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OLPC - Doomed To Fail?

by Ron Schenone on November 26, 2007 at 4:43 pm · Comments
Categorized by Blogroll, General, Linux, Microsoft, Technology / Related Information

Is the OLPC [One Laptop Per Child] project doomed to fail? It seems that this once great project to provide an affordable laptop to the worlds poor has run into a stone wall which was built by Intel and Microsoft. Why would these two industry giants want to crush this non-profit from the planet? Money and greed come to mind.

One billion customer base. That is what both Intel and Microsoft sees as this new market develops. One billion poor souls who may have never even heard of these mega giants. Countries in which the government may be open to cash incentives to purchase a piece of software or hardware. Something which the OLPC project can not compete against.

What is rather strange about this entire involvement by Intel, is that this company has never produced a computer before up until now. One could surmise that Intel decided to compete against the OLCP project when they decided to use the AMD chip instead of one from Intel.

As for Microsoft, they see the spread of Linux on the OLPC and Intel system as a threat as well. So they are now reaching out to the OLPC program with a trimmed down Windows OS.

But will the OLPC program be able to survive when these two technology giants enter the picture?

What do you think?

Comments welcome.

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What do you think?

University Update - Linux - OLPC - Doomed To Fail? - November 27, 2007 @ 12:49 am

[…] OLPC - Doomed To Fail? » This Summary is from an article posted at The Blade by Ron Schenone, MVP on Monday, November 26, […]

kyle - November 27, 2007 @ 1:48 am

Hey Ron,

It will not survive. Instead of embracing the chance to open the world up to computers. Corporations would rather act like big overgrown children! The child that grows up with one of these OLPC computers could be a programmer for Microsoft one day! They could be developing for Intel.

Russia has a program to sell (very cheap price)computers through its Postal System. It has failed miserably. They sold maybe 1000 out of the expected 50,000. It came with Microsoft Windows. The schools will not buy them, the people will not buy them. Why?

They are afraid of Microsoft because of the teacher that got tried and convicted in court. Over Windows Pirated on School computers, and they can not afford them.

Now Russia has decided to have Linux installed on the computers and they have created a finance system to help buy them. They hope that will sell more computers.

So a company like Redmond can improve its image by promoting the OLPC,

Kyle

Ron Schenone - November 27, 2007 @ 5:47 am

Hi Kyle,
Thanks for sharing the experience that happened in Russia. Interesting to say the least. From other articles I have read it seems that OLPC is having problems getting countries to commit to purchasing the laptops. One can hope that things will change, but it may be wishful thinking.

Ted Sbardella - November 28, 2007 @ 8:58 am

you have to look at what people want and need. It may be that they really do want the better Intel computer after all it is better - looks sturdier and is actually a laptop which is what the market wants. The OLPC is more of an OLPC a kind of computer when kids want a laptop they want a freakin laptop not an OLPC. give kids a choice and I bet theye would see the Intel one as the cool laptop and the OLPC as the sissy yearbook club mac.

Edmund Hunt - November 29, 2007 @ 8:03 am

Much of the current reluctance by third world governments comes from their realization [belated perhaps] that getting the hardware is the easy part. Just as in the US when school administrators thought all that had to do to get their district all up to date with tech was to buy each teacher a computer, without support and training teachers used them as illuminated plant stands.

Training, maintenance, and repair are at least as important and expensive. A bunch of kids with high tech night lights in the Bush is not going to advance any country’s move into the 21st Century. OLPC can provide the hardware but the support has to come from somewhere else.

What are your thoughts?

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