Cheap Computers = Good Security

[Social]

@Captain Jack

That isn’t really how the program is intended to work. It’s designed to help people who are too poor (individually and as an economic group) to have access to computers. The project is not targeted at people who are having trouble sustaining the basics.

I already stated this in my previous post.

Everyone>

Read the previous posts before you respond. Alot can happen 2 or 3 posts down the line.

[tigger]

@Tynach

The homeless people here actually had a chance to get an education, but they got addicted to drugs or alcohol and dropped out. That’s the real problem with us, is that too many of us are lazy. So shut up about getting us to send these computers to poor people here, because it’s their fault they’re poor.

That’s what they said about black people after slavery ended, and during the Civil Rights movement in America, that they were poor because they were lazy, and I’m sure everyone here knows that that is wrong.

@Tynach

I also saw comments about how the government was making:

Name one time that any of these happened with government support. And I mean direct government support, when the government actually paid to make this happen. I dare you to list one time that happened, and I guaranty you can’t.

Umm, Cuba? You know, with the US/CIA instated Dictator, later overthrown by Castro and Che?

Oh and I think it’s a great idea, the world is developing in such a way that the computer will be a more valluable tool than pen and paper in years to come, for many professions it is the centre of the work (sorry if thats a bit hard to understand, the sentence is a bit clumsy) and this will only become more so in the future-giving children experience with computers, even this basically nullified laptop means that they will have the experience to pick up computer-based knowledge very quickly and easily, giving them more chance of getting jobs in the future.

[ebow3d]

@Captain Jack

It may help to check out the information about the project at the OLPC web site.

Sorry, you are right I’ve read up a bit now, and gained a new respect for the program.

[Captain_Jack]

I’ve really been enjoying the discussion and debate. It’s wonderful to hear different viewpoints and be able to discuss in a civilized manner ideas and opinions both with those in agreement and those opposed.

I did want to mention that the original thrust of the thread was to point out the security strength of the operating system that the OLPC is developing for their initiative. As a long time user of many operating systems (Unix/Xenix/AIX/Linux/*nix, Wang OS, Dos, Windows, Mac, OS/VS, AS/400, you name it) I’ve always been very impressed with the simple elegance of the security structure in Unix based operating systems. It’s not loaded with bells and whistles, it just does it’s job quietly and efficiently.

I’m not wanting to start an O/S flame war or anything, of course. I see a lot of value (and problems, too) with pretty much every computer environment I’ve ever worked in. I just think it’s a pretty cool concept that the simplest tools are sometimes the very best tools.