Forget About laptops...I strongly believe that we would require better infrastructure in our schools located in rural areas.we lack basic amenities like toilet, drinking water,good class rooms etc. To me this laptop stuff sounds like a huge business proposition & these gentlemen are trying to target countries like india & africa. You may have heard of the book "THE MONK WHO SOLD HIS FERRARI" you may very well figure out that the person who claims to be a monk has SOLD away his ferrai & not given away(why would a monk need money).These American gentlemen who are trying to appear as social workers are shrewd businessmen in disguise.( why dont they distribute the laptops for free)
RE:laptops.....?
by TongInChic on Aug 07, 2008 02:08 PM Permalink
Sure, they are businessmen and they are trying to do what they are supposed to do - business. I don't think we should brand them as crooks for that reason.
Whether to accept their scheme or not can be debated, but there is nothing intrinsically wrong with their offer.
From your comments, It is also obvious that you have not read the book about the Monk and his Ferrari. It has nothing to do with a ferrari.
RE:RE:laptops.....?
by Shahnawaz Islam on Aug 07, 2008 02:43 PM Permalink
By your logic, the farmers who sell their produce are also shrewd businessmen in disguise (since they are not distributing their produce for free)
RE:RE:RE:laptops.....?
by birendra varma on Aug 07, 2008 04:38 PM Permalink
Dear islam, by what logic do u feel that the farmers are running charitable trust ....! yes they are businessmen but not shrewd they are willing to sell their product & are doing so without viscious intentions this is wat makes them different from the laptop sellers who have selfish reasons.
The govt who spends billions on N deal can subsidize or indegenously make laptops.With wifi laptops the schools in rural/urban with internet hub can have acess to NCERT /UGC websites and use educational softwares.Of couse we have more number of tele exchanges than it was.If not today it will be a reality soon.For 100-200 dollars it will be a sure sucess provided it is implemented in the right way.Just have an opinion poll ,not only school chldren there are may who dream of laptops would like to have one.Even mobile phones had to go through a similar trend in india before it became a commonman's reality .I too feel like buying one.The prices of a USB hard drives are chilling dowm and this would be a better option.
I may be old-fashioned, but what children need are not laptops and other fancy educational aids. What they need are colorful, attention catching books, airy well-lit classrooms, hygienic food, clean toilet facilities and above all highly motivated teachers. Provide these basics of education and you will see illiteracy vanish from the face of India within a generation. You cannot expect children who do'nt know where the next morsel of food is coming from to stay focussed on their laptops.
RE:this is required n not laptop
by Shahnawaz Islam on Aug 07, 2008 02:49 PM Permalink
Huh???? Is there some law which prevents a child from having hygienic food and a laptop? Are you saying that a child can have either (A) hygienic food and motivated teacher or (B) laptops?
RE:this is required n not laptop
by Shyam on Aug 07, 2008 01:16 PM Permalink
You are very Correct, Mr.Jadhav. That is what I too feel and say. Need not be showy, just give what is more essential atleast.
RE:this is required n not laptop
by yogesh soni on Aug 07, 2008 01:38 PM Permalink
you are very short-sighted person mr. jadhav. Well you ordered good food, clean toilets and motivated teachers.. and someone should get it..while you timepass on rediff..very convenient
The concept itself is erroneous, as Indian education with all its problems still offers a good fundmental skill in maths, scinece, and commerce.Our boys excel in rest of the world using the Indian way of education wherein lot of challenges for mental power are in built.The laptop cconcept will systamatically erode the human skills and the growing child will be an addict to the gadget like many of the grown ups to calculators and computers.
I am mindless, or even if have it than it is narrow, because I am an Indian I am divided on religion, region, cast , and lot of other factors, because I am an Indian. I am corrupted, even i can sell my country, because I am an Indian. I will not do any thing useful for development, and if any body will do then i will oppose it, because I am an Indian. If militants will kill us, then there is no problem, we are the biggest population, 100 200 will die then what? because I am an Indian. I will respect and make chief guest His Execilency Afjal Guru, because I am an Indian. I am fool, any body can do any thing in my country, because I am an Indian. One day when i will become politician and will take bribe in parliament, that will be my great day, because I am an Indian. We dont have anything in our life other than non sense,because I am an Indian. I will always impose my failures on others, because I am an Indian. still, I proud to be an INDIAN
Well this is definitely a nice gadget for urban kids but it doesn't make much sense in a rural background. First of all, the memory space is too less (256 MB plus 1 GB flash drive) and also there is no hard drive, no optical media, no floppy drives. So it will hardly be of any use to a teenager. So it essentially restricts the target customers to pre teen kinds. Secondly $100 price tag is just a myth. The Windows version costs a lot more (How many pre teen kids would be comformatble with a KDE or GNOME GUI ?). Practically the only purpose it serves is to provide a low-priced device for browsing webpages. But of what use would it be to a kid in a rural area where there is no connectivity ?
RE:does it really make sense ?
by ravi sinha on Aug 07, 2008 12:47 PM Permalink
well, for learning pupose, this equipment is well enough.this laptop is made for education oriented for that i gb hard disk is well enough.this is not made for watching movies ,playing game ,and using heavy software application which is making no sense for child.
RE:does it really make sense ?
by kaustubh saha on Aug 07, 2008 12:39 PM Permalink
Think about it again. Would you buy a device that has no hard drive, no optical drive ... which doesnt support Windows ... and which has less than 1.5 GB of memory for $200 ?
RE:RE:does it really make sense ?
by Alankar Sharma on Aug 07, 2008 12:56 PM Permalink
Are you a rural child then ? Don't misuse your money to buy a thing which is conceptualised for poor and rural kids. If you have a child and also have enough money then buy the high-end computer yourself, but don't mock the concept.
RE:RE:does it really make sense ?
by Vinod Bijlani on Aug 07, 2008 01:35 PM Permalink
Kaustubh, you r just full of urself. " RE:does it really make sense ? by kaustubh saha on Aug 07, 2008 12:39 PM Think about it again. Would you buy a device that has no hard drive, no optical drive ... which doesnt support Windows ... and which has less than 1.5 GB of memory for $200 ?"
RE:does it really make sense ?
by krish nayak on Aug 07, 2008 12:51 PM Permalink
umm... why not if reliance can provide the wi fi connectivity in the schools... its about partenering with the corporates and the government..
one should try atleast.. rather being pessimistic about its viability.
take the first step and sure u will get the other steps too..
RE:does it really make sense ?
by Shyam on Aug 07, 2008 01:01 PM Permalink
Reliance will provide services only where there is profit (high profit). They are even closing down their Petrol Pumps in the national highways due to low profits. You expect private sector to do service in rural India. Which world are you living Dear friend?
RE:does it really make sense ?
by Vinod Bijlani on Aug 07, 2008 01:34 PM Permalink
Kaustubh, have u seen the current linux gui? device for browsing webpages - cant webpages provide information? the whole point of the device is spreading information. the purpose is not do development or play games on tht machine.
RE:does it really make sense ?
by palash kumar on Aug 07, 2008 12:50 PM Permalink
1. Its not a media centre PC but an educational tool. The specs are for its target custmers. 2. Windows version will of course be costly, thats one reason why it should run on linux. 3. pre teen kids will be absolutely comfortable wi KDE or GNOME both of which are very easy and intuitive interfaces. I personally have seen kids given a KDE gui and they explore the PC without even feeling a difference. 4, they are not built to surf webpages. these are for learning purposes. 5. connectivity is not a problem any more. Cell Phone networks can serve as data gateways also. better connetivity will be soon be possible with technologies such as 3G and wimax.
RE:does it really make sense ?
by Alankar Sharma on Aug 07, 2008 12:50 PM Permalink
Kaustubhji, Have you used or seen kids tutorials or Fun and Learn games on computers ? Have you seen kids using Paintbrush etc to create drawings ? By your message it is not being seen. So a computer (low-end one) can be used for these purposes for ruler chieldren as well. The concept is not to give a device to have only fun with like Chatting, networking and other useless (sometime these are good to have but these are most misused) services. The idea is to make kids use devices for betterment of their learning so they don't stay behind the richer breed of children. Don't you see this as a boon to kids in far flung areas of this country ? Further, MIT is not a commercial organization promoting their products like Pepsi and McD. They can deliver better products than Windows, and better softwares. Overall it is not a commercial product, so don't compare it witha Dell Lappy having 160 GB HDD and 3 GB of RAM Ha...ha.... This is just for kids. Thanks, Alankar
Teacher's pronounciation is different and some times faulty so Prof Rais ahmad , Director , NCERT , New Delhi ( until 1976) wanted good pronounced word to be presented to students in Nursery and KG or until class 2nd. MIT can introduce same in laptop (obviously language specific)
It will increase Plastic waste all over the world and US would not take any responsibility for the degardation of environment. USA/UN will then blame, India, China and Africa for spoiling the environment! What is worong with the children now using locally available natural, self sustainable tools to learn. Not the gadgets that will kill creativity and generate endless waste.
RE:Lap Top- Plastic dream-endless waste
by anoop mathen on Aug 07, 2008 12:19 PM Permalink
More than the waste generated,ask yourself why our country is so backward inspite having a resource far beyond money.We have manpower, but this manpower is of no use.They are not empowered,this is a method to empower.By empowering them,one guy is going to come out with a great idea and get rid of the plastic waste.
