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[worksalot2]

Kityoko,

I encounter a lot of kids who struggle with many of the tasks that you and I would probably most commonly associate with the formal education process, but who, nonetheless, demonstrate a stunning capacity to "think outside the box" and to come up with very innovative and creative ways to manage the challenges that are often so abundant in their lives.  And I, like you, think that the OLPC initiative has the capacity to tap that same kind of potential in the kids who will get these laptops.  With that in mind, I can't wait for the collective "magic" that will come from that to begin to unfold ...

[Julianna]

If you'll allow me to be completely honest, I G1G1 because of the technology. Sure, the added bonus of knowing that someone who needs (and otherwise can't afford) the laptop is getting one as a result of my donation/purchase gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling. ...But if that's all I was after, I could have accomplished the same warm, fuzzy feeling by simply giving (and, hypothetically, accomplished twice the feeling by donating two laptops with the $400).

What can I say? I like my gadgets and was wooed by the limited time offer. The ability to support the OLPC initiative and donate a laptop to a kid were secondary bonuses.

*ducks behind her desk to avoid the tomatoes being thrown at her*   

[tripletdad]

I saw the 60 minutes piece.  I wanted to get my kids a less destructible machine both in terms of physical and cyber.  Iwantedto also help OLPC obtain critical mass --- sort of a 2 for 1 , good for me, good for the world.

Having troube adjusting to this user inteface being a regular PC guy.  Some early trouble such as can't play a little pony game with my kids.   Can't seem to create and save files.  Things seem to be slow and unresponsive, such as typing this message, there seems to be delays also scrolling seems to get hung up occasionally.  It is probaby operator error and not the machine.  I need tutoring on how th tranlate from PC to XO.

[Ray G]

It was either a PS3 for myself or a laptop for a real child who could really use it.

[cbryer10]

My answer to that is as simple as this.............

[eightbt]

My reason is pretty shallow, I had to have the technology.

I think that OLPC is forcing companies to change the way they think about mobile computing.  The XO-1 breaks the mold, it's small, cheap, the high-res dual mode screen is wonderful for reading (not just eBooks, but webpages too!), and I still have high hopes for the dual-mode touchpad.  The large stylus area can offer hand-writing aware applications w/o the need for an expensive wireless-pen system or multi-tuch screen.

I think that the XO-1 can bring a lot of positive changes in "1st world" technology, and I hope that if they ever make an XO-2 that it will be even more different than it's predecessor.  I'm still skeptical about "3rd world" benefits.  I try to remain positive that the XO will somehow benefit impoverished regions, but it definitely did not come to play in my G1G1 considerations.

BTW, has anyone ever read the book "Ender's Game" and thought to themselves, the XO sounds a lot like the "desks" the children had in the book, or at least a step in that direction?

[info_anarchy]

I'm something of a techno-utopianist - I think that information technology, especially the internet, can move us towards a society where information flows freely, and dialog and communication can happen without restriction or filtering.  I believe that the internet can facilitate direct democracy and very strong government oversight by the public.  It can even enable forms of social organization which render governments as we know them mostly unnecessary.  The tools are there, we just need to use them.

The only catch is, only a very small percentage of people have access to a computer, let alone the internet.  And they're almost all relatively wealthy first-worlders.

The OLPC project is one of the first serious attempts to address this problem - one of the last remaining roadblocks to building a truly global community.

[ranti]

I think this is a cool program.  That's why.

I have an idea on the one I'd (hopefully) receive, but will have to wait until I receive it. 


ranti.

[John S.]

I gave my reason over on the writer's thread:
http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=41.msg4355#msg4355

[stuball]

Our family has had three days to test out this amazing little computer for children.  This morning I donated to the G1G1 program again.  I feel that it is the best thing I have done this holiday season and I wanted to double that feeling of satisfaction.
On the home front my 18 year old son has been competing with my 10 year old daughter (who received the xo for Christmas) for it's use and I have had a total of maybe an hour with it so far.  I also wanted a second one to test out the mesh network and so my daughter can play games over the mesh network when her friends come over.
I really want this OLPC program to succeed.  And finally, Mr. N. joins my short list of heroes.  The xo is just brilliant!

[dicea]

When I was maybe ten years old, I had a friend whose father was very much into computers.  I don't remember what company he worked for, or what exactly he did, but the basement of their house was full of these large machines.  When I was over to visit, my friend used to show me how some of the machines worked.  There would be a black screen with a green underscore on it.  She showed me how we could enter commands on a big black keyboard and set up a space of memory and lock it with a password.  I thought this was the coolest thing in the world.

I remembered when, some years earlier, I had taken a summer course at a local college where we had learned how to write a program that would make a "turtle" crawl around on a screen and make a picture.

How amazing that we could work with this secret machine and it could do things for us.

I feel bad when I see kids who can whip through games and programs and popular systems today. I wish that more of them could work with a system that is more like erector sets than entertainment machines. 

We learn by playing and trying and doing, not by following the instructions that are given to us.  We discover things only when we explore, and if the XO laptop is going to be a tool of discovery and growth, it'll happen because it has been used by those who play with it with open eyes, not by those who are disappointed because they didn't get the latest entertainment toy.

The future of the XO and OLPC is in the hands of those young people who get them and use them and exceed out expectations.  I believe in them. 

[Andrew Jensen]

I did it because the XO debuts technologies that I hope to see become common in all future laptops, be they for kids or not. Things like the rabbit ear antenna/dust covers/latches, which is ingeniously simple, and the pull-string power cord (though I have to wait to get that). I like that it breaks the mold of "better, stronger, faster." in computing, putting considerations like cost and power consumption ahead of having a super-processor. I like it's general "off the grid" ethos.

I don't oppose the charity aspect of it, but if I could have gotten these technologies anywhere else, I would have. I hope that the tremendous response to G1G1 encourages the creation of commercial products with similar features. There is a market for laptops like this, and not just for kids. This is not just a classroom laptop, but a backpacker's laptop, a coffee-houser's laptop, a hobo laptop. a rural laptop, a construction-site laptop. Kids need cheap, rugged and easy to use laptops because we all need them. I hope that 2 years from now an entire new class of computers exists because of this project.

I bought a 400 dollar laptop because I wanted to be an early adopter in order to promote the technology. I rarely ever think about the one going to a kid somewhere, and then only to lament that they get a human-powered charger and I don't.

[xomaha]

I participated in the G1G1 for three reasons (all equally important):

1. I wanted to support the OLPC effort. I've been following Dr. Negroponte's project for a couple years and I wanted to be part of this global effort.

2. I love the technology. Ain't no two ways around it, it's the best innovation to come out since the early days of Linux and Palm Pilot. As a technophile, I wanted to be an early adopter of a fantastic engineering effort.

3. I have two kids, getting older, who have been clamoring for a laptop (after seeing dad's work-supplied Macbook with its built-in camera), and are on the edge of using technology in school for education uses. I really don't want them to have a Microsoft-centric exposure to computer technology. EDUBUNTU helps, but connecting them to a global altruistic effort (and cool technology) is a big plus.

I sold the idea to my wife of dropping $400+ down on this for Christmas (which is more than we can afford) by ensuring that the system will be used, and not treated like a shiny new toy to be discarded once the kids got tired of the Recorder. For one thing, it's Linux based. That means EXTENSIBLE. And after playing with the XO emulator (while I patiently wait for the delivery), and reading about all the XO hacks, it does deliver on that promise. So the kids are not only going to be engaged in the Sugar interface, but also learn how to extend the potential of the XO. It's all about the education, yes? I also pointed out that my desire for the technology is the "safety net" for this expenditure, that even if the kids got bored, I wouldn't.

The T-mobile and $200 deduction are just icing on the cake.

So the G1G1 program satisfies all reasons, a desire to help educate the world, a desire to help educate my children and a desire to help educate myself with the innovative technology and interface.

Regads,

XO fan in Omaha

[tomco]

it wasn't a huge expense and being able to get something cool was a plus... not like donating $$ and getting a tote bag .
so a) not too expensive; b) cool; c) easy to donate.
(no track record for how much good the donation will do, so we'll have to wait and see on that)
p.s. using the XO right now.

[Chris G]

 Teach a child and change the world,and getting this cool little computer is'nt bad ether.