However, the constraint for developing telecom infrastructure (backhauls and so on) here in Brasil is not technology, is not lack of investments nor lack of companies eager to invest. Whats missing is competition. Here in Sao Paulo we have only to broadband providers, in many medium – size Brazilian city there is only one provider, in most of the remote area of the countries there is none. And this is consecuence of lack of liberalization / lack of transparent rules of the game from Lula´s governement.

Gilberto Gil is a great artist and a visionary, but doesn´t have a clue on liberal market rules / open competition and so on. It´s not technology, it´s not economy, it´s competition, stupid!

1. The mesh setup and operation should be seamless. See http://www.olpcnews.com/hardware/wireless/olpc_mesh_networking.html
2. Content sharing and messaging across laptops should work well
3. Content should be distributed well across the laptops eg in a dictionary fashion, round robin.
4. Even if one laptop has internet connectivity via sattelite or some other means, then based on the promises of the mesh, all other nodes should get connectivity. So if it can be solved for one member of the mesh, then all machines are on the network. Speed and bandwidth would be an obvious issue.

A good analogy is probably any corporate network which has a knowledge base, instant messaging and email. The question is how many nodes do you need in the mesh to make it self sustained and of course how does the info get there.

It will take 50 years to build up the infrastructure and train the teachers and print the books for 2 billion children. It will also cost a lot more then the $3/month/child for the OLPC program. OLPC enables kids to learn now, rather then waiting for schools to be built.

It’s getting very old to hear this complaint about the OLPC, which has been asked and answered countless times.

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_myths#You.27re_forcing_this_on_poverty_stricken_areas_that_need_food.2C_water_and_housing_rather_than_a_laptop.

I’d challenge you to quantify how the exposure to technology has truly bolstered educational efforts here in the U.S. I don’t see it. In fact, it seems like technology actually be dumbing down American children.

If you want to sidesteps the “let’s help them with basic needs first” issue then fine, ignore the fact that some of these kids don’t have potable water or electricity – but what about basic educational needs like teachers, books, and a safe place to study?

To the other point (why spend money on giving away laptops when they need money for potable water), there are other effort in that vein and they need you support too.