Intel - stopping poor children from getting computers

[lanky]

I think it's all BS. As if these kids (in third-world countries) need a computer....they need food, shelter, and medications/vaccinations. $130 would probably feed a kid for 6months-a year. :x :x

We have a winner! Post of the day goes to this man!

 

[Fernando_M]

In a magazine that I read every month, there is an article about both PCs (the one produced by Intel and the one with the AMD chip). And as a 3rd world country citizen, I welcome the initiative to produce cheap computers to poor kids. I haven't thought a lot about this subject yet, but I think it will be a good oportunity for the kids and I think it will work well, at least in my country (Brazil).

 

[1Tanker]

Sorry Flash,

You are right they are calling them MPs...

Mesh Points. You really do not understand this stuff do you?

The deal with a mesh network (not just theirs) is that each device acts as a repeater of sorts. It can receive and send both and requires a multi-hop protocol.

If they are to gain access to the internet they have to either:

a) Connect to an MP (a device that connects the start of the wireless mesh network to the rest of world or ROW) just another name for an AP.

b) Connect to a device that is connected to the MP.

c) Connect to a device that is connected to a device that is connected to the MP.

You have to think of WIMAX as the Hub approach with a longer range for the central HUB.

You have to think of the WIMESH network as a peer to peer to peer to destination approach.

Both have benefits. Both have drawbacks.

WiMesh because of its inherent routing protocol which is servicing not only YOUR connection but also THEIR connection has a drawback that it will be slower when multiple connections are made NOT ONLY THROUGH YOUR MACHINE BUT OTHERS DOWNSTREAM OF YOU TOO. WiMesh has the capability to dynamically EXTEND and also REDUCE the range of the network. The option of dynamically reducing the range is NOT YOUR OPTION. It is the option of the next closest device/person who turns off the device or radio to conserve battery. You see the distance/range of the device is only as long as its last connection. If the connection is geographically broken somewhere in between because someone went out of range and they were YOUR link then you are no longer connected Capiche 😉.

WIMAX has limitations of NOT BEING ABLE TO dynamically EXTEND THE NETWORK range beyond the central HUBS capabilities. The only bandwidth loss/slow down is due to the number of connections being processed in essence sharing the AP total bandwidth (same issue that WiMesh has but WiMesh also introduces additional traffic to your machine). Routing will be MUCH MORE efficient in the WIMAX arena.

By the way I have provided Links to many things but given that this is a geek/enthusiast site MOST 😉 people here understand what I am typing and MOST 😉 know it to be true.

If ya want the basics of WiMesh I could send you to SONOS.com and you can go through their online tutorial.

Hey thanks for playing anyways!!

Ches...you're overlooking some signicant side- benefits to the OLPC. Even if they can't get an internet connection, they can learn how to play solitaire. :roll:

 

[shinigamiX]

It seems the consensus here is that the OLPC project will fail. Nice to see I'm on on the right side for once :lol:

 

[dasickninja]

The greatest danger of these laptops is that they'll be sold as a quick fix, as a sexy substitute for more conventional educational investment.

Politicians, in any country, like making sexy expenditures. They get much more credit for building a new highway than fixing the potholes in the current ones.

 

[1Tanker]

The greatest danger of these laptops is that they'll be sold as a quick fix, as a sexy substitute for more conventional educational investment.

Politicians, in any country, like making sexy expenditures. They get much more credit for building a new highway than fixing the potholes in the current ones.

That's too true. :x

 

[InteliotInside]

Let me get this straight--the guy wants all third world countries to have access to computers, yet misses things such as food, water, education, housing, investment and a stable government?

Pardon me if I missed something (I only read the highlights, not the entirety of the article), but does this guy that you need ELECTRICITY to use a computer? Rolling Eyes

Also, Intel is a freaking company, not a charity. Furthermore, the idea of all poor people to have access to a computer is dellusional and idealistic--at least in the next 50 years.

You want all kids to have access to a computer? You achieve the goals that I listed before!

 

[dasickninja]

To be honest, the entire article, whether or not you think Ed is right or the ilk of Satan.. err.. Señor Diablo... is a good read and takes its shots at both companies.

And here's the link. Link.

@InteliotInside

Pardon me if I missed something (I only read the highlights, not the entirety of the article), but does this guy that you need ELECTRICITY to use a computer? Rolling Eyes

Both computers can be run on a hand crank.

But the point still stands.

 

[Stewartwi]

 

[ches111]

Flasher,

It would seem that again you do NOT understand.

Did I type that WiMesh is a Peer to Peer to Peer to destination type of protocol?

Yup I did.

What good is a connected PC if all it is connected to is some other kids PC and NOT to the internet?

I could see it if the device was connected in this fashion to a teacher for instance. I can see the kids chatting but given 802.11X range that would be just as easy as walking across to speak to them.

The reason you do not want to get into tech debate is because you have very little substance to offer. You obviously do not understand the tech for which you are trying so hard to defend. The problem here lies in the fact that you are misrepresenting yourself and therefore instead of being a champion for the cause you sound like a fool.

I did not say that I wanted you to care about what I think of you. I said that if you cared to reply in KIND, I would also return in KIND.

An offer for which you obviously have not taken.

My spammed information is correct. If it is not I will happily recant. Some thing for which I think not only would you not do, but you would not even entertain.

Did you even read up on Ethereal? Or why you would need a 802.11X card that was able to operate in promiscuous mode? Or why a Tftp server might be used for/manipulated as well?

Why not take this opportunity to learn something instead of assuming you already know it.

Your posts from the start were demeaning to the folks on these forums.

But hey thanks again for playing.

 

[halbhh]

This thread won't be dying.

So long as all the ignorance continues, because various folks will step in to correct errors.

Example, the OLPC laptop is designed to work with very low power use (2 Watts, is it?) precisely in order that the accessory manual battery charger will be used for operation in places without electricity with ease.

Ignorance is like a magnet here on the forum, and attracts it's opposite.

One quote:

"Peak consumption is around 5 watts for high-demand media applications, it falls to around 3 watts for browsing, under a watt when used as an e-Reader in black and white mode, and only 350 milliwatts to participate in the mesh network. Keeping the power needs low as a mesh repeater was critical, because the chosen networking design works better the more nodes are available, and the longer they stay online (”stay as dense as possible as long as possible”). Because the network can operate without requiring the main processor to run, children won’t need to worry that letting their XO participate in the mesh will drain the battery significantly. The radio itself is under $10 in production costs.

Keeping the 377-Mhz AMD processor processor from having to sip from the battery was a key concern. When used as an eReader, a separate frame buffer keeps the LCD updated, rather than having the processor do the job. This drastically reduced the power needed to keep a page displayed while a child reads. In general, the XO uses what Bletsas calls “Extreme Suspend,” going to sleep after two seconds of inactivity, but waking up within 300 milliseconds of an action...."

http://bnhsu.wordpress.com/2007/01/11/a-close-look-at-the-olpc/

 

[ches111]

Yeah hal,

The radio would be the most important part of the device as I see it.

The usage is very very good. However there is an underlying expectation that the (dense population of users) would maintain the battery to a point that it is serviceable (ready for use/repeater) at all or near all times.

This in essence falls into stewardship of the device being offloaded to the children. First of all they would have to understand the impact of NOT USING/recharging the device would have on others. They then would have to care about that fact.

I see this as pushing "too much" to an end user that already does NOT know how to use the device. I see that it can and may likely work. But it is truly up to the kids to maintain the network by maintaining a charge.

 

[dasickninja]

IIRC, things like that can actually drain the power faster. Consistent use wears out the battery slower that constant and quick power on power off.

 

[BaldEagle]

Please let it die it's been beaten to death we are into rehash of the same things over, and over, and over, and.... :?

 

[hretyc]

Proposition to help OLPC-project get enough sales so Intel can't kill the mission:

Let George W. Bush lobby for the Classmate from Intel. Then Hugo Chávez, Mahmud Ahmadinedschad, Wladimir Putin and other heads of states ruling countries like China might buy laptops from the OLPC-project just to oppose Bush.

People in these countries will then hopefully have an uncensored way to learn what democracy really is about to overcome their regimes and 3. World countries could afford to buy a cheaper laptop (due to reduced price by massproduction) without depending on 1. World to finance upgrades etc..

 

[dasickninja]

There is so much wrong with that plan, I'm not even going to bother with challenging it.

 

[halbhh]

While you could take one outta range of the meshwork, that's just like my laptop actually. :? All in all, it reminds me of my laptop in several ways. When outta range, then it's like an ebook.

 

[halbhh]

Proposition to help OLPC-project get enough sales so Intel can't kill the mission:

Let George W. Bush lobby for the Classmate from Intel. Then Hugo Chávez, Mahmud Ahmadinedschad, Wladimir Putin and other heads of states ruling countries like China might buy laptops from the OLPC-project just to oppose Bush.
.....

heh heh

 

[Twisted_Sister]

Please let it die it's been beaten to death we are into rehash of the same things over, and over, and over, and.... :?

NEVER!!

This thread might beat out the "PS3 VS HIGH END PC" thread. :lol:

 

[dasickninja]

I doubt that. Nothing will reach that level seeing as its still open and available to be bumped.

 

[Twisted_Sister]

Please let it die it's been beaten to death we are into rehash of the same things over, and over, and over, and.... :?

NEVER!!

This thread might beat out the "PS3 is better than a computer" thread. :lol:

 

[Twisted_Sister]

I doubt that. Nothing will reach that level seeing as its still open and available to be bumped.

Hey that reminds me... have to go bump that thread.

 

[Twisted_Sister]

I doubt that. Nothing will reach that level seeing as its still open and available to be bumped.

Hey that reminds me... have to go bump that thread.

 

[flasher702]

IIRC, things like that can actually drain the power faster. Consistent use wears out the battery slower that constant and quick power on power off.

This is true but it depends on the usage pattern and device and how the suspend is accomplished. With no fans or platters to spin up the penalty for resuming from suspend should be pretty small and if you leave capacitors charged while suspended by breaking the circuit after the capacitor instead of letting them drain by breaking the circuit at the power source that will reduce the penalty as well (I dunno if the xo does this though). The timeout before suspend may have to be tweaked (dynamically by the application being run might be nice) and documents that lend towards putting lots of information on the screen in one "page" to allow the device to suspend longer would give longer battery life.

350milliwatts for meshing is pretty impressive. But I wonder if by $10 for "the radio" if they mean the entire wireless router sub-component with it's ARM chip and all or if they are being sneaky and the really mean *just* the radio.

<200ms resume time would be better IMO. 300ms kinda slow. Fast enough for turning pages in a novel or upper-grade text book but if you're actively navigating something like an html-based document those resume times would get slightly annoying. Still a lot faster than the forumz though!

 

[Guest]

Intel is not stopping anybody from selling pc. but iF they want intel to supply cheap chips for them. forget it thats not business. maybe they can ask AMD or VIA for that.