Todd Seal wrote: > Why does this have to be an "either - or" problem? Those communities > that have the population of those that can afford the "personal," > well, that's probably what they will buy. For those without that > luxury, then certainly the "public" is the best option. A computer in > a public space is better than no computer at all. > > Interesting idea, though, about "public" and "personal" computing. I > like the distinction and think it deserves a future investigation as > to the applications of both uses of technology. Does this open a realm > of different software for each application? Are there "public" and > "personal" uses that are completely outside each other's domain? Can a > computer have a "public" and a "personal" profile that will make > available different facets of the computer? Since logging on to your > computer is inherent in most operating systems, it wouldn't be too far > a stretch to set up those distinct profiles and keep them secure. > > I think the "right road" is not universal and can only be determined > based upon the inner workings of the community deciding. Perhaps > there's a needs survey that should be developed to determine > "personal" or "public" computing, so that donating organizations have > a better idea what to donate. > > Wouldn't it be possible, though, to use the computer for both needs? > While in a public location, can't I use my computer personally? Does > the distinction really matter to a community without computer access?
Exactly. The Simputer simply has more to offer those without desktop connections, and what have you. Hypothetically, a farmer could go to town with produce and be able to take down notes on the Simputer, take them home and perhaps connect to a desktop machine, or a laptop. A child can take notes in school and do the same. A long time ago, we geeks used to use what we lovingly called 'Sneaker-net' - our feet, with a disk in hand. A Simputer can be an extension of Sneaker-net in this regard, while being able to connect independantly as well. That's value. That's what this all is about to me. Sometimes you pay higher costs to get more value. -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: San Jose, Costa Rica [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.knowprose.com http://www.easylum.net http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/Taran "Criticize by creating." — Michelangelo _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
