Comment from John Connell
Time: December 16, 2007, 10:53 pm

You mention ‘connectivity’, Ewan. The problem, of course, with both machines, and with the Classmate PC, and indeed with any other laptop that hits this particular ‘market’, is that none of them offers connectivity unless a network of some kind is already in place. Stating the obvious, I know, but it’s a self-evident truth that too many in the emerging areas forget (and not only in the emerging markets).

I have a lot of time for Negroponte in his philanthropic endeavours, but the OLPC, or any of its competitors, will only bring real benefits to their beneficiaries if the laptops can be the medium for access to the Web. Without putting broadband networks of some kind in place, that will not happen.

Too many countries are pushing the benefits of one device per child without thinking through what will be done with those devices - millions of network-ready computers, but with no networks to tie them to, will have little benefit, educational or otherwise.

So, as well as the efforts expended by OLPC and others, we also need to find the money and the arguments for extending the Web to every child who gets his or her hand on one of these wonderful little machines.

Comment from Ewan McIntosh
Time: December 16, 2007, 11:03 pm

It’s one of those posts where I was biting the proverbial lip. Connectivity isn’t the right word, but this is one half of the proposition that is coming together remarkably well. We still need people like you and your colleagues to help find ways of making high speed internet possible in terms of nuts, bolts and wires everywhere on the planet. That, however, requires more scaling than one simple laptop…

Comment from John Connell
Time: December 16, 2007, 11:57 pm

No need to explain, Ewan - I knew that part of what you were saying was unspoken. Thanks for the opportunity to make it ’spoken’, so to speak.