[Cthulhu_]

Is it time to revive the OLPC program? That one started the low-cost "netbook" trend, after that the smartphones and tablets got to the forefront.

How much would a ruggedized laptop cost to make now? I know there's some RPI kits out there but they seem pretty pricey for what you get; I suspect the biggest expense is the screen, so that's an area that could be improved on. Surely there's older screen tech that can be produced at ridiculous scale nowadays? 1024x800 is enough for the basics. If that can run on a 5w USB charger that would be ideal, it could run off solar panels and cheap powerbanks then.

Anyway, if that's there then the tech companies who want to deduct some taxes can order millions and distribute them to the countries where people could benefit from them.

[rahulbshrestha]

I worked for a NGO that distributed OLPC laptops to rural schools in Nepal. Those laptops are super slow + its interface is hard to use. People in villages use smartphones that are 100X faster. Later, we switched to Raspberry pi(s) connected to peripheral devices. If you want to help out or learn more, check out: https://www.olenepal.org/.

[Robotbeat]

I hate that Netbooks died. I think they were just too good for too cheap of a price. A full environment (who cares if it’s slower) often costs far more now. It fell victim to market segmentation. We got locked down tablets (whose OSes were end-of-lifed soon after release) that were optimized for passive consumption instead of boundless creation.

[II2II]

It is probably best for them to develop their own solutions based upon their own needs and what they have access to. Offering suggestions is certainly valid, but recognizing that they may not be heeded for various reasons is important. Just look at what happened when the author told his brother that he needed a laptop.