Zonbu

[John Abreau]

Matt Shields wrote:
> On Dec 14, 2007 12:18 PM, John Abreau <john.abreau at zuken.com> wrote:
>   
>> I don't see any indication that this will work in a remote
>> environment. It appears to require an Internet connection
>> and a subscription fee, and it doesn't look like it can survive
>> being dropped in a bathtub, a mud puddle, or a sandstorm.
>> Where's the zero-conf mesh network? Instant access to the
>> source code of the OS and all applications?
>>
>> This doesn't look to me like competition.
>>     
>
> Reminds me of the i-Opener (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-Opener).
> You got a really cheap computer/terminal but you were obligated to pay
> for something for a period of time.  For the i-Opener you paid for
> their $24.95/month internet service for 2 years, here you're paying
> for OS updates.  If you don't fulfill your contract you're hit with a
> charge.  At least this they give you the option to purchase the device
> (at a higher cost) without updates so you don't have to pay the
> monthly fee.
>   

If the objective is just a really cheap laptop, then maybe this
could be a contender. But that's not the fundamental purpose
of the OLPC project.  The purpose of OLPC, as I understand it,
is to provide educational resources to the poorest kids on
the planet, on the theory that education is the most important
part of any long-term solution to their problems.

Bundling an educational infrastructure in the form of a mesh
network of cheap, hardened laptops to enable self-study is
essentially a recognition that traditional schools full of teachers
are often politically and economically infeasible in those parts
of the world.

-- 
John Abreau
IT Manager
Zuken USA
238 Littleton Rd., Suite 100
Westford, MA 01886
T: 978-392-1777            F: 978-692-4725
M: 978-764-8934
E: John.Abreau at zuken.com  W: www.zuken.com


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