11–20 of 46 posts
How is this different to a normal install of Linux on a flash drive plus recycled PCs, exactly? The page is full of talk about how they're doing great things, but no real info on what the device actually is.
You could also download the software back then: http://keepod.com/keepod-os-12-4-cave-man-is-released/
You basically have to charge a reasonable amount for it, because it's not super straight forward. Sure you can buy a USB drive for $5 but it's not likely to be that great, you have to try and source drives that are reliable for a large number of R&W cycles and the really, really cheap ones generally aren't. Then you need to have a batch write process, so you can either spend time cobbling hardware together to do it or send it off to a company to do it, which costs a reasonable amount. Then marketing, then staff costs, then distribution costs. There's a lot involved in it, I'm surprised they're down so low, I'd assume they're running as nonprofit.
This is a more practical approach to connecting more people to the digital universe. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aakash_(tablet) So is this. http://m.androidcentral.com/intel-introduces-yolo-android-ba...
I don't know what this company aims to do by handing people who can't afford a square meal a USB drive.... If you guys are on HN and reading this, please stop sensationalising your USB stick and make a real piece of hardware that gets people connected.
Better idea just give people $3 microsd cards with $1 usb adapters.
If only it were so easy as just making these cute little computers, dropping them off in some slum with no supporting infrastructure, and saying "Good luck!"... And that spiky-haired mascot...could you make a more loathsome looking thing?
Actually, people have had great success doing exactly that:
"The $7 PC to bridge the Digital Divide and provide Personal Computing to 5 Billion people all over the World." How is a flash drive a "PC" ? Interesting idea, though... definitely solves the problem of people having to know a lot about security to benefit from it.
Then these people can go to school, plug it into the shared computer, and get their own experience, then take it away with them. Giving them the sense of ownership that it's their own personal computer.
I think it's just a usb stick with a bootable Linux OS on it? If so then honestly $7 is kind of expensive for that. I can get a USB stick for $5 and that's with postage from Amazon. I would think that in bulk and for charity you could get the prices down a lot more.
If you add marketing, shipping, employees etc - the cost is actually extremely low.
It's not a PC, it's a bootable USB drive. It's not going to "bridge the digital divide" as it still needs an x86 processor and a monitor. This is a more practical approach to connecting more people to the digital universe. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aakash_(tablet) So is this. http://m.androidcentral.com/intel-introduces-yolo-android-ba... I don't know what this company aims to do by handing people who can't affo…
Cool thing is that we occidental ppl send plenty of old computers to make gigantic piles of dangerous trash in poor countries. By sending USB sticks along they might prove useful.