One Computer Each

I’ve been writing a programme on One Laptop Per Child.  It seemed like a good idea, but I didn’t realise how hard it would be.  Basically OLPC is an organisation that aims to sell millions of laptops to developing countries so that children can learn using their own laptops.  Elements of their design are impressive.  They use less than 2 watts, have a front lit screen to be used in sunlight, have an inbuilt webcam and have networking capabilities.  Originally they were supposed to cost 100 dollars, in reality they cost just under $200. 

In 2006 the projects founder, Nicholas Negroponte, claimed they would have sold up to 200 million by the end of 2008.  In July this year they had actually sold around 600,000.  Three key members of staff have left the project for differing reasons.  One has written at length about why he quit, seemingly now completely disillusioned by the project.  There are a number of problems with, and questions about, the project.  Like, just how essential are laptops to children who live in communities with no running water or electricity?  Even if they are useful, is it really necessary for them to have one each. Nicholas Negroponte gets around these arguments by using ridiculous analogies, like white Volvos, pencils, or just telling people they’re wrong.   Also, while everyone in the computer industry might think open source software is the best thing since sliced bread, the majority of the rest of us don’t care.  Just as long as we know how to use Word, and send an email, that’ll do.  So when OLPC went against this principle (previously one of their core five), a lot of people were not happy.  The people that were happy however were the developing nations who had been telling OLPC that they didn’t want the laptops unless they had Microsoft software.  This just goes to show what happens when you actually listen to the people you’re supposed to be helping. 

There’s much more I could say about this.  Researching it for the Spotlight programme has just made me more and more annoyed.  Writing was difficult because I had to be objective and unbiased, but I had strong feelings about the project.  Hopefully I managed to stay unbiased, while putting enough information in for listeners to make up their own mind over the validity of the project. By the way, the title of this blog, and the programme I produced, is ‘One Computer Each’, because neither ‘laptop’ nor ‘per’ are in the Specialised English vocabulary list.

So, if Negroponte is to be believed, OLPC will be selling a million laptops a month sometime this year.  I’ll believe that when I see it.

Posted by stevemyerscough August 2008

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