on ehunderd dollar laptop

The With professor and the digital ditch

Lorenz Matzat 01.03.2007

The 100-Dollar-Laptop project stands in the criticism

A favorable laptop manufactured in million-number of items is to provide entrance to the education after the will of an initiative from the USA in developing countries children. Since 2005 the One laptop works by Child project (OLPC) around the founder of the WITH MediaLab, Nicholas Negroponte, on a machine, which is cut to child hands and raue environments. These days start in the pilot countries tests with 3000 devices. But many questions are open, which concern the financing, implementation as well as the social and ecological effects of the giant project.

Photo: OLPC

So far the bang-green crate was well-known as 100-Dollar-Laptop. But since short time it is called XO - Children Machine now official. When Mastermind for entire project applies Nicholas Negroponte, which created in the middle of the 80's the Media lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (WITH). 2005 it gave its leading place up with the MediaLab, in order to dedicate itself to OLPC completely. In November 2005 Negroponte as well as the UN president at that time Kofi Annan presented a prototype of the computer on the world information summit in Tunis (digital Gewimmel in the Cybersouks).

Like no different one it succeeded to Negroponte thus in the public, at the “digital gap” between the industrialized countries of the north and the “3.Welt” - to make attentive countries - at the same time offered it a possible strategy, in order to close it: Basic school children in developing countries so mentioned receive over their governments, that must at least one million laptop orders, a XO. By means of a slack network the computers can access a school server, that the entrance to teaching materials ensured and, where available, by cables or satellite binding to the Internet.

Education by technology

Only by education to poverty and conflicts, thinks Negroponte and its team is to be gotten. Knowledge one would not only taught get, but attains one also by exchange and interaction, for which interlaced computers were extremely suitable tools, so the studied architect. Children are to learn to learn. The With professor stresses again and again: It is not a laptop project, but an education project.

That is correct not completely, because much technical development flowed into the equipment also under 1,5 Kilos weight. As masterpiece the currentsaving TFT monitor can be considered to this work: It combines a color display (dissolution of 1024 x of 768 pixels) with a background-lit, konstraststarken black-and-white display with 1200 x 900 pixels, which offers so also during direct sun exposure a very sharp dissolution of 200dpi for the E-Book-mode. The 7,5-Zoll display can be directly turned a Tablet PC and be outward folded up with the front. A broad Touchpad serves also the writing input and for drawing. With its carrying handle, the multicolored housing and one for small fingers is the computer to recognize (mass 193mm x 229mm x 64mm) conceived keyboard clearly as equipment for children.

Child-friendly user surface Sugar. Picture: OLPC

Thick plastics, dust and splash-proof keyboard and few mobile parts - in such a way there are 512 MT a Flashspeicher in place of a non removable disk - are to give a long life to it also in rauen environments. By USB further devices can be attached, be likewise contained a sound map, an inserted microphone and a VGA camera are. The blocked AMD processor with 366 MHz and 128 MT RAM uses little river - 1 Watt - and does not have not to be cooled. Even under maximum load the laptop is to run six hours. By means of pulling the cord of a “YoYo” - adapter, can be loaded the Akku (in addition, other devices) by hand or foot again.

The swinging out “ears” represent a further important Clou - Wifi antennas, it make possible to develop approximately around a Wlan server a Mesh net. Also in the switched off condition the XO-computers pass received signals of the servers or other laptops on by radio over hundreds meters to the next receiver. Additional still “100-Dollar-Server” and favorable external drive assemblies are in work ( presentation of OLPC engineer Mark of J. Foster with pictures and diagrams).

The laptop is to hold out a life cycle of five years. When operating system and so that foundation for the sense and purpose of the equipment, serves the order for education, a modified Redhat Linux, which is translated like also teaching materials into the respective land and regional languages. Its user surface “Sugar” be based purely on symbols and should be so child fair. Applications firmieren under “activities” and it substantial on  Kollaboration are set. Of course also computer games on the devices run: The first 875 beta XO were hardly in the hands of developers, brought this Doom and super Mario to running.

Which the technical side concerns offers OLPC with  a Wiki and  a Blog much transparency. The technical solutions are also unanimously praised, but the entire beginning of the giant project is extremely disputed. Critics speak of a typical US-American approach: A strongly hierarchical beginning - top down -, which wants to force a development step with a far-laminar substantial yield of technology.

Indeed that contradicts the usually negative experiences, which were made in passed the decades with solcherlei projects. So today co-operation with the population on grass root level is an elementary component of the work of development organizations and NGOs. As at present the newest indispensable method, at least in German development co-operation, the DO-NO-Harm-beginning is required: Before a project is started, one tries its possible effects on the social, cultural, ecological in planning, to play economical and political levels to the end of the project area.

“We need classrooms and teachers and no extravaganten devices”

OLPC refers to past projects of Negroponte. Already 1982 it therefore in Senegal with Apple ii-computers of school children in Dakar supplied. And together with its son it installed 2002 in the kambodschanischen village Reaksmey a satellite Internet connection and handed to the school over approximately 50 commercial laptops, which are used probably industriously for English learning. A präsentable evaluation of the project does not seem to exist however. No miracle, if one talk-has Negropontes speech on that Summit in the past summer listened: “The World Bank asks us: “Made studies for it?” Now, we do not have. But we do not have time for pilot studies. These days are past. That is Slam dunk, as long as we make it, makes, makes. “

Nicholas Negroponte does not hear criticism so gladly. Picture: OLPC

The With professor is quite sensitive, if its project is criticized. When it was addressed in   an interview in the autumn 2006 on criticism at OLPC, it said: “I do not answer to such criticism. If one criticizes this project, then is this like that, as if the church or the red cross was criticized.” But recently Negroponte could not pinch itself then nevertheless an answer. The Norwegian NGO FAIR, which works in the sector IT for development (ICT4D),  criticized that for the poorest developing countries the costs of the OLPC were much too high. A school with 1000 pupils with XO laptop to equip, would cost approximately 200,000 dollar. The NGO guesses OLCP as the first step to equip schools with computer laboratories in order to gain experiences. One takes for it 40 recycelte computers the costs approx. to 1,500 dollar would amount to. Negroponte dismissed the criticism in  a E-Mail as unfounded and demanded an apology. OLPC rejects computer laboratories as too exclusive, it is like tennis places. Generally the Macher of the laptop project argues with the fact that children continuously and therefore also its own computer would learn bräuchten - like also many children in the industrial nations privately would have a computer for the order.

The question of cost is and remains the crack point as 100-Dollar-Laptops admits of become project. The computers are not to arrive at the free market, but it is of a donation model the speech, with which private people for 300 dollar can purchase equipment. The unit price of the XO actually still is with scarcely 150 US Dollar. Only in the coming years - to 2010 it could be already 150 million laptop, hopes OLPC - the construction units could become cheaper and fall so the price under 100 dollar due to the mass production. However this year are still 10 million computer to be produced.

Apart from the pure material and manufacturing costs however further sums for the training of teachers and technicians as well as maintenance are to be taken into consideration. The agreement with Libya, which wants 1.2 million devices to buy, counts on approximately 250 million dollar at expenditures - 208 dollar per laptop. Nigeria, which likewise belongs to the pilot countries of OLCP, counts 45 million children and young people at the age of 6-18 years. If the government of the country wanted alone the four million pupil of the first class with XO-machines equips, it would have approximately 1.7 billion dollar to spend - scarcely 15 per cent of the entire national budget. In view of such costs a clear came along no from India, a country over two hundred million schoolable children. “We need classrooms and teachers and no extravaganten devices”, were called it on the part of the Indian education Ministry.

The costs cannot only form a Stolperstein for the ambitionierte laptop project

But the enormous sums, which are in the play, do not only encounter doubts. How does one protect the devices against theft? Become in countries, in which IT-devices are goods in short supply, not fast does a black market develop? Which consequences does corruption in the government authorities, which administer the distribution of the computers, have? Some fear that youth course the interlaced laptops could use, in order to coordinate themselves and commit criminal actions. Beside these more near to far from lying questions there is in the long run however the social effects, which such has a giant project. Accepted, the respective teachers are ready to acquire themselves new lehr and Lernmethoden. And the XO-computers, as from OLPC expects succeed in, kindling an education explosion with the children in the participating countries. Which consequences would a rapid education rise of a recent generation have, while the older ones of majority have only rudimentary education?

When rather surely it can only apply that the network ability of the computers will be used not only by the respective child, but also by its family and neighbour. The Internet kiosks in of India rural areas show, as alone by only one Internet entrance in a village farmer approximately in the situation are market prices to be queried and overreaching by dealers be gone around in such a way. Or it from the distance advice and assistance with technical and cultivation-relevant questions to get itself could.

With the critical questions to the laptop project associate the aspects of resources consumption and the effect of the electrical scrap iron which can be expected, which the production of further zig millions computers would bring beside that to anyway annually 100 million commercially manufactured laptop with itself. And it appears completely paradoxical that OLPCs wants to achieve its low cost goal as selbstlos human celebrated project by the disputed conditions of work in China. The laptops are manufactured by the taiwanesische company Quanta, who assembles approximately 30 per cent of all Notebooks world-wide in its  factories - under it also devices of Apple, Dell, Acer and HP. The XO-machines are to be manufactured in a new factory by Quanta in the Chinese Chianzhou close Shanghai, because the labour costs are lower there,  report an industry service. According to  statements of independent trade unions in Hong Kong, the conditions of work are bad in the High Tech factories of China, the payment are because of the lower legal limit. Due to their skill usually young women in the technique industry were employed, who would be health worn often after only few years. The study appeared recently certifies  social effects of production of Notebooks of the Öko institute from Freiburg that Quanta adheres to the legal defaults. But a permanent excess of the work time does not close by overtime out up to 60 weekly hours of work is usual.

On many Websites, mailing lists and forums the project is discussed by OLPC. As founded collection of sceptical voices English-language  olpcnews.com was established. Here write people, which are active even in the range IT and development. One accused to them by  a XO-fan by Intel to be paid. The processor manufacturer is to be spoken actually not well on the project, which is supported by the competitor AMD. Intel has one for countries of the south conceived computers in the program, the 400-Dollar-Computer “Classmate”. But XO and Classmate are not alone -  a list of the World Bank enumerates 30 of such projects.

In an enormous force act OLPC rammed an extremely ambitioniertes project from the soil within short time. Whether the mass production of the laptops however really begins in the summer, must show up. So far it is unclear whether at all one of the pilot countries already really released or transferred means for the project. , Selected themselves OLPC maintain bad tongue with so an untested giant project in the countries of the north to never come through and also therefore the developing countries as a target group.

Article URL: http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/24/24723/1.html

The With professor and the digital ditch

Lorenz Matzat 01.03.2007

The 100-Dollar-Laptop project stands in the criticism

A favorable laptop manufactured in million-number of items is to provide entrance to the education after the will of an initiative from the USA in developing countries children. Since 2005 the One laptop works by Child project (OLPC) around the founder of the WITH MediaLab, Nicholas Negroponte, on a machine, which is cut to child hands and raue environments. These days start in the pilot countries tests with 3000 devices. But many questions are open, which concern the financing, implementation as well as the social and ecological effects of the giant project.

Photo: OLPC

So far the bang-green crate was well-known as 100-Dollar-Laptop. But since short time it is called XO - Children Machine now official. When Mastermind for entire project applies Nicholas Negroponte, which created in the middle of the 80's the Media lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (WITH). 2005 it gave its leading place up with the MediaLab, in order to dedicate itself to OLPC completely. In November 2005 Negroponte as well as the UN president at that time Kofi Annan presented a prototype of the computer on the world information summit in Tunis (digital Gewimmel in the Cybersouks).

Like no different one it succeeded to Negroponte thus in the public, at the “digital gap” between the industrialized countries of the north and the “3.Welt” - to make attentive countries - at the same time offered it a possible strategy, in order to close it: Basic school children in developing countries so mentioned receive over their governments, that must at least one million laptop orders, a XO. By means of a slack network the computers can access a school server, that the entrance to teaching materials ensured and, where available, by cables or satellite binding to the Internet.

Education by technology

Only by education to poverty and conflicts, thinks Negroponte and its team is to be gotten. Knowledge one would not only taught get, but attains one also by exchange and interaction, for which interlaced computers were extremely suitable tools, so the studied architect. Children are to learn to learn. The With professor stresses again and again: It is not a laptop project, but an education project.

That is correct not completely, because much technical development flowed into the equipment also under 1,5 Kilos weight. As masterpiece the currentsaving TFT monitor can be considered to this work: It combines a color display (dissolution of 1024 x of 768 pixels) with a background-lit, konstraststarken black-and-white display with 1200 x 900 pixels, which offers so also during direct sun exposure a very sharp dissolution of 200dpi for the E-Book-mode. The 7,5-Zoll display can be directly turned a Tablet PC and be outward folded up with the front. A broad Touchpad serves also the writing input and for drawing. With its carrying handle, the multicolored housing and one for small fingers is the computer to recognize (mass 193mm x 229mm x 64mm) conceived keyboard clearly as equipment for children.

Child-friendly user surface Sugar. Picture: OLPC

Thick plastics, dust and splash-proof keyboard and few mobile parts - in such a way there are 512 MT a Flashspeicher in place of a non removable disk - are to give a long life to it also in rauen environments. By USB further devices can be attached, be likewise contained a sound map, an inserted microphone and a VGA camera are. The blocked AMD processor with 366 MHz and 128 MT RAM uses little river - 1 Watt - and does not have not to be cooled. Even under maximum load the laptop is to run six hours. By means of pulling the cord of a “YoYo” - adapter, can be loaded the Akku (in addition, other devices) by hand or foot again.

The swinging out “ears” represent a further important Clou - Wifi antennas, it make possible to develop approximately around a Wlan server a Mesh net. Also in the switched off condition the XO-computers pass received signals of the servers or other laptops on by radio over hundreds meters to the next receiver. Additional still “100-Dollar-Server” and favorable external drive assemblies are in work ( presentation of OLPC engineer Mark of J. Foster with pictures and diagrams).

The laptop is to hold out a life cycle of five years. When operating system and so that foundation for the sense and purpose of the equipment, serves the order for education, a modified Redhat Linux, which is translated like also teaching materials into the respective land and regional languages. Its user surface “Sugar” be based purely on symbols and should be so child fair. Applications firmieren under “activities” and it substantial on  Kollaboration are set. Of course also computer games on the devices run: The first 875 beta XO were hardly in the hands of developers, brought this Doom and super Mario to running.

Which the technical side concerns offers OLPC with  a Wiki and  a Blog much transparency. The technical solutions are also unanimously praised, but the entire beginning of the giant project is extremely disputed. Critics speak of a typical US-American approach: A strongly hierarchical beginning - top down -, which wants to force a development step with a far-laminar substantial yield of technology.

Indeed that contradicts the usually negative experiences, which were made in passed the decades with solcherlei projects. So today co-operation with the population on grass root level is an elementary component of the work of development organizations and NGOs. As at present the newest indispensable method, at least in German development co-operation, the DO-NO-Harm-beginning is required: Before a project is started, one tries its possible effects on the social, cultural, ecological in planning, to play economical and political levels to the end of the project area.

“We need classrooms and teachers and no extravaganten devices”

OLPC refers to past projects of Negroponte. Already 1982 it therefore in Senegal with Apple ii-computers of school children in Dakar supplied. And together with its son it installed 2002 in the kambodschanischen village Reaksmey a satellite Internet connection and handed to the school over approximately 50 commercial laptops, which are used probably industriously for English learning. A präsentable evaluation of the project does not seem to exist however. No miracle, if one talk-has Negropontes speech on that Summit in the past summer listened: “The World Bank asks us: “Made studies for it?” Now, we do not have. But we do not have time for pilot studies. These days are past. That is Slam dunk, as long as we make it, makes, makes. “

Nicholas Negroponte does not hear criticism so gladly. Picture: OLPC

The With professor is quite sensitive, if its project is criticized. When it was addressed in   an interview in the autumn 2006 on criticism at OLPC, it said: “I do not answer to such criticism. If one criticizes this project, then is this like that, as if the church or the red cross was criticized.” But recently Negroponte could not pinch itself then nevertheless an answer. The Norwegian NGO FAIR, which works in the sector IT for development (ICT4D),  criticized that for the poorest developing countries the costs of the OLPC were much too high. A school with 1000 pupils with XO laptop to equip, would cost approximately 200,000 dollar. The NGO guesses OLCP as the first step to equip schools with computer laboratories in order to gain experiences. One takes for it 40 recycelte computers the costs approx. to 1,500 dollar would amount to. Negroponte dismissed the criticism in  a E-Mail as unfounded and demanded an apology. OLPC rejects computer laboratories as too exclusive, it is like tennis places. Generally the Macher of the laptop project argues with the fact that children continuously and therefore also its own computer would learn bräuchten - like also many children in the industrial nations privately would have a computer for the order.

The question of cost is and remains the crack point as 100-Dollar-Laptops admits of become project. The computers are not to arrive at the free market, but it is of a donation model the speech, with which private people for 300 dollar can purchase equipment. The unit price of the XO actually still is with scarcely 150 US Dollar. Only in the coming years - to 2010 it could be already 150 million laptop, hopes OLPC - the construction units could become cheaper and fall so the price under 100 dollar due to the mass production. However this year are still 10 million computer to be produced.

Apart from the pure material and manufacturing costs however further sums for the training of teachers and technicians as well as maintenance are to be taken into consideration. The agreement with Libya, which wants 1.2 million devices to buy, counts on approximately 250 million dollar at expenditures - 208 dollar per laptop. Nigeria, which likewise belongs to the pilot countries of OLCP, counts 45 million children and young people at the age of 6-18 years. If the government of the country wanted alone the four million pupil of the first class with XO-machines equips, it would have approximately 1.7 billion dollar to spend - scarcely 15 per cent of the entire national budget. In view of such costs a clear came along no from India, a country over two hundred million schoolable children. “We need classrooms and teachers and no extravaganten devices”, were called it on the part of the Indian education Ministry.

The costs cannot only form a Stolperstein for the ambitionierte laptop project

But the enormous sums, which are in the play, do not only encounter doubts. How does one protect the devices against theft? Become in countries, in which IT-devices are goods in short supply, not fast does a black market develop? Which consequences does corruption in the government authorities, which administer the distribution of the computers, have? Some fear that youth course the interlaced laptops could use, in order to coordinate themselves and commit criminal actions. Beside these more near to far from lying questions there is in the long run however the social effects, which such has a giant project. Accepted, the respective teachers are ready to acquire themselves new lehr and Lernmethoden. And the XO-computers, as from OLPC expects succeed in, kindling an education explosion with the children in the participating countries. Which consequences would a rapid education rise of a recent generation have, while the older ones of majority have only rudimentary education?

When rather surely it can only apply that the network ability of the computers will be used not only by the respective child, but also by its family and neighbour. The Internet kiosks in of India rural areas show, as alone by only one Internet entrance in a village farmer approximately in the situation are market prices to be queried and overreaching by dealers be gone around in such a way. Or it from the distance advice and assistance with technical and cultivation-relevant questions to get itself could.

With the critical questions to the laptop project associate the aspects of resources consumption and the effect of the electrical scrap iron which can be expected, which the production of further zig millions computers would bring beside that to anyway annually 100 million commercially manufactured laptop with itself. And it appears completely paradoxical that OLPCs wants to achieve its low cost goal as selbstlos human celebrated project by the disputed conditions of work in China. The laptops are manufactured by the taiwanesische company Quanta, who assembles approximately 30 per cent of all Notebooks world-wide in its  factories - under it also devices of Apple, Dell, Acer and HP. The XO-machines are to be manufactured in a new factory by Quanta in the Chinese Chianzhou close Shanghai, because the labour costs are lower there,  report an industry service. According to  statements of independent trade unions in Hong Kong, the conditions of work are bad in the High Tech factories of China, the payment are because of the lower legal limit. Due to their skill usually young women in the technique industry were employed, who would be health worn often after only few years. The study appeared recently certifies  social effects of production of Notebooks of the Öko institute from Freiburg that Quanta adheres to the legal defaults. But a permanent excess of the work time does not close by overtime out up to 60 weekly hours of work is usual.

On many Websites, mailing lists and forums the project is discussed by OLPC. As founded collection of sceptical voices English-language  olpcnews.com was established. Here write people, which are active even in the range IT and development. One accused to them by  a XO-fan by Intel to be paid. The processor manufacturer is to be spoken actually not well on the project, which is supported by the competitor AMD. Intel has one for countries of the south conceived computers in the program, the 400-Dollar-Computer “Classmate”. But XO and Classmate are not alone -  a list of the World Bank enumerates 30 of such projects.

In an enormous force act OLPC rammed an extremely ambitioniertes project from the soil within short time. Whether the mass production of the laptops however really begins in the summer, must show up. So far it is unclear whether at all one of the pilot countries already really released or transferred means for the project. , Selected themselves OLPC maintain bad tongue with so an untested giant project in the countries of the north to never come through and also therefore the developing countries as a target group.

Article URL: http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/24/24723/1.html