Filed under: Business, Kids, Linux, Open Source
Will the OLPC interface ruin computing for millions of kids?
by Brad Linder Nov 25th 2006 at 8:00AM
If you've been following the development of the One Laptop Per Child project, you know that a lot of unconventional thinking has gone into it. The goal is to help bridge the digital divide by producing low-cost, durable computers and selling them in large quantities (the minimum order is 1 million) to governments in developing nations. The hope is that the next generation of school children in those countries will grow up knowing how to use computers and having the same skill sets as children in wealthier nations.Enough background. The laptops run on Linux, and the "Sugar" user interface is designed to be easy to use. The thing is, it's rather unlike the interface of any Windows, Mac, or Linux machine that you've ever seen. The entire operating system has been retooled, probably to work well on a small screen, and to work well for people who may never have used a computer before. Take a look:
It's pretty cool looking, until you start to wonder whether it wouldn't have made more sense to include a Gnome or KDE desktop. As Harry Brignnull at 90 Percent of Everything points out, kids who learn how to type and research and program on these computers will be getting used to unlike anything they're likely to encounter on any other computer system.
Of course, it's also possible that if enough countries distribute these laptops to children, the Sugar UI could one day become the dominant user interface.