On 19 Aug 2003 01:06:00 +0200, Erik Moeller <erik_moeller(a)gmx.de> gave
utterance to the following:
But I *really* like the idea Jimbo raised a long
time ago about
producing an at-cost encyclopedia for third world school. :)
So do I. How cheap can we get? It might be more cost effective to build
Wikipedia reader computers using old machines and cheap harddrives in the
single digit gigabyte range (of course that requires the cheap
availability of electric power, which makes it a non-starter for the
poorest countries). With some crack Linux hackers we should be able to
whip up something that runs on a 486 (using a miniature Linux distro for
embedded devices and a very lean webbrowser like Dillo).
I recall seeing a TV item where the South African Government had developed
an English inventor's idea of a $5 hand (crank) powered radio and put it
into production, and that they were looking at the possiblilty of doing
something similar with a computer.
--
Richard Grevers
I'm not lost - I'm directionally challenged