[Sugar-devel] Sugar-devel Digest, Vol 78, Issue 15

[Walter Bender]

Well said Tony.

-walter

On Sat, Apr 11, 2015 at 11:04 AM, Tony Anderson <tony_anderson at usa.net> wrote:
> Hi, Sebastian
>
> This troll aside, I think we are doing the same thing with different
> emphasis.
>
> I am looking at Rwanda which is still deploying laptops nationwide. They are
> currently using XO-1.75, but continue to support a large number of XO-1 and
> XO-1.5. I really don't detect any understanding that schools are different
> than GE. GE will depreciate their computer purchases and replace obsolete
> equipment. Schools get one chance and then must make do with what they have.
> The only end-of-life for XO-1s is when they are scrapped or stop working or
> end up as museum pieces in the original cartons in some principal's office.
>
> This troll's estimate of 300,000 is intended to be insulting because he has
> no interest in an accurate answer. The claim of 3,000,000 is based on the
> number shipped (and even then probably a round-up number). This is similar
> to the regular announcements that x organization is making 100,000,000 books
> available free to everyone or that a simple device will provide access to
> the world's information throughout Africa or the internet will be available
> to the world from balloons.
>
> You know as I do, from hands-on experience, that there are far more than
> 300,000 laptops deployed. What we don't know is how many are being used
> regularly and what impact they are having. You also know from hands-on
> experience, that most of these laptops are XO-1s.
>
> Even 300,000 represents an investment in education 60 million dollars (plus
> shipping and handling!), not a trivial amount. This investment has been made
> to improve the educational opportunity of children without regular internet
> access.
>
> My belief is that best course is to show what is possible with the XO and
> open source software and open educational resources to facilitate learning
> for those children.
> Could we do better? Of course. Are we doing the best we can. Yes!
>
> If this troll wants to help, fine. Then he can ask the incisive question:
> What can I do to help?
>
> Tony
>
>
> On 04/11/2015 04:37 PM, Sebastian Silva wrote:
>
>
> On 11/04/15 09:12, Tony Anderson wrote:
>
> I like incisive - to the point. He is not asking about the apparent
> discrepancy between the potential number of laptops in use but is throwing
> around words like deceit.
>
>
> Looking at the statement in question, from our main website: "Sugar’s
> Activities are used every school day by nearly 3 million children in more
> than forty countries."
>
> I would not feel comfortable saying this out loud.
> If there were 3 million XO laptops sold, I'd bet half of the ones still
> running run GNOME.
>
> Like you say, we don't know.
>
>
> After all, what is 'use'. Does this mean the number of laptops running Sugar
> at a specific instance of time, or at least one hour in a week, a month, a
> year or a laptop that is capable of running Sugar if turned on? How many
> Window 7 systems are in use?
>
> None of us know an answer to that question, but we know the number is large
> enough to warrant our spending our time as volunteers to make that
> experience as constructive and enjoyable as possible.
>
>
> This might have been a more constructive answer from you. Thank you.
>
> While it is important to support existing users, I am more concerned with
> the next 1000 million people who's freedom to act with computers is at
> stake.
>
> Sebastian
>
>
>
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>



-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org