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02 Aug 2010
The head of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative has offered to help the Indian government with its plans to build a $35 laptop that could be used in the nation's schools.
Nicholas Negroponte said in an open letter that the OLPC will offer advice and expertise, as well as full access to its technology, free of charge.
Linux is the obvious choice for the operating system, Negroponte said, and the computer needs to be rugged enough to survive a 10ft drop. Power consumption is also key, and the OLPC laptop is the most power-efficient in the world.
"More than anything, of all the unsolicited advice I have to offer, the most important and most likely to be overlooked is good industrial design," he wrote.
"Make an inexpensive tablet, not a cheap one. Make it desirable, lovable and fun to own. Take a page from Apple on this, maybe from OLPC too."
Negroponte pointed out that a tablet is essentially a media consumption tool, not a computer for creating, and that this could be crucial in the educational field. However, he wished the project success and urged widespread adoption.
"India is so big that you risk being satisfied with your internal market. Don't. The world needs your device and leadership," he wrote.
"Your tablet is not an 'answer' or 'competitor' to OLPC's XO laptop. It is a member of a family dedicated to creating peace and prosperity through the transformation of education."
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OLPC
Thank you Mr Negroponte for your large-heartedness. But maybe you would do well to kindly look back and assess what you have been able to achieve in all these past years with your take on the technology and its suitability and other factors to make the project a success. Where are you now at the price point? $ 200, 100, or less than that? Mr Negroponte is a gentleman with great vision and wishes, but his wishful thinking has taken him nowhere near meeting his original target, what with the corporate greed in the West. Not that Indian corporates are behind their Western counterparts when it comes to greed and avarice. India has enough good people left so that they can manage things on their own without adopting flawed western models. So kindly keep your unsolicited advice to yourself and be open and humble enough to accept a good idea when you see one-- though it might not be grown in the West. You can join it if you think it is good and is practical, and offer your 'expertise' only if you think it can be synergistic with the project. No need to pontificate -- remember you don't occupy the throne in Rome! Dont think of stealing the limelight of poor yet honest and hardworking people. SHAME....
Posted by: UK Panickar 07 Aug 2010