

OLPC CTO quits to start her own company that will use her inventions done at OLPC - seren6ipity
http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2008/01/more-great-news-for-olpc-team-their-cto.html

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SwellJoe
I got one during the G1G1 deal, and it's really nice...but everytime I fire it
up, I have a few wishes:

1\. More RAM 2\. Faster (I don't think the hardware is to blame...I think the
Python-focused UI is just not efficient enough for a 400MHz 256MB system) 3\.
More storage

I've fixed the 3rd, and the 1st partially, by adding a class 6 SD card, and
assigning 1GB to swap and 7GB to storage. So, I can do real work on it
now...including running Firefox 3.0b2. I'm a few minutes away from having it
converted to running xmonad for the window manager, and expect it to be much
more usable (for my needs) at that point.

The limitations of the default "Sugar" software are striking, for someone that
has a pretty ingrained sense of how to use a UNIX system (I've been nearly
exclusively a Linux/UNIX user for over 10 years...when I use a Mac or Windows
box, I'm constantly hitting middle mouse button expecting something good to
happen...like pasting the last thing I highlighted). In Sugar, Copy/Paste
works in a very clunky and slow manner, even worse than Mac OS X or Windows,
and doesn't work at all in the terminal application.

So, what the heck am I rambling for? I guess to say that I would be among the
first to buy an upgraded OLPC that is slightly faster, runs a more standard
Linux installation, and has more storage and memory. Even if it cost a little
more than the G1G1 $400 price point. A bigger screen would be sweet, too.

~~~
aston
Here's the thing: It's not _for_ you.

(<http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/24>)

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skmurphy
This would have been better as a link to
[http://www.itworld.com/Comp/1290/olpc-cto-jepsen-
quits-07123...](http://www.itworld.com/Comp/1290/olpc-cto-jepsen-
quits-071231/) as the FSJ commentary adds nothing to the original article.

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bayareaguy
My mother in law did the "give one get one" thing. Now she has cheap and
durable wireless connectivty she can take when she travels abroad and
(hopefully) a child somewhere will get a better education.

I wonder if an XO business where travellers could rent them cheaply and return
them when they are done (like DVDs from Netflix) could work.

~~~
qaexl
Huh, interesting idea. Customer provide their own USB thumbdrive for storage,
and otherwise use Google apps.

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davidw
I wonder if there's any way that project would have realistically worked as a
for-profit venture that would have created similar benefits for the kids it
targeted, as well as perhaps making some money for those involved. Obviously,
money isn't their primary motivation, but as this shows, perhaps it wouldn't
have hurt to have a bit more to spread around.

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stcredzero
The screen technology developed for the OLPC has the potential to benefit
mobile devices tremendously. A multi-touch pad the size of the OLPC would
kick-ass. Interactivity is what makes electronic devices compelling. It would
make the Kindle look like a clunky thing from the Victorian age by comparison.

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aswanson
I hate sites that don't allow my browser to go back.

