OLPC laptops set to hit Australia

Australia is set to get its very own OLPC arm, to deliver XO laptops to schoolchildren across the country.

The first hints of the Australian launch surfaced at linux.conf.au in Melbourne, with the organisation hoping to build support for the project amongst the open source community.

"We announced the OLPC Australia organisation at the open source conference because it is both an educational and open source project and because we wanted to build up the technical community around its launch," project organiser Pia Waugh told ZDNet.com.au.

OLPC Australia will be launched soon, Waugh said, adding that its Web site -- www.olpc.org.au -- will be up and running shortly.

"The general Australian community will be taking part in a little while," Waugh said.

Seventy XO laptops were also given out at the Linux conference last week but Waugh said the giveaway was a linux.conf.au initiative independent of OLPC Australia, meant to create interest around the project.

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Talkback 3 comments

    StupidityAnonymous -- 04/03/08

    I thought the idea of these devices were third world countries who were starved of content, access technologies etc etc, not for the first world where education, health etc are all pretty much taken for granted.

    This sniffs of money making for money's sake not what the program has been touted as delivering. Looks like more executive jewellry for rich white fols in Oz showing they care to their mates

    stupidity, from anonymousBrian -- 24/03/08 (in reply to #320096701)

    You could be right, "executive jewellry for rich white fols in Oz showing they care ", but is that fols supposed to be fools, or folks?
    I'm a poor white folk, pensioner/24/7 carer for my elderly parent, but I'm one who'd like to give one, to get one, to my also poor neice, and her little brother. It's not a matter of sharing it with my family only, but next year the price will be down a bit, and I'll be a worker maybe, and I'll buy a few for "poor" kids in outback Australia.

    Not stupidity but gratuityAnonymous -- 20/04/08 (in reply to #320096701)

    If the underprivileged children in outback Australia, can grow their prospects by receiving a laptop at a price that means a child in the third world can also get one – then ALL Speed Ahead I Say! The more the merrier.

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