Why I will not buy an OLPC
I got excited about the chance to buy a "One Laptop Per Child" OLPC (details here). Then I thought about it some more, and decided to pass, even though my daughter would probably love one.
- The price is $400 for one (another is donated using half your purchase, but still, that is a lot of money for a child's computer).
- They are only available for purchase for two weeks. That is a completely artificial limit.
- There is no information about a successor, so I have no idea if this is a one-shot deal.
All these objections add up to a big "No, thanks, try again."
I really, truly, do not understand why the OLPC group decided to prevent people from purchasing them. It makes no sense to me. Why limit who can purchase it and when they can purchase it? I would expect a charitable group to try to increase the number of potential donors, not shrink the pool with high requirements, artificial date restrictions and no information about upgrades or proceeding version.
No, thank, OLPC. Try again.