Comments

1. My first point bases on the fact that software needs more cost than the hardware. In the market there are cheap computers available and some of those are second-hand computer. After a customer purchases a computer, he needs to use some professional software for work or study, or just for fun, the following purchase is hard to predict considering the update in a high speed as well.

   The second fact is about the systems. As the two major competitors of computer software industry, Microsoft and Apple, there already caused a lot of problem on switching systems. Personally, when I use Mac, my useful documents and other kinds of sources can’t support by software in Mac, so I have buy the software in order to running those stuffs on Mac.

   So thinking of the laptop per child project with the two facts above. Here is what I thought, the project has great willing on helping people, but under the reality of world economy and political relations, it is more like a white elephant project. What the company spend on research and developing on less cost with high value education and communication purpose is not turning out quite worth. Other computer manufactures are seeking for the same way to developing computer for target customers.

   Since XO develops unique system, how much it will cost for people to adjusting its new system. Although a fact is that XO is aiming on developing countries. Still wildly computer users prefer a certain style of system. There will cause difficulties during communication by two or three systems. How could XO users find their system is friendly when they realized they have to purchase software to catch up with what already going on. Even if the software is free for users, the question becoming how many resources could user found by using XO.

   Even on the same computer, different searching engines lead to various results. What XO could found? Will there be information limitation by Microsoft or Mac to protect their benefits? And what evidence could OLPC use to convince suppliers offering information under XO system?  

   Huijie Lu on Tuesday, 19 October 2010, 23:37 BST # |

2. I think you have a good point Huijie about compatability issues if XOs are to rub shoulders with PCs and MACs. To give them their credit they (OLPC) do seem to have forseen this one and that is why they have 'saturation' as one of their aims which I assume means creating a mass of these machines in one location such that they are all compatible with each other and create a little world of their own such that any PC that comes along will be the one standing out that needs to fit in. Sounds good but not sure its going to work really as PCs if not macs can be found almost everywhere worldwide already if not in great concentrations.

   Paul Salaman on Wednesday, 20 October 2010, 16:11 BST # |

3. I agree with you. Personally experience, when I decide to but a laptop back in China, my friends are all suggesting DELL, IBM or some other computer suppliers with Microsoft operation environment. MAC is popular in China, but not in a widely way, but more like a luxury computer compare with other producers. Even though some products are similar prices, MAC does not support for most software, and majorities using PCs. There are lots inconviences if you have a MAC and all the information or document you receive are all PC style. So the environment of technology are quite an important part for technology developing in a country. Population of systems using could effect on the computer market directly.

   Huijie Lu on Wednesday, 20 October 2010, 21:22 BST # |

4. Compatibility can be expensive and difficult for anyone to deal with, but hopefully in this case there is some chance at avoiding the problem. The OLPC machine is intended to ship primarily as a linux system, on top of which will sit the Sugar user interface. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_%28desktop_environment%29 ).
   
   While it's true to say that linux is still fairly uncommon on the desktop, Negroponte is not alone in promoting the idea (check out http://www.desktoplinux.com/ for various implementations). Also, there already exists a huge library of open source software and compatible content, which is freely available to download from the Internet. Given the huge costs and slow development times of bespoke systems, it's not too much of a jump to imagine a future with an open source operating system becoming the most popular. So by “saturation” Negroponte is really talking about market dominance for the linux OS. Right now it might be a David and Goliath scenario, but I guarantee you that Goliath is fairly worried.  :-)

   Daniel Griffin on Thursday, 21 October 2010, 19:14 BST # |

5. I believe that software concern is necessory in the computer market, the failure example is that Windows Vista. Before Vista sell out , Bill Gates announced that Vista is the best and ideal software in the world. Then I bought one, and feeling that Vista is truely humanization in some points such as its design on the desk and its personality setting. However, most of my previous can not be used on Vista, as we know  that softwares are quite expensive, if I use Vista, I have to spend extra money to buy softwares for Vista, then I only used this computer for two months then sold it out, because I thought that  cost and worth are very different things， I wont spend money on something which is not worth it. I believe that most of clients were like me , thats why Microsoft developed Microsoft 7 now.

   Dakun Yang on Friday, 22 October 2010, 23:12 BST # |

6. Interesting discussion about integration of systems. 

   I am thinking though the makers of XO are not really interested in whether or not the (primary school) children or the machines they are using can interact with a Mac or a PC.  They will be able to interact with other XO users. 

   The XO is aimed at assisting children them with their education - as Daniel says there are lots of OS educational products that can operate on the XO which can help with this.  This means the makers of XO (as well as the students using the XO) don’t have to pay fees  to use proprietary products from Microsoft or Apple, which XO makers see as an advantage. 

   Jenni Harrison on Saturday, 23 October 2010, 21:17 BST # |