[kictanet] My Take: Affordable computers

Fri Aug 28 16:11:11 EAT 2009

"Affordability" is loosely being used in the discussion below.

PCs mentioned in the discussion below has limitations if one has to go through the current curriculum requirements of any course on computers. Do the programming in our today's courses adequately served by "Pentium 3, 633 MHz, 10GB"?

Consider the rural day schools perhaps who have gotten donation of these equipment: power requirements (shift by a factor of 6 i.e. school paying 5,000 per month now ends up paying 38,000 per month on electricity), maintenance (for urban affluent, this is no major problem, coz kids can be told to bring 2,000 per year for this purpose; again we are discussing access for education opportunities to all, particularly those in the vulnerable groups and rural areas), digital content availability (way to go is use of open standard compliant content - > the reality is that very few of these are within reach, leaving current content -> Cyber Schools, KIE Launched Content, LearnThings SA etc largely dependent on power PCs; Do we have to discriminate learners/consumers because of technology use?), e-waste as an issue (I know few institutions, like Computer for Schools Kenya, JKUAT, ICT Trust Fund, who are working on establishing mechanism for recycling old equipment, and considering diminished parts variety for replacing faulty ones, the future of "Pentium 3, 633 MHz, 10GB" indeed is likely to introduce new challenges of e-waste, why? Coz of limited options for repairing those PCs; Already a number of schools have rooms filled with P2 and P3s which no vendor can currently support, worst being schools in the rural areas). Plus capacity building needs and those of enabling environment for collaboration of citizens (connectivity and necessary infrastructure and/or legal regime -> Thanks for MoIC efforts).

I believe total cost of ownership on considering Affordability of PCs is critical.

Kind regards

B. K. Sang
MOE/ICT

-----Original Message-----
From: kictanet-bounces+bksang=education.go.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+bksang=education.go.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Areba Collins
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 1:35 PM
To: Barnabas K. Sang
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] My Take: Affordable computers

Pentium 3, 633mhz, 10gb, 15' crt, keyboard, mouse, commercially
retails at about ksh 4500, and is sufficient in my opinion to learn
programming, surf the net and do basic office work. Give me a 'new
pc's ' initiative and ill abandon my crusade. Worse (or better )
still, dell optiplex 3.0ghz 2gb cpu, 25k, ten thin clients and you
have a classroom with less than the cost of a new pc, tell me just how
this is not affording power to the masses.

On 8/28/09, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:
> Crystal the term "affordable" is relative in the context of Socio - economic
> development, could you elaborate on your position?
>
> On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 12:56 PM, Crystal Watley Kigoni <
> crystal at voicesofafrica.org> wrote:
>
>> We have to start somewhere. Bringing in used computers is a simple and
>> effective way to bring computing power into schools and villages. Yes,
>> Computers for Schools Kenya does charge for these computers (too much if
>> you
>> ask me in comparison to other groups doing the same), and yet the schools
>> pay for them so they can give their students a fighting chance at joining
>> the knowledge economy. We need to consider the welfare of our young people
>> before we sell out to the "new" game as Uganda has. Can Kenya really
>> afford
>> to equip ALL of our classrooms with brand new computers? And has anyone
>> considered the monopoly given to Microsoft when we push for only new
>> equipment? The license fees involved for software? There is a lot more to
>> consider than simply e-waste.
>> Crystal
>>
>> On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 12:48 PM, Areba Collins
>> <arebacollins at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> I cant believe this, are you guys actually arguing that having no
>>> computer is better than having one that is old, consumes lots of power
>>> and has only a few years left in it?  Cause as far as the rest of it
>>> is concerned, quality is a function of competition.
>>>
>>> On 8/28/09, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> > Listers Evans has raised a pertinent issue, we might not have made some
>>> of
>>> > the strides we have achieved in the sector without the used computers,
>>> on
>>> > the other hand there is an environmental concern that is valid, this
>>> calls
>>> > for a multistakeholder approach to create a win win situation for our
>>> local
>>> > business men (Remember the used car parts issue that sprang up early
>>> this
>>> > year), NGO and any other organisation involved in the importation
>>> process,
>>> > may be its time KEBS got involved in the process, reading through Bills
>>> > email i am of the opinion that there might be some imbalance in the way
>>> the
>>> > importation of the computers is handled, by the way i had there is a
>>> > facility for disposing off e-waste in Dandora, maybe Mr Tom Musili
>>> > could
>>> > shed some light on the issue, i wish we had statistics to help in
>>> evaluating
>>> > the impact of the used computers.
>>> > Let the debate continue..
>>> >
>>> > On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 11:26 AM, Bildad Kagai <billkagai at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >>
>>> >> On Aug 28, 2009, at 8:12 AM, Victor Gathara wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >>  I am thinking here of donations of used computers that can
>>> >> make their way into the country through a regulated and monitored
>>> >> channel (such as ComputerAid) who will also have responsibility to
>>> >> ensure EOL disposal according to WEEE standards to prevent dumping of
>>> >> electronic waste.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> Victor,
>>> >> In your position, you know very well that these second had computers
>>> are
>>> >> not donations. You can ask Tony Roberts how much he is paid to dispose
>>> a
>>> >> computer from Barclays in UK, that eventually finds its way to a
>>> >> school
>>> in
>>> >> Mau. And the Mau school pays for shipping and other costs....but
>>> besides
>>> >> all these politics......DFID
>>> >> might consider to fund a specific study comparing the final 'landed'
>>> cost
>>> >> of
>>> >> a dumped computer versus a 'clone' assembled with new parts at
>>> >> Crescent
>>> >> Technologies or JKUAT taking into consideration the kazi kwa vijana
>>> >> created....if it has not been done already. PS. I am speaking as a
>>> >> 'contributor' to this mess here, because I also have problems
>>> >> disposing
>>> my
>>> >> old computers and printers in the office. Most of the times, its
>>> >> easier
>>> to
>>> >> take them to a school in shags that cannot afford the electricity
>>> >> bills
>>> of
>>> >> running them...and... just live with the guilt like everyone else
>>> despite
>>> >> being labeled as The Hero who brought us computers.
>>> >>
>>> >> One reason IBM sold its hardware unit was because Moores Law states
>>> over
>>> >> time, the cost of hardware approaches zero and the cost of power
>>> >> consumption
>>> >> and capacity of the hardware doubles every 18 months.  Thus, bringing
>>> >> 5
>>> >> year
>>> >> old computers to Kenya only drains too much power when we should
>>> >> strive
>>> to
>>> >> bring consumption per watt down. At least, just based on power
>>> consumption
>>> >> alone, dumped computer should never see the 'light of day' at the
>>> Kenyan
>>> >> port if locally assembled computers will consume half of the wattage
>>> >> today....especially now when everyone is striving to go green.
>>> >>
>>> >> http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000868.html
>>> >>
>>> >> Google, for example, has watched its energy consumption almost double
>>> >> during the past three generations of upgrades to its sprawling
>>> computing
>>> >> infrastructure. *It recently unveiled a major new datacenter site in a
>>> >> remote part of Oregon, where power costs are a fraction of those at
>>> >> Google's
>>> >> home base in Silicon Valley.* But cheap power may not be enough. Last
>>> >> year, Google engineer Luiz Andr� Barroso predicted that energy costs
>>> would
>>> >> dwarf equipment costs -- "possibly by a large margin" -- if
>>> power-hungry
>>> >> datacenters didn't mend their ways. Barroso went on to warn that
>>> >> datacenters' growing appetite for power "could have serious
>>> consequences
>>> >> for
>>> >> the overall affordability of computing, not to mention the overall
>>> health
>>> >> of
>>> >> the planet."
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> _______________________________________________
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>>> >>
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>>> >>
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>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > Barrack O. Otieno
>>> > Administrative Manager
>>> > Afriregister Ltd (Ke)
>>> > P.o.Box 21682
>>> > Nairobi 00100
>>> > Tel:
>>> > +254721325277
>>> > +254733206359
>>> > Riara Road, Bamboo Lane
>>> > www.afriregister.com
>>> > ICANN accredited registrar.
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Its Possible!
>>> http://www.itspossible.afraha.com
>>>
>>> Collins Areba Omwoyo
>>> +254 735 824872 / +254 720 516758
>>> arebacollins[at]gmail[dot]com
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Crystal "Naliaka" Watley Kigoni
>> Voices of Africa for Sustainable Development
>> crystal at voicesofafrica.org
>> http://www.voicesofafrica.org/
>>
>> "You must be the change you wish to see" - Gandhi
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Barrack O. Otieno
> Administrative Manager
> Afriregister Ltd (Ke)
> P.o.Box 21682
> Nairobi 00100
> Tel:
> +254721325277
> +254733206359
> Riara Road, Bamboo Lane
> www.afriregister.com
> ICANN accredited registrar.
>

--
Its Possible!
http://www.itspossible.afraha.com

Collins Areba Omwoyo
+254 735 824872 / +254 720 516758
arebacollins[at]gmail[dot]com

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