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diff --git a/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2006/10.23.05/Wed/OLPC.txt b/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2006/10.23.05/Wed/OLPC.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1c8cdc4..0000000 --- a/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2006/10.23.05/Wed/OLPC.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1 +0,0 @@ -[Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child][1] (OLPC) initiative is preparing to launch it's $100 laptop dubbed the 2B1. Quanta Computer of Taiwan, the world's largest manufacturer of laptops, will ship 5,000 test units later next month.
When you write about the happenings of the tech world Muammar Qaddafi doesn't come up much, but in this case he's one of the first customers of the 2B1 and he hopes to put one in the hands of every child in Libya. China, Argentina, Brazil and others are also slated to receive the new machines.
But it seems that no good deed must go uncriticized and in this case the winner of the Monty Burns Jackass Award is Intel CEO Craig Barrett who has roundly criticized the project and, according to Forbes magazine, wrote an internal memo claiming "the OLPC represents a limited version of the modern PC, reliant on old hardware that limits its functionality."
I think what he means by this is that the 2B1 uses cutting edge hardware from rival chip maker AMD. Bill Gates is no big fan of the project either. Would it shock you to learn that the 2B1 ships with Linux pre-installed? I didn't think so.
Having just returned from traveling in some of the countries slated to receive these machines I thought I'd share a few thoughts. First off no one who's living a small rural village cares whether or not they have the latest hardware or software. Many of the potential recipients of these machines would be happy to get running water or electricity.
The other thing that I think get's overlooked quite a bit in the 2B1 coverage is that these machines can form an ad-hoc wireless network with each other. I haven't been able to track down distance specs for the network, but one of things that limits the lives of people in remote locations is lack of communication and anything that addresses this need is going to be welcome.
If current plans hold, OLPC will ship at least 50 million 2B1s a year by the end of 2008. That's more than all the laptops sold worldwide last year.
[1]: http://laptop.org "One Laptop Per Child"
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