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Bill Gates slams 100-dollar charity laptop

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Mar 16, 2006, 22:07 GMT


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40sMar 17th, 2006 - 00:21:24

In regards to that last comment, Gates has been to those deprived places and has seen what they are like. Gates has show great affection for the poor and underprivileged in the world with his charity that gives a substantial amount of money (possibly more than any other charity according to reports) to aid the fight against hunger and disease.

That said I think Gates needs to put as much faith in the importance of education as he does in the the importance of healing the sick. He's probably just pissed that it's not running some kind of Windows.

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anonMar 17th, 2006 - 00:47:51

gee Homer...

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nmservicesMar 17th, 2006 - 01:10:53

Gates needs a reality check. His only concern is that the $100 laptop isnt running some form of Windows!!!!! Now he is spreading FUD about a $100 laptop that could bring alot of good to some needy parts of the world. Very disappointing move on Microsofts part,....go figure they have a competing product that cost more........HUM.......!!!!!

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GUESSMar 17th, 2006 - 01:14:08

Bill spends a great deal of time in the poor countries and he goes out to poorest of the areas and spends time with the people to understand what they are dealing with. It’s why he and his wife got couple of the year. People like to throw stones at him, but he gives more then anyone else, how much to you do for the poor. A person that can not read does not need a laptop. The poorest of the poor maybe earn 500 dollars a year, so a 100 dollar laptop is just out of range. As far as the mesh network to share files, sound like a security problem. The people the 100 laptop will go to will not be able to get additional software for it, and will not understand about patching the software on the laptop. It is simply out of their range of understanding. You must elevate the people up before they are ready for this type of technology.

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QinzhiMar 17th, 2006 - 01:14:25

gee homer.
qz lau

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Jacob ChappelleMar 17th, 2006 - 01:17:37

What a loser..!! Bill Gates... he says, why not get a broadband connection?!! Does he not realize that some of the countries that will get these laptops don't even have electricity, telephones, or internet connections for 1000's of miles. Hey.. Why doesn't everyone just go out and buy a private jet?! that's the comparison to someone in an poverty stricken country. These 100 dollar laptops are not some kind of marketing campaign, they are about giving the other %80 of the globe a chance to utilize a powerful educational tool, called a computer. Oh how can we forget, Bill Gates originally designed his computer operating system without any concept of networking capability or security in mind. go figure...

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WingsMar 17th, 2006 - 01:30:05

Two things:
One
While he's saying this what are the chance that the os on those systems is Mirosoft....if it is why is he shooting his mouth off?
Two
While I do use Windows and don't mind it, This just show what we all ready all knew Microsoft is evil. *Waiting for Google to come out with an OS, Wonder what Gate will say then*

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LukeMar 17th, 2006 - 01:30:42

First of all Bill Gates has given more money to charity than any of the people who are bad-talking him. Second, what's the point of having a computer in an area where there is no internet, no electricity, and probably not enough food to eat? Maybe they need to msn? 100$ is probably still far out of these people's reach.

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eabuMar 17th, 2006 - 01:30:53

I didnt hear his speech, but did he repeat the word innovate in his speech?

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WingsMar 17th, 2006 - 01:33:34

Two things:
One
While he's saying this what are the chance that the os on those systems is Mirosoft....if it is why is he shooting his mouth off?
Two
While I do use Windows and don't mind it, This just show what we all ready all knew Microsoft is evil. *Waiting for Google to come out with an OS, Wonder what Gate will say then*

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Allan Gabston-HowellMar 17th, 2006 - 01:35:56

Gates used to support the $100.00 laptop--behind everything about it solidly--until it was announced that the computer would not be running windoze, or windoze ce (garbage that they both are).

They will be running Linux.

Maybe now you can see why Gates is being so infantile about it... http://laptop.media.mit.edu/

Now, that's gotta hurt!

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DanMar 17th, 2006 - 01:41:19

The laptops are going to be bought by aid orgs and given to needy persons. Internet is not needed to do useful tasks and gaming on the meshed computers.

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BrianMar 17th, 2006 - 01:43:26

For everyone raving about how much Bill has donated to charity, yes it's true that he has given large sums of money. But if you look at his history you'll see that he was notorious for only donating paltry sums to charity and the press would beat him up about it. Once he married Melinda his wallet really opened up for charity. Without her, he would still be scrooging it up.

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nkd manMar 17th, 2006 - 01:44:31

a $100.00 clam shell shovel to help the poor of the world with there planting, maybe it could help them cook something, is it flammable?

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MaxHedrmMar 17th, 2006 - 01:44:33

Well, some of you need to learn a bit more about the $100 laptop before defending Mr. Gates. The laptop is not intended to be purchased by end users. It is intended to be subsidized by the UN & local governments and charitable organizations.

As for people not being able to read, if you can't get books to read, but your village has several of these, you would be able to learn.

Security and patching ... well, it won't run Windows so it has that going for it. I think it was a paired down OS with fairly limited functionality and likely lo 'serving' capability which would also help.

Bill's comment about needing a hard drive is idiotic. In these environments and with the relatively slow connections they will have to the outside world the hard drive would be a liability rather than an asset. The fewer moving parts there are, the less there is to break. Keep in mind we're talking about places where phone lines are a luxury, nevermind broadband connections.

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MaxHedrmMar 17th, 2006 - 01:48:19

Another note ... I bet many of us commoners do give more to charity than good old Bill when you figure it as a percentage of net worth. If I give $100 that's the equivalent of about $50,000,000 for him.

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chapalakidMar 17th, 2006 - 02:16:58

What Gates doesn't seem to realize is that broadband isn't even available everywhere in the US, much less the poorest countries these units are designed to service. That being said, I agree that a 'crank powered' PC seems a bit unrealistic and the screen size is certainly an issue that needs to be addressed. By the way, if Gates is giving away one of those phones that cost $600 and up, I'll take one.

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DuGMar 17th, 2006 - 02:23:50

Seems stupid to offer an laptop of any sort to poor people who
don't have electricity or water that is clean to drink.
why not instead use the money to build electrical 'grids' and plumbing??!!
Not only can you improve the quality of lives for the poor people of the world but at the same time create jobs for them. they could not only build but maintain these systems. As a former Army soldier who has been to some of these so called poor countries and most people could care less about a laptop of any kind they would rather have something to eat, a decent job and security for themselves and their families. So I say enough of the $100 laptop crap and build an electrical power plant and a drinking water/waste water plant instead.
As for Bill Gates well he gives the money away with these charities or the IRS will take more of it away so goes it with those so called philanthropists...

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SEEUMar 17th, 2006 - 02:50:11

cant quite see the need for a $100 laptop in your mud hut when most of the third world is still having difficulty GETTING FRESH WATER.....

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nkd manMar 17th, 2006 - 02:52:32

yes bill gates has earned the ire of the masses. I get that , but unless you are going to hire these poor people to build $100.00 laptops, I'll bet that giving them a $100.00 would do more . even the well intentioned act of coming up with this scheme can't escape the question of who is really benefiting from all this $$$$$ . my guess is those that make the most noise have the most to gain or lose.

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