So this post began as a comment to what David wrote about the non-profit group One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), but it was getting quite long so I thought that I should put it here:

Of course this will be successful. By "successful", I mean that there will be lots of good press for MIT and the sponsors as they hand these laptops to smiling children. Really, the only goal is to give them the computers. On the site, there aren't any concrete goals about the use of the computers. Here's a question and answer from the site's FAQ:

"Why do children in developing nations need laptops?
Laptops are both a window and a tool: a window into the world and a tool with which to think. They are a wonderful way for all children to "learn learning" through independent interaction and exploration."

Now, there are several problems with this. The first is that if there is a goal in here somewhere, it's one which will make it impossible to do follow-up on. There will be results to giving the computer away, but there will be no good way of using them to justify the project.

The second problem is that in general, projects which address a "need" should have the assessment and decision-making done locally. If these countries came to MIT or some group and said "we need cheap laptops for reasons X, Y, and Z" that's one thing. The reality is another. Here, you have an outside organization with serious resources coming into countries and saying "Take this -- try to use it in a good way".

There's a very funny of this in the FAQ:
"In one Cambodian village where we have been working, there is no electricity, thus the laptop is, among other things, the brightest light source in the home."

Yup! Odds are, that's how some of these computers will be used -- as light sources. Not as a "window on the world", but like a $100 candle to light up someone's living room.