How Classsmate PC Stacks Up Against OLPC

lisah writes "While the One Laptop Per Child project pulled itself together and shipped its first Beta machines, Intel was busy developing its own version, the Classmate PC. Inevitable comparisons will be made between the two (especially since OLPC's chairman Nicholas Negroponte called Intel's move "predatory"), so Linux.com's Tina Gasperson and her kids took a Classmate PC for a test run to see how it does in the real world. The upshot? Good battery life, easy to use, and great with ketchup. 'The Classmate is so adorably cozy it make you want to snuggle up on a comfy couch or lean back on some pillows on the floor while you surf. Good thing wireless is built right in. Too bad the typical Linux foibles apply. The first snag was having to log in as root to check the system configuration because the Classmate wouldn't log on to the network. Something tells me most elementary and high school teachers with nothing but Windows experience aren't going to get that.'" Linux.com and Slashdot are both owned by OSTG.

Re:Predatory? Ha!

[DragonWriter]

Ostensibly the "One Laptop Per Child" thing was meant to provide computing access to underprivileged youths. Now there's competition in the same market and somehow that's bad?

The OLPC project was to provide educational resources to developing countries, centered around low-cost, reliable computing hardware adapted to the needs of education in the developing world and services and open content for that platform.

Yeah, yeah, the interesting part to first-world geeks seems to be primarily the hardware platform. But that's not what OLPC is about.

The ClassmatePC, while it is introduced to as a competitor to the OLPC hardware, is not part of Intel competing to provide what OLPC is trying to provide.

Re:dropping to root is a failure?

[plalonde2]

You need to read the bitfrost spec [laptop.org]. "root" isn't a viable security mechanism for modern computing, much as you like it. It doesn't distribute, and doesn't offer the multiple levels of security that are required in the OLPC types of deployment. There likely isn't an expert around who can "root" around problems. Instead, OLPC has a well-defined security model that makes sense for its deployment environment.

Re:Its from intel..

[amitabh_bachhan]

that is incorrect. Please refer to http://www.classmatepc.com/classmatepc-system-soft ware.html [classmatepc.com]

Re:The first world displays massive ignorance

[tb()ne]

Do third-world children really abuse what they own like that? Or is that the way a first world child would?

They probably don't. But their environment does. In contrast to the ClassMate, OLPC has no openings so that sand won't penetrate it. It also has a sealed keyboard so that water (read: rain) can be poured on it without damaging the laptop. OLPC was specifically designed to be used in a third world environment.

You could READ about OLPC and get an answer

[Derivin]

Please go read up on the OLPC project.
Start with the mission statement:
OLPC is not, at heart, a technology program, nor is the XO a product in any conventional sense of the word. OLPC is a non-profit organization providing a means to an end--an end that sees children in even the most remote regions of the globe being given the opportunity to tap into their own potential, to be exposed to a whole world of ideas, and to contribute to a more productive and saner world community.

Q: why doesn't OLPC make a $100 laptop for the US Market?
A: That is not the purpose of the OLPC project. They do not have the resources nor the infrastructure to pursue such a commercial, non-humanitarian effort, nor the desire.
Q: Why do companies like Dell and Intel make a sub-$100 laptop for the US market?
A: There is very little profit in it.

Re:Predatory? Ha!

[burnin1965]

Ostensibly the "One Laptop Per Child" thing was meant to provide computing access to underprivileged youths. Now there's competition in the same market and somehow that's bad? If Intel strong-arms the OLPC project into oblivion but continues to provide the same "philanthropic", so to speak, service, don't the children still benefit?

The OLPC is not about providing computing access to underprivileged youths its about "children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves." [laptop.org] The market droids are doing a good job of twisting this nonprofit educational project into a competition for "emerging markets" [classmatepc.com]

The people who developed the OLPC have been working on this project for years and they have experimented extensively in 3rd world countries before designing their learning device to ensure success in achieving their goals, Intel's objective as stated on their classmatePC website is simply marketing.

So you see, it is predatory, not competition.

Re:The first world displays massive ignorance

[morgan_greywolf]

Even so, the conditions for the urban kids you mention are a lot worse than you might think [blogspot.com]. My point still stands.

Re:and you don't OLPCs won't be laying unused ?

[mrchaotica]

But how will we be able to exploit these populations for profit if we don't get them addicted to expensive electronic gadgets?

Everything about the XO (the actual name of the OLPC project computer) is open source. That includes both software and hardware designs. If these countries had the proper facilities, they could, and would be quite welcome to, build it themselves and keep the money in their own economy.

Re:The first world displays massive ignorance

[DragonWriter]

I'm not sure those are the children that the OLPC/Classmate are really being aimed for. Looking at the governments that are purchasing them, while they do have some poor areas, they're not exactly sub-Saharan Africa

Of the six currently announced launch countries, three are in Africa, and two of those (Nigeria and Rwanda) are in sub-Saharan Africa.

My precioussss

[OricAtmos48K]

Classsmate !

Re:The first world displays massive ignorance

[cduffy]

No YOU display massive ignorance... These laptops will all be resold by third parties on ebay... you OLPC nut-jobs are living in lala land.

Resold to whom? They're kids' computers, and very much meant for the task -- they have keyboards means for small hands, and are small and colorful enough that any adult using one will be obviously (ab)using a computer which was meant for a child -- and thus, hopefully, publicly shamed.
There are also significant security features built in at a hardware level. As an example, the laptops can be set to brick themselves if they don't show up at school.

Re:The first world displays massive ignorance

[DragonWriter]

In contrast to the ClassMate, OLPC has no openings so that sand won't penetrate it. It also has a sealed keyboard so that water (read: rain) can be poured on it without damaging the laptop.

The XO is not just designed to survive rain, but immersion in up to 5 feet of water.

The requirements for the accompanying XS "classroom server" are for it to be resistant to water from above (like rain) and to be able to operate in a constant 100% humidity environment.

Re:The test-drive displays massive ignorance

[drinkypoo]

$170 for a text here will stock a classroom there.

If you could provide a citation, that would be helpful. Because I don't believe you. I think that you are far overestimating the reach of the American dollar.

Also, part of the appeal of the OLPC is that it's not a book. Books tend to be used for cooking fuel, because they burn nicely.

Re:The test-drive displays massive ignorance

[mrchaotica]

Children are not born with an instictive knowledge of how to use comptuers, the internet, or English, all of which are items which are pretty much requistes of being able to find a use for these outside of making a few bucks on the black market.

I guess I have to link to this [greenstar.org] again...