Mandriva Linux pre-installed on Intel's Classmate

boklm writes "Mandriva announced it will have a version of its Mandriva Linux 2007 pre-installed on Intel's new low-end laptop for students in developing countries, the Classmate PC. This laptop comes with 256MB of RAM, 1 or 2GB of flash memory, 802.11b/g WiFi, 10/100Mbps ethernet, 2 USB ports, a 7-inch LCD display and 4 hours battery. Produced in Brazil, shipping is expected to begin in the second quarter of this year, and will be available to Mexico, India, and developing countries."

Nothing but control: TPM, remote monitoring

[Anonymous Coward]

When you compare the features and goals of the OLPC with the Intel Classmate PC, it's almost as if Intel is pushing it as an instrument of control. Don't forget that Mandriva Linux is only one of the available options and the unit comes with a TPM as standard, enhanced 'remote surveillance' and censorship software such as 'Teacher Control' and 'Parent Control'. The unit is a complete antithesis to the OLPC and appears to be nothing more than a cost-down PC with 'Big Brother' features. What a shame since I was praising Intel this morning over their new d80211-based open source wireless LAN driver for Linux - and now I see this.

Re:OLPC Memories?

[xtracto]

these are for people who have food but lack a complex economy which would be needed to take advantage of the global world's purchasing needs.

People in USA or other "developed" countries might just not be able to understand this. But I know the availability of these kind of computers is something beneficial for Mexico.

Take as an example something that happened some 4 years ago (more or less, around 2003). I was somewhere in Mexico in a friend's Internet Cafe who also sells and repairs computers (btw beige box PCs are prevalent in Mexico), when a person entered the shop and asked for a cheap 486 computer, he was looking for something *very cheap*, not the new Pentium 4, not even a P3, he was looking to pay something like $100 bucks ($2000 pesos) for a complete computer (PC + monitor). Unfortunately, my friend didnt sell used computers, just new ones so he could not sell one to him.

But this gives you a panorama for how is there people that do not have a computer but is also not *starving*to death, Unfortunately, it is the medium-class whose (in Mexico at least) economy is going down and do not have the money to spend in the top line computer.

I am really glad this opportunities are rising

Broken window fallacy

[tepples]

You ask why not use the local people to write the books and print them? I ask why not use local people to write the lessons in HTML?

You could but then you are not creating jobs in country for the people doing the printing, makeing the paper, growing the trees or plants you make the paper from, harvest the plants or trees that you make the paper from, and distributing the text books.

Keeping education based on paper to boost the paper industry is much like vandalizing shops to boost the glass industry [wikipedia.org]. That's not education; that's Animal Crossing. If an XO laptop is cheaper than a set of books, then it is a more efficient use of scarce resources.

Basic grammar and spelling doesn't change

O RLY? See Wikipedia articles Language change [wikipedia.org] and Spelling reform [wikipedia.org].

Why not pay a little more and build them in say Mexico, Brazil, or any number of countries that are not exactly at the bottom of the economic ladder but also not at the top. That way you would increase their technical level and economy as well?

That could very well happen under OLPC as these economies grow.