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Blog Action Day 2008: The Obstacles to Using Open-Source to Provide Equal Opportunity and Combat Poverty
The Dream
Standard proprietary you-need-a-new-computer-every-few-years software is not a model that allows everyone to have a computer. A very bottom of the line Vista desktop from Dell costs nearly $500, so it is hardly realistic for everyone to own one. Linux and open-source software, however, present an alternative. Linux and most of its software are free and run on older computers, allowing anyone to install it on an old, discarded computer and donate it to someone not fortunate enough to own a computer.
The Problems
Much is said about this idea, yet little is said about the remaining flaws. If we don’t recognize the flaws, how can we improve? That, and Blog Action Day, is the point of this post.
- It’s Not Microsoft
Like it or not, Microsoft equals computers for a lot of people. While some may be open minded about software, many are suspicious of non-Microsoft software, perhaps believing that nothing that is free could be as good as Microsoft’s expensive software. Unfortunately, the only real way to solve this problem is to clearly explain how Linux and other open-source software came into existence, what its business model is, and/or just convince people to try it for themselves. - Education – Linux is not Windows
People say they already know how to use “a computer,” but what they often mean is that they know how to use Windows. Anything other than Windows is “hard to use.” The fact is, Linux is not Windows. Thus, if someone has only learned how to use Windows machines, they will probably need at least a little help with Linux. The problem is who is going to provide that help. It is not very likely that everyone just happens to know someone who can help them learn Linux, nor is it particularly realistic to think that everyone being given a computer will also be given a personal, on-site Linux crash-course. The best thing would be to put some sort of tutorial onto the machines, but are people really willing to sit there and read through it and is it as good as being taught by a real person? Sure, you can learn Linux, or any operating system, on your own, as I did, but don’t expect everyone to want to, or even be willing to, spend time figuring this out on their own. - Internet Costs (suggested by zaine_ridling)
The great thing about Linux is that it is free. There is no free internet, though, and without internet, you only get about half the advantage of your computer. You could tell people to go into a Starbucks, but then the computers you give out have to be laptops with wireless, not old desktops. Some people may be able to pay for dial up or even basic DSL, but most people probably cannot afford to do this. Having to support hundreds of people’s monthly bills is just not realistic. - Compatibility with Windows
Most Windows software is not going to work under LInux and few people are going to be willing to go out searching for a Linux alternative. Worse, by default OpenOffice saves in a format that is not readable by Office. These sorts of problems, though they do have solutions, just make the process more complicated, unless you have a really good way of training the people getting the computers. See problem number 2. - Physical Distribution
Standard desktop computers are big, bulky, and heavy. None of those bode well for shipping prices. Currently, it is basically only realistic to give someone a computer if they and the computer are within driving distance of each other.This is particularly a problem in parts of the world where it may not be common for anyone to have a computer. If shipping was free and there were no customs taxes, you could give your old computer to someone in the middle of no where. As it is, it would likely cost more to ship the computer than to buy a new one there. - Piracy
Most people think of piracy as being something that the RIAA and Microsoft continue to fight in numerous stupid ways, but it can also be the enemy of Linux. If everyone just pirated Windows, Linux would lose a major edge. It is true that, for someone who cannot even afford a computer, it may be better for them to have a pirated copy of WIndows than nothing, but wouldn’t it be far better for them to have a completely legal system based on Linux?
In dealing with these issues, we must also remember that there has already been success using Linux to provide equal opportunity in many places by many people. Solving these problems would only increase the success. This is no reason not to strive to solve these problems, though.
The question I now pose to you is this: how can we solve these problems?
Letting The Parents Choose The OS: Good or Bad?
Recently, Intel announced that they have sold around 500,000 Classmate PCs to Portugal (these are a competitor to the XO). The part of the story that caught my attention, though, was the decision to let the parents of the children who will be receiving these laptops choose what operating system they want installed, Windows or Linux. At first, this idea strikes me as a bad idea, for two reasons.
First, the likelihood that parents will be able to make an informed decision is almost zero. Most parents are likely to know almost nothing about computers and so they will have to base their decision on pre-exisiting biases, if they have any, and any information provided as a guide to them. The information given to them is almost guaranteed to be lacking at best and biased at worst.
Second, if every parent gets to decide what OS their kid gets, then schools have a mixed set of Linux and Windows laptops. This is likely to create compatibility issues and all sorts of problems. Sure, mixed environments can and are done, but why create one unnecessarily?
Letting the parents choose does not have to be a bad idea, though. Another way to interpret letting the parents choose is that each school chooses based on the input of the parents. This would actually be smart, because (a) the whole school uses one OS or the other and (b) only the parents who care (have some idea about the options) will get involved in the OS decision.
It is hard to say what Intel and Portugal will decide, so I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Sugar Labs Spin-Off The One To Watch
With the announcement of Windows on the XO Laptop and general bad times at the OLPC project, a sort of spin-off company has been formed called Sugar Labs, according to Ars Technica. With some of the OLPC project’s recent decisions and advances in technology, Sugar Labs, not the OLPC project, may soon be the group to watch.
The Sugar Labs spin-off is, as you may have guessed from the name, continuing the development of the Sugar interface, the rather unusual, but supposedly more intuitive to those who have never used a PC before, interface that the Linux XO used in the past. The difference between Sugar Labs and the OLPC project in the past, though, is that they do not intend to create their own hardware. I believe this is a very smart plan, since there are now commercially available laptops at almost the same price point as the XO. Since there is little that is unique about the XO hardware anymore, or at least soon there will not be much unique about it, I think that Sugar Labs made the right decision to drop it. They are, instead, in talks with several hardware makers. (As for the XO2 bringing new innovation to the XO hardware, I am skeptical that the changes are the right changes to make.)
Of course there is still the argument that Windows is really the better platform for these devices. Without even getting in to the arguments about why OSS is better for this sort of stuff (cheaper, source code is available, governmental adoption, school adoption, and so on,) think about it this way: the OLPC project initially had two advantages, hardware and software. The hardware advantage is now basically gone due to technological advances in the area of cheap, small laptops, and they have just thrown out their software advantage in favor of Windows. Now it is easy for other groups and companies to duplicate what the OLPC project is doing. Sugar Labs, however, has kept the software advantage and is, therefor, more likely to succeed.
Although the OLPC project will be almost certainly the more watched of the two projects for some time, it has lost all of its competitive advantages and, unless some major changes happen, the OLPC project’s influence and importance will disappear and Sugar Labs will be the group to watch.
XO2: Interesting, But I Am Skeptical
With the OLPC project in troubled times, Negroponte recently announced a new version of the XO laptop, the XO2, which will be shipped in 2010. The concept is cool: two touch-screens put together like the pages of a book, but is the new design feasible or helpful to the children? I am not so sure.
The first reason for my skepticism about the new XO2 is the planned price point, $75. The original XO was supposed to come in at $100. Instead, it ended up costing nearly twice that price and the price has not since been dropped down to my knowledge. Now, Negroponte is proposing to add two touch-screens and Windows, all while dropping the price below the original target, which has not yet been reached even without the touch-screens, in just two years. If you ask me, especially considering the current state of the project and the history of the project, the new price is a goal that will not be met.
The second reason for my skepticism, and perhaps the more important one, is the idea to include two touch-screens. Why? It is being touted for its abilities as an e-book reader. Really? You need two screens to make an e-book reader? The Kindle and Sony Reader each have just one screen.
Plus the touch-screen plan has some significant drawbacks. The students will now have to learn to type on a touch-screen, which cannot make the already difficult process of learning to type any easier. Then if the students get a job involving computers, which is almost every job now, they are going to have to get used to typing on a different type of keyboard. And don’t tell me that in 15 years everyone will use touch-screen keyboards, because no one can predict the future of technology 15 years out.
So is this new version of the XO going to be a failiure? Not nessesarily. There is still a fair amount of time for things to change. Also, just because the price point may not be reached and the design may not be ideal does not mean no one will buy it. Then again, I would not bet on this new design succeeding. If someone can explain why I am wrong, go ahead. I hope someone can.
Touchscreen Desktop Instead of OLPC?
Instead of buying OLPCs or Classmate PCs, one community in Brazil is looking at their own solution to bring technology into their schools (using Linux of course). Their solution is a touchscreen desktop computer, according to CNet. At around $550 and lacking the mobility of the OLPC, it is not, however, clear if this new solution is really better.
The only real advantage this solution has over the OLPC (or similar inexpensive UMPCs) is the screen, which is both bigger and a touch screen. On the other hand, the OLPC is much cheaper and is very mobile, so children can take it home and use it there, allowing a student to continue to learn, explore, and figure out how the technology works. Given the benefits and disadvantages of each, which one is the best?
First of all, in some situations the touchscreen solution may not be an option at all, due to the price. If you have over a million kids to provide with a computer, spending $350 more per kid is a big deal.
Even if the touchscreen solution is an option, is it really the best option? At first the touchscreen seems like a real advantage, but what can a touchscreen do that a regular mouse and keyboard cannot (other than look cool?) (It appears there is also a keyboard, so typing is not an issue.)
Overall, allowing students to continue their learning and exploration at home at their own pace seems to be more important than providing a touchscreen at school and saving $350 just makes UMPCs like the OLPC even more attractive.
To be fair, the CNet article does make it clear that the people behind the touchscreen idea do not think this would work anywhere and there is also the advantage that most of the money goes into the Brazilian economy. Still, I am a little skeptical of this idea.
Windows XP on the Eee PC: Not the End
After Negroponte commented that Windows could be coming to the Eee PC within 60 days, OLPC News published an article titled “This is The End My Friend: Negroponte Says XP on the XO in 60 days.” I think the article has a good point in that putting XP on the XO would ruin the vision of this educational laptop, but I do not see XP being an option on the XO as “the end.”
Certainly Microsoft will try very hard to make buyers of the XO choose Windows, instead of Linux, but, as demonstrated with Intel’s Classmate PCs going to Nigeria, they may not succeed. In the case of the Classmate PCs going to Nigeria, the computers were originally supposed run Linux, but, for an unknown reason, they were all about to have Windows installed on them. Luckily, however, Nigeria intervened and prevented the installation of Windows. As demonstrated in this incident, whatever Microsoft does, they may not be able to change the minds of countries that choose Linux, and, as pointed out by the article, there are plenty of reasons to choose Linux.
Aleutia PC is Power Efficient But I Don't See The Market
The Aleutia is a small desktop PC that is powered by a roll-up solar panel and uses just 8W. It comes with Puppy Linux, a small Linux distributions that is designed for older hardware. Due to the limited resources (128MB RAM, 200Mhz processor, and just 1GB of storage on a CF card), Puppy Linux, DSL, and Windows 95 are just about the only options for it. The Aleutia costs 499 GBP or about 1000 USD.
The problem with the Aleutia has nothing to do with the product itself. It has to do with the product’s competition. If you compare the Asus Eee PC and the Aleutia PC you get this:
- Eee PC is 2.5x less expensive. ($400 to $1000)
- Eee PC has better specs.
- Eee PC is more portable.
The one thing that the Aleutia has over the Eee PC is that it provides a solar panel. Given the price difference (Eee is $600 less), I decided to check the price of third-party solar panels. The first place I found was selling fold up solar panels. A 26-watt solar panel costs just over $300, and provides sufficient power to run the Eee PC at full load and charge its battery at the same time. If you do the math, the Eee PC with a solar panel comes out $300 cheaper, and the Eee PC has a number of advantages over the Aleutia as noted above.
OLPC "Give one get one" started
Linux.com report’s that the One Laptop per Child (Laptop.org) has begun their “give one get one” program where anyone in the US or Canada can buy two XO laptops, one of which will be donated, for $400. The XO is a $200 Linux-based laptop designed to be used by school children in developing countries.
OS switches on PCs headed for Nigeria
Web Pro News reports on strange operating switches between Linux and Windows and back on Intel Classmate PCs headed for Nigeria. Mandriva originally had the deal, but they later learned that the PCs were going to be wiped and Windows was going to be installed. Shortly after that, the decision to switch to Windows was canceled. The reason has not been explained.
Mongolia Announces Plans to Provide OLPC Laptops
According to Softpedia, Mongolia has announced its goal to give every child in the country a laptop by 2010. They will receive about 20 thousand OLPC laptops in January which will be distributed to the easier to reach areas of Mongolia.