At 16:19 08/03/2002 +0530, Frederick Noronha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Dear GKD Members: > >I am working on an article on the Simputer, and would be very grateful >if you could spare a few moments to give me your views on the same. > >Could you kindly let me know: > >1. What is your view of the utility of the Simputer? It has great potential, marred by its small screen. >2. Is its potential getting eroded by falling palmtop prices? Or is the >comparison with a low-cost palmtop unfair to the Simputer? Not comparable, since the Simputer houses a general purpose and powerful Linux engine. >3. Should a country like India go in for greater hardware innovation? Yes. >4. What would you view to the be the main contribution of the Simputer? >(i) Low cost (ii) Open-design (iii) Fact that it comes from a Third >World country? (iv) Attempt to be friendly to the rural villager? (v) >Anything else? Important that low cost (i) - openness contributes to this. Also important that focused on the rural villager (iv), and not on business clients or yuppies. That it comes from a third world country is irrelevant, though nice that it should be so. Must be Internet ready. >5. We in India have been falling short of the promise of a number of >IT-for-development projects? Why do you feel this is so? I don't believe that this is unique to India, and a universal recurrent problem is sustainability. >6. If you had a say in designing the Simputer differently, what would it >be? Larger screen for literate communities, more speech for non-literate communities. >7. Simputer has received a whole lot of favourable press coverage. Do >you feel this was (i) deserved (ii) undeserved (iii) lesser than >deserved? It seems to have been a little premature,it really needs to be in large scale production and use. >8. How do projects like the Simputer rate on scalability, software, >interface, userability? What is your understanding of the problems and >obstacles in taking this from the lab to manufacturing? Why haven't >computer companies or other industrialists coming forward to support >this? It needs better hand-writing input, and a better screen. Basing the system on Linux was sensible, but what is the "killer application"? At the moment it feels a bit like 3rd generation mobile phones, a solution waiting for a problem. >9. Will the Simputer be able to sell at the sub-$200 price? Yes, but if it were enhanced with a larger screen, that would push up its price. Not sure that there is a resolution here. >10. Any other comments. > >Thanks a lot. If you could send in the comments by March 12, I'd be very >grateful. Frederick. I hope to read you report in due course, to learn from the many other people you will have surveyed. Thanks. Pat Hall ------------------------------------------------------------------ Professor Pat Hall, Computing Department, Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA tel: 01908 652694 (work at OU), 01825 71 2661 (home and work) ------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
