At 1:11 PM +0000 13/02/2003, Pamela McLean wrote: > We are exploring possibilities for equipping a community centre, such as > getting computers through World Computer Exchange (WCE). Any advice or > comments would be welcome. > > > In the long term we recognise that there are good reasons for using Open > Source, but we have no relevant experience. Obviously if we do get > computers we will need technical support, and as available expertise > favours Microsoft, we are likely to start with Microsoft.
I presume you mean the expertise available at hand. If Net based support is an option, I suspect you will find that it is far better for Linux. MS is always a backup option available to you since the computers you get will probably have that preloaded. > Our teachers' initial interest is not in teaching computer classes, but > in the potential of ICTs for communicating and gaining information. For > instance, Adebite Johnson wants to use the potential of computers to > support his subject work. His most urgent thought is that somehow it > might help him to improve the standards of the geography department, > which is terribly under-resourced. He also wants to exchange information > with other schools. I have understood your concern about poor electricity and no telephones. But if the latter is the reality, you will find exchange of information a serious issue. One solution to this is Wi-Fi, an inexpensive technology for broadband wireless connectivity between computers. Its major limitation is distance, as effective bandwidth drops off seriously fast over 20 km. Even to get this distance you need special antenna - the technology was originally developed as an alternative to wired Ethernet. Perhaps you should also look at downloading data on a regular basis using Worldspace's Africa satellite. This may be the cheapest and easiest way to regularly update your computers with information on various subjects. > Adebite Johnson can also access information on CD-ROMS, to > share with his students, thanks to the OOCD2000+ field officer, David > Mutua, and his laptop, Adebite Johnson will also be contacting groups > such as SchoolNet and Teachers Without Borders through David, who > currently travels a half day journey to Ibadan to do overnight > web-browsing and email sessions on behalf of the project. (see thread on > email for rural Africa) > > > >> I think that Frederick's various >> concerns are perfectly valid (snip) he raises: >> > What is the impact on recipients (snip) Are such >> > gift-horses appreciated well, or simply abused and misused by >> > recipients, who feel they've got the PCs in an easy way anyway? > > Even free computers would not be seen as 'easy'. OOCD2000+ has worked > hard to get this far, laying all the foundations of the project, which > ensure that it has excellent social capital. Without social capital, as you say, you would not have got this far. What lies next is harder: for you to sustain it and support it with infrastructure so that the project does not become an insufferable burden to the core team. > We do have concerns about the level of > technical support that may be needed, software costs, and the electrical > power that will be needed to keep them running, but we will do our best > to overcome these difficulties, just as we have done our best to > overcome our previous and present difficulties. Incidentally, I saw a mail just a couple of days back about IBM Linux boxes costing only $199 retail now in the US. They need keyboard, mouse and monitor to be full-fledged computers, which WCE can probably help you with easily. Are you looking at solar power or micro-hydel for the electricity problems? We have some expertise with these technologies here in India, and I can help put you in touch with developers. The best thing about twinning your computer project with this technology is the fact that it will be of help in so many more developmental areas for the people in the immediate region. -- Vickram ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** 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/>
