I couldn't agree more with Mr. Morrison that context is the key to understanding any proposed assistance or development -- technologically based and otherwise. I've in no way suggested that Mr. Grant's proposed design is suitable for _all_ applications in all contexts, any more than I would dismiss Mr. Morrison's DOS / laptop-based solution because it doesn't provide enough functionality for schools or telecenters.
Mr. Grant's design has the potential to provide value for networked computer installations in low-infrastructure environments. I encourage him to develop it on that basis and for those contexts -- I suggest as well that as a first step he work closely with organizations and individuals in his prospective user base to be sure that he's addressing their needs in terms of ease-of-use and functionality. With regard to Linux implementations and free software, again it's a question of context, as well as capacity, and also a question of future contexts and capacities. Linux may well not be an effective solution in all development contexts, or even in many of them, at present. But we are, I hope, building a future in which infrastructure is enhanced through sustainable means, and local technical capacities are enhanced as well. (And I'm aware of situations in which new, donated desktop computers have lain in the warehouse for months simply because the manufacturer's donation didn't include a license for Windows. Why not evaluate solutions to this problem, including Linux and alternatives such as New Deal software?) If I can offer a final suggestion: Mr. Grant has made it clear that he's interested in developing software that will support socio-economic development, and that will be freely available. If his initial design query _isn't_ valuable, perhaps Mr. Morrison or others offer guidance toward a project that will return greater benefits. Yes? Edmond Gaible ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
