[colibri] [Fwd: [Icommons] Notebooks for all]

Mar Oct 30 14:33:56 COT 2007

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Hola,

Gracias Carolina por la información. Es bueno ver que las alternativas
de computación 1 a 1 para impactar la sociedad se mantienen diversas y
no caen en un monodiscurso. Por lo pronto he agregado la información que
he conseguido sobre lo que nos comentas a la página:

http://www.el-directorio.org/OLPC/alternativas

es interesante también saber que dichas alternativas pueden ser
emprendidas con compras unitarias sin pedidos mínimos y no están sujetas
al desinterés gubernamental.

Luego charlaremos más detallado sobre esto.

Chao,

Offray

carobotero en karisma.org.co wrote:
> Lo siento, vi la noticia en inglés, si la consigo en español la reenvio
> Carolina
> 
> ---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
> Subject: [Icommons] Notebooks for all
> From:    "Fouad Riaz Bajwa" <fouadbajwa en gmail.com>
> Date:    Wed, October 31, 2007 6:21 am
> To:      icommons en lists.ibiblio.org
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Source:
> The Bangkok Post
> http://www.bangkokpost.com/Database/31Oct2007_data01.php
> 
> Notebooks for all
> A Canadian company has yet another solution for bridging the world's digital
> divide
> 
> Story by DON SAMBANDARAKSA
> 
> A Canadian alternative to the much talked about "one hundred dollar laptop"
> is making the rounds of the region in the hope of winning support from
> governments by offering a different solution to bridge the digital divide.
> 
> Rather than one inexpensive laptop per child, the answer being presented is
> a somewhat more powerful computer, with zero maintenance or moving parts,
> which can be shared by a number of children running free and open source
> software.
> 
> Gerry Morgan, founder of Ink-Media and the man behind the Ink-Media Mobile
> Personal Computer, explained how the original idea came out of his work in
> architecting Schoolnet India. The key problem there was that a normal PC had
> a typical life span of just six months due to power fluctuations, brownouts,
> dust and software or operating system corruption. The answer to that
> question was a rugged PC with no moving parts, and one which had no
> rewritetable storage for the OS, which could be corrupted.
> 
> The idea was to cut maintenance costs, typically around 30 percent, down to
> zero. Furthermore, by basing the system on free and open source software,
> another significant running cost.
> 
> [-- Image: http://www.bangkokpost.com/Database/311007_data01.jpg
> Caption: Gerry Morgan shows off his Ink Media budget notebook that he hopes
> will help bridge the digital divide. Rather than one laptop per child, it is
> designed so that one laptop can serve many children. — DON SAMBANDARAKSA --]
> 
> Years later, Morgan came up with the idea that became the Ink-Media Personal
> Mobile Computer. Perhaps the oddest technical feature of the tablet-style PC
> is the fact that it runs an ARM-based RISC CPU, the Freescale i.mx31. The
> key reason for choosing this RISC CPU over a conventional x86 Intel or AMD
> processor was battery life. Morgan explained that this CPU's power envelope
> of just 3.5 watts made an 8-hour use possible. The other key reason was that
> this particular chip had strong video and graphics capabilities, which would
> be needed to show videos and animations in a classroom environment.
> 
> The downside is that it does not run the vast amount of x86 software out
> there.
> 
> The operating system is a cut down version of Debian Linux, recompiled for
> the ARM architecture, complete with most of the office and communications
> software expected in a GNU/Linux system. The OS and applications are locked
> away in semi-permanent flash memory that under normal circumstances cannot
> be written to by the system.
> 
> "It can't get a virus, it can't slow down. The system has no hard drive, no
> fan. Nothing can break and it is completely maintenance free," he explained.
> 
> 
> Morgan said that he does not believe in the one-laptop-per-child (OLPC)
> philosophy. Rather, he believes that computing should be as ubiquitous as
> pencils and that one laptop could be made to serve many children.
> 
> The architecture is different in that rather than storing data in the
> machine, all user data, preferences and language settings are stored in the
> user's SD card or USB drive. Plugging in your drive in any of these machines
> would then bring up a Thai language desktop with your files the way the user
> left it. This separation of machine and data is important to help one
> machine serve many people.
> 
> Morgan said that the idea of a pencil lab today would be utter absurdity, so
> why then do we persist with the concept of a computer lab? In his worldview,
> the PC should be a tool that humans use to express our thoughfulness,
> resourcefulness and insightfulness rather than an end in itself.
> 
> Already, Morgan is talking about extending the concept beyond education and
> to healthcare, homes and even small businesses in the developing world that
> have yet to use a computer.
> 
> "Four fifths of the world's population has yet to touch a computer. I was
> trying to build something to fit their needs," he said.
> 
> The open source movement features a lot in his talks. Morgan said he was
> touched by these people who created all this great software and gave it away
> for free, offering an alternative economic model to the one that has become
> entrenched in our collective psyche.
> 
> The PC design has many similarities with the OLPC and many differences. For
> instance, the screen is a conventional screen rather than the special OLPC
> design that works in bright light. Morgan said that two years ago, he
> conducted a survey right here in Thailand and everyone preferred a
> conventional screen with good colour rendition to one that had poor colour
> but was more readable in bright daylight. The Debian-based Linux OS also
> looks and feels more conventional and can easily be used by anyone
> accustomed to Windows - unlike the OLPC's altogether different human
> computer interface.
> 
> The wireless LAN component is a standard 802.11G unit from Marvel. "Meshing
> was a very interesting idea, but when you put it in a classroom, it's the
> equivalent of passing paper notes to all your friends. As a former teacher,
> would I want that? I don't think so," he said. As for the question of
> providing connectivity across areas that the OLPC's mesh WiFi promises,
> Morgan thinks that soon enough we will have WiMax that will address that
> need with more standard equipment.
> 
> Profits from the endeavour are channelled back into the Gerry Morgan
> foundation, which invests in poor regions sometimes for computers, sometimes
> for other basic infrastructure. The first project is a school in Uganda for
> around 200 AIDS orphans. The entire project is designed to be self
> sustaining, which means that each system is sold at a small profit in order
> to make the ecosystem viable and scalable.
> 
> Ink Media is ready to scale up production with its partners in China as
> early as January but before that can happen, Morgan is travelling the world
> meeting governments trying to convince them of his vision and gain their
> commitment.
> 
> "The idea of low cost computers is a very important economic strategy and it
> has to become a national priority in every country. Up until now, the entire
> computing revolution has touched less than 20 percent of the world's
> population. We are about to have the second revolution, and yes, I believe
> the end goal can be achieved within my lifetime," he said.
> 
> Today, the Ink-Media Personal Mobile Notebook can be ordered in bulk for
> US$250 per unit and a desktop version - which has the same processor and
> internals but is to expected to be hooked up to a second hand monitor,
> keyboard and mouse - can be had for as little as $160.
> 
> 
> 
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