ICTs and leapfrogging development

More on $100 laptops

I wanted to add a little bit concerning the $100 laptop, or the "green machine", because I've seen a lot of things about this on blogs today after the news about Bill Gates' comments. There seem to be a fair number of people that agree with Gates, and I think that this is more often than not based on a misunderstanding of Negroponte's project. The thing is that this project is not about business and it's not just about laptops. I think that Negroponte and his team have put a lot of thought into this project and come up with something that constitutes a very feasible development aid. Before people criticize the idea of the laptop, I think that they should consider the following:

1. Yes, there are other more pressing issues to be dealt with in many developing countries. But, as is stated in the Dakar Framework for Action,

"Education is a fundamental human right. It is the key to sustainable development and peace and stability within and among countries, and thus an indispensable means for effective participation in the societies and economies of the twenty-first century, which are affected by rapid globalization."

If there is a possibility to provide educational opportunities in developing countries, it should be done. Affordable information technologies make this possible. Furthermore, the globalized society that we are educating people for is based on the flow of information and knowledge. These laptops can make it possible to increase and enhance educational provisions in a manner that is more consistent with the type of world that we now live in.

2. The price point makes it affordable but also detracts from its resale value, both because a feasible resale price will be low, and that at that price it is more likely that communities will be able to supply all their students with them. In areas where money is scarce, desirable technology that is handed over to people might be seen as easy money for the recipients if they can resell it.

3. Using open source software is cheap, but it is also easier to localize and customize since this would not involve the licensing issues of proprietary solutions. Also, using open source software opens up the possibility of engaging the international open source community, raising their awareness of the needs of developing countries and providing a cheap and accessible platform to train IT people in developing countries.

4. The handcrank is a brilliant feature. Face it, what good is a laptop, a computer, a PDA, or even a cellphone, if you don't have access to electricity?

5. It is important to put computers into the hands of individuals. Studies have shown that having the opportunity and means to "tinker" with the technology results in considerably higher levels of confidence in performing complex computer related tasks, like the types associated with producing content for the Internet, i.e. multimedia, webpages, etc.. Telecenters don't provide ample opportunity to "tinker".

6. Cellphones can provide access to some electronic resources, but are not useful for all. They are miserable for producing content and we need for individuals in developing countries to become producers of content (read some of my other entries to see why I think this is so).