Comments on: Donate to a good cause and get a useful laptop computer http://www.rajiv.com/blog/2007/11/16/laptopgiving/ Victory is winning people, not defeating others. Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:58:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Anonymous http://www.rajiv.com/blog/2007/11/16/laptopgiving/comment-page-1/#comment-2913 Anonymous Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:30:00 +0000 http://www.rajiv.com/blog/2007/11/16/laptopgiving/#comment-2913 I agree to that OLPC because it would make children develop a good learning skills, but of course the education fund must be enough for students. Allowing children engaged in this very accessible way of learning I believe they would make a long run in the future. Veronica Watts, <a href="http://www.wheelsforwishes.org" rel="nofollow">Car Donation</a> Make a Wish Foundation I agree to that OLPC because it would make children develop a good learning skills, but of course the education fund must be enough for students. Allowing children engaged in this very accessible way of learning I believe they would make a long run in the future.

Veronica Watts,
Car Donation
Make a Wish Foundation

]]> By: Rajiv Pant http://www.rajiv.com/blog/2007/11/16/laptopgiving/comment-page-1/#comment-2155 Rajiv Pant Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:33:09 +0000 http://www.rajiv.com/blog/2007/11/16/laptopgiving/#comment-2155 It has now been one year since I wrote the original post above about the OLPC. Due to various reasons ranging from technical & product to business & political, the OLPC has not been the success story its creators wanted it to be. The OLPC was and still is a great idea. However, the implementation has fallen far short of what was required to make it great. The OLPC's user interface is too radically different from "normal" computers that people are used to and would benefit children to learn. Its interface may be innovative, but sometimes radical change results in failure. In such cases, gradual, iterative change would have worked. For example, people are used to driving a car using a steering wheel. If an automaker were to replace the steering wheel with a touch screen, it may result in accidents. Sure, a car controlled using a touch screen on the dashboard may be a better interface and may even be the future, but we can't get there in one jump. Children in developing countries would benefit from a computer that has a mainstream operating system like Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X or <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/" rel="nofollow">Ubuntu Linux</a>. The OLPC's operating system and user interface are incompatible and not easy to integrate with other non-OLPC computers. That makes it difficult to use the OLPC as one of your computers. I'm glad I bought an OLPC since half of my payment went to a charitable cause. As for the OLPC itself, it is a cool toy, but not a practical computer as I had thought it would be. My <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/" rel="nofollow">Apple iPhone 3G</a> is by far a more practical portable "computer" than my OLPC is. As for a portable laptop computer, I love my <a href="http://www.apple.com/macbookair/" rel="nofollow">MacBook Air</a>. It has now been one year since I wrote the original post above about the OLPC. Due to various reasons ranging from technical & product to business & political, the OLPC has not been the success story its creators wanted it to be.

The OLPC was and still is a great idea. However, the implementation has fallen far short of what was required to make it great.

The OLPC’s user interface is too radically different from “normal” computers that people are used to and would benefit children to learn. Its interface may be innovative, but sometimes radical change results in failure. In such cases, gradual, iterative change would have worked.

For example, people are used to driving a car using a steering wheel. If an automaker were to replace the steering wheel with a touch screen, it may result in accidents. Sure, a car controlled using a touch screen on the dashboard may be a better interface and may even be the future, but we can’t get there in one jump.

Children in developing countries would benefit from a computer that has a mainstream operating system like Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X or Ubuntu Linux.

The OLPC’s operating system and user interface are incompatible and not easy to integrate with other non-OLPC computers. That makes it difficult to use the OLPC as one of your computers.

I’m glad I bought an OLPC since half of my payment went to a charitable cause. As for the OLPC itself, it is a cool toy, but not a practical computer as I had thought it would be.

My Apple iPhone 3G is by far a more practical portable “computer” than my OLPC is. As for a portable laptop computer, I love my MacBook Air.

]]> By: thingelstad.com - One Laptop Per Child, and Me http://www.rajiv.com/blog/2007/11/16/laptopgiving/comment-page-1/#comment-83 thingelstad.com - One Laptop Per Child, and Me Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:44:00 +0000 http://www.rajiv.com/blog/2007/11/16/laptopgiving/#comment-83 [...] A friend also ordered one so it will be fun to play with the networking features. I even noticed a CTO acquaintance of mine has purchased one. My friend Chris suggested that this may be the new status symbol. Like owning a Prius. Go hang out [...] [...] A friend also ordered one so it will be fun to play with the networking features. I even noticed a CTO acquaintance of mine has purchased one. My friend Chris suggested that this may be the new status symbol. Like owning a Prius. Go hang out [...]

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