Talk:Official OLPC FAQ

The FAQ is getting quite long. Wouldn't it make sense to start bringing questions together in Types and Categories of Questions ?

I think the those who want to talk about the olpc educational initiative and the xo-xs combination would really benefit from that. I'm one of them. I've noticed after a while the number of questions is not unlimited. It's a couple of hundred of questions and then it's variations on the same theme. But when in front of an audience, some questions can really take you off-guard. It is good when you can turn to a place - even in front of the whole audience - where you might find the question has been asked before and an answer. It also makes sense in to have it in respect of olpc's Knowledge Management (on FAQ's). Herewith a kickstart/showcase of how it would look:

Types / Categories of Questions

--SvenAERTS 01:03, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Why does this "Official OLPC FAQ" not show "supervised by OLPC mgt" in green?

Some pages are supervised. They show that notice at the top. This page hasn't. I doubt this is an official OLPC FAQ. I think it is just another page created and contributed in by the open and free community around OLPC. --SvenAERTS 07:19, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

What can a $1,000 laptop computer do that the XO Laptop cannot?

Run faster and hold more and bigger programs and data files. I have switched to the XO with an external USB keyboard and mouse for use at conferences, but I do production writing and graphics on my $1000 laptop with Ubuntu because of the bigger screen and more powerful applications provided.--Mokurai 20:00, 14 December 2007 (EST)

It's better to just get to the point on this one, clear and no-nonsense.

limited by hardware

full-screen video, modern 3D graphics, Microsoft Windows

limited by software

YouTube video, MP3 playback, spreadsheets

Proposed new text:

Building a rugged and efficient laptop for under $200 obviously requires compromise. The XO is unable to do accelerated 3D graphics as used by many games, is unable to run Microsoft Windows, and is not expected to do full-screen video. Currently the included software does not include support for YouTube video, MP3 playback, or spreadsheets. The XO does not include built-in Ethernet or modem hardware.

AlbertCahalan 02:14, 13 November 2007 (EST)

The screen is about 30-50% of the costs of a laptop. Just look at the costs of a replacement screen of a"$1,000 laptop computer" on a second hand site. I assume that a 1.000 $ computer has a much larger screen that the XO's 7.5” dual-mode TFT display. Such a bigger screen also needs much more power and cooling, so that's another part where the $ 1.000 has to go to. The XO doesn't need such big screen, hence less power and battery. The $1,000 laptop computer probably can't benefit from a structured organisation like an educational sector in a country. Rationally, you don't need fast computing all the time. The XO is used in group most of the time and in combination with a fast XS-Server, the school / kids use for storing info, replacing a a large HD by DRAM memory: 1GB or 2GB DDR3 dynamic RAM; Mass storage: 4 GiB or 8GiB NAND flash - and the XS-Server has a fast processor and does a large part of the processing, delivering more results to the XO's, so the XO's only have to do computing locally e.g. on scrolling the screen, drawing lines, adding text, small calculations in spreadsheets, music, voip calling and collaborating, etc. --SvenAERTS 07:16, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

G1G1 extension

Suggest updating the G1G1 program end date which is now the 31st of December. This would change at least two sections of the FAQ.

LeeColleton 12:49, 26 November 2007 (EST)

Thanks; just updated the 2 sections - Danny

Question: Can my organization work with the schools getting the laptops?

My NGO Earth Treasury works with organizations in some of the G1G1 countries (Haiti, Rwanda, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Mongolia), and would like to expand to the others. Is there a way to find out which schools are in the program, and offer our services? In particular, we have schools in several other countries that would like to arrange a sister school relationship with an OLPC-equipped school.--Mokurai 20:00, 14 December 2007 (EST)

Buying OLPC

Perhaps a link can be added to http://www.pixelqi.com/faq which has actual (if vague) timelines for private buying of an olpc-like computer.

What would adding that link to the FAQ contribute when the text on that page itself specifically says "To buy the laptop we suggest you stay in touch with One Laptop per Child." and "I want to buy $75 laptops for the school children in my region, what is the next step? Please work with One Laptop per Child on this. They will be distributing Pixel Qi's products for educational use. Pixel Qi is committed to delivering OLPC products at cost. There is no cost savings by working with Pixel Qi, and OLPC is better set up to serve your needs." Cjl 15:47, 3 April 2008 (EDT)

More on buying a laptop.

While some might view the issue as harming purity, I would suggest a note in this section that some laptops are available for purchase on EBay. If a person wants to become a developer, and has figured out that the developer program has no machines to give out, then it seems disingenuous to avoid pointing out the only reliable outlet.

"While there are no plans for another G1G1 purchasing opportunity, some of these laptops are being resold on Ebay." CharlesMerriam 06:58, 20 March 2008 (EDT)

I don't see any harm reminding people to check the obvious second hand market stores like ebay. --SvenAERTS 00:55, 7 August 2013 (UTC)