thinking of getting a One Laptop: http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php

Nov 19, 2007 at 3:33 PM
1 comment

BD:

You totally should. I've been really tempted myself
and even downloaded the vmware image to try to run
the software via an emulator and see what it was like
(I didn't succeed).
Another big surprise was the walmart $200 linux pc :
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/12/2235200
Not as feel-good as the olpc (kind of the opposite I
guess), but still nice to see this kind of thing
coming out.

RS:

I did. Put in my order on the 12th from xxxx. $423 with shipping. Not sure when it's due to arrive, but I'd like to think w/in the next week.
Yes, I'm very curious about this thing and have been following it for a while. I've got an ongoing interest in international development work and have a cousin that works for the UN doing food aid distribution and have talked to him about it. I had a bit of cynical skepticism (what? you're going to give a starving child a laptop? gee, isn't that nice.), but he said that there are some good examples where internet access in rural areas has really helped -- farmers being able to check rice prices online so they're not gouged by the local buyer, villages being able to check how much aid the gov't allotted to them so they can bitch when the local governor is corrupt.
In short, I like the concept and was willing to throw $200 at it as a donation. I was even more willing to throw another $200 and get one for myself. Partly I just want to see whether I like what they've come up with and how well it works. On the selfish level, though, I figure it's a cheap, durable laptop for travel -- web access, a bit of text work, we'll see if it's any good for photos. Plus, between low power consumption and the supposed ability to charge from a solar cell (don't think it comes with it...I'm planning to try hooking it up to one of the battery trickle chargers they use on sailboats), you could use it to hang out in the park (or, in my case, on a boat) for the day.
Don't remember if you were around when J. & I were talking about it, but he's thinking about getting one too. It's an open-source Linux system, which he figures he can just replace with a command-based version, and he can use it in the park to work on code development.
In any case, I've got one headed my way. I'll let you know what I think.