RE: Opportunity to make a charitable contribution and get an XO laptop in return.

I think finding use for XO is pretty easy - it would make a great gift for a kid! Plus chunks of the system software (like the Sugar user interface) are built with Python, meant for the user to play with and modify.

So you know the kid has the opportunity to learn about programming with a language that will teach them good habits :)

Aleksandr Vladimirskiy
Web Developer
College of Engineering, Dean's Office
UC Berkeley
412 O'Brien Hall
510-642-6385

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-micronet-list_at_lists.berkeley.edu [mailto:owner-micronet-list_at_lists.berkeley.edu] On Behalf Of Jonathan Felder
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 10:42 AM
To: sgrettenberg
Cc: Rob Weinberg; micronet-list_at_lists.berkeley.edu
Subject: Re: [Micronet] Opportunity to make a charitable contribution and get an XO laptop in return.

Since it runs linux, they had one at linux world. It seemed like a pretty cool but fairly (as you might expect) limited device. Also, remember these are built for kids. They are tiny and have very tiny keyboards with tiny buttons.

I've considered buying one, but I think I would be stuck trying to find an actual use for it really.

sgrettenberg wrote:
> This does seem very interesting - I am considering a purchase. Has
> anyone on this list ever seen one, or used one? The battery
> technology is innovative, as is being able to charge it by a little
> solar panel - and amazingly, a pull cord... A New York Times article
> suggested the screen had a function to turn off the backlight so it
> was more visible in direct sunlight.
>
> All considered, it is a cool effort, with some interesting technology.
>
> Stephen
>
> On Nov 29, 2007, at 9:57 AM, Rob Weinberg wrote:
>
>> Wow - be sure to follow the link and take the tour - this seems to be
>> way more than just a dumbed down laptop.
>>
>> Rob
>>
>> As spoken by Kevin D. Burney on 11/29/07 8:53 AM:
>>> For a very limited time the OLPC (One Laptop per Child) organization
>>> is offering the public an opportunity to purchase one of their new
>>> innovative XO laptops for personal use. http://www.laptopgiving.org
>>> If you have not heard about the OLPC program, you should check it
>>> out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Laptop_per_Child
>>> The LaptopGiving offer is quite interesting. You donate $400 and
>>> you will receive one of the XO laptops for your personal use and one
>>> XO laptop will be donated to a needy child somewhere in the world.
>>> Of the $400.00, $200.00 is considered a tax deductible charitable
>>> contribution and the other $200.00 is considered a purchase and is
>>> not tax deductible. In addition T-Mobile is offering all
>>> participants 1 free year of their HotSpot Internet access valued at
>>> $350.00.
>>> This program is only running until 12-31-2007 so if you are
>>> interested you should jump on it before it ends or the supply is
>>> exhausted.
>>> -Kevin
>>> cid:image001.gif_at_01C74154.C6424A80
>>> Kevin D. Burney, PMP
>>> IT Director
>>> COIS Mailcode-1516
>>> 2105 Bancroft Way – 2^nd floor
>>> Berkeley, CA 94720-1516
>>> (510) 827-8476
>>> kburney_at_berkeley.edu <mailto:kburney_at_berkeley.edu>
>>> CHOPS:
>>> http://helpdesk.chance.berkeley.edu/helpdesk
>>> website:
>>> http://cois.berkeley.edu <http://cois.berkeley.edu/> Quick Facts
>>> and Specs for the OLPC XO Find below the most important facts and
>>> specs for the OLPC XO:
>>> Hardware
>>> The 100$ notebook (current model: OLPC XO-1) is produced by Quanta
>>> Computers, who has a 33% market share of laptops world-wide. It
>>> contains an AMD LX-Geode CPU at 700 MHz and 256 MB of RAM. There is
>>> no hard disk, but a 1 GB flash memory. A dual-mode SVGA LCD screen
>>> (Monochrome and Color mode) helps saving power. Built-in wireless
>>> network interface and color camera.
>>> Software
>>> The software of the OLPC is open source, the operating system is
>>> Fedora Core, the graphical user interface is called Sugar. A special
>>> version of Firefox is used as web browser, the word processor is
>>> Abiword. E-Mail is sent and received through GMail. LinuxBIOS is
>>> stored on an 1 MB flash ROM.
>>> History and Goal
>>> OLPC (originally a group at the Media Lab of MIT, now an independent
>>> organization) proposed to design a low cost laptop intended for use
>>> by children in developing nations. The laptop is poised to empower
>>> and educate children through the use of technology, and connect the
>>> world's next generation of thinkers.
>>> Timeline
>>> The first prototypes of the XO laptops have been shipped by the end
>>> of 2006. In February 2007, a pilot with over thousand machines has
>>> been started. The first large-scale rollout is planned for November
>>> 2007.
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Rob Weinberg
>> Programmer Analyst II
>> Tech Support for IB
>> robweinberg_at_berkeley.edu
>>
>> Department of Integrative Biology
>> 3060 VLSB
>> University of California
>> Berkeley, CA 94720
>> 510-642-2917
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> --- The following was automatically added to this message by the list
>> server:
>>
>> To learn more about Micronet, including how to subscribe to or
>> unsubscribe from its mailing list and how to find out about upcoming
>> meetings, please visit the Micronet Web site:
>>
>> http://micronet.berkeley.edu/
>>
>> Messages you send to this mailing list are public and world-viewable,
>> and the list's archives can be browsed and searched on the Internet.
>> This means these messages can be viewed by (among others) your
>> bosses, prospective employers, and people who have known you in the past.
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> -- The following was automatically added to this message by the list
> server:
>
> To learn more about Micronet, including how to subscribe to or
> unsubscribe from its mailing list and how to find out about upcoming
> meetings, please visit the Micronet Web site:
>
> http://micronet.berkeley.edu/
>
> Messages you send to this mailing list are public and world-viewable,
> and the list's archives can be browsed and searched on the Internet.
> This means these messages can be viewed by (among others) your bosses,
> prospective employers, and people who have known you in the past.
>
>

--
Jonathan Felder
Network and System Administrator
California PATH, UC Berkeley
http://www.path.berkeley.edu/systemsupport/
Windows 9x (win-doze): a 32 bit Extension to a 16 bit Graphical Shell of an 8 bit Operating System originally coded for a 4 bit Processor by a 2 bit company that can't stand one bit of competition.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following was automatically added to this message by the list server:
To learn more about Micronet, including how to subscribe to or unsubscribe from its mailing list and how to find out about upcoming meetings, please visit the Micronet Web site:
http://micronet.berkeley.edu/
Messages you send to this mailing list are public and world-viewable, and the list's archives can be browsed and searched on the Internet.
This means these messages can be viewed by (among others) your bosses, prospective employers, and people who have known you in the past.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following was automatically added to this message by the list server:
To learn more about Micronet, including how to subscribe to
or unsubscribe from its mailing list and how to find out
about upcoming meetings, please visit the Micronet Web site:
http://micronet.berkeley.edu/
Messages you send to this mailing list are public and world-viewable,
and the list's archives can be browsed and searched on the Internet.
This means these messages can be viewed by (among others) your bosses,
prospective employers, and people who have known you in the past.