Talk:Main Page

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French Version

I can offer my help by translating this page into French.

  • Is the OLPC team interested ?
  • How could I add the link in the translations bar when it's done ?

--EdX 16:38, 8 March 2007 (EST)

Ok, I found it alone, to add the link I will edit The OLPC Wiki/translations
--EdX 11:23, 9 March 2007 (EST)

Language links

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 --Stranger 11:42, 2 July 2006 (EDT) Template:Languagebar

Spanish link

[[1]] --Dagoflores 23:42, 16 January 2007 (EST)

Wikifying the Front Page

'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.'

Another reason why you should create an account and login

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).

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.Walter 09:03, 24 June 2006 (EDT)

Recent changes page

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.

William Overington 7 April 2006

Hi William. Please consider getting an account at this wiki. Try this link for a longer list of recent changes. -- Mathias Schindler 07:44, 7 April 2006 (EDT)
If you have an account, you can set the recent changes to show a few hundred changes by default. -Jeff 14:02, 7 March 2007 (EST)

Who are you guys? Is OLPC a community project?

I saw a pseudo-thread over on here, linked from 'myths':

http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php/Software_Ideas_-_System_Software#Operating_System_Selection and http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php/Education_Ideas_Esperanto

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.

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. http://olpc.com has the latest news on the project. 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.

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?

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?
  • Yes, if this were truly community-focused, there shoul be Brazilians, Nigerians, Chinese, Thais here now. Let's face it—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.

The orange machine

A new picture has appeared on the Main Page.

There appear to be two upward-pointing arms.

It looks as if they may be moveable and would be folded down when the machine is being transported. Is that corect please?

Yes, they fold in to cover the USB ports and to be out of the way during transportation. Walter 10:44, 10 May 2006 (EDT)

Do the two upward-pointing arms contain aerials for the WiFi system?

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.

Orange-machine-rotate-small.jpg

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?

What is the health issue that is raised by having aerials that raise? Walter 10:44, 10 May 2006 (EDT)
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.

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?

We are working hard to make the laptop as safe as possible. Walter 10:44, 10 May 2006 (EDT)

I miss the crank or the replacement of the crank.

It has moved to the power brick.Walter 21:45, 3 June 2006 (EDT)

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 :-) 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.

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 robust in light of third-party solutions as well, which expect will be numerous. Walter 09:18, 16 June 2006 (EDT)

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.

I was wondering: Apart from the colors, are there any differences between the Orange and Green machines? Ahmad 11:15, 27 October 2006 (GMT+1)

There an numerous idustrial design changes between the orange and green machines, the most dramatic being: a change from a 7 inch to 7.5 inch diagonal display; the addition of a video camera and SD card slot; a latch system; game controller buttons; indicator lights; and battery placement. --Walter 08:12, 27 October 2006 (EDT)

A good use for the 3rd laptop...

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.

I hope this project takes off and flies high.

--I vote for that, hope Negroponte reads this...Mexico/Aguascalientes/--Dagoflores 19:53, 7 December 2006 (EST)

If only it were true!

This may well not be the best place to put this comment, but where is a better place?

The web page http://crank.laptop.org/gitbrowse.php has a footer saying the following.

We're putting a laptop in the hands of every child in the world. Learn more!

That is not, unfortunately, true. That is a pity, but nonetheless it is not true.

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.

Packet Forwarding in Reading Mode

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?

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. Walter 18:16, 19 June 2006 (EDT)

Attrition

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?

-DK USA

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. Walter 03:08, 20 June 2006 (EDT)
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 borrow one. 24.185.233.39 12:27, 8 July 2006 (EDT)

OLPC Albania

Would it be possible to link OLPC Albania from [2]? 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. Dori | Talk 09:03, 13 April 2006 (EDT)

Done. --Walter

OLPC in India discussion

Please refer to the Talk:OLPC India page.

The Time for the OLPCWiki in Spanish has come...

Y aqui les dejo la primera... página...

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.

La adopción de estas computadoras y su distribución en México, permitirá:

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. 

   * 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.
2.- Permitirá desarrollar una política de NO EXPORTAR TRABAJADORES, sino IMPORTAR TRABAJOS, al facilitar la realización de trabajos virtuales desempeñados sobre la red.

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. 

   * 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.

4.- Permitirá a los jubilados y discapacitados trabajar desde sus casas, brindando consejos y ayuda a los ciudadanos para sus problemas de...

a) Tareas y Estudio,

b) Domésticos y familiares,

c) Emprendedores y Pequeños empresarios,

d) Tramites y apoyos Gubernamentales,

e) Asesoría en Turismo. y haciendo traducciones, apuntes y otros trabajos.

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.

5.- Desarrollar una industria propia de computadoras, mediante la contratación del la fabricación y ensamble de sus partes en México. 

   * Actualmente el ensamble se realiza en China

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.

Atentamente,

Ing. Dagoberto Gmo. Flores Lozano Consultor en Ing. Industrial y de Sistemas, desempleado. Ex-Investigador y Profesor Universitario, Ex-becario de la Fundación Ford, en Berkeley, Aguascalientes, AGS. MEXICO dagoflores@prodigy.net.mx --Dagoflores 20:00, 7 December 2006 (EST)

German version

Ich vermisse die deutsche Version dieser Seite Jakob Mitzlaff

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.

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.

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 .

Interesting interview here (6th April 2006): http://www.zdnetindia.com/news/business/stories/140370.html

Hi Jakob. I have just finished translating laptop.org into German. See the source file at OLPC Germany/translation. -- Mathias Schindler 07:46, 7 April 2006 (EDT)

Let my wiki go!

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.

Ahh, much better now :-) --Sj 16:25, 26 June 2006 (EDT)

Typo in first URL link...

fuseproeject.com doesn't exist...

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

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

First URL link (www.fuseproject.com) nonfunctional

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. --Frief 16:22, 8 August 2006 (EDT)

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. --Walter 17:10, 8 August 2006 (EDT)
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. --Frief 19:19, 8 August 2006 (EDT)

How do I get a laptop for my kids?

Short answer: You can't.

Please refer to Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution for a better explanation. Also, Ask OLPC a Question for other questions regarding the project.

The name of the project is OLPC. My kid is a child but from a developed country. This does not mean we are able to spend money on expensive hardware for our kid ... Why we cannot buy an OLPC in developed countrys? Is there pressure from the industry ???

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?

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.

Do you really think so? There have been many retail efforts in the past, including [3] and [4] and [5] and [6]. Not to mention that it would be no big thing for schools in developed countries to buy thin clients like these: [7]. 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.--JordanCrouse (Talk to me!) 11:53, 15 August 2006 (EDT)
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? -- Ownut
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. --Memracom 16:49, 9 September 2006 (EDT)
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 The pledgebank pledge, which is aiming for 100,000 signors but has only 3% of its goal to date. Sj 16:17, 15 August 2006 (EDT)
I think not developing olpc commercially is a huge mistake. As soon as the releases are made, every kid who sees one (and hasn't got one) will want one, the same wil apply for linux users. Someone will fill that demand, if it's not olpc, that money will go to someone's pocket... someone who will once again make money off a good hearted, open-source project, but will not contribute to it.
Developing a commercial version will have the effect of exposing the design to user-driven instead of functional or objective-driven demands. Some will want a faster cpu, others more memory, or a gps, a bigger screens, this or that. This will make the number of SKUs to be maintained, stocked, distributed, etc. (and associate costs) go through the roof. I see the OLPC as the Model-T of laptops "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black."--Xavi 11:54, 23 December 2006 (EST)
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)
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.

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

How about, How can I get one of these for adults? I think every grown person would want one to fit their slightly larger fingers.
I'd like to buy one for supporting, testing and developping, but only at 100$. If I want to give 100$ more, it would be something else.

Developping Countries
I live in a developping country and so far neither has the govt expressed interest in purchasing laptops for kids (financial reasons probably) nor is my country listed anywhere on your plans. But I still maintain interest in the project and I'd love to buy one of your laptops but at $100 not more for the simple reason that for $200-$300 I can easily get a P3 computer and yes $1 costs damn much over here. So you have any plans to include countries (developping country, small market, govt means limited..) like mine in your roadmap?
fluxy

I live in Germany. I want one, like many others. As soon as they are shipped and in Childrens hands, there will be some on the grey market, e. g. some on contries ebay site. If these devices are not available legally at your local market and are as good as you say, there will be a remarkable collectors price for them. This makes it even more attractive for some criminal ore despaired parent to steal it and sell it. The lower a price on a legal consumer market the less you support a grey market and the more will stay in childrens hands.

Marcel

Users = Supporters in developped countries
Hi, I'm from Germany, now living and working in Switzerland. Like many others in the higher developped countries, and though I have a high-priced Laptop myself, I would like to have an OLPC Laptop - but not only for my children or those that I know (like my sister's), but also for myself: I think it would be a good idea for developers (I'm only playing around a little bit with Squeak and Python ;-) to have an item so they can work with it and try to help develop the platform and/or the applications.
I want to suggest to (a) sell the Laptop in the developped countries, but with a different colour - say, for instance, blue instead of green, and (b) sell it at a higher price (for instance, 200 US-$) So everyone could see that you did not take it away from a child in the developping countries and that - knowing that you purchased the laptop at a higher price, that you supported the project by buying one. I could imagine, that many people would be proud to have one and glad to help.
One could even think of the opportunity to (a) sell the OLPC laptop for at least 200, but also for 300 or 400 = giving people the chance to give more money to the project, and (b) "linking" the purchased computer somehow to the children that could get one laptop for free because you supported the project.
In fact - hopefully - like the iPod mentioned above, the "blue" OLPC could become very popular but also something to show that you support the project and realised that you are living in one world - where education is important. - I would like to buy 4-5 for 200-300 US-$, keep one for me and give the rest to children and, in doing so, hopefully help them to get an (or a better) understanding that there are other children working with the same laptop all over the world. I hope this could also help to create a little bit more consciousness in our children worldwide that they belong to one world where supporting each other is better than ignoring or even fighting each other.
"You may say, I'm a dreamer / but I'm not the only one / I hope some day you'll join us / and the world will live as one" (J. Lennon)

Bernd Kulawik

My first thought on reading through the sugar UI specs was "I want one!" My second thought was "I would gladly pay double so that a child somewhere could also have one." I came here to say that and found others already saying the same thing. I agree that it's a "no-brainer."

Any thoughts that you can somehow keep this machine simple by keeping it out of the hands of parents in developed countries is misguided. One way or another these machines will find their way to people with money. And nothing you can do will stop them from evolving and spurring imitation. This is a good thing to be embraced, not a bad thing to be avoided.

The interesting challenge is that, because this is such a deeply social machine (which is exactly why I want it!), it won't do much good to just get one of them. You really need to get a batch at a time (along with the server contraption that allows them to talk to each other). The other parents at my school would gladly pool their money to do this for our grade-school kids. That is, they would pay double: once to do it for their own kids, and again to provide for another classroom somewhere else in the world.

John Cartan www.cartania.com


Official Response?

Has anyone on the OLPC team given a reasoned, official response or rebuttal of the brilliant ideas in this thread? An iPod-like version for developed countries seems too brilliant and potentially synergistic to be ignored. Why isn't this part of the OLPC plan? This idea deserves a cogent rebuttal at the very least.

I couldn't agree more. Something like the Nokia N800 could really take off and would offer many orders of magnitude more in terms of software development by standardizing the platform. I think the commercial version should come first to provide the funding of the educational version. They are being a bit elitist about it by not licensing the design. I guess they don’t want to be trumped by someone else. Well I guess if money is not an issue for them then they can do whatever they want.


I'm a teacher in the UK and this project is excellent, every kid i teach should have one! Firstly I want one for myself - basically and initially to try it out. A considerable amount of money is spent in education on computers and software only to be tied to 'schools' and as a glorified 21st century typwriter. These computers and their new approach to working has the ability to really make a change in the way teaching and learning is carried out in schools and beyond. What is more the infrastructural savings in a school would be potentially large. Therefore this project should not just be about one laptop per child in the third world but for all children. In terms of cost - yes charge the developed countries $200 per machine to subsidise and provide access for others. I would also suggest and predict that once these machines and their potential are realised they will be finding their way into the classrooms of developed nations - how will you protect against this?

Just a few thoughts - i think these laptops have the potential to break the strangle hold of some companies - how can it be right that the software for a computer costs more than the hardware? I will be following this project closely and keen to get my hands on one!! In fact a class set to develop real network learning..

On a lighter note - the wind up handle will be a great way of encouraging developed countries kids to do some fitness and fight obesity!!

Topcheese

Clarification about Higher Resolution than 95% of laptops

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 [[8]], 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.) Mdrejhon 14:08, 17 August 2006 (EDT)

In reflective mode, our laptop is 200dpi in both X and Y, which is higher resolution than any laptop I've ever seen. --Walter 14:32, 17 August 2006 (EDT)

Various issues

Please correct the map link; south korea is not china. Please Do Correct This. Can't you differentiate korea from china?

Just three things:

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.

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

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.

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.

Red Hat selling OLPC out Marvellously.

http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=openbsd-misc&m=116007094304009&w=2 http://www.osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=16080 http://undeadly.org/cgi?action=article&sid=20061006000709

It would appear as though the project has been sold out already, isn't that just Marvellous. 74.13.33.153 11:45, 6 October 2006 (EDT)

re: about this wiki

The purpose of this wiki is to both share information about the project and to solicit ideas and feedback.

thank you User:Jg for considering twext as a last-minute candidate for OLPC_Google_Summer_of_Code 2006.. in preparation for SOC 2007, and in response to above solicitation for ideas, i posted twext + wiki = wixi which has been removed by an anonymous user and cited as spam.. regrets..
if one has an idea (which has already met with some acceptance from a multilingual education project aka OLPC) what is the protocol to share updated status of the idea? i will gladly edit any version to be of service to you (and kids to construct language learning).. please advise.. thank you

Please restrict edits to the article pages themselves to facts, not opinions.

constructivist pedagogy is strongly advertised throughout this site.. in fact, there are many learning theories and styles eg: http://www.funderstanding.com/about_learning.cfm .. while i'm actively in agreement with your preferred "opinion", please help me understand how it might seem ok for you to appear maybe slightly opinionated while claiming to prefer only "facts".. thanks..
You will note that these pages were not added by OLPC employees, but by outsiders interested in the project. I don't think OLPC necessarily advocates constructivism as much as that page may suggest. Facts are generally to be preferred in article pages --Jacobolus 18:55, 16 October 2006 (EDT)
i love OLPC!! <- opinion AND fact.. thank you =) Duke 12:46, 10 October 2006 (EDT)
If you had simply written a simple one-page summary of twext with URLs to other resources on OTHER WEB SITES then I would not have edited your page. However, what you in fact did was to create several pages that were not very concise and which gave the misleading impression that twext was an integral part of the OLPC project. One major factor in my decision was that you were MARKETING your ideas, not simply presenting them. By creating made up names such as twext, wixi and others, you are MARKETING not explaining. In addition, it is unclear whether or not this stuff of yours is patented and since OLPC has a goal to use open source as much as possible, I removed your text. You *DO* have a website that explains your twext concept. If you want to write a single page describing your system with a title like Twext - A System to Support Language Learning, then it would be more acceptable. However, if you persist in making that page a long rambling incoherent attempt at marketing, expect it to be edited down so that it has just the facts, including pointers to your competitors.

--195.16.185.35 08:58, 11 October 2006 (EDT)

very helpful, thank you.. again, apologies for crossing the line and sharing opinions.. but in fact, might there emerge new systems to support language learners?
made-up-names = marketing.. fact? if in fact what you want specifically is to block marketing from this wiki (while in fact soliciting public ideas), then opinion: EXPLICIT policy page might be helpful :)
patent: twext has an explicit open license for GPL and CCL uses (more soon).. patent's purpose is to cross-license with closed systems (ie locked copyrights) thus open, as much as possible, resources for any language learner..
edit one-page twext as you like =) thanks Duke 20:37, 12 October 2006 (EDT)

Security Concerns

So.... I get the whole concept of bringing technology to all demographic groups around the world. To that point I do not disagree with the effort and believe it to be a great initiative. However, I have concerns and questions about the security of this technology. It would appear you have some encryption and disk I/O algorithms that protect against malicious code. You've also stated that these laptops function in a web mesh network for code sharing. Do you not have concerns that children can be exploited by these laptops? Advanced computer users how have vast amounts of knowledge on how to attack Lynux. It would seem reasonable that you have built some level of file encryption or network protocols that restrict most types of content, sites, and unauthorized access. The real question lies in what controls you have in place to protect the children from attacks by individuals who seek to exploit children via the laptops. Opening the door to technology for younger generations has played a major role in recent exploitation in the US and around the globe. More and more children are chatting with predators and accessing content that is not suited for children. So, what measure of control and efforts to control this technology by monitoring and protecting the users (the children). I've read an article that spoke to your technology which indicated that files will be uploaded to a school once the laptop is within wireless range. Does that mean that every chat, email, or file will be monitored and then acted on by the school? It seems like a daunting task to get the level of coordination, technical support and awareness from less developed countries. Just protecting the system from disaster is not enough. You must also protect the children who use the technology. - Jay USA

Use in Brasil

olá sou de malacacheta/mg brasil. como inscrever minha escola no projeto? vai depender do governo brasileiro?

OLPC is working with the Brasilian government on the initial deployment plan.

Translation into spanish of The OLPC Wiki front page

I've just finished translating the The OLPC Wiki page into its spanish version. Since this is kind of the front-door page, where should it be hooked? I'm assuming that updates will be frequently required but I think I can manage them :)

Regarding translations, I've got a couple of doubts, suggestions and/or comments:

  • I created a 'Spanish' category with which to tag translations (into spanish, duh!)
    • but a wikipedia-like 'in other languages' box would really help to hook them up in a more transparent way (instead of editing the pages themselves to add them).
  • I'm (trying to) keep the original categories, but I'm afraid it kind of 'contaminates' the english categorization.
  • The original pages I'm translating usually use the {{OLPC}} template, and I've decided to keep it just to avoid people messing with them like the originals, although a special template would probably make more sense...
    • I haven't thought about locking the translations - particularly because of typos or bad wording that could've slipped and let others correct them.

Am I making sense? I'm no wiki-specialist... Any thoughts? --Xavi 14:53, 9 December 2006 (EST)

Visitor statistics

I'm starting to wonder about where the readers of this wiki are... Are they from 'destination' countries? Or mainly from the 'central' ones? Are they reading news and local info about their countries; or reading general or 'developers' information?

Are this kind of statistics available? Or a hit-counter service should be sought? (I like the visual aspect of ClustrMaps :) ). I'm pretty sure that the site has raw data... I've found the Special:Popularpages, and helpful as it might be, it lacks detail.--Xavi 16:53, 19 December 2006 (EST)

Bold text what about american children???? as an amercian company,many of you benefitted from american education. why would you think about third world children first, when there are so many children who would benefit right here in america.... and now you are saying i cant buy a laptop??? where is your loyalty????

Recent AP Article

The local newspaper had an article Sunday on OLPC attributed to AP. It stated that the price of the OLPC laptop has been raised to $150, but I could'nt find any verification of that here or on laptop.org so I am thinking that this article (which was'nt very good IMHO) is a bit of bad press at work. Perhaps the Main Page should have links to one page that covers the most important correct and updated facts like: which countries are now onboard, the price, release dates and the like.

Will the laptops reach the children?

I love the core idea of this project, but as been mentioned before i'm a bit worried that, like other aid, the laptops will become desirable for criminals. And the end result is a free $100 for a drug addict in Namibia.

What metrics will be applied to verify that the project is successful? How will you distribute the laptops to ensure maximum success? How do you envision the distribution process?

I'd hate to see this *excellent* project to die out in 18 months at the same time we start reading news about how these laptops are helping guerilla groups in Africa, by use and re-sale, or how kids are being mugged or even killed for its value. A $100 electronic device (that doesn't need electricity(!)) must be a VERY desirable item in many countries.

Anyway. best of luck to you all!

How does one say XO please?

Some pages within the http://www.laptop.org webspace use XO within a sentence, yet there does not seem to be anywhere where there is an indication of how to say XO in speech.

For example, the page http://www.laptop.org/laptop/hardware/index.shtml has the following.

The XO is a potent learning tool created expressly for the world's poorest children living in its most remote environments.

Should this sentence be ammended to read something such as the following?

The XO (in speech please say "ZO", so as to rhyme with "GO") is a potent learning tool created expressly for the world's poorest children living in its most remote environments.

Or the following?

The XO (in speech please say "EX-OH") is a potent learning tool created expressly for the world's poorest children living in its most remote environments.

Maybe the first option above is preferable. However, if there is no guidance one way or the other then there may well be confusion on a long-term basis.

Maybe there is some other way of saying XO which is different from both of the above possibilities?

XO is now being used as a word and thus there is a need to know how to say it in speech.

Writing and saying the plural of XO

How about XOj as the plural of XO. In speech one would say ZOJ so as to rhyme with the English word JOY. The use of the j suffix for the plural and the way of saying the -oj ending coming from Esperanto. Esperanto does not have a letter X or x so XOj is not an Esperanto word.

OLPC Foundation site

Is the http://www.olpcfoundation.org link valid? There's nothing there (except a domain host dummy site)... all I see is

This page is parked free, courtesy of GoDaddy.com

followed by a whole bunch of links... --Xavi 23:04, 6 February 2007 (EST)

olpcfoundation.org is registered to the same person (Michail Bletsas @ MIT Media Lab) as laptopfoundation.org, which is the "real" foundation site. It appears that merely a redirect is in order unless there is an actual difference between the two. -- ScottSwanson 09:28, 7 March 2007 (EST)
I had forgotten about my post! I must've been too anxious and followed the link even before the things had been set up... so feel free to delete this section. --Xavi 11:53, 7 March 2007 (EST)
Let's not delete it so fast; if there are references to http://www.olpcfoundation.org out there, then Michail (or someone) needs to set up that redirect so that people are directed to laptopfoundation.org and not the GoDaddy parking page. -- ScottSwanson 09:39, 8 March 2007 (EST)

B2 release notes?

Should there be a link to the B2 release notes on the first line of the 'News' section mentioning B2?

Also, if B2 users are supposed to also read the B1 release notes, that should be explicitly called out.

Hard Questions for OLPC

There are a number of issues that need serious consideration in this project:

1) The features being designed are exciting. Given the creative commons approach, one can be assured that these features, as happened with Linux, will appear on systems from multinational corporations to student computers in all schools. The technological advances and advantages will be neutral and accessible to all

2) With the exception of developmental issues needing the size of laptops, the developed world is going small. Think Ipods with movies, MP3, cell phones and PDA's. Think cell phones in remote villages in wired environments. Think about the need to work and learn since one of the major issues for developing worlds is the need for children to contribute substantively to family income. Wearable and small is the trend. Think cost to governments to off set income loss for school age children not working.

3) While the aim is for the $100 computer, real costs which will far exceed the cost of the laptop, is the bandwidth. Think about cell companies, cable and satellite companies who give away phones to sell bandwidth and content.

4) Social impacts are changes in learning from individual to groups. Think smart mobs and mmorpgs. This implies changes in how students receive knowledge and are evaluated causing new paradigms to impact on the cost to revamp the education system

The question then is "why not just take 1000 computers and do several tests of concepts in the field. The issue is not having the creative technology but understanding the issues that such a deployment will raise within the communities. How about a test in Bangledesh, Guatemala and an English, Spanish or French speaking community in Africa.

tom abeles tabeles@hotmail.com 19 March 2007

For the children

I wonder the feasibility of OLPC,if there is no internet,it doesnt help to fill in the digital gap.Besides,For the poor country like China (where I was born),the rural educational expenditures are very limited,and some primary school teachers in the country side only earn 50 US dollars a month and the payments are often fallen behind,you may understand the major problem for the developping country.They just need to invest more money to basic educational infrastructure,not the expensive little machine.--193.54.193.1 23:20, 19 March 2007 (EDT)

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