BBC NEWS | Technology | One laptop project loses partner
So, in summary, first they refused to take part, then they launched a competing product, then they join the project, they then ask for changes and then finally leave.
First, it doesn’t sound like they know what they want.
Second, the only thing they’ve not done to try and hurt OLPC is legal action. I suppose this will happen before Easter!
Scoble’s done something and got his Facebook account blocked. My bet was that he was getting his contacts out to put in another system. TechCrunch UK reports it here…
TechCrunch UK » Blog Archive » Facebook blocks Scoble for downloading his contacts
The Facebook people are currently asleep, this will probably be out of control by the time that they wake up. Scoble can blog quicker than they can react.
It’s a pity that Facebook isn’t on the NASDAQ because I’d like to measure the Scoble effect!
…maybe they’re just going to make money by charging to send users emails.
“Starting today, we’ll begin blocking links in Mini-Feed, Notifications, and Notification Emails which lead to the installation of another application in the hopes that developers focus on user experience and engagement being paramount, not deceiving users for the sake of growth.
Happy Hacking!”
Nick Carr has a good article in The Guardian about how consumer IT is now a service.
The big switch may turn off jobs | Technology | The Guardian
Of course he’s right, but he doesn’t talk about how this is going to affect corporate IT departments. Most IT staff are not running dating sites or YouTube; they’re running payroll and finance applications for corporations.
End of Support for Netscape web browsers – The Netscape Blog
That little logo with the asteroids symbolized the early web and now it has gone.
Let it be a lesson to us all; they launched a product called Communicator with high ambitions to completely take over the web. The result was that the web remained independent and Netscape slowly died.
R.I.P.
It sucks!
First Fon sent an email offering three Fon routers as Christmas presents! Fantastic idea and I ordered within hours. I started planning who were going to get them; in fact, they were going to three different countries (Holland, the USA and France).
But they didn’t arrive. No word from Fon about if they were shipped. I sent an email to their support but didn’t get a reply. I’m now missing three routers; do I have to pay the 100€ to get them?
This really sucks because I have no idea about what to do now!
The Google Operating System blog has a good list of Google type of predictions for 2008.
However, in point one ther’s this…
“If Google doesn’t understand that your Gmail contacts aren’t necessarily your friends, we’ll see a huge privacy backslash.”
How difficult can this be to understand? And why hasn’t Facebook realised it already? I want to present different views of myself to different populations; it’s not rocket science.
The first network that gets this right will have a massive advantage over the others.
Ben Metcalfe has found OLPCs on eBay going for over three times the going rate (assuming that the going rate is $200).
Sad to see OLPC’s for sale on eBay at inflated prices :Ben Metcalfe Blog
He seems quite upset by the find; actually I believe a sign that this little thing could be an enormous success. There is a demand in the developed countries for the OLPC. This demand can be used to get the price down, build software and help with the OLPC “brand” in the target countries; the OLPC could be seen as more than a poor childs PC. Now the OLPC people need to get the machines out there and sell them to whoever wants them (wherever they maybe).
Why?
Simply put if they don’t flood the developed world with these machines the market will take care of it for them. They’ll be pushing machines into Africa and Latin America for them to appear on eBay at a profit. Now that maybe a great gain for the people who received the machines in the short term but long term they’re going to be big losers.
And I quote…
As for the OLPC: here’s to you folks. Nicely done. A wonderfully crafted device, a noble vision, and an Open mindset. Brilliant!
I’ve not seen a bad review yet!
I was planning on keeping the OLPC for myself for six months. Now I read this…
My (daughter’s) OLPC laptop has arrived
I thought that my six year old wouldn’t be interested and therefore I’d get to play first. Looks like “move over old man day” is scheduled for the 26th of December not July.