Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on May 29, 2007 04:42 PM
True enough - agression will buy nothing.
What is worth reflecting on however is the different approaches of the respective projects - OLPC vs Classmate.
The OLPC is a grounds-up design with a lot of consideration to the target audience. The Classmate PC is little more than an underpowered laptop in a cool blue cover.
The open, collaborative design approach of the OLPC has ensured that it has a superior design and actually saves power. The closed room design of the Classmate PC has resulted in a typically un-inventive, knee-jerk reaction to the path-breaking innovation of the OLPC.
There is no out-of-the-box thought that has gone into the Classmate PC. On the other hand, from the display, the sealed keyboard, the rugged enclosure, to the BIOS and software, everything is focussed on efficiency and friendly UI. Not 1 watt of power is used where it could be saved.
The result is a boot time that shames any other class of computer on the planet. The result is power efficiency that blows any other class of computer on the planet way out of the water. The result is actual usability and the knowledge that the system if completely open and can serve as a learning tool far beyond basic education - it can go right up to educating a new generation on how software is built and works.
Taken in this light, this review of the Classmate PC is more than a little off the mark. This review simply doen't even begin to appreciate the significance of OLPC. The Classmate PC is a scaled down laptop that demands power and broadband. The OLPC is a learning tool that can actually be used in places where power and the internet can not be taken for granted.
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Re:I don't even know what to say
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on May 29, 2007 04:42 PMWhat is worth reflecting on however is the different approaches of the respective projects - OLPC vs Classmate.
The OLPC is a grounds-up design with a lot of consideration to the target audience. The Classmate PC is little more than an underpowered laptop in a cool blue cover.
The open, collaborative design approach of the OLPC has ensured that it has a superior design and actually saves power. The closed room design of the Classmate PC has resulted in a typically un-inventive, knee-jerk reaction to the path-breaking innovation of the OLPC.
There is no out-of-the-box thought that has gone into the Classmate PC. On the other hand, from the display, the sealed keyboard, the rugged enclosure, to the BIOS and software, everything is focussed on efficiency and friendly UI. Not 1 watt of power is used where it could be saved.
The result is a boot time that shames any other class of computer on the planet. The result is power efficiency that blows any other class of computer on the planet way out of the water. The result is actual usability and the knowledge that the system if completely open and can serve as a learning tool far beyond basic education - it can go right up to educating a new generation on how software is built and works.
Taken in this light, this review of the Classmate PC is more than a little off the mark. This review simply doen't even begin to appreciate the significance of OLPC. The Classmate PC is a scaled down laptop that demands power and broadband. The OLPC is a learning tool that can actually be used in places where power and the internet can not be taken for granted.
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