Opposing Views

This page is to record views of those opposed to the project for various reasons, including those who, while they may agree with the project goals, disagree with the means the project proposes to achieve those goals.

1. Article on views of a Human Resources Development minister in India regarding the OLPC project
2. Teaching, Institutional and Professional Barriers (The sincere anxieties of a well-wishing friend.)
3. Intel's Classmate PC is held out as an alternative to the OLPC system. (As this sentence is written its public hardware specs are at a vaporware detail level compared to the Hardware_specification published for the remarkably feature-rich and innovative OLPC machine.) Articles mentioning the Classmate PC include the following:
   CNet 2006 July 15
   Fortune 2006 October 24 (This article says in part: Any project this grand is sure to have its detractors. The most vociferous is Intel...)
   IHT(AP) 2006 December 5 (Note on the issue of shipping costs raised in this article: Annenberg Media's 2002 Workshop number 8 for US grade 7-12 geography teachers, described here, includes a video which makes the following claim:
   In just the last 15 years, the cost of shipping a VCR across the Pacific was reduced 95% from $30 to about $1.50.)

   Q. Why would Intel's Classmate PC be an Opposing Views? Lots of ink/bits could be wasted arguing about it, but as Nicholas Negroponte said: "It's an education project, not a laptop project." So if it gets the job done reasonably well (all OLPC, Intel, governments, schools and kids are going to have to make concessions), I would support it just the same. My 'fears' about Intel's project are relative to its committement level and that competition could turn into attrition... Currently, I like OLPC's spirit much better... ;) --Xavi 07:50, 13 December 2006 (EST)

   A. The hopelessly naive Minister of Education says the following to the Intel marketing representative:
   

   We don't have enough money to buy into both the OLPC project and another project which uses Intel's Classmate PC reference design. How should we use our money?
   

   What do you think the Minister is told? Intel could conceivably offer the continuing OLPC project a suitable microprocessor or other ICs in the future; but for now they are offering an entirely different system for school use. - Docdtv 04:50, 14 December 2006 (EST)