Why The Vision Behind ‘One Laptop Per Child’ Makes Sense

“[A laptop's architecture today is] … a little bit like an obese person having to use most of their energy to move their obesity.”

TED | Talks | Nicholas Negroponte: The vision behind One Laptop Per Child (video)

This talk is slightly old but it occurred to me that sceptics of this program that I have talked to, usually know nothing at all about computer architecture; and therefore, they don’t grasp why the details of such a project make it so exciting and plausible to someone who does.

It’s the details that are the reason that people excited about the project often want one of these machines for themselves.

Of course, the larger questions about this project have to do with availability of good mentoring, security and lots of other social issues; however, I still get the feeling, that people look at the infuriating machine on their desk and can’t understand how a $100 laptop could be of use to anyone, yet alone a poor child.

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