Quote:
Originally Posted by alex_d
This ASUS book with Windows XP would make the perfect OLPC. In particular, having windows is very important. Windows is the only operating system that both has an easy learning curve and a lot of depth. It's like a ramp that lets you become more and more skilled without having to read manuals or try very hard. MacOS and Linux do only one or the other. Linux is especially bad because 99% of the support forums and other resources that one needs to learn to do ANYTHING non-trivial are in English.
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Yes, at that price, the Eee will draw a lot of applications -- like reading -- like schools in developing countries . . . But I do not consider that technology compelling people to operate in English is necessarily a bad thing. English is a syncretic language, and it is finding an evolutionary advantage, due to science and technology. Imagine doing all of this in Latin! The vocabulary of technology is an easier place to start than, say, literature.
For $200, with some swappable batteries, many of us will buy an Eee to use as a reader. Many others will happily hack the Linux on it. The Eee is an exciting development -- if they can really pull it off.