[Olpc-open] [Edu-sig] OLPC G1G1 sales start today

[François Schnell]

On Nov 13, 2007 1:17 AM, Chris Ball <cjb at laptop.org> wrote:

> This is why we have had a Developers Program for over a year.  It has
> already sent a few thousand XOs to developers and content workers for
> free.  You are welcome to apply too.

Hi, thanks for you reply,

Yes I know about this program, this is a very good point.

So, where are the thousands contributions?

Don't you think """some""" of these XO (because they're rare) are more
used to show up at mundane parties than for real contributions?

Isn't it obvious that if OLPC let all passionate people *buy* the
laptop the project will have much more contributions?

OLPC expressed his commitment to Free Software and Open Source and
that is great.
But,
Isn't it obvious that the actual distribution scheme can be seen has a
kind of discrimination in contradiction with Free Software and Open
Source core ideas?
(You can distribute it to X but not Y and not this country but to this one, etc)
Where in the Free Software Definition and OSI approved licences can
find such policies?

Nicholas Negroponte often site the Wikipedia project as a source of
inspiration and that is great.
But,
Do you really think the wikipedia would be what it is today if it
followed OLPC policies?
(Ok you can maybe contribute if you apply for and we accept eventually and etc)

The OLPC chose a vertical hierarchical bottom-down only distribution
through governments for many arguably good reasons.
It could have worked,
But it doesn't:
looking at the low actual orders now (where are the millions promised?)
looking at the competition in place now (and rising)
looking at the low ecosystem/community around the XO now

When a strategy doesn't work anymore isn't it time to change it?

Yes I believe the OLPC have the best technical and educational
platefome but this confidence  is also its biggest weakness.

The competition is often making the necessary changes in their
distribution scheme to compensate and win if the leader doesn't adapt.
Computing history is filed with the best tools who never gained wide
adoption because of that (ask Alan Kay about Java vs Smalltalk for
example).

So guys from the USS MIT-OLPC Startship, sorry to be provocative but
even Spoke here doesn't understand the logic anymore and begins to
suspect an "OLPC in the  bottle syndrom":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_in_a_Bottle_(TNG_episode)

So please, get the captain off the Holowdeck, put him back on the real
Bridge because otherwise it could be "Shields up!! Prepare for
inpact!" and mind the Borgs. :(

francois


>
>    http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Developers_Program
>
> - Chris.
> --
> Chris Ball   <cjb at laptop.org>
>