Hello all,
You might find this interesting:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/01/17/review_xo_laptop_hands_on/print.html
The hardware problems and hobbled features as described are disappointing to say the least. Those aside, the hardest landing punch is probably as follows: "Most of these changes come down to the OLPC organisation placing more emphasis on real-world usability and less on their ideals of a perfect interface. If they can manage to do this, the XO laptop could be a great tool for learning and play."
Bill
Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D. University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology PO Box 100254 Gainesville, FL 32610-0254
Email: bschwab@anest.ufl.edu Tel: (352) 846-1285 FAX: (352) 392-7029
Hi,
On Jan 19, 2008 7:53 PM, Bill Schwab BSchwab@anest.ufl.edu wrote:
You might find this interesting: ...
um. All rightly mentioned annoying facts aside, this reviewer made some of the common mistakes, making direct comparisons between XO and Eek (scnr), applying his 1st-world-nation spoilt view on the technical requirements (cf. what he writes about multimedia support and tabbed browsing).
Most reviews (and, unfortunately, most people's opinions and attitude towards the XO) are driven by requirements they believe are crucial for a low-cost sub-notebook today, instead of what the idea of OLPC is all about. The project's goals are what should drive the reviews. Regarding said goals, the reviewer certainly has some points...
All that aside, what made me smile is that an experienced sysadmin couldn't manage to open the thing without consulting the manual. Maybe I'm still thinking like a child in this regard, but it took me about 30 seconds. No manual needed. :-)
Best,
Michael
Michael Haupt wrote:
Hi,
On Jan 19, 2008 7:53 PM, Bill Schwab BSchwab@anest.ufl.edu wrote:
You might find this interesting: ...
um. All rightly mentioned annoying facts aside, this reviewer made some of the common mistakes, making direct comparisons between XO and Eek (scnr), applying his 1st-world-nation spoilt view on the technical requirements (cf. what he writes about multimedia support and tabbed browsing).
I agree. But the interface has some quirks that get annoying, The "frame" pops up way to easy, maybe because I use a mouse :-) I never liked the little touch stylus thingies.
The Journal is really slow and big files grind it to a halt. I had problems copying over files from a USB and a few times the whole internal flash memory gets corrupted and I have to reflash the whole machine :-(
The ebook reader is a bit slow rendering pages, and it does not seem to remember where I left off reading. Reader should have some annotation, maybe there is but I have not seen it.
Most reviews (and, unfortunately, most people's opinions and attitude towards the XO) are driven by requirements they believe are crucial for a low-cost sub-notebook today, instead of what the idea of OLPC is all about. The project's goals are what should drive the reviews. Regarding said goals, the reviewer certainly has some points...
I was thinking about the issue that a "slow" computer like XO could use some heavy optimization in software, but that would break the source code readability, which is kind of important on a platform like this. I guess one have to weight the pros against the cons.
I think most tabbing and multimedia etc. will be solved by additional Activities and they don't matter too much on a "slow" third world internet connection.
All that aside, what made me smile is that an experienced sysadmin couldn't manage to open the thing without consulting the manual. Maybe I'm still thinking like a child in this regard, but it took me about 30 seconds. No manual needed. :-)
I had to look at the web as well :-) Overall I like the machine. It's a really good ebook, and Etoys are getting better and better every day on it.
Karl
Best,
Michael _______________________________________________ UI mailing list UI@lists.squeakfoundation.org http://lists.squeakfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/ui
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Michael Haupt