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| Video of Talk by Ivan Krstic, OLPC's Chief Security Architect |
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Thursday, June 21 2007 @ 08:56 PM EDT
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You have got to see this. [If you prefer, it's also now on Google Video.] It's the keynote talk by Ivan Krstic, OLPC's Chief Security Architect, at the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council's Open Source Summit this week. Thanks to the wonderful Dan Bricklin, we can watch the talk too. From this talk, I finally understand fully what the project is for. It's not to design a cheaper laptop. It's to create a a new way to educate. The laptop is a surrogate brain, so if a kid is curious he or she can get on the laptop and find out the answer. Is that not how children naturally learn? They have questions and they ask for answers. If we had been there, we could have seen one because he passed it around. I so want to play with one. Why find a way to educate in a new way? Because a billion + children in the world have no schooling or inadequate schooling. Also speaking is Eben Eliason, a UI designer who explains the software. The talk begins by Ivan saying that he gave a more technical talk at Google about security, and if you'd like to see that, it's here. Python is the "mother glue". He lists all the components, all Open Source.
The laptop has a View Source key. Wow. If they're in a browser, they see HTML; if running an application, they see source code. These six-year-olds are going to figure out how to code. No wonder in all the pictures, the kids are smiling. If you are a programmer, he says, they still have a need for your help.
This is my favorite photograph. A little girl in South America in a big bow, her first day with her OLPC laptop. Look at that face. And here's your YouTube for Today, children in Asia making music with their XO laptops.
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| Authored by: Ted Powell on Thursday, June 21 2007 @ 09:26 PM EDT |
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This is *my* computer, not Microsoft's![ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: lordshipmayhem on Thursday, June 21 2007 @ 09:28 PM EDT |
| Please make links clickable!! [ Reply to This | # ]
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- Dan Bricklin ... - Authored by: bbaston on Thursday, June 21 2007 @ 11:00 PM EDT
- I Told You So! - Authored by: iceworm on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 05:36 AM EDT
- A joke for you - Authored by: Rad59 on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 06:02 AM EDT
- WARNING, WARNING, NEW MICROSOFT ATTACK. - Authored by: Ian Al on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 06:43 AM EDT
- WARNING, WARNING, NEW MICROSOFT ATTACK. - Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 08:20 AM EDT
- WARNING, WARNING, NEW MICROSOFT ATTACK. - Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 08:28 AM EDT
- WARNING, WARNING, NEW MICROSOFT ATTACK. - Authored by: LocoYokel on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 08:38 AM EDT
- WARNING, WARNING, NEW MICROSOFT ATTACK. - Authored by: troll on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 08:41 AM EDT
- WARNING, WARNING, NEW MICROSOFT ATTACK. - Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 08:53 AM EDT
- WARNING, WARNING, NEW MICROSOFT ATTACK. - Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 01:03 PM EDT
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| Authored by: entre on Thursday, June 21 2007 @ 09:51 PM EDT |
The "View source code key" is what Windows could use to let everyone
clean up their code. Let's suggest this to Balmer for the service pack one for
Vista![ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Ken Whitesell on Thursday, June 21 2007 @ 11:47 PM EDT |
I've actually had my hands on one of those little beauties. I attended PyCon
(www.pycon.org) earlier this year, and there were a few of these wandering
around during the conference.
They're really _cool_ - I definitely want to get one of my own.[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, June 21 2007 @ 11:55 PM EDT |
*sigh* why must the video be in FLASH? How about ogg vorbis theora? My old
Mandrake 10.1 doesn't want to play flash, lets make the microsofties play oggvt
for a change.[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: AcousticZen on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 12:08 AM EDT |
I just LOVE the fact that the presenter, while denying a OSS bias, exuberantly
extols the open source model, while standing if front of a Microsoft podium!
That is just GREAT!!!!
Best quote, referring to the plethora of OSS on the machine: "thousands of
man years of work from which we could pick, choose, (re)combine and contribute
to". That pretty much says it all.
Try taking them to where they want to go today M$!
AZ
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"I worry if the government encourages open source, and I don't think we've done
enough education of policy makers to understand the threat." - Jim Allchin, M$[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 01:19 AM EDT |
I am always amazed that most people involved in "schooling" seem
clueless on what is the better (best?) way for kids to learn in "rich"
societies. And even more clueless when it comes to setting up a system for kids
to learn in societies that are poor.
The answer is well proven and very low cost and and simple .... very simple -
OPEN SOURCE LEARNING! The buzz word/phrase for Open Source Learning, for those
who are NOT clueless is "Peer Interdependent Learning”. It’s based on tons
of research. The research says that kids are the best “teachers” of other
kids.... PERIOD
First of all, nobody “teaches” anyone...anything. All anyone can do..... is to
facilitate learning. How? By providing an appropriate environment - an
environment that eliminates all of the barriers that prevents learning. Kids
learn for themselves when in that appropriate environment.
Briefly, kids are put into collaborative groups of five to eight. Each group has
one kid facilitating. The “kid” facilitator is a facilitator because she or he
is more proficient in the subject matter at hand - that the other kids in the
group, for one reason or another.
In a rich society, once the “teacher” presents the problem to be solved by all
the groups - sits at desk at BACK of classroom. In a poor society, the “teacher”
can be sitting anywhere in the world and be interacting with kids over the www
with their laptops. SO... kids in poor countries can have access to the best
“teachers” in the world, as well as the best experts in any field. Like me ;)[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 02:07 AM EDT |
If the large corporations and politicians do not kill or cripple this Grand
Learning Experiment it could well be a turning point in human history. We will
know in about 20 years. It should prove interesting.[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: skip on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 02:40 AM EDT |
Forgive my ignorance, but if one wishes to contribute software to the project,
where does it get sent? And how can we test our software to ensure it runs on
the machines?
I can make a port of my open source product for OLPC, but not without a means to
test a fair bit, because I'd need to create a kid friendly gui and reduce the
processor load to suit the hardware. That's two non trivial tasks that cannot be
completed without extensive testing.
Anyone know how testing of software is acheived?[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Ursus_Orribilus on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 03:47 AM EDT |
It took a lot for me to get through the flash of the demo, because my DSL
connection was not up to its normal 80 Kbs-- it was watch and pause to load.
Not a fun thing to do on a slow connection.
Now.
All of that beside. I was tremendously impressed with the presentation by Krstic
and his friends. The OLPC XO1 is an incredible achievement. I can't wait until
the technology is increased to the power of today's commonly used machines. If
it had a 19" screen, and a 20 gig hard drive, it would fly for me. But I
know that is not the thrust of the OLPC group. What they are doing is nothing
short of heroic, astounding, genius, and generous. (See what open source can
do?) I only wish I was a multi-billionaire, so I could give them a billion or
two to further their project. I think OLPC is going to change the world
rapidly, and in a most positive way. Unfortunately, I am not a billionaire-- I
am a retired old guy-- pushing 70, living off of, and barely making it, on my
pension. I know it is gratuitous to say so, but if I ever hit the lottery, I
WILL give the OLPC group a million or two. I am impressed with the "open
source" thinking of these guys. It is obvious they are doing it only
because they want to give something to the future. I know without a doubt that
they will succeed. My hat's off to you guys. I just wish I could contribute
something to help. What the hell-- maybe I will find a way. (I'm still raising
3 boys, 9, 11, and 13. My older daughter just graduated from college, and I am
paying off her college loan.) I am dedicated to the open source community-- it
is the freshest breath of clean air that has ever come along. This is all
written on Kubuntu Feisty Fawn. (We will never surrender, Microsoft! And FYI,
SUSE, Xandros, and Linspire don't count. They are the Vichy. The only thing we
have to fear is-- NOTHING!)[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: MadTom1999 on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 04:07 AM EDT |
Oh no you shouldn have put that link up!
Can you imaging how hard its going to be to stop the RIAA litigating every
country there is.
They own Music dont you know![ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Sean DALY on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 06:22 AM EDT |
| I was astonished when Bill Gates and C
raig Barrett denigrated the OLPC project. As Mr. Negroponte explained at the
time, OLPC is an education project, not a tech project.
So what do those two
have to say now?
Sean DALY.
[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Toon Moene on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 06:47 AM EDT |
> The laptop has a View Source key. Wow. If they're in a
> browser, they see HTML; if running an application, they
> see source code. These six-year-olds are going to figure
> out how to code. No wonder in all the pictures, the kids
> are smiling. If you are a programmer, he says, they still
> have a need for your help.
It makes me remember my days of youth - when I got technical / physics books
from the library that I didn't understand - yet.
I always cherished reading them for what understanding I got from them ...
realizing that some of their gems would stay hidden until later.
How I wish I could buy such a machine, just to be part of our (i.e.,
humankind's) future.
---
Toon Moene (A GNU Fortran maintainer and physicist at large)[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 07:11 AM EDT |
"The laptop has a View Source key. Wow. If they're in a browser, they see
HTML; if running an application, they see source code."
So, how do you see the source code for the browser application?[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: tangomike on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 08:25 AM EDT |
I've seen quite a few comments by people wanting to get their hands on the
laptop.
I suggest that one way for each of us to do that would be to buy two: one for me
and one to be donated somewhere useful. I'll pay for both.
Is there an organisation willing to run such a program? (CafePress perhaps?)
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Deja moo - I've heard that bull before.
[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: mtflyboy on Friday, June 22 2007 @ 08:36 AM EDT |
"The laptop is a surrogate brain, so if a kid is curious he or she can get
on the laptop and find out the answer. Is that not how children naturally learn?
They have questions and they ask for answers."
For an interesting take what the ultimate form of this might take, read Neil
Stephenson's "The Diamond Age". A good read with a number of original
concepts.[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: macrorodent on Saturday, June 23 2007 @ 07:28 AM EDT |
| The view source key in a way does what the first and far simpler home computers,
such as the Apple II, the various Commodore machines, etc already had: Most apps
were written in the BASIC dialect that came with the machine, and viewing the
source was just a matter of halting the program and entering the command LIST.
You would see the entire source scroll past, to see a part it you added a line
number range to the command. Typically there was also a simple way to print the
source.
Some apps, particularly games, had part or even all in machine code,
so the analogy is not perfect.
[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Dan Bricklin on Monday, June 25 2007 @ 09:37 AM EDT |
I've now also posted the video to Google Video. It's available at:
http://video
.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3062666296706912466
Some people have
had trouble with the Brightcove player. This might work better.[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: openup on Monday, June 25 2007 @ 04:57 PM EDT |
Great video, esp love the video of the kids in China using Tam Tam to make
music.
Also check out Red Hat Magazine:
http://www.redhatmagazine.com/category/one-laptop-per-child/
One Laptop per Child series showing the faces behind the project and
behind-the-scenes footage of incrimental work on the machine. [ Reply to This | # ]
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