Y’all know by now about the “$100 computer” for nations where personal computers aren’t broadly affordable. Here’s a C|Net wrap on a number of other computers (most are proposals) designed to address this affordability gap.
The official source of information on the project is the MIT Media Lab. There is a good, and extensive, intro to “the $100 computer” at Wikipedia.
Ann McCormick at Computer Friends is blogging their efforts to navigate thru the sea of information and get software ready for kids worldwide.
There are several older efforts to get affordable computers built. These include the Simputer. And a favorite, since I met Lee Felsenstein in the 1970s, is the Jhai PC.
You know, another favorite thought of mine is that at some point Microsoft and other software companies might actually lower the cost of their software to the point where computer systems could be (closer to) affordable. What a great fantasy eh? Meanwhile the “$100 computer” is based on open source software. Entirely.
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