100 dollar laptop

[Chanchao]

On Fri, 2006-07-14 at 14:23 -0400, Qiuli Han wrote:

> i am also interested on the OS, since those countries kids don't speak
> English, so they have to make the OS localized in order to suit the
> users. and they are so many!!! the fonts, the input methods......this
> will be a huge work.

Huge work, but a lot if not most of it already has been done.  I live in
Thailand and I believe the Thai Government is indeed interested in this
project.  Ubuntu (for example) runs fine in Thai, with most menu items
of most applications translated into Thai. Plenty of Thai fonts
available as well.

I think a lot of the countries going for this project will be 'newly
industrialised' countries, i.e. those with economies that are getting
bigger, yet a HUGE less developed hinterland where people/children are
missing out, partly because education in the required new skills isn't
available enough. IT/Computers is one of those skills.  I think this is
why countries like Thailand, Brazil, India are especially interested,
more so than the very least developed countries.   And getting Linux
localised for Brazil, India or Thailand has already been done. 

Cheers,
Chanchao