Designers on quest to build $12 computer (based on NES)

[Unknown_K]

I could be wrong, but gunpowder was invented at a time China was unified and not fighting wars with their neighbors. Europe was busy fighting endless wars so they were busy looking for ways to kill each other easier. Sad to say many inventions come out of wars or war mongering.

I still get annoyed that greeks invented the steam engine thousands of years ago and just used it for a toy, if they had figured out a way to make a motor out of it the industrial revolution would have happened a long time ago. Granted other inventions needed to happen to make it usefull.

 

[porter]

I still get annoyed that greeks invented the steam engine thousands of years ago and just used it for a toy, if they had figured out a way to make a motor out of it the industrial revolution would have happened a long time ago.

Then we could have had smog filled cities sooner and depleted England of wood much earlier. How short sighted they were.

 

[Bunsen]

trying to argue that the designers are [stupid/selfish/greedy/etc] / Yes, they are selfish - it's called capitalism. However, they are presumably trying to help people with the project.

Kind of odd some western people are going to design a product, make it in china, and sell it in china that the chinese never thaught of needing themselves.

Once again:

The computer already exists. It is already being purchased by, in this case, Indians who are presumably intelligent enough to work out for themselves that they want it. The "western" people (who for the most part aren't) on the MIT team are looking for ways to extend its educational usefulness.

From somebody who visited one large city in a country you seem to know everything about it Bunsen.

Not at all. But I can read, and generally understand what I read.

My point in mentioning the (one) bhasti I visited is that there definitely -is- a market for these machines, and one where they would potentially be more useful than junked 486s or XOs. If you want to assume that that single settlement of a few hundred people is the entire world market, you go ahead.