NComputing of Redwood City, CA, will be providing the technology and hardware for Macedonia’s ambitious project. (The company is also featured in a Wall Street Journal debate covered in “How to Help the World’s Poor Kids Connect”)

An NComputing press release quotes Ivo Ivanovski, Macedonia's Minister for the Information Society, as explaining, "The Computer for Every Child initiative is the largest and most important education project undertaken in the 15-year history of the Republic of Macedonia. Our goal is to build a knowledge-based economy in which our entire workforce is educated in using information and communication technology within the next five years. Yet, like most school systems around the world, Macedonia's education system has limited financial and infrastructural resources to address this challenge. By adopting NComputing's low-cost virtual PC technology, Macedonia is taking the lead in providing computer-based education for school children."

Explaining the technology, the release reads,

NComputing's corporate mission is to provide affordable PC access to under-resourced markets around the world, including schools and users in developing and developed countries. The company's technology allows a single PC to be shared by multiple simultaneous users -- each running their own applications. Setup is simple, and begins with software on the shared PC that creates multiple virtual user desktops. Standard monitors, keyboards and mice then plug into very low-cost, highly reliable virtual PCs (also known as access terminals). As a major leap forward in green computing, NComputing solutions draw between one and five watts of power for each added user, versus 115 for a typical PC. Neither IT staff nor end users require special training, and the system is compatible with Windows, Linux and standard PC applications. Pricing is as low as $70 per seat.

“ The Republic of Macedonia ,” explains Wikipedia, “often referred to as Macedonia, is a landlocked country on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia to the north, Albania to the west, Greece to the south, and Bulgaria to the east.” The country has a population of just over two million, a total size of 9,779 square miles, and a per capita income of $7,654.

SOURCE: NComputing Press Release and wikipedia.com