[design] Lack of built-in serial and // port ?

[Mitch Bradley]

Ian Daniher wrote:
> Samir,
> IIRC, there *is* a serial port, but due to constraints I have not been 
> made aware of, It isn't exposed, instead it is buried inside the case.
One primary constraint is that there is absolutely no room left for 
other connectors to come out.

Yes, I know there are places where it looks like it might be possible, 
but there are non-obvious constraints having to do with board layout and 
mechanical design and securing against dust and water.

Another answer is that, while it might seem that obsolete technology is 
cheap because you can get it used, very often the real cost is very high 
because it breaks down, can't be repaired, consumables (ink, etc) aren't 
available, etc.  The support cost for random collections of old stuff 
can be enormous.

> Sorry I can't help more,
> -- 
> Ian Daniher
> it.daniher at gmail.com <mailto:it.daniher at gmail.com>
> Skype : it.daniher
> irc.freenode.com <http://irc.freenode.com>: DyDisMe
>
> On 10/23/07, *Samir Saidani* < saidani at squeakfr.org 
> <mailto:saidani at squeakfr.org>> wrote:
>
>     Hi,
>
>     I have heard about the OLPC initiative a while ago, and recently
>     I have decided to take a further look at this very interesting
>     initiative... Here are first thoughts about it...
>
>     I'm quite new to this project, and one thing that strikes me was the
>     lack of built-in serial and parallel port.  Why ? When you don't have
>     a lot of money, you tend to use obsolete technology which are cheaper
>     than the newer one, like parallel printers, serial modem, serial
>     mouse,
>     parallel scanner, etc ... This obsolete technology are easily
>     available
>     on poor countries, because it's easy for an non profit organization
>     to send this kind of technology that almost nobody wants anymore (at
>     least the enterprises, and the schools of rich countries update quite
>     often their hardware and throw the old one to the garbage or donate it
>     to a NPO).
>
>     So you can have the old tech for free, because they often end into the
>     gargage while they are still working great. And this is not a theory,
>     we have founded here in France a npo which locally is working to give
>     One Computer Per Child for 0 $. We have already a lot of computers,
>     and we are slowing down the process to avoid a computer hardware
>     overload... Recycling is an ecologic approach to the environment,
>     and it
>     seems that it is a concern of the whole OLPC initiative. Recycling
>     allows
>     you to do things by yourself with little money (or none at all). I
>     know
>     that there is a serial/USB interface, but I'm not sure that it
>     would be
>     as easy to use as built-in ports (possibility to lost it, unable
>     to do it
>     by yourself due to the complex USB electronics component...). So
>     when you
>     consider the target audience (poor countries, rural zone, poor
>     people),
>     I think this is a design mistake. Or at least it's reducing a lot the
>     possibility of hacking and recycling obsolete hardware lying around.
>
>     Maybe and probably do you have already talk about this matter ?
>
>     Thanks !
>     Samir
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