Re: [school-discuss] [Fwd: How could we be part of this]

[William Abernathy <william@inch.com>]

Doug Loss wrote:

>>Dear Doug,
>>
>>I am the president of ATCnet in Africa and would like to get help
>>developing a school network in a rural district in East Africa. I
>>am looking at about 100 schools all of which are in a highly
>>mountainous region and quite rural. They have telephone
>>and electricity, some have computers others are in our list to
>>provide computers. We would like to set up a network that is not
>>necessarily linked to the ISPN except for the phone connection.


I defer to others on this list with respect to curricular questions (though it 
appears that the iso project may well provide much of what this gentleman is 
seeking), but in terms of infrastructural needs, it sounds like the following 
are requirements, in order of urgency.

1) Getting every school that needs one a computer.
2) UUNet/UUCP-style connectivity between schools in the short run.
3) Wireless connectivity longer term.
4) getting every student who needs one a computer.

For points 1 and 4, he should be in touch with http://www.accrc.org/ who send 
recycled computers internationally, and http://www.freegeek.org/, who do similar 
work, and may be able to help.

Point 2 would require some older UNIX references and maybe an elder nerd to 
consult on UUCP implementation.

Point 3 would have to be left to a wireless user group, such as BAWUG. Simply 
put, improvised wireless networking provides the best broadband solution for an 
under-wired rural area in which there is scant fiancial incentive to move beyond 
dialup coverage. Properly constructed, this could even pay for itself.

--William