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either/or
either/or
Posted Dec 15, 2006 9:54 UTC (Fri) by ldo (subscriber, #40946)In reply to: Playing with the OLPC by jeff@uclinux.org
Parent article: Playing with the OLPC
>In the mean time, I have a bunch of old machines that can run
>Linux that I can donate, and I bet you do too, instead of sending it
>back to China for landfill.
Nice thought, but no cigar. Those "old machines" you have are built for first-world conditions: they're not going to tolerate an unreliable electricity supply, or the regular wear-and-tear of any equipment that spends much time with schoolchildren, without ready access to a well-equipped repair shop if anything should go wrong.
In short, your suggestion is exactly the typical misguided one of a first-worlder who thinks they know what's good for those poor third-world folk. I'm on the side of the OLPC project on this one: don't patronize them, but give them the tools, and let them make the choices for themselves.
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either/or
Posted Dec 15, 2006 20:38 UTC (Fri) by oak (subscriber, #2786) [Link]
Not to talk about how much less efficient their battery is, how muchheavier, how much they lack wireless capability and even if they have
that, how much more electricity these old machines would take.
Also, where one would suddenly get 5 million old laptops into which one
can put the same software (HW drivers) etc to ease maintenance and
maintainability? Each one of these old machines would need to be
"hand crafted". I bet cost of refurbishing would be more much expensive;
laptop spareparts are non-standard and cost a lot. A new battery would
be an absolute must for an old laptop (+ the power supply with a
crank :)).
<sarcastic>
Oh, yes, (richer part of) 3rd world should buy what we don't anymore
want and be thankful for it...
</sarcastic>