Too many topics, too little time

Gates Dismissive of $100 Laptop [1]:

Many technology leaders have praised a nonprofit effort supported by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to build a $100 laptop for schoolchildren in the developing world. But Bill Gates is not among the project’s fans. Mr. Gates, Microsoft’s chairman and chief software architect, was dismissive of the project in remarks at an event for govenment leaders yesterday. If you’re going to give computers to the poor, he said, “geez, get a decent computer, where you can actually read the text and you’re not sitting there cranking the thing” while you use it. (The proposed $100 laptop includes a hand crank so that the device can be used even when no power outlet is available.) “I’ve yet to meet who’s going to buy the $100 thing. But it’s great, you know, the more computers the better.”

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I talked to quite a few people at wsis about this when i was there and I have to agree with Bill, this is not a great or even good project. What it has become is one huge publicity stunt, which isn’t uncommon for MIT. Nonetheless, the foundational idea of one laptop per child is fine…. It is the implementation that is a problem. They want to distribute these without support, basically cargo cult computing. here’s some gadgets, have fun… has never worked to develop the world.