Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 14th May 2008 09:02 UTC
Back in November of 2006, I wrote a piece about the One Laptop Per Child Project. I was afraid that the project's focus on creating a whole new paradigm (the Sugar UI) would ultimately intervene with the actual goal of the project: teaching stuff to kids. Ivan Krstic, former director of security architecture at OLPC, wrote an essay in which he heavily criticises the OLPC project.
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RE[3]: Free software helps learning
by zombie process on Wed 14th May 2008 15:53
in reply to "RE[2]: Free software helps learning"
Member since:2005-07-08
Regardless of his beliefs, the fact of the matter is that there is no indication that anyone these laptops are meant for has asked RMS to step in and save them from Microsoft.
OTOH, the whole project is very poorly managed as far as I can tell - the few I have seen (or have first hand knowledge of) have died quickly due do faulty screens, bad power supplies, bad batteries, and one even died from a firmware upgrade. It's apparently a major PITA or impossible to RMA them w/o luck or help.
RE[4]: Free software helps learning
by lemur2 on Thu 15th May 2008 02:14
in reply to "RE[3]: Free software helps learning"
Member since:2007-02-17
Regardless of his beliefs, the fact of the matter is that there is no indication that anyone these laptops are meant for has asked RMS to step in and save them from Microsoft.
I believe you got this the wrong way around. The end users of the laptops are not the ones who needed to be saved from Microsoft ... it was the OLPC project itself that needed saving from inteference and hinderance and straight out obstruction by Microsoft and Intel.
In the end the OLPC project could not hold out against that.
Member since:
2007-04-13
Sorry, let me just highlight the last sentence of yours:
"In this case I think it is important to forget our own agendas, and think about the primary goal: education."
All the other companies involved in creating OLPC competition this have shown only a commitment to their own agendas and had a very negative impact on OLPC as a result, often through lobbying, a tactic the OLPC team obviously can't do as they can't pay off corrupt government officials as it appears classmate sales staff can do.
Stallman maybe wants to further Free Software but this is because he believes it is the best tool and not because it makes him money or massages his ego.