> The "target market" of Tapuach are illterate people. This project aims at
> giving them basic computer/internet capabilities.
> 
> Those people wouldn't be interested in linux as a development platform.
> They need the basics.

What you're saying is true up to a point, especially when the intended
audience are adults, where the issue is short-term "fitting" to the
computer-using world (e.g., looking for jobs on the Internet, typing up your
resume, learning how to type and use a word-processor, etc.).

But I believe that when the intended audience is kids, your claim that this
is *all* they need is wrong. Why? Because my belief is that such a project
shouldn't be only about short-term benefits (e.g., let the kid type a paper
for school), but rather it should also be about *equal opportunities*.

What do I mean about equal opportunities? I was lucky enough to grow up in
a situation where my father had a computer ever since I was a kid, he knew
how to program and had programming books lying around the house. Seeing the
computer, the books, and talking to my father I realised at one point
that I actually liked computers. I enjoyed programming. I learned a lot when
I was a kid, to the point that by the age of 16 I was a paid (a very small
sum, but who cared?) system administrator of a Sun machine.
At the same time, my brother and sister grew up in the same house, but did
not find any interest in computers. But they had the *opportunity* to become
programmers and chose not to (each of them excelled in their own field).

Many kids do not have this opportunity. They may potentially be the next
Donald Knuth, Richard Stallman, Larry Wall, Adi Shamir, Jacob Ziv, or who
knows who and they may never be able to find out because as kids they'll
never get the chance to use a computer, and when starting the 11th and 12th
grade and trying to decide on a career path, studying CS in a university
probably won't even be on their list (if they will have such a "list" at
all...).

So I believe such a project should try to, or perhaps even focus on, give
kids an opportunity to get to know computers, and decide for themselves
whether they would like to use them as tools (most kids will decide that,
and that would be perfectly fine) or to learn more about computers to the
point they could can become a field of study or even a job later-on.
When I was growing up, schools did a really lousy job at this; I'm not
sure they are any different now.



         "...We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men [sic] are
         created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
         unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
         Pursuit of Happiness..."

                The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of
                America, the Second Continental Congress, July 4, 1776


        "...The basic things expected by our people of their political and
         economic systems are simple. They are:
           Equality of opportunity for youth and for others.       
           Jobs for those who can work.
           Security for those who need it.
           The ending of special privilege for the few.
           The preservation of civil liberties for all.
           The enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in a wider and
           constantly rising standard of living. ..."

               "The Four Freedoms", speech delivered by Franklin Delano
               Roosvelt to the 77th Congress, January 6, 1941
                     


-- 
Nadav Har'El                        |       Friday, Sep 13 2002, 8 Tishri 5763




> Treatment of multiple-children families by the state and society is way 
> OT, as well as politically explosive, lets NOT go there.

This is indeed getting OT, but I'd just like to point out that while the
treatment of multiple-children *families* is controversial, the treatment
of the actual children is not, or at least should not. These children
deserve to get the same opportunities as any other children.

This is why free schooling was invented. Every child has a right of an
education, regardless or stupid (?) decisions his parents might have made.

-- 
Nadav Har'El                        |      Thursday, Jan 2 2003, 29 Tevet 5763