Trade.Information

Details of The total computer

Million PC to distribute in the countries of the Third world. To a paltry price. And in a position to working without electricity. Talk with Nicholas Negroponte

To leave from 2007, approximately 220 million Chinese students in the primary and secondary schools they will have between the fingers a dream: a portable computer of they property. To use between the benches and then to carry in the zaini until house. One for everyone of they. It is the plan that is born from the mind of Nicholas Negroponte, the guru of the Web for antonomasia, author in the ' 95 of celebre "the Being Digital", bestseller translate in 40 languages (in Italy intito it "to be digita them" and has been riedito the year slid from Sperling&Kupfer).

Negroponte, 62 years, is also the founder of the Lab Average of the Institute Massachusetts of Technology, dov' is university professor of Medium Technology. And it is just with the colleagues of the Mit who give some month are working to the new plan, a special portable computer that will be supplied, at the price of 100 dollars for unit, to the ministries of the Education of several Underdeveloped nations: at first in China, between the end of 2006 and the beginnings of 2007, but then also in Iraq, Colombia, Cambodia and in various countries Africans. Objective: war to the digital divides, to the technological poverty, for an increase that is not only economic but also political and social of those Countries.

University professor, she from 20 years fight against the digital divides and with its moglie he has founded three schools in Cambodia with computer and access to Internet. But of all its plans, this new one seems largest, most ambitious. It is therefore?
"Yes, it is the plan in which converges nearly all the one which I have made for 20 years. For before the time, mine it is a plan on wide scale: it is looked at already from the maxim, "a notebook for every child". To regimen, they will be produced from the 100 to 200 million PC in a year. We accept orders solo from the not inferior ministries of the instruction and to a million unit ".

Who will put the moneies for the production?
"Five great companies that are associated to the plan. Two names are already sure: Amd, than with Intel is one of the main producers of hardware, and Google. With others three if of it it is speaking - would deal of Samsung, Motorola and NewsCorporation. Every company will invest until 2 million dollars. Moreover, others 2-3 million dollars would have to arrive from external investor. The World Bank and the United Nations then will finance us from the 50 mila to the 100 mila units of PC ".

Once it finds the backers to you, which are the plans?
"Within september of this year we will have the first prototype of working PC. We will test the first 100 mila units in China, and then, from june 2006, in other four countries. To latest in March 2007 we will begin the mass production ".

Com' is possible to sell a PC to single 100 dollars? You will go in loss?
"Absolutely not. The production of every PC will cost 90 dollars, therefore there will be also 10 dollars of profit for the investor. To say it all, lots of people - also the distributors - will become rich with this plan, although I will not be between these. It considers that the underdeveloped nations are the single market in expansion to the world. Obvious that the interest of the western companies is to stars ".

How they can make a PC therefore economic and also earn to us?
"No mysterious one: the single indeed innovative thing is the screen. Probably we will use the invented electronic ink from the Medium Mit Lab. For the rest, we will put to iron diet the software of the PC: nothing Windows, we will use Linux, that it is gratis. The saving then comes also from the fact that we will not be in the storees, but will sell the computers through direct orders. As far as the members, it will not lack null essential thing, indeed: there will be also the support to the wi fi and the nets of cellular of third generation. The greater limit, regarding a normal computer, is that ours it will not be able to contain an enormous amount of data ".

It succeeds but difficult to imagine a PC in a village without electricity...
"our PC will use energy sources alternatives: it will be fed with solar paddles or, in other cases, with one crank and even to pedals. It will be much moreover sturdy one, in order to work also in difficult atmospheres. It is important moreover that it is portable, for technical, logistic reasons but also social ".

Social?
"It is in this aspect the heart of our plan: a computer for every child. It is a mantra which we hold a lot, because if the PC is portable and of property, the child can consider it a personal object. To always hold with himself. The digital society in this way penetrates them in its daily life, in its games, does not come tax from the high, the State. It is therefore that these Countries will be able to embrace the technological development: not with laws, rules, reforms, but with the education of the children. Not only: if the PC is a notebook it can be carried also to house. Therefore the families enter in dance also, that they will be able to learn the way of the digitalis them with with the sons ".

And if the technology is more diffuse, us she can be economic development? Is this the sillogismo?
"Not only. Technology, Internet, computers are also new mass media, that they serve for the social increase of people where the television and the radio is even little diffuse, because the electricity lacks. Moreover our computer will not only serve to the digital education them, but also for the instruction of the children in general sense. In a computer from 100 dollars many things enter that in sure countries only the facoltose families can allow themselves: geographic dictionaries, atlases, books of text in digital format them and therefore more economic than those on paper. Through Internet, moreover, it is possible to consult international newspapers, to make English course. A computer can act as from laboratory, library, artistic study: they are moneies saves to you also for the school. In the same way, also the teacher can bring up to date themselves, with these instruments. All the system of the instruction benefits some ".

Someone will say: this people do not have to eat, do not have medicines, do not have running water and you it capacities the PC with Internet, goodness knows that if they make some...
"It is in the instruction of the people the key of the progress. Not in the technological development of for if same. In sure so-called countries in via of development the technology it is present, are the infrastructures. But they can approach to you single in little, for via of restrictive laws or of the diffuse ignorance. The instruction is one solution. Sure, the instruction cannot be eaten, cannot dress the poor ones. But it cannot it are to you capacity via, once that you have made it yours Is the key of the progress. It is true also relatively to problems as the hunger, the control of the births and the sanitary emergency ".

But instead that to sell economic computers through western companies, it would not be better to make to be born in those Countries the spark because produce them from himself? Why developments one they industry hi-tech?
"It is an interesting idea and in fact with our computer we exactly hope to create inducing that make to be born in those countries an independent industry from that western one. In order to begin, there will be peripheral local companies that produce hardware for our PC. Also for this reason we have chosen Linux: with the exception of Windows it is a opened system, can be modified, be made just from the local industries. It is an incentive because they are develops produced to you hi tech in native place ".

It does not believe that such development will influence also on politics of those Countries? As an example, if Chinese thanks to these computers can approach a free information, than it will be some of the totalitarian regimen? Perhaps Insomma, the ministry of the Chinese Education is risking large to accept the offer of the Mit.
"the Chinese government knows very well that sooner or later the democracy will arrive in the Country. To Beijing they are very conscious that is not one issue of "if", but only of "when". In the meantime, the regimen is engaged in order to make to grow the economy and the instruction until touching the levels of the West. It does not forget that in China they have already 320 million cellular!"

It is famous for its forecasts on Internet. She can make some on the digital divides in the world?
"It is a complex issue because the so-called countries" in via of development "in truth often travel to various speeds much between they and go in see-saw. The Rica Coast more seemed one of the progressed countries as far as use of the computer, now instead is thinking to put outside reads to Voice over IP (the telephony via Internet like Skype, ndr), that it would be a terrible step behind. China was poor vent' years ago and watches now that leap in ahead has made, also regarding its neighbors! However hour I have much confidence in the future of the Latin America, for via of the culture of those people, incline to watch ahead with courage and one to greet lack of respect for the authority, for the rules that tie them to the past ". This interview has been published from the periodic "espressonline".