The One Laptop Per Child project yesterday received its first shipment of the low-cost Linux laptops that are intended for children in emerging-economy nations, project member Chris Blizzard reports on his blog.
"Today we received the first large shipment of laptops from the factory," Blizzard, a Fedora Core developer who is working with the OLPC project, wrote. "I'm told it's about a thousand pounds. The boxes are all labeled with the countries the keyboards are built for: The U.S., Nigeria, Thailand, Argentina, Brazil and Libya."
Apparently, Thailand, which only a few weeks ago endured a political coup, no longer wants them, "even at $100 per box," he added, directing blog readers to a story on the Bangkok Post website about the recent upheaval. "This, by the way, has more to do with repudiating the last government's policy than open source," Blizzard added.
The OLPC project aims to distribute -- free of charge -- millions of Linux-based laptop computers, complete with their own power sources, to needy children around the world.
The team hand-assembled the first 10 units two weeks ago in an effort to evaluate the system's many custom components, perform systems-integration testing, and ensure that the production process is solid -- all in preparation for the final B1-Test build, OLPC executive Walter Bender said.
The OLPC project is well into its second year. Last month, the New York Times reported that Libya became the fifth country to express serious interest in the inexpensive student laptop -- the others being Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina, and Thailand. Brazil had expressed some early interest in the project.
--Chris Preimesberger
For all the latest news on the low-cost Linux-based OLPC laptop project, refer to our special report, below.
More about the OLPC Project
For lots of background on the OLPC's Linux-based low-cost laptop project -- including features, specs, and a timeline of announcements -- be sure to visit our comprehensive OLPC special report:
The One Laptop Per Child project yesterday received its first shipment of the low-cost Linux laptops that are intended for children in emerging-economy nations, project member Chris Blizzard reports on his blog.
