Boxes and Glue

I’m watching a very interesting (very long too) Google Tech Talk, called Python on the OLPC XO Laptop. While watching it I noted that Joost’s and the OLPC’s strategies for mindshare are opposite:

• Joost develops its client only for the average windows user. I was able to use one of the betas after substantial patching of Wne, but as the client and wine got upgraded never was able to get it working again :(. But I’ve seen it briefly in people’s places, and it looks like they are trying to compete in a strange place between the classic TV channel and Youtube. Some radical changes in thought, much like the ways the XO is doing, would surely help them.
• The XO laptop is being injected to the geek (linux and mac) population with all kind of hooks: music, mesh networking, hackability... I’m quite sure that a lot of interaction between hackers is going to happen, and it is already spreading like a virus... which is fairly good, in my opinion. After all, the XO is about education, while Joost seems to be about entertainment...

I recently ranted against Intel’s leaving the OLPC. To remain today in the highly positive tone set up by the long description, I wanted to point to Yves Béhar talking about the design. The design is really amazing, Yves Béhar is a well known designer, and nobody should perpetuate the meme of the cheap laptop after watching those two videos. Watch for his detailed comments on the mechanical design and the aesthetics details.