*Suspect* [Oberon] Re: Booters for ETH-Oberon ?

[W B Hacker]

Chris Glur wrote:
*snip*

> 
> That's what I'd expect, so I'm surprised that the OLPC
> which as you would know, as a MIT project hopes to sell 
> millions to 3rd world governments for educating their kids,
> in places where there's no mains electricity supply; needs
> 2 minutes to boot it's minimum version of linux.

*snip*

> I believe in part of the ideas of OLPC: that low power computing
> can revolutionise 3rd world education and hence development 
> the same way as the cell phone *HAS* helped development.

/rant

Admirable goals, OLPC, but none of that lot seem have much in the way of 
common sense about what those kids (and their parents) would be best 
served by - or how *soon* they need something useful.

Hint; Search the net for information - yes.
View still fotos  - optionally in at least marginal colour - yes.
View a .pdf - yes
Basic text messaging - yes.

Have VGA and network good enough for games? NOT.

My guess is too few of the movers and shakers in OLPC have themselves 
ever *been* poor - can't appreciate than an incremental gain *now* is 
more valuable than a fancy gadget that won't reach enough folks to 
matter for another dozen years - if not first overtaken by events.

Have a look at what an HP-100LX or 200-LX could do in the way of useful 
apps for a couple of weeks on a pair of ignorant AA batteries and a thin 
lithium backup good for years.

Instant-on to right where you left it 2 weeks ago in each of several 
open apps. 6-weeks on Lithium AA, attach a pair of external 'D' cells 
when using the PCMCIA modem for CompuServe or faxing. No need to carry a 
charger.

Eminently suitable to alternative power - and that is going on 
20-year-old technology (80C186 CPU & MSDOS 5.X).

Fast forward to a screen - still w/o backlight - large enough to not 
make the kids go blind, ditto keyboard.

Then comm-link, CPU & memory out of last-year's volume-production cheap 
cellphone, automotive brain-box,  or laser-printer. Anywhere the volume 
has already proven the gear and driven the cost down - or even 
'remaindered'.

Add solar, wind, bicycle, clockwork - <whatever> charger.

Then BB - or the QNX-on-FDD of a few years back, with the lean 'photon' 
browser...

'Educational' doesn't mean 'must look like Windows or Linux+KDE', be 
able to view You-Tube, do 'Quake' or such...

Those are brain-damaging anyway.

Son-of-the-cellphone will probably 'be there cheaper' before the OLPC 
gets off the ground.

Why?  'coz these are countries not just short of computers - but short 
of *everything*.

Any device not small enough to conceal and/or run away from a stronger 
kid - or adult - with will be stolen and sold in a New York minute.

That's where OLPC doesn't understand their 'market'...

/rant

Bill