Oh, man, I want an OLPC so bad. And they’re repeating their Give One, Get One policy from last Christmas: buy two of them for $399 and one gets sent to a child in the developing world.
I actually want one to try to develop software on it; I have a nice MacBook for all my daily work, but I never really had the chance to work with the OLPC team as much as I wanted to and I’d still like to try out some of my ideas. Can’t afford one, though.
But if you know a smart young person who’s in need of a computer (other than me), you ought to get them one of these for Christmas. You’re not only helping them, but a child in a place where computers are even harder to come by.
I’ve tried writing code on one. I don’t recommend it. That sheet keyboard really doesn’t lend itself to coding.
Nothing against the OLPC, it’s a cool machine and a good cause, but if you’re specifically looking for an ultralight to program on, I’d suggest a MacBook Air or a EEE-PC.