing this application program just does not have enough priority at present, and possibly may never have that priority. It is not clear to this writer as to whether the design of the OLPC laptop software system is yet at the stage where this application program could be implemented if someone wanted to implement it: however, this writer is no expert on the OLPC laptop software system so maybe someone who has knowledge of the OLPC laptop software system will comment upon that aspect by editing this text please.<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
as stated previously, this is an informal discussion of what could develop to be a very useful application. But what we really have to do is make sure to design something properly from scratch, thats why so many design questions are being asked about program structure/development ideas.<br />
I would be happy to invest some time to make a mockup of the program if we actually decided what the best way of going forward is.<br />
<br />
:Thank you for your offer. Could you please say what you feel needs to be decided about what is the best way of going forward and any preferences which you have as to which way those decisions should go. Some decisions may be constrained by the features of the OLPC laptop, both its hardware and its system software.<br />
<br />
<br />
-my current issue is that as it stands the application won't fit the bill of creativity, and the constructionist methodology.<br />
I'm just wondering how long time will the child sit and answer the questions before getting bord. Especially if the questions are repetative, and s/he doesn't get enjoyment out of doing it.<br />
What I'm trying to say, is maybe to keep the childs attension the program needs to be more like a game, and maths is a sneeky thing that they have to do to get to a goal.<br />
I.e. not doing maths for maths sake, but for enjoyment.<br />
<br />
<br />
Also, maybe when an incorrect answer was typed, as well as displaying the correct value, display how the solution might have been calculated.<br />
For example:<br />
<br />
please add 132 to 84, ... ? 206<br />
<br />
The correct answer is 216<br />
<br />
132 + 84 =<br />
<br />
2+4=6<br />
<br />
30+80=110<br />
<br />
100<br />
<br />
=100+110+6=216<br />
<br />
<br />
please multiply 6 by 3, ... ? 20<br />
<br />
The correct answer is 18<br />
<br />
6 * 3 =<br />
<br />
6 + 6 + 6 = 18<br />
<br />
<br />
Coming back to the idea of keeping the childs intrest, maybe make it layered<br />
<br />
level 1: addition of up to 20 (4+14=18, 10+10=20 ...)<br />
<br />
level 2: subtraction from 20 (17-4=9, 15-10=5)<br />
note for level 2, should we allow answers to be negative? i.e. we do not throw away a question that asks: 4-9? -5<br />
<br />
level 3: addition to 100 (34+49=83, 21+12=33 ...)<br />
<br />
level 4: level 3 but subtractions<br />
<br />
level 5: addition of negative numbers ( -2 + -2 = -4, -7 + -10 = -17)<br />
<br />
level 6: mixture of negative and posative numbers: ( -25 + 34 = 9, -29 - 24 = -53 )<br />
<br />
level 7: multiplication table, up to 12*12<br />
<br />
level 8: basic division (25/5 = 5, 42/7=6)<br />
<br />
level 9: totally random questions from any of the previous levels.<br />
<br />
level 10: ready to test, 50 questions from level 9, to be able to claimb ready_to_test <br />
<br />
<br />
When the child starts the program, they are asked what level they want to play at, and (should they be able to progress to the next level if they get mistakes?)<br />
<br />
Also, if the levels are timed, and the time is displayed after each round, the child will wish to push so that the time is even shorter, (making them play the game and do more maths without being aware of it.)<br />
<br />
Maybe a top scores file should be kept to show the childs performance on each level, so that they can show this to their friends and create a healthy atmosphere of educational competitiveness. (Need to make sure the file can not be easely modified by an editor, i.e. it should be encrypted.)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Thank you for your comments.<br />
<br />
> -my current issue is that as it stands the application won't fit the bill of creativity, and the constructionist methodology.<br />
<br />
Well, as it stood before your notes were added, the application did not relate to creativity and the constructionist methodology. Whether every application needs to have creativity and the constructionist methodology could perhaps be discussed. The idea for this application program was that it could relate to the ready to test idea, of which there is more information on [[The ready-to-test idea]] web page of this wiki. There has been no comment, whether from OLPC management or the community, on whether the ready-to-test idea is something which it is thought could be useful or whether it is not what is wanted. If it is thought to be a useful idea worth developing then this application program could possibly be a useful start.<br />
<br />
Your ideas for the levels are fine in themselves: however they would make the application larger and at present the application is not implemented at all. Part of the idea of this application is that it could provide experience in getting an application produced as a group project. Adding the extra levels means much more programming work, though maybe people would be willing to put in the effort to produce the larger program with the levels in it whereas they might not be willing to put in the lesser effort to produce the testing-only program.<br />
<br />
> Maybe a top scores file should be kept to show the childs performance on each level, so that they can show this to their friends and create a healthy atmosphere of educational competitiveness.<br />
<br />
Well, my own view is that the claimed "healthy atmosphere of educational competitiveness" is not necessarily good for everyone. It is good for people to achieve, yet is it good to always put people in an order of achievement? For example, in the training for assessors in the National Vocational Qualification system in the United Kingdom (NVQ being for 16 plus into adulthood skills assessment) assessors are not to say to candidates anything comparative such as "you are the best I've assessed today" as a student is assessed as to whether he or she has demonstrated competence in the performance criteria in which he or she is being assessed and either he or she has done so or he or she has not demonstrated that competence during that particular assessment: also, assessment is in relation to the performance criteria, not in relation to other candidates. I accept that not everyone shares this view. Whilst recognizing that an individual top scores file for the child could possibly in some circumstances be good, that top scores file could possibly lead to pressure from some parents and maybe anguish for the child if individual top scores files for a group of children are combined into a league table for the group. Education is for every child and having league tables means that most of the children would not be at the top of the league table and someone is at the bottom: not everyone can achieve as much as can some.<br />
<br />
I feel that a lot depends upon whether the OLPC management and the community feel that the ready-to-test idea is worth pursuing. If the consensus is that it is worth pursuing then implementing this application could become an important stage in the development of the OLPC project. If the ready-to-test idea is either thought not worth pusuing or is just left without comment then maybe this application will not be implemented. At present I am unable to get any further with implementing the application because I do not know enough about the OLPC system and the way to write the software. Maybe by suggesting this application program I have tried to throw a forward pass too far forward and the result is that no forward progress can be made at this time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
:I dont think we should rely on the ready-to-test to make us or break us, we should go ahead with the development of the application, and if the ready-to-test ever gets off the ground, im sure it could be encorpurated into this program.<br />
<br />
Afterall free software has never been to target a particular deadline, and people come and go, but at least if we make a mockup then at least we got something.<br />
<br />
Sorry for double posting (other post is in the talk page)<br />
<br />
==Localization into various languages==<br />
<br />
''The OLPC project includes India as a launch country.''<br />
<br />
''English is one of the official languages of India. Into which languages does the program need to be localized for use in India?''<br />
<br />
india no more:<br />
http://hardware.silicon.com/desktops/0,39024645,39160928,00.htm<br />
<br />
<br />
===The strings and their translations ===<br />
<br />
Please see the translations page. [[Application_Program:_Test_of_ability_with_arithmetic_string_translations]] removed them from this page to abstract away the details, so that it is easier for people to get a quick overview.<br />
<br />
==Design of the program==<br />
<br />
''Here is an attempt to produce the design of the program in a sort of pseudocode with notes. Please join in and edit this attempt so that hopefully we can get a good design.''<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Clear the screen.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Read in the file containing the strings. At present that is 10 lines of text in the format that the strings are being localized into various languages in the ''Localization into various languages'' section of this wiki page. In that section the presence of a number in denoted as NN. Yet how should the strings be encoded in the localization file?<br />
<br />
For example, the string of which the English version is as follows.<br />
<br />
Please add NN to NN and then enter your answer into the computer and then press the enter key.<br />
<br />
Will that translate into all languages as three parts, part 1 NN part 2 NN part 3 if one considers that each part could potentially be empty? If so, should that sentence be in the localization file as one string with what is NN in the ''Localization into various languages'' section replaced by a | character? The sentence above would be represented as follows in the file.<br />
<br />
Please add | to | and then enter your answer into the computer and then press the enter key.<br />
<br />
Another possibility would be to break the string into three lines, though that could potentially produce problems if a langauge into which the strings were localized had part 3 as empty. So maybe the use of the vertical bar as a delimiter would be the best way.<br />
<br />
However, there may perhaps be in existence standard ways of expressing such information. Does anyone know the situation about that please? <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Break the first string into 10 individual characters so as to produce 10 individual characters in an indexed array. If the 10 characters are the same as 0123456789 then a flag DIGITS_AS_ENGLISH is set as true, otherwise it is set as false.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Break the second string into 6 individual characters so as to produce 6 individual characters in an indexed array.<br />
<br />
MORE NEEDED HERE<br />
----<br />
XML comes into mind, and in particular, it sounds like we need a file similar in<br />
structure to rockbox's multi lang file http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/LangFiles<br />
why reinvent the weel when we have Bridgestone :)<br />
Also, we would want to keep the children motivated and eager to use this application.<br />
A little game that comes to mind that I use to play at school, which always kept<br />
me entertained is Chefren`s Pyramid, which I thought is a novel and interactive way<br />
of learning maths.<br />
http://www.r-e-m.co.uk/cgi-bin/xrem/M_1/T_25127/G_3<br />
We need to keep the children entertained so giving them a goal (even if it might<br />
be hard to achieve) is preferable to simply questions and correct answers on the<br />
screen.<br />
Anyone with experience in mathematical games (building/playing/anything)?<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
what about gettext?<br />
<br />
==How would the program look when running on the laptop?==<br />
<br />
There are some very elegant mockups in the [[SugarDesignReview2]] page of the screen display when using the laptop for chatting.<br />
<br />
How would the display look when running this program, for example, in terms of whether the display would fill the whole screen or would the program run on a panel with a header line at the top and "tabs" for changing programs at the bottom? Windows does it in a way with which many readers are familiar, yet how will the OLPC laptop running linux do it please? Some mockup pictures for this program, perhaps showing the display for adding 17 to 29 after the child has entered the answer 46 and just before he or she presses the Enter key, would be useful. Certainly, if someone could produce the pictures then that would be great, yet if the basic information is provided as to how the program would run then the graphic art could be done by others. In particular, sizes of the screen and any message bars in pixels would be useful.<br />
<br />
When it comes to producing the artwork in several languages the method described in the following linked document may be useful.<br />
<br />
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/pai04100.htm<br />
<br />
A master drawing could be produced first and made available and then versions of the finished mockup could be produced in various languages. Those in latin script could all use the same font in the same size and colour and the one in Chinese could be made in the same size and colour as best it can be achieved.<br />
<br />
==demo source==<br />
Please see/and comment on English console demo<br />
[[Application_Program:_Test_of_ability_with_arithmetic_english_demo]]<br />
<br />
==Coding the program==<br />
<br />
----<br />
----<br />
----<br />
<br />
Newsflash: 18 May 2006 0724Z<br />
<br />
There is a discussion about the Python programming language in the [[Software_Ideas_-_Education]] page, in the section about Java not being available.<br />
<br />
It is being asked as to whether Python is the programming language which would be used to implement this application program for the laptop.<br />
<br />
----<br />
----<br />
----<br />
[[software_executable_explained]]<br />
<br />
==Testing the program==<br />
<br />
==Certification of the program==<br />
<br />
In order to ensure that this application program has provenance of being of an acceptable level of quality it would be good if the program could pass an assessment made by the management of the One Laptop per Child project. There could be a procedure through which an application program which is purported to be ready for publication and deployment must satisfactorily pass in order for it to become of OLPC Quality Application Program certificated status.<br />
<br />
That procedure could be specified in an OLPC Quality Application Program Procedure page. At present, ideas for such a procedure could be put forward in the [[OLPC Quality Application Program Procedure Ideas]] page.<br />
<br />
==Publishing the program==<br />
<br />
If this program can achieve the certificated status of being an OLPC Quality Application Program (if such a status becomes instituted as an available goal) then it could be published in the OLPC webspace in a part of the webspace from which all OLPC Quality Application Programs could be obtained.<br />
<br />
==Deploying the program==<br />
<br />
The program would become deployed by people obtaining copies from the OLPC webspace. In this manner the deployment of the program would be decided by local people on the basis of their local needs.<br />
<br />
==Verifying the program==<br />
<br />
If open source software is to be used there should be a way to verify that programs have not been tampered with. Eventually one child will get a version that intentionally or unintentionally reports the correct answer every time, does not grade accurately, or allows them to cheat in some way. There needs to be a way to prove that a program is origional especially if it could be used for testing purposes. Open source is good, but atsome point people will take advantage of it. I know I would have.<br />
<br />
* This is indeed a difficult problem. It is a problem not only for this program but for many programs. Here is an idea for a possible solution. Comments on whether it is feasible are invited. Would it be possible for there to be a special, variant, version of the laptop, say moulded in a colour different from the laptops issued to the children, which is read-only of files, with files being obtainable only over the internet and then only from one particular webspace? This special, variant, version is herein termed a "provenance laptop". The system software for such a provenance laptop could be in read-only memory. Thus, if the idea is feasible, a child could obtain files from a provenance laptop with confidence. The provenance laptop might, from time to time, need to be transported several miles to a place where files could be obtained from the internet. However, the availability of a provenance laptop facility in a rural school where there is no direct connection to the internet could be a good second best to having a direct internet connection. The provenance laptop could be used to select which files are obtained from the one particular webspace. The one particular webspace could either be a special webspace run by the government of the country where the laptop is deployed or a special webspace of the OLPC project run by the OLPC management under secure conditions, depending upon the policy choice of the government of the particular country.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Feedback]]<br />
[[Category:Software development]]<br />
[[Category:Language support]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=PyoLogo&diff=20857PyoLogo2007-01-12T18:39:55Z<p>Memracom: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''PyoLogo''' [pie-o-logo] or '''PYthon Open Logo''' is an implementation of the Logo programing language created on top of Python. It grew out of [http://www.media.mit.edu/~arnans/ Arnan (Roger) Sipitakiat's] thesis project at the MIT Media Laboratory. PyoLogo consists of a casual Logo interpreter and a simple IDE.<br />
<br />
[[Image:screenshot01.jpg|thumb|right]] [[Image:screenshot02.jpg|thumb|right]] [[Image:screenshot03.jpg|thumb|right]]<br />
<br />
==Current Status==<br />
<br />
Since PyoLogo is currently thesis software, it is far from being a complete product. Here is a list of things it can and cannot do.<br />
<br />
===Available features ===<br />
<br />
* '''Logo Primitives'''. Supports a subset of Logo primitives. [[PyoLogo#LOGO_words_supported|See the command list below]]. More commands will be added as development progresses.<br />
** Most of the Turtle Geometry (drawing) primitives are available.<br />
** List and list manipulation commands<br />
** Common control flow. If, ifelse, repeat, etc<br />
** Variables. Using the 'make' command and some other alternatives<br />
** Mathematical operations. sin, cos, tan, sqrt, etc<br />
* '''Supports multiple procedures''' with parameter passing and procedure output<br />
* '''Multi-threaded.''' I.e. the 'launch' and 'forever' commands creates a new background process<br />
* Support '''turtle shapes'''<br />
<br />
===Thesis Features===<br />
<br />
There are some non-traditional features built into PyoLogo for the thesis work form which it was created. Here are some that could perhaps be useful.<br />
<br />
* '''Robotics'''. PyoLogo can receive sensor input and control actuators via the [http://www.gogoboard.org GoGo Board]. Since OLPC will have a sensor input through its microphone jack, this feature can be adapted to make use of this possibility.<br />
* '''Line objects'''. These are slider-like objects that can be used to track a turtle's position or visualize a sensor value. <br />
* '''Variable history'''. Every variable keeps a record of its previous values. It can be used to calculate the rate of a variable (i.e. position -> speed) or for debugging purposes.<br />
<br />
===Issues and missing items===<br />
<br />
* Performance. PyoLogo currently runs very slowly on OLPC machines. This is based on the A test boards<br />
* Still some UI issues under Linux<br />
* Bugs are plentiful. It still needs extensive testing.<br />
* Error reporting. Errors in the Logo programs are not well reported. This makes it difficult for the user to debug their Logo program<br />
* No multimedia support. No sound, no video, no text box, no drawing tools<br />
* No UI widgets for the user program. No buttons, checkboxes<br />
* No multiple page support<br />
<br />
== Download ==<br />
<br />
The author is currently preparing the source code to be uploaded into OLPC's code repository. Once this is done, a public release of the software will become available.<br />
<br />
== The Logo Interpreter ==<br />
<br />
=== Casual Logo ===<br />
<br />
Although PyoLogo tries to conform with other Logo implementations, it contains some rather unconventional properties. <br />
* Not space delimited. 'Show 1+1' works in PyoLogo whereas most other Logo interpreters do not except this. Logo normally requires spaces between every token. So, only 'Show 1 + 1' would work. Although the uniformity of the Logo language is broken when space becomes optional, the author believes it is a worthwhile trade off. Kids too often becomes frustrated or annoyed by the strict requirement for space. <br />
* Multiple ways to manipulate variables. The author finds Logo's 'make' primitive unnecessarily complicated for children. The 'set' method is perhaps a better way to go. PyoLogo supports both. For example:<br />
<br />
make "counter 0<br />
make "counter :counter + 1<br />
show :counter<br />
<br />
The following alternative is also available<br />
<br />
global [counter]<br />
<br />
setcounter 0<br />
setcounter counter + 1<br />
show counter<br />
<br />
* Object oriented properties as a shortcut for 'ask.' For example, a typical logo command to vertically align one turtle to another would be:<br />
<br />
t1, setx ask "t2 "xcor<br />
<br />
PyoLogo allows a dot format for accessing a turtle's property.<br />
<br />
t1, setx t2.xcor<br />
<br />
Both the traditional and shortened approaches are supported in PyoLogo.<br />
<br />
== LOGO words supported ==<br />
<br />
{| border="1" style="background:#D0FFD0; border:1px; border-collapse:collapse" cellpadding="3"<br />
|+ LOGO Word List<br />
! Word<br />
! Implemented?<br />
|-<br />
|abs||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|and||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|announce||<br />
|-<br />
|answer||<br />
|-<br />
|arccos||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|arcsin||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|arctan||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|ascii||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|ask||PARTIAL<br />
|-<br />
|bf (butfirst)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|bg||<br />
|-<br />
|bk (back)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|bl (butlast)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|bottom||<br />
|-<br />
|cancel||<br />
|-<br />
|carefully||<br />
|-<br />
|cc||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|cg||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|char||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|chdir||<br />
|-<br />
|clean||<br />
|-<br />
|clearname||<br />
|-<br />
|clearnames||<br />
|-<br />
|clickoff||<br />
|-<br />
|clickon||<br />
|-<br />
|color||<br />
|-<br />
|colorunder||<br />
|-<br />
|cos||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|count||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|createprojectvar||<br />
|-<br />
|currentdir||<br />
|-<br />
|difference||<br />
|-<br />
|directories||<br />
|-<br />
|distance||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|dolist||<br />
|-<br />
|done?||<br />
|-<br />
|dotimes||<br />
|-<br />
|empty?||<br />
|-<br />
|equal?||<br />
|-<br />
|erfile||<br />
|-<br />
|errormessage||<br />
|-<br />
|everyone||<br />
|-<br />
|exp||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|exporttext||<br />
|-<br />
|fd (forward)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|files||<br />
|-<br />
|fill||<br />
|-<br />
|first||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|fontsize||<br />
|-<br />
|forever||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|fput||<br />
|-<br />
|freeze||<br />
|-<br />
|freezebg||<br />
|-<br />
|get||<br />
|-<br />
|getpage||<br />
|-<br />
|getproject||<br />
|-<br />
|glide||<br />
|-<br />
|greater?||<br />
|-<br />
|heading||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|home||<br />
|-<br />
|ht||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|identical?||<br />
|-<br />
|if||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|ifelse||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|importtext||<br />
|-<br />
|infront||<br />
|-<br />
|int||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|item||<br />
|-<br />
|key?||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|last||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|launch||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|less?||<br />
|-<br />
|let||<br />
|-<br />
|list||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|list?||<br />
|-<br />
|listen||<br />
|-<br />
|ln||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|loadpict||<br />
|-<br />
|loadshape||<br />
|-<br />
|loadtext||<br />
|-<br />
|local||<br />
|-<br />
|log||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|lput||<br />
|-<br />
|lt (left)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|make||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|member?||<br />
|-<br />
|minus||<br />
|-<br />
|mousepos||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|name||<br />
|-<br />
|name?||<br />
|-<br />
|names||<br />
|-<br />
|newbutton||<br />
|-<br />
|newpage||<br />
|-<br />
|newprojectsize||<br />
|-<br />
|newturtle||<br />
|-<br />
|not||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|note||<br />
|-<br />
|np (namepage)||<br />
|-<br />
|number?||<br />
|-<br />
|op (output)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|opaque||<br />
|-<br />
|or||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|pagelist||<br />
|-<br />
|parse||<br />
|-<br />
|pd||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|pensize||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|pi||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|pick||<br />
|-<br />
|pos||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|power||<br />
|-<br />
|pr (print)||<br />
|-<br />
|presentationmode||<br />
|-<br />
|product||<br />
|-<br />
|projectlist||<br />
|-<br />
|projectsize||<br />
|-<br />
|projectvars||<br />
|-<br />
|pu||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|question||<br />
|-<br />
|quotient||<br />
|-<br />
|random||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|readchar||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|remainder||<br />
|-<br />
|remove||<br />
|-<br />
|repeat||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|rerandom||<br />
|-<br />
|resett||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|rest||<br />
|-<br />
|restore||<br />
|-<br />
|round||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|rt (right)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|run||<br />
|-<br />
|savepict||<br />
|-<br />
|saveproject||<br />
|-<br />
|saveshape||<br />
|-<br />
|savetext||<br />
|-<br />
|se (sentence)||<br />
|-<br />
|set||<br />
|-<br />
|setbg||<br />
|-<br />
|setc (setcolor)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|seth (setheading)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|setinstruction||<br />
|-<br />
|setinstrument||<br />
|-<br />
|setpensize||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|setpos||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|setsh (setshape)||<br />
|-<br />
|setsize||<br />
|-<br />
|setx||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|sety||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|shape||<br />
|-<br />
|show||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|sin||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|size||<br />
|-<br />
|sqrt||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|st||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|stamp||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|startup||<br />
|-<br />
|stop||<br />
|-<br />
|stopall||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|stopme||<br />
|-<br />
|sum||<br />
|-<br />
|tan||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|thing||<br />
|-<br />
|timer||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|touching?||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|towards||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|tto (talkto)||<br />
|-<br />
|turtlesown||<br />
|-<br />
|unfreeze||<br />
|-<br />
|unfreezebg||<br />
|-<br />
|wait||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|waituntil||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|when||<br />
|-<br />
|who||<br />
|-<br />
|word||<br />
|-<br />
|word?||<br />
|-<br />
|xcor||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|ycor||Yes<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software development]]<br />
[[Category:Programming language]]<br />
[[Category:Python]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=PyoLogo&diff=20852PyoLogo2007-01-12T18:29:53Z<p>Memracom: /* Casual Logo */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''PyoLogo''' [pie-o-logo] or '''PYthon Open Logo''' is an implementation of the Logo programing language created on top of Python. It grew out of [http://www.media.mit.edu/~arnans/ Arnan (Roger) Sipitakiat's] thesis project at the MIT Media Laboratory. PyoLogo consists of a casual Logo interpreter and a simple IDE.<br />
<br />
[[Image:screenshot01.jpg|thumb|right]] [[Image:screenshot02.jpg|thumb|right]] [[Image:screenshot03.jpg|thumb|right]]<br />
<br />
==Current Status==<br />
<br />
Since PyoLogo is currently thesis software, it is far from being a complete product. Here is a list of things it can and cannot do.<br />
<br />
===Available features ===<br />
<br />
* '''Logo Primitives'''. Supports a subset of Logo primitives. [[media:pyoLogo_vocab_list.xls|Download the command list]]. More commands will be added as development progresses.<br />
** Most of the Turtle Geometry (drawing) primitives are available.<br />
** List and list manipulation commands<br />
** Common control flow. If, ifelse, repeat, etc<br />
** Variables. Using the 'make' command and some other alternatives<br />
** Mathematical operations. sin, cos, tan, sqrt, etc<br />
* '''Supports multiple procedures''' with parameter passing and procedure output<br />
* '''Multi-threaded.''' I.e. the 'launch' and 'forever' commands creates a new background process<br />
* Support '''turtle shapes'''<br />
<br />
===Thesis Features===<br />
<br />
There are some non-traditional features built into PyoLogo for the thesis work form which it was created. Here are some that could perhaps be useful.<br />
<br />
* '''Robotics'''. PyoLogo can receive sensor input and control actuators via the [http://www.gogoboard.org GoGo Board]. Since OLPC will have a sensor input through its microphone jack, this feature can be adapted to make use of this possibility.<br />
* '''Line objects'''. These are slider-like objects that can be used to track a turtle's position or visualize a sensor value. <br />
* '''Variable history'''. Every variable keeps a record of its previous values. It can be used to calculate the rate of a variable (i.e. position -> speed) or for debugging purposes.<br />
<br />
===Issues and missing items===<br />
<br />
* Performance. PyoLogo currently runs very slowly on OLPC machines. This is based on the A test boards<br />
* Still some UI issues under Linux<br />
* Bugs are plentiful. It still needs extensive testing.<br />
* Error reporting. Errors in the Logo programs are not well reported. This makes it difficult for the user to debug their Logo program<br />
* No multimedia support. No sound, no video, no text box, no drawing tools<br />
* No UI widgets for the user program. No buttons, checkboxes<br />
* No multiple page support<br />
<br />
== Download ==<br />
<br />
The author is currently preparing the source code to be uploaded into OLPC's code repository. Once this is done, a public release of the software will become available.<br />
<br />
== The Logo Interpreter ==<br />
<br />
=== Casual Logo ===<br />
<br />
Although PyoLogo tries to conform with other Logo implementations, it contains some rather unconventional properties. <br />
* Not space delimited. 'Show 1+1' works in PyoLogo whereas most other Logo interpreters do not except this. Logo normally requires spaces between every token. So, only 'Show 1 + 1' would work. Although the uniformity of the Logo language is broken when space becomes optional, the author believes it is a worthwhile trade off. Kids too often becomes frustrated or annoyed by the strict requirement for space. <br />
* Multiple ways to manipulate variables. The author finds Logo's 'make' primitive unnecessarily complicated for children. The 'set' method is perhaps a better way to go. PyoLogo supports both. For example:<br />
<br />
make "counter 0<br />
make "counter :counter + 1<br />
show :counter<br />
<br />
The following alternative is also available<br />
<br />
global [counter]<br />
<br />
setcounter 0<br />
setcounter counter + 1<br />
show counter<br />
<br />
* Object oriented properties as a shortcut for 'ask.' For example, a typical logo command to vertically align one turtle to another would be:<br />
<br />
t1, setx ask "t2 "xcor<br />
<br />
PyoLogo allows a dot format for accessing a turtle's property.<br />
<br />
t1, setx t2.xcor<br />
<br />
Both the traditional and shortened approaches are supported in PyoLogo.<br />
<br />
=== LOGO words supported ===<br />
<br />
{| border="1" style="background:#D0FFD0; border:1px; border-collapse:collapse" cellpadding="3"<br />
|+ LOGO Word List<br />
! Word<br />
! Implemented?<br />
|-<br />
|abs||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|and||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|announce||<br />
|-<br />
|answer||<br />
|-<br />
|arccos||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|arcsin||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|arctan||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|ascii||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|ask||PARTIAL<br />
|-<br />
|bf (butfirst)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|bg||<br />
|-<br />
|bk (back)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|bl (butlast)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|bottom||<br />
|-<br />
|cancel||<br />
|-<br />
|carefully||<br />
|-<br />
|cc||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|cg||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|char||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|chdir||<br />
|-<br />
|clean||<br />
|-<br />
|clearname||<br />
|-<br />
|clearnames||<br />
|-<br />
|clickoff||<br />
|-<br />
|clickon||<br />
|-<br />
|color||<br />
|-<br />
|colorunder||<br />
|-<br />
|cos||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|count||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|createprojectvar||<br />
|-<br />
|currentdir||<br />
|-<br />
|difference||<br />
|-<br />
|directories||<br />
|-<br />
|distance||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|dolist||<br />
|-<br />
|done?||<br />
|-<br />
|dotimes||<br />
|-<br />
|empty?||<br />
|-<br />
|equal?||<br />
|-<br />
|erfile||<br />
|-<br />
|errormessage||<br />
|-<br />
|everyone||<br />
|-<br />
|exp||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|exporttext||<br />
|-<br />
|fd (forward)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|files||<br />
|-<br />
|fill||<br />
|-<br />
|first||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|fontsize||<br />
|-<br />
|forever||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|fput||<br />
|-<br />
|freeze||<br />
|-<br />
|freezebg||<br />
|-<br />
|get||<br />
|-<br />
|getpage||<br />
|-<br />
|getproject||<br />
|-<br />
|glide||<br />
|-<br />
|greater?||<br />
|-<br />
|heading||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|home||<br />
|-<br />
|ht||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|identical?||<br />
|-<br />
|if||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|ifelse||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|importtext||<br />
|-<br />
|infront||<br />
|-<br />
|int||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|item||<br />
|-<br />
|key?||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|last||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|launch||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|less?||<br />
|-<br />
|let||<br />
|-<br />
|list||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|list?||<br />
|-<br />
|listen||<br />
|-<br />
|ln||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|loadpict||<br />
|-<br />
|loadshape||<br />
|-<br />
|loadtext||<br />
|-<br />
|local||<br />
|-<br />
|log||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|lput||<br />
|-<br />
|lt (left)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|make||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|member?||<br />
|-<br />
|minus||<br />
|-<br />
|mousepos||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|name||<br />
|-<br />
|name?||<br />
|-<br />
|names||<br />
|-<br />
|newbutton||<br />
|-<br />
|newpage||<br />
|-<br />
|newprojectsize||<br />
|-<br />
|newturtle||<br />
|-<br />
|not||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|note||<br />
|-<br />
|np (namepage)||<br />
|-<br />
|number?||<br />
|-<br />
|op (output)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|opaque||<br />
|-<br />
|or||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|pagelist||<br />
|-<br />
|parse||<br />
|-<br />
|pd||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|pensize||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|pi||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|pick||<br />
|-<br />
|pos||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|power||<br />
|-<br />
|pr (print)||<br />
|-<br />
|presentationmode||<br />
|-<br />
|product||<br />
|-<br />
|projectlist||<br />
|-<br />
|projectsize||<br />
|-<br />
|projectvars||<br />
|-<br />
|pu||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|question||<br />
|-<br />
|quotient||<br />
|-<br />
|random||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|readchar||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|remainder||<br />
|-<br />
|remove||<br />
|-<br />
|repeat||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|rerandom||<br />
|-<br />
|resett||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|rest||<br />
|-<br />
|restore||<br />
|-<br />
|round||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|rt (right)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|run||<br />
|-<br />
|savepict||<br />
|-<br />
|saveproject||<br />
|-<br />
|saveshape||<br />
|-<br />
|savetext||<br />
|-<br />
|se (sentence)||<br />
|-<br />
|set||<br />
|-<br />
|setbg||<br />
|-<br />
|setc (setcolor)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|seth (setheading)||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|setinstruction||<br />
|-<br />
|setinstrument||<br />
|-<br />
|setpensize||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|setpos||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|setsh (setshape)||<br />
|-<br />
|setsize||<br />
|-<br />
|setx||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|sety||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|shape||<br />
|-<br />
|show||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|sin||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|size||<br />
|-<br />
|sqrt||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|st||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|stamp||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|startup||<br />
|-<br />
|stop||<br />
|-<br />
|stopall||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|stopme||<br />
|-<br />
|sum||<br />
|-<br />
|tan||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|thing||<br />
|-<br />
|timer||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|touching?||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|towards||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|tto (talkto)||<br />
|-<br />
|turtlesown||<br />
|-<br />
|unfreeze||<br />
|-<br />
|unfreezebg||<br />
|-<br />
|wait||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|waituntil||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|when||<br />
|-<br />
|who||<br />
|-<br />
|word||<br />
|-<br />
|word?||<br />
|-<br />
|xcor||Yes<br />
|-<br />
|ycor||Yes<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software development]]<br />
[[Category:Programming language]]<br />
[[Category:Python]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Battery_and_power&diff=18654Battery and power2006-12-19T18:46:44Z<p>Memracom: /* Server with Solar Power */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Introduction==<br />
The OLPC has put a lot of effort into building a device that uses very low power consumption because it will be deployed in areas with no power infrastructure, or poor power infrastructure, or just plain expensive electricity costs. The laptop is capable of taking a DC input ranging from 5 volts to 25 volts to charge the 5-cell NiMH battery inside. This is far more flexible than most portable devices.<br />
<br />
In addition, the early concept devices were shown with a hand crank on the side to demonstrate that they would work in areas where the only electricity available comes from devices like the [[Freecharge portable charger]]. The units will ship with some kind of human-powered charger that plugs into the DC socket.<br />
<br />
Read more details in [[Hardware specification]].<br />
<br />
==Supply current characteristics of OLPC==<br />
Switching regulators as employed in OLPC can be a very demanding load for a power supply. The input current typically exhibits an 1/Voltage characteristics (this f.e. means that an OLPC needs 3 times as much current at 5 Volts than at 15 Volt). <br />
<br />
The impact differs depending on the type of power source and can range from <i>small</i> over <i>poor efficiency</i> to <i>malfunction</i>.<br />
<br />
;solar panel, directly connected: They deliver an output current roughly proportional to light. This gives a bistable situation. Lets assume 100 mA here, the OLPC can then get either 100 mA at 5 V (0.5 W) or 100 mA at 15 V (1.5 W). These numbers might be typical for a 2 W solar panel with 16.5 V peak voltage.<br />
<br />
;car battery, single OLPC: Sensitive to deep discharge (due to thin plates compared to lead acid batteries specialized for solar cells). Premature end of life if discharged down to 5 V.<br />
<br />
;car battery, class room situation: Sensitive to deep discharge. Depending on the internal resistance of the battery and length of cabling a bistable situation as with solar cells can occur. Algorithms to avoid deep discharge in a single OLPC situation could lead to <i>several</i> oscillation modes for voltage and current in the classroom.<br />
<br />
;car style electrical generator: Non modern mechanical ones probably need a torque roughly proportional to the current. High internal losses (heating), large torque and poor efficiency if the voltage is "stuck" at the voltage at which the switching regulators start.<br />
<br />
;wind mill: poor efficiency if the voltage is "stuck" at the voltage at which the switching regulators start.<br />
<br />
;wall power (with a transformator based device): Little to no problems.<br />
<br />
;wall power (with a switching regulator based device): Most of these devices use a current limit or current foldback technique. Problematic on startup. A 60 Watt notebook (19V, 3.16A) supply <i>could</i> handle 6 OLPC but it will have difficulties providing their startup current.<br />
<br />
Diagrams like "Current versus Voltage, charging/not charging" and "Current versus Time, @6V, 12V, 24V" would be needed to give good advice on dimensioning supplies. A means to limit or control the input current of the OLPC by software is needed to make the most of some of the above given energy supplies.<br />
<br />
==Hand Crank Problems==<br />
I bought a small battery-powered radio with a hand-crank charger to experiment with human-powered devices. It cost me all of £15 at Maplins in the UK. After working with it for a week I have discovered two problems with hand-cranked power. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 16:34, 21 June 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
===Balancing Musculoskeletal System===<br />
The human body, at its best, is a nicely balanced ''symetrical'' machine. My experience of hand-cranking is that it is too one-sided. You always crank with the right hand which means that it tires while the left hand does little work. Over time this means that the muscles of the right hand and arm will become a lot stronger than those of the left. This musculoskeletal imbalance can lead to various problems including back pain caused by unbalanced muscular tension. This is likely to be a greater problem with children than adults, because a child's musculoskeletal system is still developing.<br />
<br />
I tried to crank with the left hand but there were two problems. First, I couldn't see the charging LED which was disconcerting. I don't know if it is necessary to see it, but since it is there, using the crank system backwards and left-handed seems unnatural. But the more fundamental issue is that I have to crank in the opposite rotational direction when I use my left hand.<br />
<br />
There are two possible ways to solve this for the OLPC. One way is to have a removeable crank that attaches to either the left or right end of an axle that runs through the generator. This way, I don't have to flip the device around so any indicator is still visible. And, when I crank left handed, it rotates in the same direction.<br />
<br />
The other possibility is to get rid of hand cranking entirely and use a pedal on the charger. The pedal would work like those pedal pumps for inflating airbeds except it would run a charger. Interestingly the [[Freecharge portable charger]] seems to be moving in this direction. In addition to being easy to pump right-footed or left footed with no modifications, it uses the much stronger foot and leg muscles. If the generator still maintained an exposed axle, the it would be easy for users to rig up animal powered devices to turn the generator instead of the foot pedal. For an example of the pumping mechanism, see if you can find a working model of a Singer treadle sewing machine. The treadle mechanism is a larger version of what needs to be built inside a pedal charger.<br />
<br />
===Static===<br />
While cranking my radio at the same time that it was playing, I noticed that there was static. But I didn't think much of it because the whirring sound of the generator was even louder. But then my wife complained that the cranking was disrupting our television reception when I was too close to the wall-mounted TV arial. Any power generator for the OLPC should be tested for static generation because it will not go down well if the child's cranking interupts vital economic information such as weather broadcasts or market price reports. In remote regions radio is a vital communications link and a device which disrupts radio reception will be frowned upon. Perhaps proper shielding will prevent this or attention to the generator design.<br />
<br />
==Ideas for Alternate Power Sources==<br />
<br />
===Gang Charger===<br />
Have some kind of charger at the school that can charge several OLPC's at the same time. This could be some human guinea-pig-in-a-cage idea that people take turns on. Or water-powered. Or even a solar-powered reserve battery bank.<br />
<br />
===Pulley Power===<br />
Instead of cranking something small by hand, use a rope wrapped around a pulley (or several pulleys) in order to work like a gear to increase the speed of rotation. The operator (or an animal) then pulls the rope continuously around the pulley system. Has the advantage of being buildable with local materials (wood, fibers) unlike bicycle contraptions.<br />
<br />
===Server with Solar Power===<br />
This server version could be built with a project laptop with the lid sealed shut. This machine should be a low power device -- a server should operate by solar panel in the lid or wind. It can be left unattended at high points in the area. This could be mounted on a pole or large tree at a hill/mountain top.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, solar panals might be built into the laptop lid to charge the battery. I don't know if this is possible, but I am sure that the sun is the most readily available source of energy in the third world. Chemists have found a way to make cheap plastic solar cells flexible enough to paint onto any surface or mold into the case and able to provide electricity for wearable electronics or other low-power devices. Several available technologies such as Quantom dots have recently, made 10 x leaps in efficiency and are very cheap to produce.<br />
<br />
:We should separate the server idea (which belongs on some other page) from the solar power idea. Since the laptops will accept any DC power source, external solar panels could very well be used to provide that power. They don't need to be built into the lid or anything.<br />
<br />
====Hand cranked power====<br />
First of all, remember that the hand crank shown on the side of the original prototypes will not be used in the shipping units. The mechanical forces of cranking turned out to be incompatible with the laptop case. In addition, the hand crank relies on some of the smallest and most delicate muscles in the human body, namely hand and wrist muscles. As any anatomist will tell you, the strongest human muscles are in the leg. Therefore the shipping units will come with a pedal-powered recharger. If you want to prove this to yourself then try the [[Freecharge portable charger]]. You can buy both a hand crank unit for mobile phones and a foot pedal unit.<br />
<br />
==== Bicycle Adaptor====<br />
Bikes are very good pedal units and are often used by many students and workers.<br />
A simple add-on could allow to charge the computer while, for example, going to school or to work by bicycle as usual, this kind of add on could be really welcomed in many countries.<br />
<br />
The simple add on it's just 2 rims (one to be added to the user's bike, one to to the hand-crank on the charger ),and a chain.<br />
Something like 2 U-bolts applied to the bike rack used to transport the laptop could avoid any stress to the computer case when charging<br />
This tool is not a replacement for the hand crank but a complement to it.<br />
<br />
It costs less then any pedal units for all users that already have a bike, and doesn't require additional effort (or waste of time) from all the users that already are using bikes to go to work or to school. (If this generator is like the one I had for my bike light, <br />
it actually does require noticably more efffort.) --[[User:Tef|Tef]]<br />
<br />
===Salvage Old Motors===<br />
People could salvage old electric motors and turn them into a generator which could be run by bullock power or running water.<br />
===Car and Motorcycle Batteries===<br />
People who have the use of vehicles can charge up extra batteries and rent them out to OLPC users.<br />
<br />
===Low voltage infrastructure===<br />
The power connector should be widely available, allowing connections to a variety of low voltage devices. I believe there are other projects promoting low-voltage, high efficiency lighting for the third world. These systems might be a source of laptop power.<br />
<br />
:There are two such connectors on the laptop. One is where the power generator plugs in to recharge the batteries. Obviously you could use the generator to power other things as well. The other such connection is called a USB port. One of the gadgets that you will find in computer stores is a light that plugs into the USB port.<br />
<br />
===Reuse of dead car batteries===<br />
Related to the above, it is my understanding that most 12 Volt vehicle battery failures involve a short circuit in a single cell, reducing the total voltage at full charge to a bit over 10 V. Such batteries should still be able to power the lap top and could be charged by solar cells or a manual generator. They could even be placed in a car or truck and charged from a cigar lighter adaptor during work trips. A discarded vehicle battery should be able to run an OLPC machine for a few days after a full charge.<br />
<br />
:Now that is a prime topic for an e-book to be distributed with the OLPC. Some guy will take his kid's generator, adapt it to water buffalo power and use the beast to charge up car batteries for a fee.<br />
=== Fuel Cells ===<br />
When you look at military PDAs,they are powered by fuel cells that aren't so available in these countries and are not in the price range being considered. We have to do something with the options available.<br />
<br />
:''Buying 5 to 10 million fuel cells, and taking into account that the rest of the world would need or produce something between 100 and 1000 millions fuel cells, they could be in the price range. BUT fuel cells are going to be disposable or refillable, with all the distribution problems it may have in many of the areas where OLPC are supposed to be used.''<br />
<br />
=== Biological Fuel Cells ===<br />
(aka. Microbial Fuel Cells.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbial_Fuel_Cell]) These are fuel cells that generate their electricity not from hydrogen, methane or methanole as known from conventional fuel cells but they actually digest organic matter (leafs, fruit, meat) and generate electricity. No kidding! There are already prototype robots driving around the countryside feeding themselves on what they find on the way! The structure is rather simple. You have a bioreactor where you put the organic material. Special bacteria living on electrode surfaces digest the "food" and deliver electriciy. Therefore such a power supply lives from the land as people and animals do. [http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/aug252004/455.pdf] [http://www.springerlink.com/index/G510101556380881.pdf]<br />
<br />
=== Make your own batteries ===<br />
Is it feasible for the kids to make their own batteries to power the OLPC? This would be a fantastic [[science]] project if it is possible. If potato and lemon powered clocks are possible, this should be too.<br />
<br />
==== Batt types and charges ====<br />
If you are constantly recharging the battery all the time this will greatly decrease the life of the battery. <br />
<br />
NiMH batteries do not suffer from "memory effect", in fact NiCd batteries don't normally either. But, both types do suffer from voltage depression; when they are fresh and new they give a voltage of 1.2v per cell so 8 cells will give 9.6v, a useful amount. But if the cell is over charged or just always on trickle charge the cell voltage soon drops to just about one volt per cell; just 8v total, the equlivent of removing an entire cell. The interesting thing is voltage depression does NOT effect the total capacity of the battery. I have NiMH and NiCd that are completely depressed (hmmm) but they still do the job as well as they did when new.<br />
<br />
The problem with this is the discharge graph [http://www.uniross.com/UK/industrial/Product%5Ccharacteristics/010302]. You will notice that it's mostly flat so some designers take the 1.2v as gospel and design thier electronics to shutdown at 1.1v. If the battery is depressed by 0.2v this line comes in at about 10%..15% of the way into the capacity so you only get 10%..15% of your two and a bit hours of charge ... 20 minutes... [[User:62.252.0.11|62.252.0.11]] 15:42, 17 March 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
I heard that nicd and nimh batteries have some fake memory effect:<br />
it was said that they were afected by another redox transformation than the normal,when they keep staying pluged on after having fully recharged the batteries:<br />
this redox transformation will divide the battery in 2 and have a part with the normal voltage and another part with an inferior voltage<br />
usualy that caan be easely detected because there is a voltage jump and so they needed to be full discharged with a resistor in order to get back their capacity but i don't remember the formula for calculating the value of the resistor<br />
[[User:213.189.165.28|213.189.165.28]] 19:48, 4 April 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
There is an article explaining NiCD and NiMH battery management here: http://www.camlight.com/techinfo/techtips.html<br />
<br />
It would be a good idea to get some people to work on battery management issues. It should be possible to write an ebook that explains how to repair batteries. For instance, a slow charge at one-tenth the normal rate will solve some problems. Obviously, this is something that is fairly straightforward to do with a human-powered generator. Similarly, zapping the battery to melt crystals could be done using a partly charged battery from another laptop, or by the hand generator.<br />
<br />
=== Kinetic energy ===<br />
As laptops, those computers are going to move around.<br />
A Kinetic energy system to power OLPCs might not be little enough to be integrated into the computer.<br />
But their users will probably run, dance and jump around even more than they will walk.<br />
As the project is already suggesting external power systems, what about recycling or reusing human energy that's already wasted?<br />
<br />
It might need a second OLPC battery, instead of another energy storage device.<br />
<br />
Just for keeping the kids untied from their laptops, while recharging... I mean, while playing.<br />
<br />
Darpa has done lots of research on this, and several companies are producing small cheap energy harvesting devices that could be employed and would be superior to the hand crank or pedal.<br />
The charging device used in Faraday flashlight that produces power by shaking is very simple and cheap, and could be tuned to charge by almost any movement especially walking.<br />
<br />
=== Solar Power ===<br />
Some solar cells in the case can be useful, they will be charging batteries slowly every time of the day, while walking or just using the OLPC outdoors. And they can provide some extra time when the computer is off, in mesh mode. <br />
<br />
[[Category:Hardware ideas]]<br />
<br />
Even the cheapest Chinese calculators (worth of USD 1) are equipped with SOLAR BATTERY - so it must be very cheap.<br />
And it is very light.<br />
And it is very wear-resistant.<br />
So why isn´t it mentioned in OLPC design?<br />
Not as the only source.<br />
Not as the main source.<br />
But why not allow it to contribute in energy balance of OLPC?<br />
Katerina Tlusta, hajtl@volny.cz<br />
<br />
===Solar or Fire heated Stirling Engine===<br />
The Stirling Engine [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine] is an old but none-the-less smart thermomechanical device that transforms heat energy into mechanical power (rotating shaft) that could drive a small bicycle generator. The stirling enginge has two heat exchangers. One that is heated up by e.g. a fire or solar heat (maybe concentrated by reflectors). The second one has cooling ribs to stay as cool as possible. The larger the temperature difference of the two heat exchangers the more power it can produce given a fixed engine size. The automotive industry is has improved the stirling engine for years now and has achieved an astonishing efficiency. As a small, simple and rugged battery charger produced in large quantities it could be low price (a few dollars) and it could be heated by a whole range of heat sources. Solar heating should be preferred since kids and fire is often a hazardous combination.<br />
<br />
===Generation vs. Storage===<br />
Solar is an excellent hybrid option - but it cannot be a sole solution. There are plenty of places on the planet that coud use the olpc system but have very short nights at the winter. It may be much better to separate the power generation issues from the power storage issues - and find a series of collaborative generation options including both solar and turbine with water/wind/human extensions for charging batteries. <br />
<br />
I came to this website trying to find a solution for a school in the western Himalayas - where there is very little sun in the winter - and not much water or wind either - and of course there is no mains power! I guess we will look at finding a longlife laptop battery with good human-powered generators available. Maybe some flywheel-based pedal generator that can be built with local materials is best. If we can find a reliable solution for pedal generation, then it may be possible for batteries to be made redundant - which would be great, as they are expensive, consumable, and don't work well in low temperatures. ([[User:86.142.27.202|86.142.27.202]] 14:54, 7 December 2006 (EST))<br />
<br />
== Quiet Laptops ==<br />
<br />
I think that for people interested in buying these computers for personal use, one of the major appeals of this design is that it should be absolutely silent (well, except for typing and occasional cranking) - no hard drive, and with the low power consumption there shouldn't be any need for a fan. This, combined with its portability, makes it perfect for writing or other uses in remote, natural settings. I hope the design makes this happen, and that it is used as a selling point in developed countries.</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:Memracom&diff=18653User:Memracom2006-12-19T18:31:16Z<p>Memracom: </p>
<hr />
<div>Someday I will have a home page at http://www.fir.st<br />
<br />
My native language is English but I am fluent in French and Russian. I also speak/read Spanish, German and Italian. And I can read a lot of Dutch, Portuguese, Romanian, Ukrainian, Polish, Bulgarian...<br />
<br />
I have 34 years experience as a programmer, 12 years of Linux experience and 10 years of Python experience.<br />
<br />
I currently live in London, England. You can email me at my username at yahoo.com.<br />
<br />
Some tests of table layout.<br />
<br />
{| border="1" style="background:#D0FFD0; border:1px; border-collapse:collapse" cellpadding="3"<br />
|+ caption<br />
! Ordinal<br />
! Cardinal<br />
! Arabic<br />
|-<br />
| first || one || 1<br />
|-<br />
| second<br />
| two<br />
| 2<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" style="background:#D0FFD0; border:1px; border-collapse:collapse" cellpadding="3"<br />
|+ Basic Package Review<br />
|-<br />
| Home Page URL for package:<br />
| ?<br />
|-<br />
| Licence Terms:<br />
| ?<br />
|-<br />
| Constructionist Rating (1-10):<br />
| ?<br />
|-<br />
| Target Age Range:<br />
| ?<br />
|-<br />
| Accepted by OLPC:<br />
| ?<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:User ru]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Talk:Main_Page&diff=11713Talk:Main Page2006-09-09T20:49:06Z<p>Memracom: /* How do I get a laptop for my kids? */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Things to consider before editing this discussion page:'''<br />
* This page is for the discussion of the [[Main Page]], not for specific questions and comments about the OLPC.<br />
* If you have questions about the OLPC, please go to the [[OLPC FAQ]]; if you still have a question, please goto the [[Ask OLPC a Question]] page.<br />
* For questions and comments about specific features, please use the discussion page of the article where that feature is discussed.<br />
* Please sign all comments.<br />
<br />
== Language links ==<br />
we should include a bar at the top of the page that quickly lets people get to the proper language wiki that they're looking for. maybe we could use a template --[[User:Stranger|Stranger]] 11:42, 2 July 2006 (EDT)<br />
{{Languagebar}}<br />
<br />
<br />
== Wikifying the Front Page ==<br />
'A good place to start is the One Laptop per Child page, which gives an overview of the project. There is a detailed FAQ on the project; and there are numerous pages on Hardware, Software, and Content. There are also discussion pages on issues of deployment and country-specific discussions. An extended Table of Contents is also available.'<br />
<br />
== Another reason why you should create an account and login ==<br />
Or see Serel, (I would have made a link here to fastboot.org, but your Wiki refuses my input. I did answer the silly addition problem correctly; it has a bug).<br />
:If you'd create and account and login instead of making anonymous comments, you'd not have to answer silly questions. The Captcha is there to cut down on the volume of spam that wikis seem to attract these days.[[User:Walter|Walter]] 09:03, 24 June 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Recent changes page==<br />
<br />
Could you consider changing the Recent Changes page please so that more than the last 50 changes are shown? Sometimes more than 50 changes are made in a day so it may be impossible for some of the people who like to follow changes to catch all of them. Could 50 be the default with the user able to select a greater number? Could a criterion of "latest 50 or all changes in the latest two days if greater than 50" be used; that would mean that usually 50 would be displayed, yet more if editing activity has increased.<br />
<br />
William Overington 7 April 2006<br />
<br />
: Hi William. Please consider getting an account at this wiki. Try [http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php?title=Special:Recentchanges&limit=500&days=30 this link] for a longer list of recent changes. -- [[User:Mathias Schindler|Mathias Schindler]] 07:44, 7 April 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Who are you guys? Is OLPC a community project? ==<br />
<br />
I saw a pseudo-thread over on here, linked from 'myths':<br />
<br />
http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php/Software_Ideas_-_System_Software#Operating_System_Selection<br />
and<br />
http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php/Education_Ideas_Esperanto<br />
<br />
And it raised my eyebrow. Of COURSE this has to run a flavor of linux, perhaps a really lite flavor, relative to the latest kernel. Proposing otherwise (like using Syllable OS or PalmOS) "contributes" as much to the project as debating whether the native language should be Esperanto. Generous estimate of 2,000 "native speakers"? 100,000 skilled users? There was a lot of text devoted to debating Esperanto. I posit that various editors had to expend more than expedient effort to 'debate away' esperanto w.r.t OLPC.<br />
<br />
: The http://www.laptop.org/ webspace contains the official project pages. The project management has decided to provide the wiki facility at http://wiki.laptop.org and allow anyone who so chooses from anywhere in the world that the webspace can be accessed to join in discussions and put forward comments and ideas. Some ideas put forward may well not be accepted. People can put forward ideas which might be regarded as highly controversial, yet it is useful for such ideas to be put forward as they have been put forward in a spirit of goodwill for the project to succeed. A different approach could have been to say that an idea will not even be considered unless it is put forward by someone who is an employee of one of the sponsoring organizations. That way some good ideas could have been missed through an unwillingness to assess ideas on their merits rather than on from where they are suggested. It is good that they took the approach that they did. Also, it is a two-way street so to speak. I feel that I have learned a great amount myself by participating in reading from and writing in the wiki. Indeed, I am thinking that that very process may well be an example of the process of constructionist learning which is advocated as part of the project ideas for learning for the children, though it would need someone who knows more about constructionist learning than do I to say whether I am correct in that thinking.<br />
<br />
From there, my question: Is OLPC a community project by the editors of this wiki? If not, what is the purpose of this 'pedia? Does Negroponte read these pages?<br />
<br />
: Well, it is not a 'pedia, in the sense of an encyclopedia, it is a wiki for discussion and idea generation. Two items, discussions of whether to use an operating system other than linux and of the role of Esperanto in the project, were mentioned. Yet there are many ideas which have been put forward by many people in the ideas pages. If only one of them is used by the project then the wiki and the policy of allowing access to everyone will have been of value. If lots of them are used by the project then the wiki and the policy of allowing access to everyone will have been of great value. Once the project has developed, how many aspects of the system and infrastructure that then exist will be as a result of ideas put forward in this wiki?<br />
<br />
* Yes, if this were truly community-focused, there shoul be Brazilians, Nigerians, Chinese, Thais here now. Let's face it&mdash;once the machine is ready, how it is used shall be the least of Project's concerns. It's hardware-power is at least 10 years old, so the people in involved countries can help themselves with the software.<br />
<br />
== The orange machine ==<br />
<br />
<table><br />
<tr><br />
<td><br />
A new picture has appeared on the Main Page.<br />
<br />
There appear to be two upward-pointing arms.<br />
<br />
It looks as if they may be moveable and would be folded down when the machine is being transported. Is that corect please?<br />
<br />
:Yes, they fold in to cover the USB ports and to be out of the way during transportation. [[User:Walter|Walter]] 10:44, 10 May 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Do the two upward-pointing arms contain aerials for the WiFi system?<br />
<br />
:Yes, these are the aerials for the WiFi. Having them rise above the screen will make a big difference in the SNR of the system.<br />
<br />
</td><br />
<td valign=top><br />
[[image:orange-machine-rotate-small.jpg]]<br />
</td><br />
</tr><br />
</table><br />
I am wondering as to the health and safety aspects of having these items sticking up in the air when the laptops are being used in a room full of children. However, maybe the arms are just up in the air for showing some aspect of the design in the photograph and would not be up in the air like that when the laptop was being used. What is the situation please?<br />
<br />
:What is the health issue that is raised by having aerials that raise? [[User:Walter|Walter]] 10:44, 10 May 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::I am expressing concern at the possibility that a child (not necessarily the child sat using the machine, perhaps a child walking by in a crowded classroom) might slip and then fall onto a machine and receive an injury from the sticking up item, perhaps a serious eye injury. From the picture, it just seems to me to look dangerous.<br />
<br />
Has a health and safety assessment been made of the design, made in the context of using the machine in a room full of children?<br />
<br />
:We are working hard to make the laptop as safe as possible. [[User:Walter|Walter]] 10:44, 10 May 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I miss the crank or the replacement of the crank.<br />
<br />
:It has moved to the power brick.[[User:Walter|Walter]] 21:45, 3 June 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
The power brick.... Could you give a better description.. It just sounds like a removable battery. In that case i don't appeal to it.. The crank gave it a big thumbs up to the ecosystem :-)<br />
Yes, doesn't really sound like a battery would be the way to go, unless solar powered. What if the child were to accidentally leave it on? Perhaps you could incorporate an automatic shut down, but I am sure there are ramifications for doing that as well.<br />
<br />
:There will be several options regarding power. Every machine will include a removeable 5-cell battery pack that is described on the [[Hardware specification]] Page. One idea we are pursuing is a "gang" charger at the school. Another, where applicable, would be a conventional AC adapter. Finally, there will be at least two different human-power options: a crank and a pulley system. We've designed the power system to be rubsut in light of third-party solutions as well, which expect will be numerous. [[User:Walter|Walter]] 09:18, 16 June 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Looking at the design with the two antennae on either side, would it be possible for these to flip open when transporting or is there some means of avoiding this problem? Perhaps having them shut the other direction would allow the bottom, keyboard side of things hold it shut when closed as a simple means of addressing the issue.<br />
<br />
== A good use for the 3rd laptop... ==<br />
<br />
I mainly use my laptop at home as an X term to my main Linux box. The features of this laptop make it very suitable for this task. So, for $300 you get a nice X term (at least!) and donate 2 to a great cause. And letting my children use it may produce some good ideas for improvement from a child's point of view.<br />
<br />
I hope this project takes off and flies high.<br />
<br />
==If only it were true!==<br />
<br />
This may well not be the best place to put this comment, but where is a better place?<br />
<br />
The web page http://crank.laptop.org/gitbrowse.php has a footer saying the following.<br />
<br />
We're putting a laptop in the hands of every child in the world. Learn more!<br />
<br />
That is not, unfortunately, true. That is a pity, but nonetheless it is not true.<br />
<br />
If, someday, it were to become true, then good, but at the moment it is not what is happening now and thus is potentially misleading to some people reading it.<br />
<br />
== Packet Forwarding in Reading Mode ==<br />
<br />
I noticed under hardware specs that the wifi chip was chosen for its independent packet forwarding abilities. Does this mean that the laptop will consume power for the wifi chip in reader mode? Will users be instructed to keep the rabbit ears extended while reading for altruistic purposes?<br />
<br />
:Whenever possible, the laptop will route packets. While it will be possible to turn packet forwarding off, the aggregate performance of the mesh network will be better served if everyone is cooperative. Meanwhile, we are working hard to minimize the power penalty of routing. [[User:Walter|Walter]] 18:16, 19 June 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Attrition ==<br />
<br />
As someone who has been heavily involved in a one to one initiative, I am curios about your plans for attrition. As you or someone else here stated children are very curios. Some of them will break machines to see how they work or in some cases just break them for fun. There are many reasons the machines will break. I know the price makes them relatively easy to replace compared to other solutions available today. However, no other solution will be implemented on this scale. What is the expected rate of failure and damage per year per 1000 in use devices?<br />
<br />
-DK USA<br />
<br />
:We are assuming that there will be failures for any number of reasons and therefore some to-be-determined number of replacement machines will have to be on hand, however, since the laptop is being designed with harsh use-conditions in mind, e.g., no harddisk to break, minimal internal connectors to fail, sealing against dust and moisture, shock-resistant display, etc. (See the [[Hardware specification]] for details), we are confident that the failure rate will be much lower than in other one-to-one initiatives, where laptops designed for other purposes, e.g., office work, are used. The use scenario also comes into play: there is evidence that when children are given machines rather than just given access to them at school, the failure rate is also much lower. [[User:Walter|Walter]] 03:08, 20 June 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Makes good sense. Children are highly possesive. They are unlikely to damage somtehing that is "theirs". I would certainly reccomend that schools replace computers damaged by accident, but intentional malicious damage shoud require the student to buy a new one, or be required to wait a long time to get a new one, durring which they must barrow one. [[User:24.185.233.39|24.185.233.39]] 12:27, 8 July 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== [[OLPC Albania]] ==<br />
<br />
Would it be possible to link [[OLPC Albania]] from [http://laptop.org/map.en_US.html]? I recently saw news that the Prime Minister of Albania had expressed interest in the project, so I wrote a small bit in Albanian. Thanks. [[User:Dori|Dori]] | [[User talk:Dori|Talk]] 09:03, 13 April 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Done. --[[User:Walter|Walter]]<br />
<br />
== [[Talk:OLPC India|OLPC in India discussion]] ==<br />
<br />
Please refer to the [[Talk:OLPC India]] page.<br />
<br />
== The Time for the OLPCWiki in Spanish has come... ==<br />
<br />
Y aqui les dejo la primera... página...<br />
<br />
Me permito someter a su consideración los siguientes artículos que describen un IMPORTANTE avance tecnológico, que ayudará a cerrar la brecha entre los países pobres y los desarrollados.<br />
<br />
La adopción de estas computadoras y su distribución en México, permitirá:<br />
<br />
1.- Un salto cuántico en la calidad de la educación al permitir que cada niño, jóven y adulto posea su propia PC con acceso a Internet.<br />
* Quisiera centrar el foco en que es un proyecto educativo orientado a niños, y no es exactamente un PC conectada a internet. Justamente eso es lo que se pretende que no sea. No es un PC portatil muy barato para el tercer mundo. Es una herramienta facilitadora del aprendizaje, que podra o no conectarse a internet.<br />
2.- Permitirá desarrollar una política de NO EXPORTAR TRABAJADORES, sino IMPORTAR TRABAJOS, al facilitar la realización de trabajos virtuales desempeñados sobre la red.<br />
<br />
3.- En Australia, donde las distancias entre los vecinos no se miden en metros, sino en HORAS DE VUELO, los médicos han desarrollado mecanismos para atender a sus pacientes a través de Internet, la aplicación de estas técnicas, podría poner a los médicos de México al alcance de toda la población rural y de pequeñas comunidades, sin necesidad de construir costosas clínicas y hospitales por todo el territorio nacional.<br />
* Esto se podria hacer pero con otros medios como las redes ciudadanas o wireless, el hardware del OLPC sera una pequeña red con los mas cercanos, y si hay algun punto cercano con conexion a internet, tambien la aprovechará.<br />
<br />
4.- Permitirá a los jubilados y discapacitados trabajar desde sus casas, brindando consejos y ayuda a los ciudadanos para sus problemas de...<br />
--------a) Tareas y Estudio,<br />
--------b) Domésticos y familiares,<br />
--------c) Emprendedores y Pequeños empresarios,<br />
--------d) Tramites y apoyos Gubernamentales,<br />
--------e) Asesoría en Turismo. y haciendo traducciones, apuntes y otros trabajos.<br />
Todo con cargo a las tarjetas de todito.com de los que requieren ayuda, de lo cual un 15% o 30% queda al organizador y el resto (85% a 70%) se entrega al asesor o tutor.<br />
<br />
5.- Desarrollar una industria propia de computadoras, mediante la contratación del la fabricación y ensamble de sus partes en México.<br />
* Actualmente el ensamble se realiza en China<br />
Gracias por su atención; agradeceré una respuesta franca, breve, clara y práctica a este mensaje, con su opinión y aportaciones, así como la justa oportunidad de participar en el desarrollo de los conceptos expuestos.<br />
<br />
Atentamente,<br />
<br />
Ing. Dagoberto Gmo. Flores Lozano<br />
Consultor en Ing. Industrial y de Sistemas, desempleado.<br />
Ex-Investigador y Profesor Universitario,<br />
Ex-becario de la Fundación Ford, en Berkeley,<br />
Aguascalientes, AGS. MEXICO<br />
dagoflores@prodigy.net.mx<br />
<br />
== German version ==<br />
<br />
Ich vermisse die deutsche Version dieser Seite Jakob Mitzlaff<br />
<br />
I have focused this project since mid-2005,at first I don't believe that it can become true,but as many world lead level scientists and corportation joined in this project,new achievement in every course, I do believe it can make this dream true.<br />
<br />
I have some ideas to improve the project in China if the product will be finished,and there are maybe many problems facing the fact because China has large area,different culture,how to manage transportation,how to repair,how to train them ,etc,it's real facts.It must be considered before the donation,otherwise it will bring some trouble,I think it is important to establish a small office or to find a cooperative enterprise first. <br />
<br />
I heard that Mr.Negroponte will visit our country in couple weeks, it maybe take a blockbuster .I wish I have pleasure to meet him.I hope I can learn from core team ,I try to contribute something .<br />
<br />
Interesting interview here (6th April 2006):<br />
http://www.zdnetindia.com/news/business/stories/140370.html<br />
<br />
:Hi Jakob. I have just finished translating laptop.org into German. See the source file at [[OLPC Germany/translation]]. -- [[User:Mathias Schindler|Mathias Schindler]] 07:46, 7 April 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Let my wiki go! ==<br />
<br />
Protecting half the wiki isn't going to make it grow. Unprotect pages until that specifically becomes a problem. Protect pages by noting that they are maintained by OLPC with a colorful template at the top, not by physically locking the text down. Keep them on a watchlist if you want to see whether anyone comes by and alters some Official Word. <br />
<br />
Ahh, much better now :-) --[[User:Sj|Sj]] 16:25, 26 June 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Typo in first URL link... ==<br />
<br />
fuseproeject.com doesn't exist...<br />
<br />
Todo el material referido al proyecto deberia estar elaborado en la mayor parte de idiomas posible. Las brechas idiomaticas en nuestro mundo son una realidad que no podemos olvidar<br />
<br />
Jorge Aguirre, de Quito Ecuador, recomienda que el material del proyecto "one laptop per child" se lo divulgue en todos los idiomas que se pueda, ya que la brecha idiomática del mundo actual aun no puede ser superada por la ciencia y la tecnica. 25 de julio/2006 Email jaguirrech@gmail.com<br />
<br />
== First URL link (www.fuseproject.com) nonfunctional ==<br />
<br />
Please '''remove''' the link to http://www.fuseproject.com . It is neither functional with Firefox (1.5.0.4, X11, U) nor with Konqueror (3.5.2). The site immediately wants to open a popup window on Firefox and http://validator.w3.org/ shows 18 errors. This makes the site '''completely inadequate for the first URL given.''' --[[User:Frief|Frief]] 16:22, 8 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Your point is well taken. Alas, we don't have any leverage over what these guys do with their website, only the ID they are doing for us on the laptop. That said, I use Firefox 1.5.0.3, and while I don't like the fact that it opens a pop-up window and even though Tidy reports 21 warnings, I can view the site without any problems. I would prefer to err on the side of providing more rather than fewer links to our sources. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 17:10, 8 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::My mail to webmaster@fuseproject.com returned (550 User unknown). I cannot get access an imprint, so I don't know whom else to address there. From what I see with wget the site seems to require '''popups''' to be enabled, '''javascript''' to be enabled and '''macromedia shockwave flash''' to be installed and enabled. If OLPC was to specify a policy for URLs I hope that at least two of these prerequisites are not required. Given that the site deviates pointedly from what would be expected by an Open Source audience I would be surprised if the issues could be resolved within, say, three months. --[[User:Frief|Frief]] 19:19, 8 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== How do I get a laptop for my kids? ==<br />
<br />
This sounds like a GREAT project!! I have two kids, ages 9 and 11 and live in the US. I didn't see a 'How to get yours' page, so where do I go to fill out the paperwork?<br />
<br />
If these were sold in developed countries for $200 you could give them to children in the developing world for free. I'm sure there would be a large retail market for these, in addition to interest from schools.<br />
: Do you really think so? There have been many retail efforts in the past, including [http://www2.oregonscientific.com/shop/youth.asp] and [http://www.vtechkids.com/gradeschool_learning.cfm] and [http://www.vtechkids.com/browse.cfm?ageSort=8] and [http://tinyurl.com/owxml]. Not to mention that it would be no big thing for schools in developed countries to buy thin clients like these: [http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=Geode+GX&btnG=Search+Froogle]. I believe whole-heartedly in the OLPC vision (and I'm happy to be on the team), but I doubt very much the claims that there exists a retail market in the US and other developed countries just based on past marekting and sales failures.--[[User:JordanCrouse|JordanCrouse]] ([[User talk:JordanCrouse|Talk to me!]]) 11:53, 15 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:: Those are links to toys not PC laptops. Why pretend those machines compete with OLPC? What is the real reason developed countries will not be allowed to build and buy this hardware? -- [[User:Ownut|Ownut]]<br />
<br />
:: I second Ownut's objection. The low demand for toys shaped like computers or for less-capable, more-expensive thin clients is not an accurate reflection on the market potential of the 2B1. For one thing, the posted links are for devices with no real technical innovation. In contrast, the 2B1 has a screen that is so innovative, there is no other device in the world available with one. Not even the newest e-book readers. In addition, the 2B1 has many modest technical innovations in its engineering, packaging and the software concept of activity bundles. From a marketing viewpoint, it reminds me of the iPOD. At the time iPOD was introduced there were several other MP3 players on the market from Creative, Archos, and iRiver. Yet, the iPOD surpassed them all. The reason was that it was an innovative product, therefore it had a sparkle that other competing products did not have. That sparkle led to vast amounts of free media coverage which drove demand. The 2B1 is a device that has that kind of sparkle. I can understand that OLPC does not want to directly market the 2B1 to consumers, however they are missing the beat if they do not license it to a commercial organization, preferably one that drives a substantial share of its profits into providing 2B1 units to less-advantaged countries like Ethiopia or Afghanistan. If nothing else, the OLPC should issue a public RFP to solicit potential licensees to submit proposals. --[[User:Memracom|Memracom]] 16:49, 9 September 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::: There has been some discussion of selling these in developed countries; primarily a discussion of doing so in bundles, not individually (which is a completely different logistical problem). See for instance [http://www.pledgebank.com/100laptop The pledgebank] pledge, which is aiming for 100,000 signors but has only 3% of its goal to date. [[User:Sj|Sj]] 16:17, 15 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:I absolutely agree with the original poster. Like them, the first thing that I thought when I saw this was "How can I get one for my kids, and get one for a needy child at the same time?" My kids would love to think that somewhere in the world a child was able to use a laptop just like theirs, because of them. It seems like a no brainer to me. Set up a web page and charge $200 per laptop. Then make sure that for every one that ships to a developed country, there is one shipped to a developing country. I would also be happy if the laptops are as robust as you describe, because my little monsters seem to break everything anyway. ;o)<br />
<br />
:same with me! I could imagine that olpc could bring the e-book idea foreward. no socket needed, i could take it to the beach or camping. and a lot of parents are willing to pay € 200,- or more if they could get a pc instead of a toy. and not to forget: it simply looks good.<br />
<br />
never mind the kids what about the advantage of us adults having a cheap laptop that we can use anywhere with the ability to self power if necessary...this is just too brilliant an idea to be consigned to the scrapheap because you wont sell them at twice the price to ordinary folks. It seems to me that you are not getting the funding you wanted or they would be out there in the third world already, so let us help fund this project by buying the laptops at $200<br />
<br />
== Clarification about Higher Resolution than 95% of laptops ==<br />
<br />
Engineer speaking here. While your statement interpreted in one fashion may be OK, your statement isn't exactly true if strictly interpreted in engineer terms, if you are using a patterned R/G/B pixel pattern (similiar to a shadow mask) and addressing them at the subpixel level (It seems you are measuring a pixel as being as an individual R or G or B subpixels, basically using a different yardstick than that used for other laptop displays). While a 1200x900 (individual R or G or B subpixels) display may be claimed as higher resolution than an average 1024x768 (combined R and G and B full pixels) display, a 1024x768 display can be thought of as a 3072x768 display from the perspective of Microsoft ClearType, which uses subpixel antialiasing techniques by using individual R or G or B subpixels of each full pixel, since most LCD displays arrange the subpixels horizontally. Most LCD displays actually have three times as many subpixels as they do have pixels. So when comparing apples to apples, the statement that the OLPC display is higher resolution than 95% of laptop displays, is technically incorrect if thinking using subpixel terminology. However, it can be reworded to clarify that the carefully optimized pixel arrangement (instead of the traditional pixel striping) more easily allow much higher resolution use. Subpixel usage definitely is a creative and clever way to get more out of a display, especially if filtering techniques is done in order to avoid color fringing/color artifacting (a common problem when addressing at subpixel level instead of pixel level). (Note -- I am assuming you are using a similiar pixel pattern commonly used on digital camera and camcorder LCD's which is roughly similiar to shadow mask [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_mask]], at least a modernized variant thereof. These are traditionally excellent pixel patterns for subpixel-level pixel addressability and maximum sharpness with minimum color fringing using fewest subpixels, and naturally OLPC may have chosen a similiar approach.)<br />
[[User:Mdrejhon|Mdrejhon]] 14:08, 17 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:In reflective mode, our laptop is 200dpi in both X and Y, which is higher resolution than any laptop I've ever seen. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 14:32, 17 August 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Various issues ==<br />
<br />
Just 3 things:<br />
<br />
1. Unless the same product or similar one can be bought roughly the same price by anyone, and it becomes frequent outside schools, children and schools will be stolen promptly and we'll create a black market.<br />
<br />
:: that's it!! lot of olpc laptops will be imported into US and EU directly from the brazilian, egypt or nigerian harbours or even the production facilities<br />
<br />
2. The gap will not be solved so easily, for lack of internet access in poor or remote homes/ areas. Also, I wish these children will get a _safe_ access to the internet.<br />
<br />
3. Deals with country governments and mesures at the manufacturing stage must ensure this tool will reach the children with the educational contents provided in their mother language, and within a government-proof container. Otherwise many governments will be just too happy to deculturate children while educating them in some other language. Governments/oragnizations would also be tempted to change the contents to introduce political and religious biases.<br />
<br />
Thank you from Barcelona, SPAIN :)</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=DJVU&diff=9681DJVU2006-07-30T19:22:26Z<p>Memracom: /* Scanning */</p>
<hr />
<div>==What is DJVU?==<br />
The main site for information on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djvu DJVU] compression format for ebooks is here http://www.djvuzone.org/<br />
<br>Recently a [http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/03/08/2314247 good overview article] was published on News Forge.<br />
<br />
In a nutshell, DJVU was invented to solve this problem:<br />
:Conventional web formats such as JPEG, GIF, and PNG produce prohibitively large image files at decent resolution. As a result, Web site content developers have been largely unable to leverage existing printed materials. <br />
<br />
DJVU is intended to be used with scanned images of book pages, either black & white or full color. It then compresses those scanned pages to produce [http://www.djvuzone.org/wid/index.html very highly compressed files]. <br />
<br />
Given that the target countries for the OLPC have poorly developed computing infrastructures, scanning of existing printed documents into DJVU format may be the fastest way of making a wide variety of educational material and [[Ebooks]] available to the kids. <br />
<br />
DJVU is supported by the [[Evince]] reader which is being used by the OLPC project.<br />
<br />
If you want to contribute to the DJVU project in any way, here is the site:<br />
http://djvulibre.djvuzone.org/<br />
<br />
==Why is DJVU important?==<br />
In regions where computers are scarce and there is little support for native scripts, DJVU allows existing paper books to be scanned and distributed as ebooks. Even handwritten books can be distributed this way. Tie this together with the OLPC chat application's support for SVG input and the [[GECKO]] support for displaying [[SVG]] graphics and it is conceivable to distribute a computer with no font support and '''NO TEXT AT ALL''' in its user interface. Icons would substitute for text in the UI and handwriting would be a primary mode of input. Note that the OLPC has a wider than normal touchpad that can be used as a handwriting input device.<br />
<br />
Of course, this is a bootstrap scenario. Once the OLPC is deployed in this way, native language speakers will begin to work on fonts, and a keyboard layout to enable text use on the OLPC. This could take months or years to sort out, but in the meantime, the kids have an educational tool to use.<br />
<br />
==How Do We Produce DJVU Documents?==<br />
===Workflow Planning===<br />
First, you need to think of this in terms of setting up a workflow. There are several steps, some of which require technical expertise and some which do not. In addition, the expertise required to set up and maintain the workflow is different from that required to make encoding decisions and check the quality of scans.<br />
===Scanning===<br />
Some scanners can handle bound books but they cost a lot more money. However, if you can spare a copy, then you can take it apart and scan the pages on a flatbed scanner. Save the files in an uncompressed [[TIFF]] format because they will be processed further. Pages should be scanned in color because the DJVU compression software produces a better result that way.<br />
<br />
If your original scans are not perfect, you may need to use software such as [http://www.i2s-bookscanner.com/en/products_software.asp Book Restorer] to clean them up. This is especially important when you are scanning old, rare books that have been damaged in some way, for instance stains on the pages. In addition, when a book is rare you cannot cut out the pages to do perfectly flat scans. This means that the scans will be curved but software can repair these curves.<br />
<br />
===Encoding the Pages===<br />
Next, you need to process the individual page scans with various tools to [http://djvulibre.djvuzone.org/doc/index.html encode the pages]. Different encoding tools may be used for different pages depending on the presence of illustrations, photos, colored text, etc. Pages can be segmented into a black and white layer and a color layer so that different encoders can be used on each. In addition, if you have an OCR program for the script that the book is written in, you can run the black and white segment through it. DJVU readers are capable of using the OCR to do text searches and then highlighting the words in the actual scanned text image.<br />
<br />
===Bundling and Postprocessing===<br />
After this you have various pieces which you need to bundle together into a multipage book file. Then, you may wish to further process the book to add text annotations, precompute thumbnail images of pages, etc. Perhaps the book is written in an archaic form of the language and you wish to annotate it with a glossary similar to what we do with Shakespeare's plays.<br />
===Testing===<br />
Don't forget to test your book thoroughly using [[Evince]] to make sure that there are no problems with using it on the OLPC.<br />
===Tools===<br />
If you would rather have the scanning done by a [http://www.headway.co.uk/products/capture/lizardtech/lizardtech.htm company with expertise in the field], that is possible. Once the first pilot country is deployed, there will likely be other companies who can offer this service. But the tools needed are all [http://djvulibre.djvuzone.org/ open source] so you can also set up your own production line for scanning books.<br />
==Articles and Papers==<br />
* [http://www.profsurv.com/archive.php?issue=48&article=671 this article from Professional Surveyor magazine] explains how the National Land Survey of Sweden went about converting their historical archive to DJVU format.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:File formats]]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ethiopian_Millenium_Gift_Project&diff=9459Ethiopian Millenium Gift Project2006-07-25T12:39:24Z<p>Memracom: /* How to go about it */</p>
<hr />
<div>==THE ETHIOPIAN MILLENNIUM GIFT PROJECT==<br />
===Help needed===<br />
<br />
You do not have to be a programmer to make a difference. What you can, we<br />
need that. We need project coordinators, lawyers ,translators, testers, bug<br />
reporters, documentation writers, tutorial writers, artists, advocates,<br />
babysitters... . We need your experience and guidance. We need and highly<br />
value your input. And if you are also a programmer, well that's good, but it<br />
isn't essential.<br />
Put your name and your love on the greatest gift of the millennium to the<br />
Ethiopian people. Organize working groups in your areas, and help. <br />
<br />
you can register (not mandatory) and start contributing.<br />
<br />
*[https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/dapper/+lang/am Ubuntu Linux Dapper drake], because of the [https://launchpad.net/ launchpad] facility. You can join the [https://launchpad.net/people/ubuntu-l10n-am Ubuntu amharic team] and let your karma be counted. Put your name on the greatest gift of the millennium. <br />
*[http://www.edubuntu.org/ Edubuntu]<br />
*[http://am.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%8B%8B%E1%8A%93%E1%8B%8D_%E1%8C%88%E1%8C%BD Amharic wikipedia] A free and colaborative produced Amahric online encyclopedia that can also be distributed on a CD or other media.<br />
*[http://am.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%8B%8B%E1%8A%93_%E1%8C%88%E1%8C%BD Amharic Wiktionary] An online free Amharic dictionary and a sister project of wikipedia. <br />
===Organizational Chart===<br />
{|width="100%"<br />
|bgcolor="green" height="10px"|<br />
|bgcolor="yellow" height="10px"|<br />
|bgcolor="red" height="10px"|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
[[Image:EMGP4.png]]<br />
<br />
===Why do we need this project?===<br />
<br />
Most of the world is progressing at accelerated rate because of the digital revolution.<br />
If the children of Ethiopia should compete in any way with the rest of the world they need to use this tool.<br />
If the children of Ethiopia should benefit from the digital revolution this job has to be done.<br />
If we start the job soon we will finish it sooner. If we start late we will finish it later, in mean time the world will be way ahead of us.<br />
If one person does the job it would take him years, and the world that is already far away from us will be way far from us. If all of us participate we could finish the job sooner and save the productive life of millions of Ethiopian children that would have been wasted by ignorance.<br />
It is in our power to deliver this tool.<br />
<br />
====The obstacle====<br />
*Not recognizing or understanding how useful the tool is. <br />
**Probably to over a million Ethiopians inside and out side the country use computers every day. Ethiopian online communities are one of the most active and numerous. Most of the Diaspora social and political activity is coordinated through the Internet. <br />
*Misconception about the difficulty, and once ability to participate on this project.<br />
*We have participated on meetings, fundraisers, projects with the hope some of our input would benefit our land and people in some way. We have done it for the love of the country, for the glory, to feel good…etc. Most projects produce nothing and most of the time we end up disappointed and disillusioned. May be you are an Ethiopian who is not satisfied with none of the above projects and meetings and you rather stay at home than participate on some thing you do not feel comfortable with. <br />
*This job is so easy to do for any one it is unbelievable. It benefits generations Ethiopians to come. It benefits us by healing our bruised egos by repeatedly failed projects. It is not an answer for every problem Ethiopia faces. But it is one piece of a solution we can all work on that surely will benefit Ethiopians. We as well as the future generation need this project to work as a community. It will bring us together as a community.<br />
<br />
==The objective of EMGP and expectations==<br />
The objective of EMGP is to build the capacity of Ethiopia to provide effective educational tools and solutions to Ethiopian chlderen.<br />
<br />
===EMGP phases===<br />
The Ethiopian Millennium project will have 3 phases<br />
<br />
====The Development phase==== <br />
*Period: from the present time to Ethiopian calendar year 2000<br />
*Work to be done:<br />
**Building the development infrastructure.<br />
**Active development of the tools.<br />
**Building support infrastructure.<br />
**Preparing the first phase of products to be delivered to the users.<br />
<br />
====The Support and strengthening phase====<br />
*Period: 2000-2010<br />
*work to be done<br />
**Further development of the tools<br />
**Supporting the tools that are delivered<br />
**Expanding the delivery to 100% of the population<br />
**Building the support structure so that it becomes self sustaining <br />
<br />
====The happily ever after phase====<br />
*Period: 2010- <br />
*Work to be done:<br />
** The project is expected to have a fully functioning dynamic echo system that needs little or no centralised structure.<br />
<br />
==የሺህ ዓመት ስጦታ ኢትዮጵያ A gift that lasts a thousand year==<br />
#One of the poorest country in the world<br />
#One of the lowest computer penetration in the world<br />
#One of the lowest Internet and mobile penetration in the world<br />
#Uses a unique alphabet<br />
#Uses a unique calendar<br />
*which needs some amount of development investment by software companies. The likely hood of that happening is slim due to problem no1, poverty. No one would invest on a market that has no money.<br />
Even if computers trickle in to Ethiopia somehow (which is not happening) they are of no use for an ordinary Ethiopian child who do not understand much English. The software companies will not be rushing to build computers for Ethiopian children since there will not be money in it.<br />
The present system condemns every Ethiopian child to computer darkness, for foreseeable future.<br />
<br />
===light in the tunnel===<br />
But we are in a very unique time, and opportunity has presented itself to change all this. For those who do not know, at the moment the calender year in Ethiopia is 1998. The Ethiopian millennium comes on September 12th 2007. (Don’t mind the date. You cannot imagine how painful for Ethiopians that dreadful day was.) That means the Ethiopian Millennium is going to be in about one and half year from now. And there are about 1.5 million Ethiopians living abroad. Most of those Ethiopians are educated and could help in many ways. Out of those Ethiopians with the most conservative estimate about 100 000 will be celebrating the Ethiopian millennium in Ethiopia.<br />
<br />
===What The Millennium Gift Project does?===<br />
The millennium gift project for the next one and half year prepares a gift of one laptop computer by one travelling Ethiopian for one Ethiopian child to be presented for the millennium celebration. <br />
<br />
This project organizes a massive localization and translation project with the participation of all capable Ethiopians, free and open source software developers, institutions such as universities and colleges. Helping with organizing, coding, translating, identifying recipients and donors and contributing money.<br />
<br />
===The software to be localized===<br />
*[https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/dapper/+lang/am Ubuntu Linux Dapper drake], because of the [https://launchpad.net/ launchpad] facility <br />
*[http://www.edubuntu.org/ Edubuntu]<br />
*[http://am.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%8B%8B%E1%8A%93%E1%8B%8D_%E1%8C%88%E1%8C%BD Amharic wikipedia] A free and collaborative produced Amahric online encyclopedia that can also be distributed on a CD or other media.<br />
*[http://am.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%8B%8B%E1%8A%93_%E1%8C%88%E1%8C%BD Amharic Wiktionary] An online free Amharic dictionary and a sister project of wikipedia.<br />
<br />
===Hardware===<br />
*[http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php/One_Laptop_per_Child One laptop per child computer]<br />
*Any laptop computer<br />
*Any capable desktop computer<br />
*Servers for schools<br />
*Communication and Networking Equipment<br />
<br />
===Recipients===<br />
*Schools<br />
*Classes<br />
*Students<br />
<br />
===Which language or languages are to be used?===<br />
''Which language or languages are to be used?''<br />
There are about 81 Languages presently spoken in Ethiopia. (Obviously we are not going to target all of them.) The process of choosing the language should be decided through the process. Though there are many factors that are going to decide which languages are going to be "available" for the Ethiopian millennium, the number of volunteers that commit their resources would be the deciding factor.Obviously there should be a possibility for every one to work on his/her choice of language. If we take the number of speakers of the language as an indicator then the fallowing would be the top 10. <br />
#Amharic<br />
#Afan Oromo <br />
#Welayta (and related languages)<br />
#Tigraway <br />
#Somali .<br />
#Gurage <br />
#Sidama <br />
#Afar <br />
#Hadiyya (and Related languages)<br />
#Kafa (and related languages)<br />
But that is the most optimistic scenario. The realistic figure for the millennium would be a completed Amharic product and a partialy completed Afan Oromo, Wolayta and Tigraway.<br />
<br />
''Do they all use the Ethiopic script?'' Except Afan Oromo that uses officially Latin script since 1991 all others use the Ethiopic script. But my guss is there will be people who would like to contribute to an Afan Oromo ethiopic version too. If the tools are provided the volunteers would show which direction the projects would go.--[[User:Teferra|Teferra]] 13:41, 27 May 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==How to go about it==<br />
This is a simple idea. And the success of the project depends in keeping it simple. simple ideas are doable. simple ideas produce grand results. We have discussed above what to be done. Here we will discuss how we do it. Please add your ideas and suggestions. Share your Exploits and success, your experience.<br />
<br />
===The No-Font Solution===<br />
The No-Font solution will support all languages of Ethiopia on day 1.<br />
<br />
First of all, the keyboard of the No-Font Solution will have completely blank keycaps. They could either be bare plastic, or they could be covered with very durable white paint which the user can scratch away to draw a glyph on the key. Spare keys should go with every shipment to allow for correcting mistakes in customization.<br />
<br />
The software for the no-font solution, will be focussed around the Evince Ebook reader and DJVU support. Any Ethiopian book, whether printed or handwritten, can be scanned into [[DJVU]] format and read with [[Evince]]. Additional software support is needed to change program menus to use bitmapped images rather than fonts. Icons will be quickly learned if the kids have a reference card handy. The messaging software needs to be customized to only use icons (bitmapped images) to control it, and no text mode at all. All messages will be SVG. It will be handy to have a shortcut to set the pen to a thick round black shape appropriate for writing text.<br />
<br />
95% of this is already in place, it just needs some modifications. Later on, when there are functional fonts for an Ethiopian language, the machines can be upgraded to full text support as well.<br />
<br />
===translation===<br />
<br />
Though all of the parts are equally important the bulk of time and volunteer resource is going to be spent on the translation work. The translation resources and methods will be discussed under this title.<br />
* [http://translate.sourceforge.net/wiki/guide/start Localisation guide]<br />
* [http://translate.sourceforge.net/wiki/guide/translateathon translateathon]<br />
<br />
===educational content creation===<br />
<br />
===hardware===<br />
<br />
===to be continued ===<br />
<br />
==Links relevant to this project==<br />
===project participation sites===<br />
*[https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/dapper/+lang/am Programs to be translated in to amharic in Resetta]<br />
*[https://launchpad.net/people/ubuntu-l10n-am The Amharic translating team] at Rosetta.<br />
*[http://am.wikipedia.org/ Amharic Wikipedia] Translate or add articles to develop an amharic encyclopedia.<br />
*[http://am.wiktionary.org/ Amharic Dictionary] Help to Build a multi-language to Amharic dictionary. It doesn't matter where you live which language you can. You can add words and their meanings in Amharic in to this dictionary.<br />
<br />
===sites that directly affect theis project===<br />
*[http://www.edubuntu.org/ Edubuntu] An Ubuntu virsion that is especially produced for schools, students and their needs.<br />
*[http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php/Main_Page One Laptop Per Child] a project aiming to bring the digital revoution to chldren in the developing world.<br />
*[http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php/OLPC_Ethiopia OLPC Ethiopia]<br />
*[[Ethiopic]] unicode resource page at OLPC.<br />
*[http://www.geez.org/ Ethiopic localization and ethiopic unicode resource page]<br />
<br />
===relevant sites===<br />
[http://www.bisharat.net/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/HomePage African localisation]</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Talk:System_software&diff=9458Talk:System software2006-07-25T12:29:23Z<p>Memracom: Light-wight scripting language (Lua?)</p>
<hr />
<div>The following was removed from the main page since it seems more appropriate for the Discussion.<br />
<br />
==== Operating System Selection ====<br />
<br />
I would like to seriously question using Linux as the basis of the laptop. It's a path of constant tweaking and tuning. Linux is also further away from the "pure" microkernel architectures than the BSDs. In short Linux is like a F1 tuned for racing - but not as reliable. When working on a familiar hardware platform the BSDs become very robust and nice platform to work with. And more importantly without the horrible quality problems of the Linux kernel. FreeBSD kernel is also magnitudes more secure - it just is cleaner and better thought and developed with the focus first on stability and reliablity. Unlike Linux.. The bottom line is that the project has got the possibility to choose from others than just Linux as well. I'd go for Frisbee or mentioned reasons but there are others too.<br />
<br />
* (While I agree that *BSD might be a better option -- perhaps OpenBSD in particular for reasons of stability, et cetera -- I think the disparaging remarks about Linux-based operating systems were poorly conceived, exaggerated, and unnecessary as presented. - [http://sob.apotheon.org Chad Perrin])<br />
<br />
* Indeed: BSD is a good alternative. Another alternative may be an older Linux kernel. The 2.4 kernel line is pretty stable and good also. The current Linux kernel version is 2.6<br />
<br />
* ''(User-contributed)'' Yes, the older the Linux kernel is, the more stable it becomes. For example, the current 1.08 version of [[PuppyLinux]] is based on the 2.4 kernel, and can confidently deliver satisfactory GUI experience despite the resource constraints in the OLPC machine.<br />
<br />
* BSD is just as monolithic as Linux is, and the reverse - and their developers target reliability and security just as much as others, proved by millions of servers running it and some big companies wasting lot of engineering resources in making it even more stable (for example Linux distros are already shipping advanced security frameworks like SElinux, while FreeBSD (not openbsd) is still working on it)<br />
<br />
<br>'''Why UNIX(like) at all?'''<br><br />
Recently Negroponte stated that a "slimmer Linux" is needed for the $100 laptop. Like others here, I question why it has to be Linux. But I'll take that notion even further: Why does the OS even need to be Unix or a Unix work alike? Why is Negroponte so bent on Linux? There are other FOSS options that are much more focused on the desktop, yet still have Posix compliance.<br />
<br />
* [http://haiku-os.org Haiku-OS] is an FOSS implementation of the BeOS tool kits with a FOSS kernel. It maintains binary and source level compatibility with BeOS R5, so all pre-existing free R5 software will work on it. (There is quite a bit)<br />
<br />
* [http://www.syllable.org Syllable OS] Is a lot like BeOS. (But it's not BeOS) It's getting pretty mature.<br />
<br />
Both these options are FOSS. If you really want the Unixy goodness, both also happen to have Posix compliant shells, so much of the Unix CLI stuff is portable. Both have fast native GUI systems and very modern design behind the internals. Both are extremely light weight compared to BSD or Linux + X + desktop env. And if one was really concerned with the stability of the kernel, it might be possible to run one of these alternative environments on top of a BSD or Linux kernel instead of their native kernels.<br />
<br />
* Why UNIX(like)?: What is the point of running a non-Unix kernel just to run Unix software using compatibility layers? A Unixy operative system will make things much easier (POSIX is native there and software is already running there and it's the main development platform) and will allow developers to concentrate on more serious issues like ram usage.<br />
<br />
It might also be possible to buy out the BeOS R5 codebase from Palm Inc. or have them donate it to the project. They don't seem interested in doing anything with it. Then the OLPC project could release the the source under GPL and get help from the Haiku and [http://www.yellowtab.com Yellow Tab] guys to whip it into shape for the $100 laptop. I really can't convey how great BeOS or Haiku would be project. It's a perfect match for a system with the $100 laptops specs.<br />
<br />
<br>'''The need for a distributed OS'''<br />
<br />
The deployment environment is a school, not a business. So it needs cheap, easy system administration above all, as well as painless system integration. It would also be good if it distributed the file system so the spare storage on the laptops can be aggregated.<br />
<br />
The logical choice is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_9_from_Bell_Labs Plan 9].<br />
Plan 9 is open-sourced, designed for graphics, lightweight, network-centric, has a UNIX api (glued on the side, but it's there),<br />
and is designed to integrate and implement distributed file systems.<br />
It should be easy to aggregate the file systems of many laptops just by merging their name spaces.<br />
<br />
* Recent Linux kernels already support the 9P protocol and per-process namespaces to some degree. While Plan9 is a beautiful operative system, its sadly more of a research OS than the real alternative that OLPC needs - most of the *nix software have never been ported and it doesn't gets ported by just pressing a button.<br />
<br />
== Peer to Peer distribution of books ==<br />
<br />
This was copied from the main page since it is discussion. It should really be sumamrized into the main page and the first comment really should join the rest here.<br />
<br />
I believe one of the most useful purposes of the laptop will be to distribute electronic text (i.e. e-books). The distribution of any information without a persistent network connection will be difficult. <br />
I imagine a situation where 1 out of 100 or 1000 kids may have access to a network connection. The peer to peer network could be used to distribute e-books from that single network connection to 1000 kids. I'd like to propose the design of a peer-to-peer network client designed specifically for this purpose.<br />
<br />
A simple, graphical language-localized client would be designed to present a catalog of e-books. The client would pull down a listing of books available in a certain age-range for a targeted language. The student would pick texts that he or she has interest in. This list of requests would consist of a very small packet of data, perhaps a unique identifier of the device and a unique identifier of the text. When the device sees another device, it would off load it's packet to the peer device and vice-versa. Each device would contain a listing of requests from all of the peers that it came in contact with. The next time a device connects to the Internet, it would pull as many texts as allowable by pre-defined memory limits (say 3-5 meg). As the device comes into contact with other devices, it would deliver the texts to the other devices. Hopefully, over time, the requestor would be delivered some of the texts originally requested. As each text is delivered, a delivery or cancellation notice would be sent back through the peer network.<br />
<br />
The peer to peer network should gather performance intelligence over time. It should be able to guess which routes have better chances of making a request and returning a delivery.<br />
<br />
If a proof of concept proves to work well, the peer to peer network would be extended to handle two-way communication for interaction such as email or the submission and grading of assignments.<br />
<br />
--[[User:65.7.133.163|65.7.133.163]] 04:41, 27 January 2006 (EST) Jason Hoekstra - jason@solexinc.com<br />
<br />
<br />
To continue on with what Jason and Volburger said, there is a fundamental conflict in OLPC. On one hand, you need to keep costs down and must therefore have small persistent storage. On the other hand, the purpose of the laptop is for learning, and learning requires the storage of information. What a child needs to learn with is really nothing more than an encyclopaedia and a simple way to navigate it, but it is probably not feasible to store an entire encyclopaedia in the available space, especially if you include multimedia, which you definitely should.<br />
<br />
The approach suggested by Jason, which is not a bad one at all, is to retrieve information based on interest. I have some experience in mobile, ad hoc, sensor, and peer to peer networking, and what he's proposing is something similar to rumor routing and directed diffusion. There are a couple of problems with the suggestion, though. The first is that you will likely have a lot more requests for books than space to keep them. In a store and forward network with limited space and unpredicatable mobility, you are unlikely to hang onto enough books that you will be able to satisfy the requests. The second problem is that in all likelihood, some children will have far more Internet access than others, due to geographical location, being able to afford transport, or whatever the case may be. This may form a book distribution tree rooted at a few children with many children as leaves, which will cause significant distribution problems. Basically, a few children will need to store and forward books for a large number of children, and will quickly fill up their space without satisfying many requests. This depends on the particular country and situation of course, but in general, the branching factor and depth of the distribution tree can have serious repercussions on how many of the requests are satisfied.<br />
<br />
I personally agree with Jason that a distributed, peer to peer filesystem is necessary. You may only have half a gigabyte of space, but there are a lot of half gigabytes running around, hopefully within a few hops of each other. So step one is that you need a routing protocol to form multihop ad hoc networks. There is a lot of literature on this; look at MobiHoc if you need a starting point. Step two is that you need a discovery protocol to learn what books are available and who has them, the aforementioned catalogue. Note that this catalogue needs to be updated as well, but the updates can be distributed using controlled flooding. And the reason I'm writing this whole thing is that I think you need a decent data (book) dissemination protocol. You are dealing with a sparsely connected network of resource starved nodes, with intermittent connectivity and esoteric mobility patterns. I believe you need some sort of centralised logic, such as a tracker in the Bittorrent protocol. If the computers belonging to the children that have Internet access can cooperate on which books to download and store, and if the computers themselves can try to form a rough topology of who is connected to who (in terms of the books they want), then you are in a much better position to allocate your resources to satisfy the most requests. <br />
<br />
I hope this helps and I wish you the very best of luck in your endeavours.<br />
<br />
Emerson Farrugia (emerson AolpcT runelands D0T net) - March 17th, 2006<br />
<br />
== Automated Language Localization of some Preset Sentences ==<br />
<br />
<br />
I have for some time been interested in whether it would be of practical use (rather than just fun in researching what can and cannot be done) to have a collection of sentences and part sentences defined and translated into many languages, each sentence or part sentence having a code number, with the idea that an author may construct a message using one such code number or a sequence of such code numbers and then the code numbers could be used by a software system in the computer of a recipient of the message in conjunction with a small database of code numbers and the text of the sentences in a chosen language so as to produce a localized message displayed for the recipient.<br />
<br />
For example, suppose that there were only two sentences from which to choose and that these have been encoded as sentences 21011 and 21012.<br />
<br />
The English database would contain the following.<br />
<br />
21011 It is raining. <br />
<br />
21012 It is snowing.<br />
<br />
The French database would contain the following.<br />
<br />
21011 Il pleut.<br />
<br />
21012 Il neige.<br />
<br />
The database could be translated into as many languages as desired and possible. <br />
<br />
So, if someone whose preferred language is English is authoring a message and wishes to send the message "It is raining." then he or she looks throgh the database using whatever search tools that are available at his or her location and encodes the message as 21011 and then sends it.<br />
<br />
So, if someone whose preferred language is French receives the message then the text "Il pleut." can be displayed automatically.<br />
<br />
So, if there were more sentences than that and also sentences with a parameter such as for "The temperature here is P1 degrees Celsius." where the value of parameter 1 is sent as a digit string (possibly including a decimal point) to accompany the 21852 code of the parameterized sentence, and that list of sentences were available in many languages, then, for example, weather information could be broadcast on a pan-European basis on an interactive television channel and localized automatically in interactive televisions in, for example, England, France, Italy, Finland and Latvia.<br />
<br />
As to how to encode such a system, well there are various possibilities. I started off using a deliberately unusual yet valid sequence of regular Unicode characters to act as a key that would be most unlikely to occur in any other use context, namely a comet, a circumflex accent and an enclosing keycap design. I have also looked at using Unicode Private Use Area characters. It has been suggested to me that XML would be the best approach, though I have reservations as I would like a system where a short sequence could be added into a plain text file without having to restructure the whole document, however I am unsure of that so it is possible that XML would be the way to go.<br />
<br />
I am wondering whether the technique, whether using the key or the Private Use Area codes, or using XML, or otherwise, could be useful for autolocalizing some part of the education process. For example, a sentence such as "Please tell your teacher that you have now completed the task." and such as "You have chosen the correct answer." and "Well done.".<br />
<br />
I did a little with the idea theoretically some time ago.<br />
<br />
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/c_c00000.htm<br />
<br />
I never got it beyond English!<br />
<br />
A later development was to incorporate the LOCODE concept so as to specify names of places that were to be localized, such as the way Firenze is expressed as Florence in English and London is expressed as Londres in French.<br />
<br />
http://www.unece.org/cefact/locode/service/main.htm<br />
<br />
William Overington<br />
<br />
17 March 2006<br />
<br />
== Light-wight scripting language (Lua?) ==<br />
<br />
Instead of measuring Python memory usage, why not provide a lighter scripting language from day one? [http://www.lua.org Lua] would fit this kind of a machine perfectly; it's been tested and used in embedded, as well as games development for years. Lua 5.1 has a module system, which allows it to be used as a system (end application) programming platform just as Python and/or Ruby. Only, it weighs no more than 100kB in the binary (with basic modules, no bindings).<br />
<br />
People interested in bringing full OLPC programming support for Lua, please contact me for future plans. I already have a project going for Cairo & Lua, OLPC could simply be its "physical" incarnation? :) <br />
<br />
This is not to say Python on the device is pointless, it is not. But both solutions can co-exist, and provide a term of healthy competition with each other, that's all. :)<br />
<br />
[[User:Asko Kauppi|Asko Kauppi]] 10:18, 18 Jul 2006 (EET)<br />
<br />
: I think use of Python for [[Sugar]], etc is pretty set in stone, with C (for certain applications) being the only alternative anyone has spoken with any kind of seriousness. --[[User:SamatJain|SamatJain]] 11:30, 18 July 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:: That's what I'd like to challenge, or rather extend (Python may well have the top position, no problems with that). My current standing is to observe the project, and kick in a Lua API binding if/when I see the time is ripe. Can be done as a one-man work, I'm sure. :) --[[User:Asko Kauppi|Asko Kauppi]] 23:30, 18 July 2006 (EET)</div>Memracomhttp://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=System_software&diff=9457System software2006-07-25T12:28:26Z<p>Memracom: /* Light-wight scripting language (Lua?) */ moved to discussion</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Developers]]<br />
<br />
== Software Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Usability ===<br />
<br />
Include in the OS an onscreen transluscent/watermark representation of the keyboard that indicated which key is pressed would help users learn to touch type since they would not have to look down at the keyboard, but could be turned on or off (better yet, varied in opacity from 0 to 100%). Otherwise, how many will even know to try typing while looking at the screen? It would also help in low light [as was suggested under hardware by another], as many won't have power for lighting yet would need to use it only when light for after school chores are completed, leaving only late in the day and many will be in latitudes with SHORT winter days.<br />
<br />
=== System Software ===<br />
<br />
A version of Touch Typing software to teach these kids to touch type, the faster you can work with a keyboard whatever age you are then the faster you can get on with solving the worlds problems and letting the world know about your solutions... ' eg unjustified government spending on military budgets that will eventully only lead to one thing, more War to justify more spending etc..."<br />
<br />
And does someone not need to make clearer in your marketing for support of this project that it does not have to be the same person who turns the crank as types at the keyboard, that there is a shortage of electricity in developing nations not hands to turn cranks?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Peer To Peer Distribution, for Electronic Text, Software, Email ====<br />
<br />
Extending the original idea from below... this is more general then just about electronic text, though. In lack of a better term, let me call it "built-in support for non-real-time Internet connectivity", provided as shared service and usable by apps.<br />
<br />
For example, I myself often read some web pages that I had downloaded while on the network at home while traveling, disconnected from a network, and of course when clicking on a link you get some stupid technical error message. Why can't the thing remember I want to read the linked page later and "queue" it somewhere? This idea is probably more much more relevant in some OLPC scenarios than it is for myself; what if you are connected to the "Internet by Motorbike" say only once every two weeks, as in the [[Motoman]] project in Cambodia?<br />
<br />
This applies to many forms of data, from electronic content be it a complete ebook, HTML page, Email or some software to download - or publishing of content such as homepage or blog updates, etc. (I think [http://www.oneworld.net/ OneWorld] has an XML-based publishing along those lines; but could be confusing it with something else.) Making it possible (and easy!) to request, and publish, data from one device, which then forwards the reqest to another, and ultimately forward to Internet when connected. Doesn't it make you feel like good ol' FIDO Net is back?<br />
<br />
[[User:Vorburger|Vorburger]] 20:06, 9 February 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Distributed Filesystem? ====<br />
<br />
Will the Wikipedia Offline fit into 512 MB (or even 1 GB) ? Even if it does, how about some software and other textbooks loaded at the same time? Clearly, the storage on one device is very limited... but: What if data could be spread over several laptops, a sort of built-in distributed filesystem like [http://www.coda.cs.cmu.edu/ Coda] or [http://www.danga.com/mogilefs/ MogileFS] - do these make any sense on a device like this, with the goal of enhancing storage capacity through distribution? In a school, every of say 100 children has 1/100th of Wikipedia - instead of clogging each device with a complete copy.<br />
<br />
[[User:Vorburger|Vorburger]] 20:06, 9 February 2006 (EST)<br />
<br />
: There is a version of Wikipedia in Simple English that is smaller than the main one. This is more appropriate for an children's educational project and because it uses fewer words than normal English, it probably will compress better. In any case, dumping an Internet encyclopedia into a kid's laptop makes as much sense as hiring a bus driver to fly a 747. An OLPC encyclopedia needs to be edited severely to reduce its size, make sure the language is understandable by kids and make sure that it has appropriate content. Biographies of all the kings of England are only relevant to English speaking kids, not Hindi speakers or speaker of Brazilian Portuguese.<br />
<br />
:: Since I assume each school will also have an uplink gateway, maybe the Offline version of Wikipedia could be put on that, and cached on the individual units as they access it?<br />
<br />
::: The idea is a good one but your implementation is flawed. Yes, each school will have some sort of system by which content can be downloaded. It could be as simple as a stack of CDROMs and a USB CDROM drive. Or, the teacher could hook the CDROM drive to her own laptop and ''push'' relevant content to the kids. In order for this to work, the encyclopedia editors have to ''chunk'' the text into thematic clusters. This means that a kid still has to do research in the encyclopedia because he has the whole Brazilian national history chunk in his laptop. But he doesn't suffer by having to carry all the Flora and Fauna of Brazil chunk, the World history chunk, and the Birth of Civilization chunk.<br />
<br />
==== Grid computing ====<br />
It would be interesting if software were included to allow meshed machines to create an ad-hoc grid/cluster computer. It would be useful for things like compiling software, rendering and other CPU intensive tasks. (Stuff that I imagine some of the more advanced users, High School age, might want to do). A distributed file system would be a central part of that.<br />
<br />
*A practical alternative, one that can be done now, is to use content in DVD (as suggested in the previous section). Some "hotspots" covered by these DVD-augmented laptops can be setup in a community, providing distributed servers for giving out content as well as hosting discussions. As the OLPC machine has USB port, adding DVD drive to it is not difficult. - [[Raffy]], April 27, 2006.<br />
<br />
==== Better-performing Flash Filesystem ====<br />
<br />
The proposed JFFS2 filesystem was designed for NOR-type Flash memory, which has very different timing characteristics from the cheaper NAND-type Flash memory used in USB thumb drives and, presumably, the laptop. YAFFS is a GPL'ed open-source journalling filesystem designed specifically for NAND Flash memory that is claimed to use less RAM for its tables and generally outperform JFFS2, and they are working on YAFFS2, which is tweaked to be faster and to work with the new larger, 2KB-page-size NAND devices.<br />
<br />
YAFFS has the following technical advantages over JFFS2:<br />
* It uses NAND Flash memory better, making it faster (about 2X), more space-efficient and wearing the memory chips out less quickly<br />
* It is faster at mounting a filesystem: a hand-waving example of startup time for a 128MB device is 3 seconds instead of 25<br />
* It uses far less RAM for its internal tables<br />
* It scales better: JFFS2 is said to fall apart above 256MB because its internal data structures get too big while YAFFS is known to work well up to 2GB (the laptop currently aims at 512MB)<br />
* It stores error-correcting codes for all data, which is essential since NAND Flash is supplied not 100% perfect and degrades over time<br />
* YAFFS provides some features lacking from JFFS2 (hard links, memory mapped file writing)<br />
<br />
JFFS2 has the following advantages over YAFFS:<br />
* It has built-in write-time data compression<br />
* It is included in the standard Linux kernel<br />
<br />
YAFFS has a [http://www.aleph1.co.uk/yaffs/ home page] and a there is [http://www.aleph1.co.uk/yaffs/jffs2_and_nand.html a technical article] which goes into depth on the differences between NOR and NAND flash memory and the drawbacks of using JFFS2 with the NAND type.<br />
<br />
It would be worth running comparative performance tests on the two filesystems, because there are big potential performance wins on several fronts. In-filesystem compression isn't everything, slows all file operations down and, when used without error correcting codes onto an unreliable medium, risks major data loss.<br />
<br />
[[User:Martinwguy|Martin Guy]] 4 March 2006<br />
<br />
Jörn Engel is currently working on a new flash file system called [[logfs]]. It is not yet clear if it will hit the mainline kernel in time for consideration for the first generation laptop, but it is progressing fast.<br />
It should combine all the advantages listed for either for the two file systems above with a new clean design. In particular, the mount time and memory footprint is independent from the device size, unlike the existing file systems.<br />
<br />
I don't think that YAFFS can be considered an option for OLPC at this point because of missing compression and the quality of the code.<br />
<br />
[[User:Arnd|arnd]] 12 March 2006<br />
<br />
Some corrections to the YAFFS marketing blurb:<br />
<br />
* Error correction is done by the NAND subsystem and not by the filesystem. It's a necessarity for NAND FLASH and the NAND subsystem provides that protection since the very beginning. JFFS2 just uses whats there. No need to reinvent the wheel.<br />
* JFFS2 worked on 2k page size chips before YAFFS2 showed up<br />
* JFFS2 has raised the bar in the boottime and scaling p*ssing contest. David improved mount time of a 512MiB FLASH down to less than 8 seconds and the RAM consumption has been reduced significantly too.<br />
* JFFS2 works out of the box with the MTD subsystem while YAFFS needs tewaks and patches and is hard to adopt to hardware ECC controllers<br />
<br />
==== 3d software rendering ====<br />
As the system does not include hardware accelerated 3d rendering, a software rendering library may be included to wrap the OpenGL (OGL/ES maybe) API and create rendering code on the fly. This, even on a machine with limited clock speed can provide a rendering performance paragonable to that of some integrated 3d chipsets, especially if the resolution is kept low. This could allow educationnal software to use 3d rendering (physics and mathematics softwares could take advantage of this). There are some existing tools that can be leveraged for this; for example, [http://sourceforge.net/projects/ogl-es Vincent] is an OpenGL/ES implementation that provides software rendering for constrained devices like cell phones; SwShader, precursor of transgamings' [http://www.transgaming.com/swiftshader.php SwiftShader] and many others. Having (limited) OpenGL capability does add some capabilities to the device without requiring additional hardware.<br />
<br />
==== Software Installation, Package Manager, Central Repository ====<br />
<br />
How relevant is a polished end-user friendly Package Manager? With limited memory, are you more likely to uninstall and try another application and install back one? In the beginning, how important is it to be able to very easily get patched new versions of the software? Underlying question: Is a central repository of applications desirable? Completely open, anybody can submit their (pre-compiled) package?<br />
<br />
[[User:Vorburger|Vorburger]]<br />
<br />
Should there be an easy way to install and remove applications from the device without corrupting the system image? I am thinking of something like klik (http://klik.atekon.de/). -- [[User:DPalmerJr|DPalmerJr]]<br />
<br />
-> An initial proposal and a proof-of-concept demo is [http://klik.atekon.de/wiki/index.php/OLPC here]. -- [[User:Probono|Probono]]<br />
<br />
I am on a team developing a deeply embedded losely connected ARM-based Linux system (64 MiB RAM, 512 MiB disc). We have discovered the hard way that it's best to support in-field upgrades -- right from day 1. Even with an effective release management + testing/validation team, specs will change, improvements will be made, bugs will slip through. Our devices are connected via slow satellite links and connect to our infrastructure as infrequently as once per month. We cannot feed a lot of data through the link without blowing our power budget. Even if/when we are willing to risk an over-the-air in-field upgrade, we may not have the bandwidth/power budget. We have found conventional package managers (dpkg, rpm) are too coarse-grained when dealing with skinny pipes and power budgets. A package manager supporting deltas would be preferable. We have even considered downloading source patches and re-compiling on the embedded device. Your network will be faster than ours, so YMMV. <br />
<br />
System development + testing will benefit from a slick patch/upgrade mechanism too.<br />
<br />
I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to upgrade the devices via the mesh cluster - upgrade one device and the rest can upgrade from it. Use public-key-encryption to sign 'blessed' packages. <br />
<br />
I consider a well-thought-out, secure, trustable, user-controlable package management system to be critical to system stability, extensibility, maintainability, and ultimately to the success of this project. -- [[User:BCL|BCL]]<br />
<br />
-> A system using bundled, self-contained applications like [http://klik.atekon.de/wiki/index.php/OLPC this] could facilitate mesh-sharing of applications. -- [[User:Probono|Probono]]<br />
<br />
==== Laptop as USB-Drive ====<br />
<br />
It would probably be useful if the laptop could be accessed as a USB-Drive, like a digital camera.. In the Software Development context hackers could probably also configure File Sharing via the WiFi... but simple "USB cross cabling" could be interesting to end-users because it's: a) most simple, b) secure, probably OK to give access to entire filesystem, if locally attached, c) doesn't need Wifi; the nearest Internet Cafe in a bigger town will let children/teacher USB-connect their laptop to one of their stations to copy over a newly downloaded application, but not have a Wifi basestation; at least not where I have travelled in India.<br />
<br />
:Why take the laptop to the big town when you can take a thumbdrive instead. Better yet, why not just wait for the content to come to you on a CD-ROM. Send an email by motorcycle-net to order the content you want, and next week, the [[Motoman]] motorcycle brings it on CD during the regular delivery. Works in Vietnam.<br />
<br />
[[User:Vorburger|Vorburger]]<br />
<br />
Maybe a software can be developed for this. Since the system is going to be "Linux Based", just accesing the filesystem should allow to configure almost everything. A software that gives access to the filesystem (and emulate a camera or an USB thumb), could be included. Or maybe, a special cable provided with the laptop (that uses one special of the 3 USB ports) could allow direct access to filesystem. (or with a switch somewhere in the laptop that even without power makes it work as a USB-Drive, even with the posibility of charging batteries while connected).<br />
<br />
[[User:Gandolfi|Gandolfi]]<br />
<br />
==== Hard-Reset built-in ====<br />
<br />
Curious kids will certainly easily manage to screw up the software side of the device - and they should! A built-in hard-reset that can re-initialize the OS etc. from ROM; sort of like some modern laptops have a hidden partition on the HDD that can re-install without the usual Recovery CD, could be useful.<br />
<br />
You always have the problem of personal data, files, and configuration settings. Some solution for that would have to be provided; e.g. easily copy to your friend's device over the wireless network?<br />
<br />
[[User:Vorburger|Vorburger]]<br />
<br />
This is a very good point. If we use a compressed read-only file (or partition) with most of the filesystem (specially the part under /usr) we can not only stuff a lot more software in there, but also resetting would be a much simpler operation. Basically all it had to do was to untar a "factory default" tar file (or something like that) into the writtable part of the flash storage.<br />
<br />
We could have a boot option, where the user would type "reset" or something like that, to boot a "rescue" kernel and initrd that just did this operation. -- Paulo Marques<br />
<br />
<br />
There's a problem in the Microsoft Windows world with newly-installed systems. You have to go on-line to get the latest security patches from Microsoft. But as soon as you go on-line with an unpatched system you're at risk of infection from viruses. <br />
<br />
The reset operation could be integrated with the patch/upgrade mechanism whereby the system will only install secure signed OS-level packages until either the system or the user decides it's OK to open the doors for business. -- [[User:BCL|BCL]]<br />
<br />
====Font technology====<br />
<br />
Which font technology is to be used?<br />
<br />
The OLPC uses Linux with GTK which includes Pango as a component. It also uses FreeType which means that the OLPC uses cross-platform TrueType fonts.<br />
<br />
Yes, OpenType fonts will much better render complex scripts. The Pango and SIL Graphite projects are cooperating on the design of their rendering engines and the fonts they will need.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this isn't a problem that OLPC needs to solve. Experts are working on it. OLPC will leverage their work. For an example of why OLPC is not directly working on the font problem, read [http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/2/5/01839/12103 this article on Tibetan writing].<br />
<br />
It is important that a thorough analysis of the character rendering technology and font technology needed is carried out.<br />
<br />
--[http://www.sil.org/ SIL] is the world's foremost research institution on such matters. They work in more than a thousand languages, and maintain the Ethnologue catalog of more than 6,000 documented human languages.<br />
<br />
--There are such experts at the heart of the font and rendering engine initiatives described throughout this article. I have observed experts from universities and from SIL, Red Hat, Apple, Microsoft, Sun, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Evertype, commercial font vendors, vendors of font creation software,...since that is who makes up the Unicode Consortium. The portion of their efforts that goes into Linux will inevitably end up on the OLPC products.<br />
<br />
Here is a transcript of what I wrote before.<br />
<br />
--I use Pango rendering and properly implemented TrueType fonts on my Linux system to render conjuncts without difficulty. Some TrueType fonts have the glyphs but not the substitution tables; they render with great ugliness. The Akruti fonts, developed in India for all of the major alphabets of India, were placed under the GPL (GNU Public License) as Free Software some time ago (on Gandhi's birthday). There are distributions of Linux in several languages of India, and more on the way.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
''The best, of course :-). Fontconfig does fonts substitution on a linguistic level, beyond what Windows and the Mac does. [http://www.pango.org/ Pango] is probably the most advanced layout library around, though further work for some scripts is needed. [http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&item_id=GraphiteFAQ#WhatIsGraphite The graphite description] says that Sil is working on integrating it with Pango. - jg''<br />
<br />
For European languages such as French and Spanish an ordinary font technology such as TrueType is fine. For languages using Latin script yet using accented characters which do not each have a precomposed Unicode character, including many in Africa, an advanced font format is necessary. This is so that glyph substitution can take place to convert a sequence of a base character followed by a combining accent into a "looks right" display. Any rendering engine with any font containing the appropriate glyphs can put an accent mark over a character, but only OpenType can specify exactly where the mark should go for best appearance.<br />
<br />
''Freetype, used by almost everything these days on open source formats, handles a plethora of font types, from Type 1, to TrueType, to OpenType; note that anyone wanting to introduce yet another font format had best be examining how to do it as a Freetype plugin - jg''<br />
<br />
Arabic script systems (Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, etc.) need an advanced font technology and an advanced rendering engine. Chinese does not need an advanced font technology system. For languages of the Indian subcontinent typewriter-like displays can be achieved without an advanced font technology. For full support of conjunct ligatures an advanced font technology is needed, and similarly for other Asian alphabets (Sinhalese, Lao, Khmer, Myanmar, Tibetan, Mongolian, etc.).<br />
<br />
''We know of some open issues with Thai & pango, but believe that they can be solved and that Pango handles most languages already (e.g. Arabic, the Indic languages. Please help determine where further work may be needed. - jg''<br />
<br />
''Please note the use of Fontconfig on open source systems for font naming and substitution - jg''<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
====Email Client requirements====<br />
<br />
Email is the only well known internet application that doesn't depend on a working TCP/IP connection to the internet. It's model is the paper postal service where there are only one or two connections per day, when the postie visits the letterbox. <br />
<br />
It is very likely that these laptops will be in the situation where the link to the outside world will be a fragile connection running at very low speeds. If it's a modem line it's likely that the quality is so poor that echo cancellation will fail; this will limit the speed to 2400bps duplex (higher if half duplex). This is not enough for a shared web connection for thirty kids. <br />
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This is okay for email with some rules:<br />
* The email client must be self contained.<br />
* The MTA must be light and capable of very versatile store and forward without help from DNS.<br />
* The MTA on the client must be capable of ad-hoc forwarding. ie the child can tell it to give their mail to another client, one who's going to school today.<br />
* The client must have good facilities for splitting files into multiple emails (and joining) so a maximum message size of say 16kb would not be a problem.<br />
* The ability to put the mail on a USB key. The bandwidth of a real postie with a pocket full of USB keys could be rather high.<br />
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A good model for this might be the old [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidonet FidoNet] networks, though a cleaner addressing scheme would be nice.<br />
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Having just email is not as limiting as you might imagine you can access most of [http://www.faqs.org/faqs/internet-services/access-via-email/ the internet by email.]<br />
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-- <br />
Robert de Bath -- March 2006<br />
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PS: I just did the math, I've got a 1Gbyte flash key so my bandwidth on the daily commute to work is 99kbps!<br />
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=====Motorcycle E-mail Network=====<br />
This is an excellent idea and should be part of the core OLPC project. Here is how it is currently being done in rural Cambodia. http://www.parish-without-borders.net/cditt/cambodia/dailylife/2004/rural-internet.htm<br />
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Remember, the OLPC is NOT A LAPTOP. It is a system comprising laptops, children, teachers, applications, content, USB-devices, etc.<br />
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====WLAN MAC Address====<br />
There might be privacy issues related to the WLAN MAC address. The MAC is somehow similar to the unique serial number in the CPU-ID except that it is ''additionally broadcast'' around. "Quick, she/he is leaving, lets start eating the apples." A WLAN mesh might allow for relatively fine grained position tracking.<br />
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==== Broadcast GPS/Galileo Position, send tiles of local map ====<br />
If an OLPC has access to its GPS coordinates these should optionally be sent via WLAN. Distribution could be combined with a kind of reliability information (maybe like a kind of superset of stratum in the ntp protocol). <br />
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OLPCs without direct access should store the coordinates of a nearby OLPCs with position information. This would allow an OLPC connecting to a WLAN to download/display a local map (f.e. download of an area of 80x80km, display 20x20 km (first guess for a compromise between WLAN range, walking area, map detail, bandwith, OLPC distribution)).<br />
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This can help the answer to "Where am I? Where are you from?" (local map, country, continent, earth, and solar system if need should arise:). Tiles of the detailed map could be available for other OLPC. - Frieder Ferlemann 2006-06-06<br />
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====Python & kernel memory usage cooperation====<br />
OLPC will push the Linux environment to run in much tighter memory constraints -- small RAM and no swap or paging space. And it's using Python rather than C for many commonly running apps. Currently, running out of memory is handled very primitively -- in the kernel, by killing the biggest application running; in Python applications, by exiting with an error message. This clearly won't suffice, but I haven't seen any plans to improve it.<br />
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(Correction: that is not strictly right. In case of memory pressure kernel will start freeing up memory by removing temporary cache buffers, dropping memory pages of the executable files if possible (will not do that if the programs are already executed in place), or shrink network buffers. OOM killer is really used only as last resort. By the way, the fact that kernel can and does manage buffer shrinking automatically actually discourages the applications from having own caches: the kernel has potential for a better control)<br />
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Python will have to learn to "give back memory" to the kernel when it doesn't need it. It could do this on a page-by-page basis with mmap calls, subsequent to garbage collection. Also, Python should be able to signal to the application (and/or libraries) that memory is tight and the upper level code should free unnecessary resources (such as caches). This signal should occur whenever an application is suspended, or goes unused for some period. And whenever the kernel runs low of memory.<br />
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A similar strategy should probably exist for other resources, such as filesystem space, and CPU time. The kernel should have a way to tell applications that demand is high, and that they should scale back their demand if they can.<br />
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The kernel will have to learn how to signal applications to reduce their memory usage. This is most important when there is NO memory left -- when the kernel currently picks and kills a process -- but it should be done before that point, when there's more flexibility. E.g. if an application wants to allocate another page temporarily while emptying its cache or doing a garbage collection, it can't do that when zero memory is left.<br />
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A new signal (SIGSHRINK?) is one way to communicate this to processes. Having them open something from /dev or /proc and listen on it would be another. Or just let applications (or a specialized process, like init) monitor /proc/meminfo and /proc/stat and take actions accordingly. These capabilities would be useful in the upstream kernel and applications.<br />
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A daemon like inetd could allow applications to totally terminate when idle and/or when signalled to shrink. An application, that was coded to know how to resume on demand, could pass any file descriptors that need to stay open up to the daemon (e.g. open network connections or ttys), then terminate. The daemon would wait for I/O activity on those connections, and fork a new copy of the process when needed. -- John Gilmore<br />
:Normally [http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/November2000/article175.shtml xinetd] is part of Fedora. It currently seems to have been removed from the OLPC distro.<br />
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Applications could check for free memory before starting and refuse to run if too much memory is in use. The only support needed is a reliable way for a Python app to get meaningful numbers for total memory and memory used. (This works assuming the the app knows in advance how much memory it is going to need, independent of what the user does with it. The kernel will actually do this for you: if there's no swap space, and you allocate all your memory early in the process's life, you'll get ENOMEM and you can die cleanly then. -John Gilmore)<br />
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More effort could be put into keeping applications slimmed down. Perhaps some tools to analyze redundancy, i.e. linking to a non-shared library that some other app also links to non-shared. Multiple versions of the same library. Busybox has done a lot of this kind of refactoring for basic UNIX utilities. [http://valgrind.org/ Valgrind] is also a tool to keep in mind: it does a very good job of bookkeeping of all memory allocations and one of the programs shipped with it, cachegrind, helps to minimize CPU cache impacts.<br />
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==Network Protocol==<br />
I think the most important single choice is the mesh protocol, because it is likely to have a longer deployment than any implementation of the hardware, OS, or application software.<br />
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I figured that the best mesh protocol would minimize total routing waste, in order to reduce power use. Computation will use less power as technology advances, but transmission power is going to be limited by physics at some point.<br />
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I researched mesh protocols at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hoc_routing_protocol_list the wikipedia]. <br />
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The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazy_Sighted_Link_State_Routing_Protocol hazy-sighted link state protocol] just stood out among the choices.<br />
It is mathematically optimized to minimize network waste.<br />
This means that it minimizes power and won't be easily improved-upon.<br />
It also has a fairly old, well-debugged, publicly deployed open source implementation that runs on diverse hardware, and is about the right size and shape (small).<br />
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The least surprising choice is probably [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLSR OLSR] (which ''periodically'' floods the network with limited routing data). <br />
The simplest protocol is probably [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AODV AODV] (a distance vector protocol that floods the network with routing information),<br />
The others seem to be research projects, or proprietary, and I would avoid them, even though some are specifically geared to power saving.<br />
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[[User:Ray Van De Walker|Ray Van De Walker]] 10:34, 26 May 2006 (EDT)<br />
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[[Category:Software ideas]]</div>Memracom