Slashdot Log In
OLPC's "Give 1 Get 1" Comes To Europe
Posted by
kdawson
on Tue Nov 11, 2008 03:46 PM
from the can-i-play-tictactoe-on-that dept.
from the can-i-play-tictactoe-on-that dept.
Christoph Derndorfer writes "Last year OLPC's XO-laptop was among the hottest Christmas gadgets thanks to the organization's G1G1 program, where you could donate $399 to give one XO-laptop to a child in the developing world and receive one yourself in return. However in 2007 the program was only available for US and Canadian citizens. This year's program, which takes off November 17, is also available to citizens in the EU member states, Switzerland, Russia, and Turkey. This is certainly awesome news for all the OLPC / Linux / gadget enthusiasts here in Europe! P.S. Before anyone asks, these XOs will come equipped with the child-friendly Sugar platform, which is based on Fedora 9, and not Windows XP."
Related Stories
Submission: One Laptop per Child's "G1G1" comes to Eur by Anonymous Coward
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Full
Abbreviated
Hidden
Loading... please wait.
If and when I get a job... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:If and when I get a job... (Score:5, Funny)
Don't worry. The OLPC computer gives you the tools to overcome your low social class, enabling you to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and find myriad possibilities in today's globalized, technological market.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Don't worry. The OLPC computer gives you the tools to overcome your low social class, enabling you to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and find myriad possibilities in today's globalized, technological market.
Yes with the OLPC's help it will only be a matter of time before the wealth from the world's top 1% trickles down to you! Then with the crumbs that drop from their mouths you can feed your family!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Don't worry. The OLPC computer gives you the tools to overcome your low social class, enabling you to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and find myriad possibilities in today's globalized, technological market.
Yes with the OLPC's help it will only be a matter of time before the wealth from the world's top 1% trickles down to you! Then with the crumbs that drop from their mouths you can feed your family!
Honestly? This is funny to you? Here we have a project operating in the wealthiest nation on Earth which attempts to balance out the logarithmic income discrepancy between the first and third worlds, and you're reframing its ideal outcome - competing in a global information economy - as 'feasting on crumbs'? What the fuck is funny about this?
You're a sad person.
Re:If and when I get a job... (Score:5, Insightful)
He was talking about the fact that this 'trickle-down' bullshit is completely bunk. And, frankly, we have bad enough income discrepancy in the first world. We need to fix our own problems - however, I have no problem with solving both concurrently.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
That's the catch-22 of OLPC.
Re:If and when I get a job... (Score:5, Interesting)
Funny story,
I got laid off at the beginning of the year and took the time to come up with this, with my now-copious amounts of spare time:
www.gentooxo.org
Parent
How relevant is it now? (Score:5, Insightful)
Hi,
I don't mean to troll.
I am not sure how well the device has aged with all the new netbooks that are available.
A few features that remain unmatched:
- screen that works in sunlight
- ebook mode (although I can read a PDF on my EEE and it looks great)
- more rugged than other computers
- battery life (?)
- hand crank (did they provide it this time?)
- wifi mesh
Also, is there a guarantee that the OLPC you donate will not be running XP? I would not be too happy about sponsoring Microsoft...
I am not shopping this year but I am afraid I would not choose the OLPC. Maybe I would get it for my kid though, I wonder.
Re:How relevant is it now? (Score:4, Interesting)
If you're a kid, it may be a usable computer, but I'd advise against getting one for personal use. The sun screen is incredibly awesome and the hand crank is neat. If I could just pay $600 for an eee that could take variable power source and had the OLPC's sun viewable I'd totally do it (yes overpaying, but it would have incredible utility to me).
Thing is, it's a cheap computer (for obvious reasons), big, heavy, and has terrible battery life*
A steal at $200. Not so much at $400. This of course ignores the social impact. Getting one for a kid is not a terrible idea, my cousins seem to get sugar quite intuitively:-)
* Tested last spring. Software improvements may have changed this. Also no suspend to RAM at that time.
Parent
Re:How relevant is it now? (Score:5, Informative)
I one (actualy two) for the personal use of me and my family in the original G1G1 program. They arrived on time, are very robust little computers. Great battery life, super screen and with the latest software load, suspend to ram and other goodies work just great. We use them as our travelling computers. I loaded mplayer, opera and midnight commander on the little beast, built a cord so we could run it off the power plug in the car, and we are good to go. I bought a 120 gig usb powered HD for the little beasty, and ripped and loaded our dvd collection on the hard drive. Many hours of driving entertainment for the kids. The wifi is fabulous, and it never met a hotel setup it couldn't connect to instantly. For those hotels with hardwired ethernet, a $10 usb ethernet port does it all.
We are pleased.
Kurt
Parent
Re:How relevant is it now? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you're buying via the G1G1 program primarily to get yourself a new notebook, you're doing it wrong.
Parent
Re:How relevant is it now? (Score:5, Insightful)
No you aren't.
The G1 still goes to someone who doesn't has, and you still has G1.
That's exactly right, no matter why you wanted to G1.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Citation required.
As far as I can see, OLPC makes no guarantee at all that they will "give one" for every one that's bought. Rather, they sell you a "$100" toy for $400, and plough the profit back into their business. Given the colossal serial fuckup they seem to be making of that, I doubt that a free device will ever pop out the other end due to your generous "donation".
Maybe that's good enough for you, but if I'm going to pay $400 for an obsolescent widget with no suppor
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
If you're buying via the G1G1 program primarily to get yourself a new notebook, you're doing it wrong.
If you're buying a laptop you don't like and won't use much only for the sake of making the donation, you're also doing it wrong. The environment doesn't need more junk, if you don't want it then buy one you do want and give some other way. I think most here on slashdot use their computers too much to have one they're not happy with, it would get replaced.
Re: (Score:2)
considering how badly put together modern portable dvd players are (unless you buy the ones with out hinges) if the olpc laptop could play dvds (it can't that i'm aware of) it would be worth the money.
but it can't so since i lack any children. there is no reason for me to buy a 'learning tool' i know i'm not the only slashdotter without a family. i just don't see the g1g1 working for people without kids.
portable web browser? today's phones do that, and with better coverage.
Re: (Score:2)
Insightful? No, you could not be further from the truth, my friend. There's nothing wrong with looking to be satisfied through ways which help others. Ever heard the verse, "Jesus, for the joy set before him, endured the cross"? I'm not sure who started it, but somewhere down the line we believed the lie that if we in some way get satisfaction out of helping others (volunteering at the homeless shelter or something) that this, in some way or manner, decreases the value of the kind act we did. Not true.
Re: (Score:2)
Selfishness, by definition, is pursuing your own happiness to ends which are a detriment of others. There is nothing wrong with altruistic acts to make yourself happy.
Re:How relevant is it now? (Score:4, Insightful)
I am not sure how well the device has aged with all the new netbooks that are available.
The OLPC XO-1 is not and was never intended as a general-purpose netbook. Yes, it's possible to read Slashdot and play Doom and compile a Linux kernel on it, but that's only a side-effect. The hardware was specifically designed to be low-cost and geared towards primary-school-aged children.
- hand crank (did they provide it this time?)
In the developed world, a hand crank is even more a novelty than the XO-1 itself is.
It will come with an AC adapter suitable to mains power in your country; if you really truly need dynamo power, you can salvage one from an emergency radio.
- wifi mesh
Really only useful for collaborating with other OLPC users in your immediate vicinity.
I am not shopping this year but I am afraid I would not choose the OLPC. Maybe I would get it for my kid though, I wonder.
Now you're beginning to see things the way OLPC wants you to.
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Among those features, some are still not fully realized on the XO, due mostly to software. Sunlight-readable, check. Ruggedness, check.
But the ebook mode is not nearly as usab
Re: (Score:2)
The problem is though, that XP would be much, much more useful to teach young kids than the absolute horror story which was the OLPC flavor of Linux.
Not only was the OLPC OS an atrocity, but frankly -- if you were a poor kid in some Rio favela -- what would you rather know: Some obscure flavor of Linux which looks something like Microsoft BOB, or a global standard?
Re: (Score:2)
But the global standard is like microsoft bob...
Child friendly (Score:2)
Before anyone asks, these XOs will come equipped with the child-friendly Sugar platform
If Sugar is child friendly, to whom is Windows friendly towards?
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Pedobear?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Microsoft
Re: (Score:2)
Is this a trick question?
The answer, of course, is "anyone using a computer outside a grade school classroom."
The UI will be familiar and the core apps much the same in any working environment.
That is what makes Windows on the XO so compelling to the third world education minister - who wants to get as many of his kids as possible on track for the higher grades, college, trade and business school.
Hope they get the logistics right this time (Score:5, Informative)
I was and still am a supporter of the OLPC; whilst the product itself is not aimed at me, even still I think it is a great computer and a lot of fun to use. I give them full credit as well for creating the "netbook" market from nothing. However, the G1G1 experience turned a lot of people off the OLPC organisation. It is hard to have confidence that they can execute their mission when they couldn't even get the logistics right for a first world country. I just hope we don't have a repeat of that this time around.
Yes, it was a cluster fuck. (Score:3, Interesting)
As one who participated in the first G1G1 I can attest that they were totally unprepared to handle the orders. It was a huge mess. That said, it was eventually made right, the little green guy showed up, and although the initial software kind of sucked, the new build [laptop.org] is a lot, LOT better.
And as a bonus it came with a year of T-Mobile Hotspot access free, which is nice.
I presume the new OLPC this year will not look like the 2.0 "all touch [engadget.com]" dual-screen design previewed in May?
Actually somre more info re: th
client of mine never got his, had to do chargeback (Score:4, Interesting)
repeated broken promises as to delivery dates, support staff who couldn't provide any answers and an end product less than what was initially promised (e.g. no separate power generating devices).
No shit. A client of mine ordered *TWO* G1G1 packages, and they never showed up. Repeated calls to the company resulted in: "we lost your order", but they couldn't even figure out how to refund his money. He ended up having to do a chargeback.
Given that loads of people never got theirs, what do you think the chances are that the *other* party in the whole "G1G1" scam*cough*, I mean, "program", got theirs?
Parent
Pandora is better (Score:5, Interesting)
Few years ago the OLPC was my wet dream, but it took soo long for it, to be available for buy, that it's plain crazy. The Eee and ASUS stuff appeared. But they are all plain junk - very heavy, and very short battery life. OLPC at least is rechargeable...
But, oh well, fortunately now there is Pandora, I have ordered one and got to wait until december to receive it. I think that Pandora is revolutionary to Portable / Personal Micro Computers as Sinclair ZX Spectrum was at its own time. I may be wrong, but there's something in it. So it might be true. Time will tell.
Re:Pandora is better (Score:5, Informative)
ah, for those who don't know what I'm talking about, here's the website http://openpandora.org/ [openpandora.org]
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
When I saw this, I thought: why did this spam get modded up?
Then I saw the device, and thought: wow, that's small, but I probably won't buy one because that woman is wearing a top I can't see down.
Then I saw that it's a British company (?!!!!) that's making something useful, and it runs on an ARM processor with reasonable specs ...
Then this happened [youtube.com], now I just have to persuade the wife -- after changing my pants -- that she should buy me one for Christmas.
I'm still waiting (Score:4, Funny)
I'm still waiting for the Buy One, Taunt One program. Where you buy a laptop loaded with Linux, and another is sent to a Microsoft employee. Complete with the Firefox home page set to the last Slashdot story bashing Microsoft.
Naturally the packages will be addressed to:
Micro$oft,
One Micro$oft Way,
Redmond, WA 98052-6399 U.$
Ah (Score:3, Insightful)
Anybody still care? (Score:2, Insightful)
G1G1 was great when people thought they were helping a non-profit promote free software and open hardware throughout the world. Now that that dream is over and OLPC is primarily promoting MS, who cares about OLPC?
Re: (Score:2)
OLPC FOr Sale on Amazon.com on Nov 17 (Score:4, Interesting)
Too little, too late (Score:2, Insightful)
Great. One year after the US and Canada, we in Europe should be pleased to be elegible for a program that was a flop in the US, at a moment when the hardware was up to date.
Now OLPC wants us to get hyped for a piece of hardware that has become old and irrelevant, just because they couldn't include us at the moment when the offer would have been interesting because it consisted of some relevant hardware?
Sorry, for me it's again 'too little, too late'. If the OLPC would have included us last year, I would hav
Any way to hack it to get SVGA out? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
This [209.85.175.104] (google cache - the OLPC wiki seems to be down) should help you (it's a bit clunky, but it works fine)
Google is your friend! (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Neither are Russia or Switzerland. That's why the list says 'EU members states, Switzerland, Russia, and Turkey' instead of 'EU member states; Switzerland, Russia, and Turkey'. :)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Disillusion (Score:5, Interesting)
-I have managed to upgrade the software exactly twice - a complex, virtual dance of death if the upgrade doesn't take.
-The machine is DOG slow.
- The keyboard is useless for high school kids.
- There is not enough memory for much A/V.
- Connecting to WiFi is counter-intuitive if security is involved.
- There is no native printer support.
Quite frankly, I'm sceptical that this thing can fly long-term because other, full-fledged products are catching up (ASUS) to the OLPC price-point will fully loaded Linux on a better machine.
Now, the positives - battery life has been amazing. The screen is truly a wonder and great as a reader flipped over and turned sideways.
One issue troubles me: In this and other projects, no-one has solved the problem of supplying internet connectivity in remote areas. I know that Google is launching a constellation of Ka band satellites - but they will be commercial. One idea that I saw was to use a WiFi server on either buses or motorcycles. Local servers pump email etc. to the mobile servers which then dump the data when they get to a hot-spot - and visa-versa. Sort of a sneakernet for the back woods.
I'm concerned about the entire support infrastructure. Further to that, why don't these things come pre-loaded with regional Wikis and the full slate of curriculae as set out by the country involved?
Re:Disillusion (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
GFE.
But on a serious note - It's been said for a long time that the price point of $100 was an eventual goal, and that manufacturing scale did not allow it to meet that goal (yet). As such, the laptops cost roughly $200 ($188 to quote OLPC's information precisely) - hence the "Give 1, Get 1" program name.
As for the spec, this is the same thing with a new OS. That being said, the OS improvements are supposedly vast in the performance department.
Lastly, on the topic of giving it to a 5 year old - well, that r
Re:100 $ laptop (Score:5, Interesting)
I've never understood the coy attitude of the OLPC. Why do they go to such lengths to make it difficult for the average Joe to buy one of these things? A couple of years ago this would have been the ideal stocking filler for kid with nerd parents. Actually getting these devices into the hands of the geeks who were clamouring for one would have benefited the project in so many ways. For one thing, by allowing such a group to buy the things, they could have begun to cultivate a hobbyist development scene for the platform.
What possible harm could it have done to make it available to anyone who wanted one?
It's probably too late for the project now anyway. It's lasting legacy might be some awareness of the importance of IT to developing nations in addition to helping kickstart consumer interest in netbooks.
From now on this should be referred to as "pulling an Amiga". I.e. killing off a good idea by restricting access.
Parent
Re:100 $ laptop (Score:5, Insightful)
To make the OLPC laptop possible, they had to get help from big manufacturers. These manufacturers probably made it a condition that the market in high income countries won't be ruined by extremely cheap laptops. So you can get one of these laptops, but only if you pay a first world price for it. It doesn't matter that they have to build two for that price, as long as you pay the higher price and only get one.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)