Source: ComputerWorld ___________ French authorities will give out 175,000 USB memory sticks loaded with open-source software to Parisian high school students at the start of the next school year. The sticks will give the students, ages 15 and 16, the freedom to access their e-mail, browser bookmarks and other documents on computers at school, home, a friend's house or in an Internet cafe -- but at a much lower cost than providing notebook computers for all, a spokesman for the Greater Paris Regional Council said Friday.
Ah yes, the hilarious french stereotype... :sigh: On a more serious note, I find that's a good thing for the goverment to do. Must cost them a fortune though!
Well I dunno... Maybe because everyone in France doesn't have the internet? The files might be too big for 56kers and other people with small bandwith? The servers would get totally decimated by those many users? I think they took the logical route... Hosting files isn't cheap from what I know :lol:
It just seems like a lot of physical resources to manufacture all that stuff, I guess. I wonder if a CD would be more effective / resource efficient?
That's an interesting statement there taking into consideration that French people have faster internet connections than in the States LOL. Their 30 Mbps cable connection costs 19.90 euros and 100 Mbps for 29.90 euros. Most DSL connections in France are 24 Mbps although in big cities 60 Mbps DSL connections are starting to be deployed costing 29.90 euros. And last but not least, there's an FTTH service starting to roll in Paris that's 100 symmetrical Mbps for 79 euros. Not bad at all. It's curious how the States is only starting with FiOS giving 5 Mbps for 39.99 dollars, 15 Mbps for 49.99 dollars and 30 Mbps for 179.99 dollars... Doesn't that seem a little bit expensive? And let's not talk about Comcast... LOL. Heck! Even Spain has better connections. More that 80% of the population have access to ADSL2+ connections (up to 24 Mbps) for 29.95 euros and Ono (Spain's biggest cable ISP) will be starting to give 25 Mbps for 45 euros this summer. Let's make a new stereotype: Open source is for French people! LOL! (And since they're prowd of it, the government gives open source programs in pen drives for free :rofl This new stereotype will make Micro$oft and Apple users happy
I live next to them and I've used their net... Yes, they get BLOODY fast internet but because of the cheapness, at certain times of day they loose it all... And honestly, quality sucked imho Honestly, I haven't met a frenchie yet who says he likes his countries ADSL2+ service :wtf:
I gess in Europe in general we never like what we have and always complain about everything even if it's not that bad. My grandma from Landisville (Lancaster, PA) has Comcast (6 Mbps) and it's not that great compared to my current 4 Mbps cable connection (soon to be 25 Mbps). Good thing she only uses it for emails and reading some online news and not for gamming LOL!
Well I mean, I live in Switzerland and I only got 3.5mb... :lol: Yet usually swiss people don't complain, though that might be because they don't have much of a spine... Yet, from what I know, French DSL is iffy... But don't quote me, that's what people say :rofl:
Here I was feeling all good about having 1.5/384k and it looks to be very slow by comparison to others.
