[geeks] New Tech Schools: Digital Harbor in Baltimore

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

On Wed, Apr 11, 2007 at 12:53:57PM -0500, Brian Dunbar wrote:
> I'm more distressed about them teaching 'Word'.  Not a MS bias but
> observation that 'teaching office automation' usually involves
> memorizing 'how-to' run MS Office and not, say, the broad concepts
> behind the thing.

The unfortunate thing is that in a world where you can buy a computer
at a supermarket, Office automation is Word and Excel. Or to be generic
word procession and spreadsheets. 

I'm involved with a fledgling operation to do what Steve Jobs tried
to do with the Macintosh. Create an "Information Appliance", 

He had the right idea in 1984, but could only scale the Lisa, which was
a $10,000 computer (about half the price of a house in some parts of
the country) to a $2,000 computer, the price of a cheap car.

We are looking at building units in the $200 (cost) range. Not the $100
laptop, which has feature crept well beyond most desktops, but 
devices (handheld and laptop) that requires a roof overhead and some
sort of electricity. 

Software based on open source, but NOT GPLed, and designed to do
what people need, not what (relatively) rich people want. 

Fits in the niche between the $100 laptop and a regular computer.
I figure there is a market for well over a billion of them......

Geoff.
 
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