Here at the World Economic Forum, concerns over a growing digital divide this year have taken a back seat to the challenge of climate change.But being out of the limelight has not dimmed passions over what the best way is to deploy computers in the developing world. The controversy boiled over on Saturday when Intel chairman Craig R. Barrett squared off with Nicholas Negroponte, former director of MIT Media Laboratory, whose non-profit organisation, One Laptop Per Child, is trying to develop a low-cost computer for children in the third world. His prototype XO is designed to sell for $100 by 2008-end. Intel has its own design for an inexpensive laptop, but it’s more expensive than Negroponte’s. On Saturday, Barrett, speaking about Intel’s efforts to train teachers to use PCs, said it is impressive to see what students “are able to accomplish with some help from a teacher.” But Negroponte said Intel had engaged in a campaign to discourage world leaders from committing to purchasing his laptop systems. “Craig and I sometimes argue, and he called our thing (the XO) a gadget,” Negroponte said. “I’m glad to see he’s got his own gadget now. Craig has to look at this as a market, and I look at this as a mission.”Negroponte, who has quarreled with Microsoft and Intel in his quest to give simple portable machines to children, has been known for his iconoclastic positions on economic development and education. Recently at a conference in Munich, he introduced himself as the “good bin Laden” — a reference to the notion that his low-cost laptop is terrorising some computer companies due to its potential to will transform markets for PCs in the third world.At Davos, Barrett drew a program for getting involvement from emerging economies including affordable hardware, low-cost data communications, local curriculum and educators.In contrast, Negroponte offered a vision based on working through children. He attacked projects that instruct teachers and students how to use programs like Microsoft Office.Despite initially trying to persuade Intel to back his project, Negroponte has chosen to use a low-power processor from Advanced Micro in his laptop.It is unclear whether Negroponte will succeed in his crusade. At the meeting, he said he has eight handshake agreements with heads of state. But he has said he won’t begin making the laptop in volume unless he has firm commitments from one country each in South America, Asia and Africa. Despite his combative stance with respect to Intel, Negroponte has apparently moved to patch up his disagreements with Microsoft, and a version of Windows may be available from governments that chose that software instead of the Linux that the One Laptop Per Child organisation is developing. One Laptop officials said the computer might cost $10 to $20 more to run Windows, due to hardware support.Separately at the Saturday meet, John Gage, chief researcher, Sun Microsystems, mooted a plan to deploy advanced data networks in developing economies with contributions of engineering staff time of 1 per cent. Gage said rural areas in the developing world would cost as little as a $1,000 a km, against $1 million to deploy a network over the same distance in New York City.-JOHN MARKOFF
