You know there’s this thing of if you pay $200 then you donate one and get one yourself. Well may cousin got one as a present and they are SO COOL!
Everything about it is amazing. I decided I want one! I could genuinely see myself using this for ALOT of my computer needs - mainly web-browsing, email and Word Processing (it uses a paired down version of Abiword).
One thing I like about it, is that it is very primitive in a way, and deliberately so. It reminds me of the good old days of computers, when I used DOS quite frequently, and before things started to get too clever for it’s own good. Simple and bloody reliable.
At the same time as this though, it takes advantage of more modern developments (such as WiFi etc).
I do like this idea this company had to help children in impoverished countries to supply lap tops to children for education. I heard they are welcomed with open arms and are a joy for many people.
On a sad note though I think now they are under a lawsuit I think because of some licensing issue.
Where did you hear that from, the OLPC PR pages? The company’s been beset with problems, not least of which is that they’ve still been unable to lower the price to what they initially claimed, while their orders have been the opposite; a fraction of what they originally claimed. They’ve also engaged in some very bad PR moves, and the hardware’s robustness under 3rd world conditions has come into serious question.
I commend the ideal, I really do, and agree that access to technology is a laudable method for helping kids in those situations to give themselves a better chance in life. But the OLPC programme has been really disappointing for me to watch.
Even then, assuming they recipients are in the 3rd world, the machines really don’t seem to be going over well. The only people getting really excited about them are hardcore Linux geeks…
Ha! OK, that’s a good one. (But not as good as Virgle.)
From the Virgle prospectus, I particularly like this exercise in techno-speak translation:
"Deceleration - Mars orbit insertion through aerobraking and final sky crane descent of the now separated modules is crucial in achieving the landing ellipse with minimal deviation.
In other words, by the time the Virgle 1 reaches Mars, it will be flying very quickly and will have to slow down very quickly or the first landing of a human craft will be forever marked by a very large crater."
