One Laptop Per Child News

Ivan Krstić: OLPC Doesn't Have a XO Laptop Deployment Plan

Posted on May 13, 2008 by Wayan Vota in Implementation: Plan

Wow. Reading Ivan Krstić's 4,400 word manifesto on OLPC, Sic Transit Gloria Laptopi, you can tell that, by his own admission, he is angry.

Ivan Krstić in happier days

He calls out both the Free and Open Source Software community and One Laptop Per Child for their dueling thoughts around software that is distraction from the overall goal - educating children. Then, he confirms what I concluded long ago about Nicholas Negroponte's view of OLPC's mission:

In fact, I quit when Nicholas told me - and not just me - that learning was never part of the mission. The mission was, in his mind, always getting as many laptops as possible out there; to say anything about learning would be presumptuous, and so he doesn't want OLPC to have a software team, a hardware team, or a deployment team going forward.

But its when Ivan talks about deployment that I really get scared. His description of the OLPC implementation plans (or lack thereof) was the exact reason I started OLPC News so long ago - my great fear that this very scenario would come to pass:

Other than the incredible Carla Gomez-Monroy who worked on setting up the pilots, there was no one hired to work on deployment while I was at OLPC, with Uruguay's and Peru's combined 360,000 laptop rollout in progress. I was parachuted in as the sole OLPC person to deal with Uruguay, and sent to Peru at the last minute. And I'm really good at thinking on my feet, but what the shit do I know about deployment?

Right around that time, Walter was demoted and theoretically made the "director of deployment," a position where he directed his expansive team of - himself. Then he left, and get this: now the company has half a million laptops in the wild, with no one even pretending to be officially in charge of deployment. "I quit," Walter told me on the phone after leaving, "because I can't continue to work on a lie."

Best of all is Ivan's money quote for all of us who love the idea of technology as a catalyst for change, love the clock-stopping hot technology, but yet also worry about the impact such a high-profile project has on the entire technology for development movement:

The real laptop challenge

That OLPC was never serious about solving deployment, and that it seems to no longer be interested in even trying, is criminal. Left uncorrected, it will turn the project into a historical fuckup unparalleled in scale.

That is exactly the fear that drove me to get medieval on OLPC's ass for the first year of this humble site. I've mellowed in time, not due to any great strides by OLPC in its abilities to lead, follow, or even get out of the way of others, but by the amazing success of independent efforts like el proyecto Ceibal, OLE Nepal, Teaching Matters, Waveplace Foundation and despite OLPC's best attempts to muck it up, Give One Get One, which for the record, is still the largest deployment of XO laptops to end users.

Ivan concludes by touching on a thought that a few of us are thinking hard about these days. With the coming plethora of 4P Computing options, platforms that focus on performance, power, portability, and price factors favorable for educational deployments in the developing world, there is no need to be monolithically focused on any single platform.

The real need is in educational software and content for those platforms, and the deceptively tricky act of deploying them at scale. It's just too bad that Ivan doesn't think OLPC is even going to attempt either. That in itself is a historical fuck-up paralleled all too often by lesser organizations.

How to GiveMany $30,000 in XO Laptops (or Not)

Posted on May 13, 2008 by Wayan Vota in Sales Talk: Donors, Sales Talk: G1G1

Here is an optimistic email from OLPC Switzerland that warms my heart:

Last fall I started reading about OLPC and was able to convince my employer to participate in the give many program: We purchased 150 laptops for 30'000 USD, 50 of which were sent to our hotel in Sana'a, Yemen, and 50 to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The laptops have or are about to clear customs and will be stored in our hotels while the handover is planned. In both countries, the ministry of education has suggested some schools, and two schools per location were selected to receive 25 laptops each.

The handover to the schools is being planned and I am interested in input on how to best do this.

Give and give not XO laptops

While you are responding to Oliver Bernet's request in the comments below, let's contrast his acceptance of the Give Many program from One Laptop Per Child with Ken Hargesheimer's opinion on his quest for XO's for ~~Mormon~~ church of Christ missionaries:

Brightstar emailed me that I can purchase 100 delivered to the USA for $32,000 and they will donate 50 to one of the four countries. I told them that I want all 150 of them as these will all be donated. We would pay $33,000 for all of them delivered to us. They said no. I emailed NN and he said no.

There are hundreds of churches, NGOs, etc who would buy them. Many believe OLPC is going to fail and I see why.

On one hand, I can understand Ken's frustration. He's collected $30,000 to buy XO laptops and wants that purchase to go as far as it can - all the way to 150 XO laptops. On the other hand, OLPC has the XO's and can distribute them how ever they want, and building in a donation to Give Many is a smart financial move.

Still, as Ed Cherlin has explained before, the Give Many program has major flaws:

The GiveMany program, is incoherent and in my experience is impossible to deal with. I find that I don't believe anything that Brightstar tells me about the program, because they have changed their terms radically with no announcement, and because of their incompetence in the GiveOneGetOne program.

At first it was cash in advance with delivery in 90 days. Then, without warning, it became cash in advance, a delivery date will be provided in 60 days, and delivery can be any time in the next nine (9) months.

As a great example of the chaos in GiveMany, I personally know of a Washington DC patron of a Quaker school that donated $40,000 for the purchase of 200 XO laptops. But due to Brightstar's fumbling and inability to process a PO order, the school went with conventional Windows computers, mainly desktops, to initiate its computing program, which I hope we can all agree was a loss for the students and OLPC.

So I give great kudos to Oliver for finagling 100 XO laptops from OLPC through GiveMany and I hope, along with Ed, that we have a whole new GiveMany quite soon that can be responsive to both ~~Mormon~~ church of Christ and Quakers.

Wanted: Peruvian One Laptop Per Child Folk Heroes

Posted on May 12, 2008 by Guest Writer in Countries: Peru

Peru has ordered over 260,000 OLPC XO-1 laptops. These machines will be running Sugar on GNU/Linux. Forty thousand of these are already in warehouses in Peru, with Sugar builds 656 or 703 installed. That means over a quarter of a million kids will use Sugar/GNU/Linux in the next few months - and you can directly influence their lives! Your software, documentation, support expertise, ideas and insights can improve the education of a vast number of kids.

Pointing to a OLPC Peru future

Wanted: Peruvian Folk Heroes. Will you become one?

I am C. Scott Ananian, a developer for One Laptop Per Child. Yet I'm not trying to convince you that you need to pledge loyalty to OLPC and not question its decisions. In fact, you don't have to agree with OLPC's press releases: OLPC seems intent on making its own mistakes, but someone needs to keep doing the work that will help the kids regardless. But why invest in third-party infrastructure when we could just be reusing OLPC's lists/servers/builds?

Because, in fact, OLPC is badly resource-starved, and often doesn't have good infrastructure to build on. Even though OLPC is growing its software team, it takes time to hire good people, and it will take more time for them to settle in and be productive. In the meantime, we need more non-affiliated developers and community, and more third-party infrastructure to expand past OLPC's lists/servers/builds.

The external mailing lists, code trees, build and test infrastructure, generated API documentation, etc you create will ensure a healthy external development community for Sugar/GNU/Linux. That empowers all of us who share the OLPC dream - from OLPC's Cambridge headquarters to Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, Nepal, and towns and children yet unknown.

We need you to pitch in: there are a quarter of a million Peruvian kids who need your code, documentation, support and ideas. Few people have ever had the opportunity to make such a difference to so many. You, the OLPC community, are in a position to become Peruvian Folk Heroes. Will you take up the challenge?

C. Scott Ananian is a developer for One Laptop Per Child and hopes you'll be one too.

How Windows on the XO Could be Bad

Posted on May 12, 2008 by Christoph Derndorfer in Software: Windows

Allow us to start this entry by admitting that our heads are spinning just as much as yours. The events that unfolded over the past two weeks or so and all the responses, articles, comments, blog-posts and e-mails discussing them have been simply mind-boggling.

So some if not most of the things we're going to discuss here have probably been already mentioned elsewhere. However we do feel that an attempt to write a comprehensive text on why Windows on the XO isn't good for the educational mission at the heart of the project has to be made. And if only to help ourselves put things into perspective.

Translation and Localization

The first thing we want to discuss and a point that surprisingly hasn't received as much attention as one would expect is translation and localization. It really shouldn't be necessary to explain why translated and localized software is important when it comes to an educational project.

Now let's look at some facts: According to Microsoft "there are 24 fully localized versions of Windows XP Professional", 6 1/2 years after the operating system was introduced. Compare that to OLPC's Pootle server and you can find more than 40 languages in there. Admittedly, many of these translations haven't gotten very far, however everyone with an internet access can contribute to these translations.

Or you handle it like OLPC Nepal did and organize a Translation Nite-Out which resulted in them finishing the translation of 7 different packages in one go. All it took was some motivated people, pizza and a Saturday night. The barrier to entry is very low indeed and this will certainly add in making the software available in many different languages.

Compare that to Microsoft's approach, does anyone even know whether it is possible to translate it to languages such as Nepali? Are we going to see Translation Nights in Microsoft HQs around the world?

Software Performance

Next point, performance. Now this is somewhat of a tricky issue since few people have actually seen the tailored Windows XP running on the XO. Based on experience with the Geode LX800 platform running Windows XP it is however clear that it will run Windows XP just fine. As Christoph previously commented:

"Moderate multi-tasking does slow it down a bit but in general it's a very usable system for e-mails, browsing the web and office applications."

Plus admittedly Sugar doesn't quite offer the fastest user-experience at the moment either. However, and we feel this is a vital aspect, over time open-source software tends to improve in both performance and stability through an iterative development process. Windows XP on the other hand tends to become slower after just a few months of usage.

No long term support

Long Term Support

Moving right along to the question of long-term support. With the XO being designed for an estimated lifetime of ~5 years one might wonder how Microsoft is going to support their product a couple of years down the road. While Microsoft recently announced that "Extended Support" for Windows XP will be available until April 2014, it can be assumed that the overall level of support in terms of security and maintenance updates will gradually decrease.

The thing here is that once Microsoft decides to terminate its support for Windows XP there's very little that customers and developers can do to change that. With an open-source operating-system, on the other hand, any country could simply hire a bunch of knowledgeable developers and maintain their code-base until the end of time. Another key advantage that Sugar has over any other software solution, be it Linux or Windows based, is the tight integration of collaboration.

Now some might argue that this feature isn't or shouldn't actually be part of "Sugar", however the fact remains that re-engineering traditional systems to enable this level of collaboration would take a long time. As Walter Bender recently put it in an interview:

"...if you are going to collaborate with people, we need to make it a first-order experience."

Again, none of us has seen Windows XP on the XO however it would be very surprising to see Microsoft offer anything even remotely as capable and versatile as the collaboration features in Sugar. Things aren't working perfectly just yet but we're definitely moving into the right direction.

Sugar Advantages

The 'write'-activity on the XO is still by far the simplest way to collaborate on a text compared to any other solution that we're aware of. Other technical advantages that the Linux + Sugar combination can offer is the tickless kernel that aggressively reduces CPU power requirements where we don't see Microsoft catching up anytime soon.

Often Windows's power-management seems to be more effective than what even the latest Linux kernels offer, however adapting Windows XP to deal well with all the suspension / resume cycles that are happening on the XO is probably not that trivial. In fact it is our understanding that Microsoft will not modify the kernel for the XO but rather only make use of tailored drivers and software.

Python is free and Open Source

Another aspect to consider is that a lot of thought has gone into the overall design of the Sugar UI, especially when it comes to colour selections and the contrast between them, to ensure that the interface remains usable when relying on the XO's black and white display mode. One last point that does get mentioned a lot is cost.

We can only assume how much Microsoft would charge per license but it will probably be in the $6 to $10 range. That means that for a country deployment such as Peru the cost would suddenly increase by at least $1.5 million dollars. We believe there's many more useful things that can be done with that amount. Especially since the early reports from places such as Uruguay and Nepal indicate that Sugar works well once you actually let children use it.

Last but not least the argument of "countries would buy XOs if it came with Windows XP" is also questionable. It is more likely that many countries are waiting to see how the current deployments work out before deciding to invest their own resources into such an initiative. The real issue here isn't money but the lack of conclusive research into just how effective a tool an XO really is - but that is a discussion for another day.

In the end we hope to have given a quick overview of some of the real reasons why we believe Windows on the XO is a bad idea. In our opinion an open-source operating system on the XO offers a vast array of advantages compared to any proprietary solution. Some of these advantages might not be so visible at the moment but in the long run they're going to make a huge difference.

This comment was co-authored by Bernardo Innocenti and Christoph Derndorfer. By the way, think twice before you start calling us names such as "open source fundamentalists". Most of this post was written on Christoph's laptop which runs, guess what, Windows XP SP2...

The Unofficial One Laptop Per Child India Pilot Experience

Posted on May 09, 2008 by Guest Writer in Use Cases: Education, Countries: India

Expanding access to inquiring minds

After working with science students in the US, a few of us got together and decided that the XO laptops could be used for a lot more good than the various national governments currently allow, so we decided to try our hand at an unofficial OLPC deployment! Our focus was to try and use the XO as a learning tool for the subject of science, for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at a small grammar school in India.

We started our academic year two weeks ago here in Meerut, India. The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have been using the XO laptops about half of the class days, alternating with hands-on experiments and required, standardized textbooks.

As there is no state certified content for the laptops, we feel that this "bridging the gap" effort has added merit as compared with a strict XO laptop regiment. Currently, the students are studying various levels of electricity and magnetism.

Continue reading "The Unofficial One Laptop Per Child India Pilot Experience"

Looking for Pedagogical Information on OLPC Pilots

Posted on May 08, 2008 by Guest Writer in Use Cases: Education

OLPC Oceania in action

I am Roxana Bassi, an ICT Specialist at the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative. GeSCI provides strategic advice to Ministries of Education in developing countries on the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for education and community development.

Recently we have started receiving several requests for assistance in advising regarding 1-to-1 computing solutions similar to OLPC’s. We are working on a series of tools that can be used by any government planning the piloting or deployment of any such project, like the low-cost computing devices toolkit published last year.

One of the documents we are working on is an analysis of the educational/pedagogical considerations for these particular types of projects, which are quite many. We are having trouble, however, in finding relevant information about the pilots that have been executed around the world.

Continue reading "Looking for Pedagogical Information on OLPC Pilots"

OLPC Unveiling of the Next Generation XO Laptop

Posted on May 07, 2008 by Wayan Vota in Laptops: XO-2

If you are in Boston on May 20th, may I strongly suggest you crash the invite-only "State of the State" event at One Laptop Per Child headquarters at 1 Cambridge Circle. Starting at 10 am the event sounds like its going to be a watershed moment in OLPC history. Just listen to the breathless press invite:

Selected invitees will have the opportunity to hear Nicholas Negroponte give a “State of the State” address on the One Laptop per Child project to date and the evolution of the XO laptop. In addition, attendees will be privy to a discussion on the product roadmap for the XO along with the exclusive unveiling of the next generation of the XO.

Nicholas and newly named OLPC President Chuck Kane will also be joined in the discussion by OLPC team members and government officials who have been on the ground in developing countries as thousands of XO laptops have been deployed and implemented into school systems. They will provide updates from countries including Peru , Uruguay and Haiti .

Now I don't know about you, but there is one phrase in all that which makes my pulse quicken: "the exclusive unveiling of the next generation of the XO."

Continue reading "OLPC Unveiling of the Next Generation XO Laptop"

Rethinking the OLPC Distribution: A "Bottom of the Pyramid" approach?

Posted on May 07, 2008 by Jon Camfield in Implementation: Plan, Sales Talk: Price

An OLPC Entrepreneur?

What would a "bottom of the pyramid" approach for the OLPC look like? While the OLPC vision is bottom-up and child-focused, their actual deployment has been top-heavy. There's occasional discussion about releasing the One Laptop Per Child XO laptop into the market to achieve a more bottom-up development, and the OLPC's original selling point to its manufacturers was that even though the profit margins would be slim, the market would be the next billion users (WSJ). So why not go all-in and focus on this record of success in the technology creation/diffusion realm, and apply it in the international development context?

Continue reading "Rethinking the OLPC Distribution: A "Bottom of the Pyramid" approach?"

Shop for XO Laptop Accessories - Online!

Posted on May 06, 2008 by Wayan Vota in Sales Talk: Products

Are you an XO laptop user looking for great computer accessories? Like SD cards, keyboards, USB memory sticks, and even OLPC t-shirts to show your One Laptop Per Child pride? Then for your shopping enjoyment, may I introduce you to three XO Accessories stores:

Walter Bender's XO View

OLPC News XO Accessories Store: I've put together a list of Amazon.com goodies to supply you with a whole quiver of green gadgets to color compliment your computing theme. My favorite - a green gamer mouse to avoid the XO trackpad.
Auntie Mame's XOExplosion: The Mass XO User Group leader has add-ons and tweaks for the G1G1 owner to find more joy in the XO experience. My favorite - XO View, an exclusive XO camera viewfinder.
Brady Pierzchalski's I Love My XO: Offering six accessories separately or as a "travel pack" perfect for the XO on the go. My favorite - the signature USB flash drive.

Personally, I'm very happy to see an XO aftermarket spring up, both for the laptops themselves, and their accessories. Each of these sellers are supporting OLPC by increasing the usability and popularity of the XO, and in the case of these three accessory stores, donating a portion of their profits to support OLPC programs.

Actually, I think Auntie Mame says it's the best:

"By giving first-world users a venue for tweaking their XO's, we're increasing visibility. By giving developers a venue to market their developments, we're increasing the product's viability as an educational resource."

So do your best to support OLPC, and America itself - go shopping!

Continue reading "Shop for XO Laptop Accessories - Online!"

Why Windows XP is an OLPC Marketing Flaw

Posted on May 06, 2008 by Wayan Vota in Software: Windows

In his argument for the need to have Windows XP on the XO laptop, Nicholas Negroponte puts forth a compelling reason for the change to a proprietary operating system from the current Open Source platform in his technology Review interview:

An XO marketing error

"When I went to Egypt for the first time, I met separately with the minister of communications, minister of education, minister of science and technology, and the prime minister, and each one of them, within the first three sentences, said, 'Can you run Windows?'" Negroponte says.

One future possibility is a "dual-boot" version of the OLPC machine, in which either Windows or Linux can be launched at start-up. If such a scheme were to materialize, Negroponte says, "I expect we will do a massive rollout in Egypt."

I believe that Negroponte's obsession with Microsoft Windows is a yet another strategic error - separate from any Open Source vs. proprietary discussion.

Continue reading "Why Windows XP is an OLPC Marketing Flaw"