Bill Gates Mocks One Laptop per Child Project

Posted Mar 16, 2006 at 12:03AM by QJ Staff Listed in: Tags:
Ó


Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates has mocked the $100 laptop project of Google and MassachusettsBill Gates Institute of Technology (MIT). 

The $100 laptop project, also known as One Laptop per Child project, aims to provide inexpensive computers to people in developing countries. Keyword here is inexpensive. And what makes up an inexpensive laptop? Well, there's your tiny screen and the keyboard, perhaps? Google and MIT did say that the project will create computers that will lack many of the features found on a typical computer, such as hard disk and software. That's probably what drove Gates to mock the project. I really don't blame him. Maybe he felt his concept of the computer was butchered.

He said:

"The last thing you want to do for a shared use computer is have it be something without a disk...and with a tiny little screen...hardware is a small part of the cost of providing computing capabilities...the big costs come from network connectivity, applications and support..."

Prior to his critique, Gates unveiled a new "ultra-mobile computer" which runs Microsoft Windows on a seven-inch (17.78-centimeter) touch screen.

Mr. Gates,  how come "A computer in every household" is ok and "One Laptop per Child" is not?

 
 
 

Add comment

Security code
Refresh

Add QJ.NET
Add to My Yahoo!
Google Reader Subscribe with Bloglines
Add  to your Kinja digest Subscribe in NewsGator Online
Subscribe with Pluck RSS reader Add 'www.qj.net' to Newsburst from CNET News.com
Subscribe with SearchFox RSS del.icio.us www.qj.net
Add to Technorati Favorite! Add to My AOL
furl! it Stumble for Treehugger!