[Gllug] simputer

[Wulf Forrester-Barker]

Anthony <anthony.leung at virgin.net> wrote:

> hmm, it's a noble idea, but imho, shouldn't that money
> really be going into education and other more basic facilities?

I would say that access to computers, and particularly access to the Internet, is a pretty fundamental part of the way I (and, I guess, a lot of the rest of you) live right now.

IF the Simputer works reliably, then I could see that it might be a great boon to developing nations. It will promote literacy, and once they have that, farmers could have ready access to information about irrigation systems, incoming weather fronts, etc. Those who don't want to spend the rest of their life hoeing field will also have a chance to build their computer literacy and start contributing intellectual goods rather than cash crops to the global economy.

In the context of helping developing nations, I would see it as on a par with giving someone a net rather than just giving them a fish... potentially much more valuable long term (and certainly a tool for education).

I'd also be interested in seeing if there are devices like this that could be used round the NHS Trust I work in. Does anyone know of anything presently available that has a reasonably large screen (say 240 x 320 or higher), low cost, and the ability to browse a webserver on a LAN? We've looked at Palm Devices (can't find the wireless networking bits we need, and thus having problems viewing information sources on our Intranet) and the Compaq iPAQ (nice, but a bit bulky and very expensive). If anyone has any clues, I'd be interested to hear.

Wulf




wulf.f-b at uhl.nhs.uk

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