Um...nothing at all, as far as I can see.
In my opinion, of course, any machine delivered to a developing nation
as a panacea for digital divide issues should be based on open
standards, open sourced software, and a transparent distribution model.
This Linspire machine, on the other hand, is very specifically targeted
towards a US audience, in the hopes of attracting some non-technical
Windows users to a cheaper, nice-looking machine. And there lies the
problem...without some major technical tweaks, the system as configured
is useless. And an audience that is aware of those tweaks isn't going to
be very impressed by this machine...I'd label it a failed marketing
exercise.
But it's so close! With a little more work, a ram upgrade, and some
polish (and some arm-twisting to make Fry's shut up about how the
machine will never work with a Chicagoland ISP, etc) that machine could
truly be one which grabs someone's attention. A faster running machine
with a floor model and ongoing demonstrations with colorful signs around
it (like they do for Earthlink dialup access, for example, or netzero)
would be very effective.
I think this is the direction Linux has to move in if it's going to gain
ground...developing a product that appeals to the majority of computer
users, who are non-geeks, who have modest computing demands, and who
need an intuitive (meaning Windows-like) operating environment. It'd be
nice if it wasn't Linspire, but I'd still rank this a step in the right
direction.
D.
-------------------
Dave A. Chakrabarti
Projects Coordinator
CTCNet Chicago
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(708) 919 1026
-------------------
Cindy Lemcke-Hoong wrote:
SO... what do all these discussions mean to the $100
computer that will soon deliver to the children of the
developing world?
Cindy
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
=============
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