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.
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.
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.
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.
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.