Bill Gates slams 100-dollar charity laptop
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Mar 16, 2006, 22:07 GMT
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Older Talkback
Schweet! That's awesome.
I thought microsoft offered a version of there OS for this laptop at one time, but was rejected???No?
If you give 100 dollars to each poor, as someone said, you are giving them food (in the best case) for a couple of months. But if you give them knowledge, you are giving the opporunity for the most enthusiastics users to generate more resources. The others less enthusiastics, having the same access to the same knowledge, will try to learn looking at the others as example.
Also it's hard to convince them to 'buy' a device like that, because they will 'always' have other priorities (like eating). So you will find that the only way for them to get something like that (ever), is that someone gives this device freely to them.
Jpere said, on Mar 17th, 2006 - 03:08:52, 'I thought microsoft offered a version of there OS for this laptop at one time, but was rejected??? No?'
You are quite correct.
As the story goes, microsoft's involvement in this drove the price above the stated goal of $100.00 per unit. I'm recalling something that was around $160.00 with very little functionality, but I may be in error on the figure.
Is anybody wondering what OS is on Gate's own version of the cheap mobile computer? $600.00 to $1000.00 was it? And, I'm sure, he won't make a dime from it, right?
Go see what Nicholas Negroponte has to say about it here: http://laptop.org/faq.en_US.html from which I'll lift a quote:
'Why do children in developing nations need laptops?
Laptops are both a window and a tool: a window into the world and a tool with which to think. They are a wonderful way for all children to learn learning through independent interaction and exploration.
Why is it important for each child to have a computer? What's wrong with community-access centers?
One does not think of community pencils—kids have their own. They are tools to think with, sufficiently inexpensive to be used for work and play, drawing, writing, and mathematics. A computer can be the same, but far more powerful. Furthermore, there are many reasons it is important for a child to own something—like a football, doll, or book—not the least of which being that these belongings will be well-maintained through love and care.
What about connectivity? Aren't telecommunications services expensive in the developing world?
When these machines pop out of the box, they will make a mesh network of their own, peer-to-peer. This is something initially developed at MIT and the Media Lab. We are also exploring ways to connect them to the backbone of the Internet at very low cost.'
Gates is >ahem< PO-ed that there will be, in his mind I'm sure, too many people exposed to Linux instead of his dismal joke OS. Children, thus exposed to an alternative will not choose microsoft in the future.
How many people exposed? Look at the map http://laptop.org/map.en_US.html and consider the impact on Gates' wallet for a moment. This will destroy his hopes for marketing bilge watter to the entire globe.
I can't think of a single reason to do anything but look for ways to actively help Nicholas Negroponte, et al, achieve the stated goal.
Consider the impact upon the education of youth who, heretofore have had little opportunity for education. Consider the impact on their lives and communities as they begin to help themselves.
Isn't that what we really want, anyway?
Or do'we' just want to feel superior because 'they' are less educated than 'us?' Gee! What a reason to feel smug and superior--we deny an education to those who most need and deserve it, by denying them the tools for educating themselves.
What a WONDERFUL country this must be...huh?
I would prefer to crank and type rather than sitting without power at all.
I think these comments show that Gates is getting intimidated by the $100 laptop.
Feb 3rd 1976, when Microsoft was still an infant, Bill Gates argued extensively against the free circulation of software in an open letter to hobbyists for the then relatively new concept of proprietry software. Back then, the hardware costs were the biggest obstacle for computer users, while software and operating systems were passed around on bulletin boards etc at no cost.
Mr Gates is to be respected for his achievements, but he is and has always been dead against open source software and any opportunity he can get to slam it as bad and unreliable when the truth actually flies in the opposite direction. Eeverybody knows that if you teach the children while they are still young, you've won them for life. He's having a hissy fit like a little girl because he knows he's beat and it'll get uglier as linux gains more ground.
Bill hurt the Unix base in the early days, but out of Unix came Linux, which has silently been developed into the fantastic gem it is today. If it weren't for Linux and the apache web server, the web as we know it would not be even a fraction of what it is today. When you connect to google, you connect to a mass of linux servers.
That said, the educational potential for these underpriveleged children is huge. Our westernised society with all it's trimmings came about because of christian education, missionaries in action. Through the distribution of these laptops, children that had no possible way to make any head start will start to not only learn reading, writing and arithmetic, they will learn how to dismantle and rebuild them, which will bring out the entrepeneurial potential of the people.
They've already been introduced to technology, they have seen and heard radio's, so they already know people can talk over the air, at least one-way, and we introduced that to them. These laptops will through the initial mesh network take communication to a whole new level and dont we say in our westernised societies, information is power? These are simply a tool and mans ability to create and use tools and to reason are amongst his greatest assets.
Shame the billygoat has forgotten his roots - free software, from which he gained all his wealth 'power' and prestige. It would appear he is saddened by the fact he can not lord it over the weakest by tying them up with his draconian licensing and product activation, which isn't enough so he throws in product verification, followed up with his so-called trustworthy computing campaign where he and his cohorts can alter the files on your computer from his hot-seat across the other side of the world.
Give a man a fish and you've fed him for a day, but give him a fishing ploe and teach him how to fish and you've fed him for his life. Install XP 5 times in succession on the same machine and see how friendly microsoft really are. Linux is open source, so as the children learn, they may even discover how to write their own software - this is the fishing pole and the lesson, but Microsoft only ever offered a single fish. Stupid Microsoft!
Im from South Africa, where most schools insist that students have access to a computer. This is really silly because most homes in South Africa dont have access to electricity. That being said, the cheapest PC on the market goes for about R2500, or $400. So a laptop, that can power itself for a little over R600 is fantastic! I'm lucky enough to be pretty wealthy (typing this post on a 17' PowerBook) but even I struggle to afford Broadband in South Africa. (approx: $100 pm for a 3 gig capped 512Kb ADSL) South Africa is the most advanced country in Africa, so i can only imagine what things must be like in other parts of Africa. Its scary to read some of the comments here... one of the first posts spoke about the security issues and patching software... come on... really... thats sad that you really feels thats an issue... people dont have fresh water to drink, and you think network security is an issue???
I hear alot of people saying 'hey, Gates gave more money to charity than anyone who's bad-mouthing him!'. Yeah, true. But he actually has money to give -- and, percentage-wise, he's not even doing that much.
But even if he does, there's no reason to insult as noble a project as this. Yes, food is more important, I agree. But MIT's certainly doing more to help third world countries with their 100 dollar laptops that run off of a crank (for those of you saying, 'hey, they dont have electrictiy!') than M$ is doing with their 1000 dollar portable devices that need to be recharged.
I hear a lot of talk about how great this is giving a laptop for someone without electricity, way not work on the infrastructure? Wouldn’t solar cells for power, a community well, or basic medical go further? 200 years ago the US was basically “third world”, our first priorities were infrastructure too. We start the Turnpike and the postal service before we could even agree on a currency. I’d think infrastructure goes further, these people know how to live were they are, literacy is not what is holding them down, lack of infrastructure, medicine, food and clean water. Learning to read without something to read seems silly. (a little less war and violence couldn’t hurt some places too).
'literacy is not what is holding them down, lack of infrastructure, medicine, food and clean water'
If you consider the people who are backing the $100 laptop project (Google, MIT, etc.), they are more in a position to help with education and computing than infrastructure, medicine, food, and clean water.
For those other necessary items, countries, engineers, and doctors can (and do) help out and provide that assistance.
Or you could always get Bill to do it so he can get his next tax deduction.
yeah gates gives a lot, but i also agree he is out of touch if he thinks trying to bridge the techdevide is bad.... boo on that, but bravo for his help/money in other ways.. yo yo
In response to previous posts-- it is absolutely ridiculous to assume that poorer countries are also illiterate-- I'm Portuguese, and although my family grew up without running water and electricity, we ALL knew how to read before our 5th birthday. Even Cuba has a literacy rate over 90%. Compare that with the atrocious literacy record in the US. Poor people around the world deserve cheap internet access too. Pretty soon, there will be no boundries between different cultures and peoples. I think Bill Gates is just being Xenophobic and greedy.
Regarding the hand crank unit, you've got to start somewhere if you're moving toward the goals of providing true worldwide access to the internet. Insofar as literacy is concerned, the illiterates of the future won't be those that are unable to read or write. The illiterates will be those that refuse to accept change. If Bill Gates chooses to not accept alternatives to the current ways computers are designed and used, then so be it. He can go quietly into the night.
Based on the strong feelings I've read it seems like all poor people need is a cheap book on Linux -- then they will be totally informed and will be able to solve any problem.......What do you mean they don't read?
There's no doubt that bill gates care for the well-being of poor people in third world countries but i think he cares more for his companny, Microsoft. If this 100 dollar laptop succeeds, this will bring up a generation that can use linux, let a lone windows. Enough people will be tech savvy enough to actually use free linux distros instead of costly windows.
no surprises, Gates just being himself.
Some BASICS[CROSS COMPILER NOTES TO Release DOS Version 1.0 are later to expect].
-Mr. Gates, it was on the AUSTRALIAN ZNet to see, bought his DOS but NOT DingFonts.
Gates is right! Is it cute to think of giving poorest children a computer???When they do not get a good Mid day meal at their school. Iam sure a good slate or paper notebooks should do wonders to rise the literacy levels.I do support what Gates has said in that you crank a computer to read something which has may be 512MB ram?? What can you do with it?The children will get it in a two years time, cute isnt it?Sitting in MIT, guys please do some reality check on what the Poorest children want not a cranker.Provide them a broad band it is a reality in India and share a computer,remember computer is not the end of education!
I lived in an area where kids were carrying these 100$ units to school, I would be the first one in line to jump `em. Clean up one district and then move onto the next. I am sure that there will eventually be an underground market for these niffty units with tiny, eye straining screens.
Well...that pretty-much tells the whole world what kind of worthless garbage you are.
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