Talk:OLPC myths

Flash vs HD

Since the Gb cost of Flash memory is much higher than that of a standard HD, wouldn't it be much better to have a hard drive? More storage capacity, at a comparable price. Flash is OK, but too expensive.

But Flash is much more robust in the context of our deployment. A broken high-capacity HD is not of much use. Walter 02:04, 5 May 2006 (EDT)

Didn't the specs say that it had USB ports? When they need hard drives I'm sure USB hard drives will be available.--FazzMunkle 23:18, 8 September 2006 (EDT)

Just tightening up the wordings, clearing up potential misunderstandings and adding some entries

I added one more that I see a lot of. That of value judgements placed on this project simply because companies like Microsoft have come up with their own ideas.--FazzMunkle 14:21, 19 March 2006 (EST)

The recycling myth/misunderstanding entry

I figured it should be elaborated on and the original dealt with two distinct issues of recycling/disposability, one possibly answering the other. I hope I kept the original spirit of the entry.--FazzMunkle 11:21, 21 March 2006 (EST)

Elaborated on the "more harm than good" myth.

I figured some exploration on why people think this was in order.--FazzMunkle 11:44, 21 March 2006 (EST)

Just want to advise people against personal opinion

A few times in the added text it looked like the additions were more from personal opinion than from impartial observation. But it doesn't look like it. Nevertheless there is the possibility that from our personal belief in this program may come opinions from emotion that may color this list of myths as more propoganda than a list of missunderstandings and factual corrections. Let's keep a certain discipline when maintaining this list for future notes of mind. It's ok to list shortcomings as well as advantages of this project/program. After all, the honest and frank person can gain the most reverence when all is said and done.

I myself have entered into this with opinions borne more out of emotion than facts, but ever since the initial entry I've strived to keep things as informational as possible with a clinical mind and vocabulary. While keeping things concise yet still getting the right information across without confusion or chance of taking things out of context by those against the project/program. It would behoove us to keep it this way. If we've made factual or judgement errors in our entries, we're all there to back each other up without feeling bad about it. :-) That's how a wiki works. heh.--FazzMunkle 07:14, 26 March 2006 (EST)

When this page was first proposed, it was suggested that every effort be made to cite sources for both the myths and the "facts." This sort of discipline might help with the all-too-human tendency to let emotion color the discussion. Walter 04:13, 7 June 2006 (EDT)

Yeah, that's what I was hoping. Some people would know what I was talking about and edit to provide sources. One of the frustrations is that I've heard many of these myths and read many of these myths, but I'll be darned if I can find those sources again. I was only able to cite a couple sources.

But feel free to modify or delete any myths you might not think are too realistic or that might not be widespread.--FazzMunkle 15:25, 7 July 2006 (EDT)

This laptop will do more harm than good

A technology is never "simply a tool". Technology is never neutral; it embeds within its design the desires, assumptions, and beliefs of its maker. Thus the development of the laptop contains within it a particular Western view of how people learn and how society should be run. Do we want to undertake this form of technological imperialism when, as you've said, there are many languages and cultures that seem to be "dying out"? Given that the laptop, at least in the forms that I've seen, uses an English-style keyboard, I cannot see how its use will help revive dying languages. As well, I would contend that the need to close the "digital divide" is still debatable; can we not imagine another world that is not so infused with technology? Something that is developed from the bottom-up, instead of outside influences coming in with some sort of top-down, imposed program. ---nak

Where is the evidence dying languages are harmed by computing? Walter 07:04, 21 July 2006 (EDT)

Erm... *scratches head* I'm not sure who made that entry/edit about languages and I don't really have an answer for it in order to edit it. If it's wrong then correct it if you know it's wrong or if you can find evidence it's true. It was an interesting theory, I just didn't know enough to know if it was an actuality. The original entry was concerned with more the digital divide between cultures.--FazzMunkle 23:27, 8 September 2006 (EDT)