Mobile devices Toolkit
Story: Is the OLPC project doomed to failure?
Missing the point
Computers here in the developed world never got very popular until companies like Sinclair research and Commodor produced low cost systems that everyone could own. The OLPC project in many ways will have a similar effect on the developing world. It's true that thin client is a lot cheaper for the dumb terminal part of the system but there is a huge amount of infrastructure required to provide a working system with servers, networks and such. OLPC keeps it simple, thats its strength. It will if successful allow millions of people to use computers who currently have no access to them and will allow many of those millions to develop computing skills necessary to boost their countries economies. Kids in the developing world will love this stuff, just as our kids do, and will use these machines in ways we haven't even thought of yet, and after all thats what will make this project successful. You don't need huge support networks, as many of the kids this technology is going to will learn quickly and be able to support themselves. I don't think you have thought your arguments through thoroughly enough, this project has been years in the making and I think you will find that all these support and infrastructure aspects you speak of will have been considered.
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