tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29868932.post3733775613375667248..comments2024-02-14T22:50:48.749+10:30Comments on Bill Kerr: the intel dream compared with the OLPC dreamBill Kerrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206808014093631762noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29868932.post-9668882794517678322007-11-30T09:24:00.000+10:302007-11-30T09:24:00.000+10:30Groklaw is missing the first law of marketing, whi...Groklaw is missing the first law of marketing, which is to understand your product. And he's making a classic mistake to market to where the competition is.<BR/><BR/>That said, I'm not sure I agree with you that pitching to a small group in the hope that there will be some "tipping point" achieved is going to work. Hey, I'm happy I got on the list to get one, but I'm hardly a step in the right direction. In fact, me and others like me might even be a distraction to the bigger picture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29868932.post-12420265912315450272007-11-30T08:29:00.000+10:302007-11-30T08:29:00.000+10:30Doug Holton points out that the Eee PC 701 laptop ...Doug Holton points out that the Eee PC 701 laptop is outselling the OLPC by 14,000 a day compared with 3,000 a day (<A HREF="http://edtechdev.blogspot.com/2007/11/little-laptop-with-big-ambitions.html" REL="nofollow"> little laptop with big ambitions </A>)<BR/><BR/>However, you need to factor in the fact that the OLPC is only being offered for non third world sale in the USA and Canada - and also that currently you have to buy two to get oneBill Kerrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00206808014093631762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29868932.post-38357586070539162612007-11-29T13:14:00.000+10:302007-11-29T13:14:00.000+10:30I'd love to be able to buy one of the laptops for ...I'd love to be able to buy one of the laptops for each of my kids. But I can't. Go figure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29868932.post-57189949769742900142007-11-29T09:40:00.000+10:302007-11-29T09:40:00.000+10:30Two things I saw emphasized were applications that...Two things I saw emphasized were applications that performed different functions, and administrative control. It's like a miniature version of the IT infrastructure we have now. Having said that I think the XO laptop is a little different, not a lot different. It allows freedom to explore, without the administrative constraints. With the exception of Squeak, I think, the functions of the laptop that enable different things are in different applications, like a word processor, a web browser, etc.<BR/><BR/>I can imagine parents in some of the developing countries really appreciating the administrative features, blocking certain sites, mainly for moral or ideological reasons. To a certain extent I can appreciate it, because as I said in an earlier discussion one of my worries with the XO is access to extremists. For example one of the ways that jihadists are gaining recruits is through the internet. If you allow totally open access, you allow for the possibility that some kids will find this stuff.<BR/><BR/>I can kind of see the value in limiting the amount of time on the computer, but it does seem a bit excessive. If I were implementing this I'd have just a "kill switch", not a schedule. I see it possibly being needed because kids can get addicted to computers. It's happened in every generation of kids that grew up with computers, including my own. Back when I was a kid I used to read stories sometimes about parents being distressed about their son who had basically locked himself in their basement and wouldn't come out, not even to eat. I remember one where the parents' only solution was to turn off all the power in the house.<BR/><BR/>The thing is are parents even going to have the courage, much less the knowledge, of how to use these administrative tools appropriately? Even in the U.S. I hear stories all the time of kids using the internet unsupervised because the parents don't want to touch this stuff with a 10-foot pole.<BR/><BR/>One of the hopes that Negroponte has is since the XO is totally open to exploration the kids will take the opportunity to explore the code, and open the box and explore the innards. This is something I'm sure the Classmate doesn't give them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29868932.post-72207396261038298442007-11-27T23:56:00.000+10:302007-11-27T23:56:00.000+10:30I've not seen the advertising for the classmate be...I've not seen the advertising for the classmate before, but I agree with the point you're making. <BR/>I think that it's a great shame that many of those who have belittled the OLPC have totally failed to appreciate the educational model, which I think is its real strength. <BR/>The technology's good, but it's not its strength.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com