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Maryland will hand out 133k Chromebooks to the public

statescoop.com

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Re: Maryland will hand out 133k Chromebooks to the public

#31

Post by kube-system »

pton_xd wrote: post #9

I think it'd more effectively go into the appropriate hands by at least charging some nominal amount. Advertise that anyone may visit the public library and purchase a subsidized internet-capable device for $20. Or $5. Free just has no chance of being an efficient distribution.

When we're talking about fixing outlier issues in society, efficiency is sometimes counterproductive to the goal of addressing problems that exist at the fringes of society. Universality is sometimes better at addressing the problems at the extremes.

For example, some restaurants may be really efficient at providing a meal for $5, but the people who need a soup kitchen the most don't have $5.

Re: Maryland will hand out 133k Chromebooks to the public

#33

Post by Rebelgecko »

CapstanRoller wrote: post #7
explaininjs wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except 133,000 individuals could not buy 133,000 chromebooks for the amount of money that it takes one entity to buy 133,000 chromebooks. There’s plenty of free cash/food/shelter around for those who need it. Adding computers to the list is better than just slightly more cash.

>There’s plenty of free cash/food/shelter around for those who need it. There's plenty, but very little is actually given to those who need it.

Ironically, the most recent survey in the special unhoused enforcement zone near me found that the number of people living on the streets was almost identical to the number of empty beds at the shelter.

Re: Maryland will hand out 133k Chromebooks to the public

#34

Post by [deleted] »

explaininjs wrote: post #3
shortrounddev2 wrote: post #2

Seems like a feel-good idea but one which would be better implemented by just giving people the money instead and letting them do what they will with it

Except 133,000 individuals could not buy 133,000 chromebooks for the amount of money that it takes one entity to buy 133,000 chromebooks. There’s plenty of free cash/food/shelter around for those who need it. Adding computers to the list is better than just slightly more cash.

[deleted]

Re: Maryland will hand out 133k Chromebooks to the public

#35

Post by LargeTomato »

kube-system wrote: post #31
pton_xd wrote: post #9

I think it'd more effectively go into the appropriate hands by at least charging some nominal amount. Advertise that anyone may visit the public library and purchase a subsidized internet-capable device for $20. Or $5. Free just has no chance of being an efficient distribution.

When we're talking about fixing outlier issues in society, efficiency is sometimes counterproductive to the goal of addressing problems that exist at the fringes of society. Universality is sometimes better at addressing the problems at the extremes. For example, some restaurants may be really efficient at providing a meal for $5, but the people who need a soup kitchen the most don't have $5.

[flagged]

Re: Maryland will hand out 133k Chromebooks to the public

#36

Post by shimon »

madars wrote: post #13

Recent Chromebooks are extremely nice devices. For example, $299 at BestBuy gets you an Asus CM3401. It has AMD Ryzen CPU (with similar performance as 8th gen mobile i7), 1080p screen, and an M.2 SSD you can upgrade yourself. Downside is the weight -- 1.8kg (almost 4lbs) -- and that 16 GB RAM model costs extra. But perfectly good for using Crostini (ChromeOS's Linux VM -- you can run your favorite Debian programs, in…

The used/refurbished market for Chromebooks is great for buyers, too. There's not much demand for used Chromebooks so you can get something quite nice for personal/kid use around $100-200.

Re: Maryland will hand out 133k Chromebooks to the public

#37

Post by balozi »

tl;dr: Industrial waste being dumped on communities

Handing out 133,000 devices is not enough without including a complete lifecycle management mechanism which will recover and recycling all 133,000 devices at the end of their useful life. Otherwise this is just industrial waste being dumped on unsuspecting communities. The Chromebooks will be in landfills in 3 years.

Re: Maryland will hand out 133k Chromebooks to the public

#38

Post by night-rider »

throw555chip wrote: post #8

The following Dell laptop would be better than a vendor locked in Chromebook: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-15-lap...

> a vendor locked in Chromebook

Choose your poison. Macbooks are tightly knit with Apple and phone home, but are absurdly expensive and people pay for the privilege of getting spied on. Same with Chromebooks: we're just another datapoint for Google, and much more data is collected. Why not hand out Thinkpads flashed with Trisquel Linux[0]? (A Libre Linux that respects privacy?). And don't get me started on Windows 10/11 lol.

[0] https://trisquel.info/

Re: Maryland will hand out 133k Chromebooks to the public

#39

Post by hx8 »

LargeTomato wrote: post #35
kube-system wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When we're talking about fixing outlier issues in society, efficiency is sometimes counterproductive to the goal of addressing problems that exist at the fringes of society. Universality is sometimes better at addressing the problems at the extremes. For example, some restaurants may be really efficient at providing a meal for $5, but the people who need a soup kitchen the most don't have $5.

[flagged]

Even the average "crackhead" will know they can spend $20 on the laptop and then take it to a pawn shop for $75.

Re: Maryland will hand out 133k Chromebooks to the public

#40

Post by jprd »

LargeTomato wrote: post #35
kube-system wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When we're talking about fixing outlier issues in society, efficiency is sometimes counterproductive to the goal of addressing problems that exist at the fringes of society. Universality is sometimes better at addressing the problems at the extremes. For example, some restaurants may be really efficient at providing a meal for $5, but the people who need a soup kitchen the most don't have $5.

[flagged]

Children can be homeless, go without and generally aren't "crackheads". Extrapolate that to other fellow humans.
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