this post was submitted on 17 May 2025
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Technology

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In the early 2000s, the concept of “One Laptop Per Child” (OLPC) captured the imagination of the world. The ambitious project aimed to provide every child in the world with a low-cost, rugged, and connected laptop, revolutionizing education and bridging the digital divide. It didn't happen.

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[–] UniversalMonk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It just so happens I have one of the first ones from 2005. It's been in my garage for 20 years. Fired it up as I read this article, and it still works:

[–] match@pawb.social 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

that thing is going to hold on to all that remains of human knowledge after the AIpocalypse

[–] UniversalMonk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 month ago

I feel all powerful. If I could only get the volume to work...

[–] UniversalMonk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Fun concept tho. Especially in 2005:

In late 2005, tech visionary and MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte pulled the cloth cover off a small green computer with a bright yellow crank. The device was the first working prototype for Negroponte’s new nonprofit One Laptop Per Child, dubbed “the green machine” or simply “the $100 laptop.”

The $100 laptop would have all the features of an ordinary computer but require so little electricity that a child could power it with a hand crank. It would be rugged enough for children to use anywhere, instead of being limited to schools.

A Linux-based operating system would give kids total access to the computer — OLPC had reportedly turned down an offer of free Mac OS X licenses from Steve Jobs.

Here's a nice little intro docu about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLJYWc6NZt0&ab_channel=ThisDoesNotCompute

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago

Good intentions, bad execution

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I actually had one for a while (I got it second hand)

Also Pine64 did something similar with the Pinebook. It was a much better device as it didn't try to be the perfect device. It was simply a cheap single board computer put into a plastic shell with a battery and screen.

[–] UniversalMonk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Oh, I'll look that one up, because I'm not familiar with it. Thanks!

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

There current stuff isn't all that great but the pinebook was amazing 8 years ago or so. It is underpowered but at the time it was fine for a few tabs in Firefox

[–] UniversalMonk@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 1 month ago

Yep, I went down the rabbit hole all day yesterday. Decided that we have better, cheaper alternatives by just buying and hacking an older laptop.

[–] dr_robotBones@reddthat.com 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Though it failed, it sounds like it drove innovation all the same.

[–] UniversalMonk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah, and I appreciate the goals it had, and even tho if failed, they tried. I am using mine and trying to figure out to post on Lemmy with it, but the browser is old and doesn't do https sites, but if I can figure it out, I wanna use it for my lemmy machine. lol

[–] I_am_10_squirrels@beehaw.org 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Sounds like you need a proxy inside your network to connect to the https site and serve it to you without encryption

[–] UniversalMonk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 month ago

Working on that to see if I can get it to work.

[–] vulgarcynic@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Wrote a paper for one of my finals in college on the efficacy of these. Havent thought of the project for probably 15+ years.

It really was a fantastic idea, always hoped it would catch on but alas, the Chromebook took over in education spaces thanks to subsidies from Google for the data collection.

[–] UniversalMonk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It really was a fantastic idea, always hoped it would catch on but alas, the Chromebook took over in education spaces thanks to subsidies from Google for the data collection.

Yep. I do wish they would revisit the whole "water-resistant, rubber/plastic tought as a Tonka truck, drop-resistant, hand crank to charge-up" ideas though!

[–] ryokimball@infosec.pub 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] UniversalMonk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Giving it a listen. Thank you!