[seul-edu] [Fwd: Debian-kids goals (draft)]

[Randy Edwards <redwards@golgotha.net>]

   I'm guessing that everyone's familiar with Debian GNU/Linux, the
militantly free, non-commercial distribution of Linux (if you aren't
familiar with it, get over to <http://www.debian.org> and fix that
problem:-).  Lately there's been a lot of discussion on the Debian
developer's mailing list about creating a version of Debian aimed at kids.

   Enclosed below is a forwarded message from the debian-devel mailing list
(it's a public list, feel free to drop by the Debian web site and sign up
for it if you'd like) from Ben Armstrong, summarizing the idea(s) and
seeking some clarification.  I thought you might find it of interest:

Ben Armstrong <synrg@sanctuary.nslug.ns.ca> wrote:
> 
> I'd like to get a mailing list for the nascent debian-kids group and some
> web space up as soon as possible, so please read & comment on the
> following, as this document will be the basis of the welcome message to
> the group and will appear on the web site to help members inside and
> outside the group to determine what we're here for and where we're headed.
> 
> These are the goals of debian-kids, as I interpret them from the points
> that have been raised so far from the recent discussion on debian-devel.
> Some of these were my original suggested goals while others were suggested
> by the comments of those who contributed to the discussion.  All of them
> are my own subjective and personal view of what has been discussed, so if
> I'm missing or misrepresenting some points, please provide constructive
> criticism.
> 
> Please try to keep your comments focused on the goals themselves and not
> on implementations to meet these goals.  I have furnished some possible
> implementations, but these are not to be taken as definitive, and serve
> merely to illustrate and clarify the goals.
> 
> I think it is as important to state what our goals are *not* as it is
> what they are.  So be thinking along these lines as well.
> 
> Making Debian desirable to kids
> -------------------------------
> The primary goal of the debian-kids project is to make Debian an OS our
> kids *want* to run.  This involves some sensitivity to the needs of kids
> as expressed by the children themselves.  As parents, developers, and sys
> admins, we need to keep our ears and eyes open and discover what it is
> that makes computers desirable to kids.  Without this focus, we can easily
> get sidetracked trying to achieve abstract goals like "user friendliness",
> "simplicity", "low maintenance", or "robustness" that, while they are
> certainly laudable goals for Debian as a whole, are too broad for
> addressing the specific needs and wants of kids.
> 
> Working with other kid-oriented free software projects
> ------------------------------------------------------
> Other projects already exist (e.g. [1]SEUL/edu, [2]Kids Games, and
> [3]LinuxForKids)  that have goals which overlap and dovetail with our own.
> Rather than duplicate their effort, we need to work with these groups to
> ensure that Debian makes the best use of their work, and makes
> contributions back to those efforts of our own.  Debian-kids should stay
> focused on (but not limited to) Debian-specific goals.  Individuals from
> Debian-kids are encouraged to join these other groups as time and interest
> allow.
> 
> [ Note, links for the above sites are:
>   1. http://www.seul.org/edu
>   2. http://www.smluc.org/SIA/kidsgames/
>   3. http://www.linuxforkids.com
> ]
> 
> Applications
> ------------
> Naturally, children have different needs and wants from adults in the
> applications they chose to run.  Some of these will be games, while others
> will be word processors, text editors, "paint" programs, and the like.
> The goal is to identify applications within Debian that are suitable for
> kids and add to that number by packaging ones not yet in Debian.  A
> possible implementation goal would be to provide "task-" packages to make
> installing groups of "kid friendly" applications easier for the parent/sys
> admin. run.  A subgoal is to take existing packages that might be suitable
> for kids with a bit of extra work and help "polish" them to make them
> "kid friendly", which could be as simple as filling in holes in the
> documentation, or adding entries to the menu system for easy access.
> 
> Kidproofing and account management
> ----------------------------------
> The idea here is not to necessarily to implement tough security measures.
> That is beyond our mandate.  The goal is simply to provide
> parent/administrators with documentation and tools for setting up their
> systems so that their naturally curious child users will not "break" their
> accounts, soak up all system resources, or otherwise do things that
> require constant sys admin intervention.  This is a more of a concern for
> child users than adults, as they tend to explore and deliberately push the
> system to the limits just to see what happens.  The messes that result can
> be at once both amusing and frustrating.  This goal is about keeping your
> sanity (and sense of humor) as a kids' sys admin.
> 
> Learning to use the computer
> ----------------------------
> The "Kidproofing" goal needs to be balanced with the goal of *allowing*
> kids to try things (and yes, break things) and find solutions to their
> problems.  Learning to use the keyboard, GUI, shell, and computer
> languages are all things that parents and children alike need some tips to
> help get them headed in the right direction.
> 
> User interface
> --------------
> Discover and implement both GUI and text-based interfaces that work well
> for and are attractive to children.  The idea is not to re-invent the user
> interface, but to add value to existing tools and packages (window
> managers, menu system and so forth) by providing some convenient
> pre-selected configurations that we find work best for kids.
> 
> Parental guidance
> -----------------
> Give parents the tools to help their kids learn about computers and to put
> reasonable limits on their access, guiding them towards independent use of
> the computer as they mature.  For example, many parents will be concerned
> about regulating Internet use to protect their children until they reach a
> suitable age to deal with mature content.  The important thing to remember
> is that the parents will chose what they think is best for their kids.
> The debian-kids group does not make this judgement, but is there to help
> provide the tools and documentation to help the parents with these
> decisions.
> 
> Kids' System
> ------------
> While our first goal as parents will probably be to set up the kids with
> accounts on our own systems and populate it with applications that they
> enjoy, there comes a time when we contemplate getting them their own
> system.  The most ambitious realization of this goal might be a Debian
> software equivalent of the "toy" computers currently on the market:
> brightly colored, decal-covered systems pre-loaded with kids software.  It
> is important to keep in perspective that this would still be a Debian
> system, not some fork from the Debian distribution.  It is a perfectly
> achievable goal through the Debian package management system (via "task-"
> pacakages, for example) and should not require a fork in development to
> produce a special Debian "kids' edition".
> 
> Ports
> -----
> There are lots of excellent applications out there for kids that we wish
> would be ported to Linux.  We can help move the process along by first,
> demonstrating that Debian is a viable platform for kids by the work of
> this project, and second, by our individual and collective efforts to
> petition software vendors and authors to make ports of their products
> for Linux.  If they can be convinced to open source their software at
> the same time, so much the better.
> 
> Marketing & PR
> --------------
> [ Note, this wasn't brought up in discussion, but it occurs to me now
>   that this shortly become an issue that needs some attending to. ]
> Once we have something to show for this project, and indeed even in the
> formative stages of this project we are being watched by the eyes of the
> world (I have already received one private email from a member of the
> press).  We will necessarily want to work with debian-press to get the
> word out and to help give Debian and this project the kind of exposure we
> want.  I know many of us as developers are oblivious to such concerns, or
> even loath to be involved with such things, but if we don't keep this goal
> in mind from the outset, we're giving up this role to others who may not
> understand or accurately represent what we're about.
> 
> Ben
> --
>     nSLUG       http://www.nslug.ns.ca      synrg@sanctuary.nslug.ns.ca
>     Debian      http://www.debian.org       synrg@debian.org
> [ pgp key fingerprint = 7F DA 09 4B BA 2C 0D E0  1B B1 31 ED C6 A9 39 4F ]
> [ gpg key fingerprint = 395C F3A4 35D3 D247 1387  2D9E 5A94 F3CA 0B27 13C8 ]
> 
> --
> To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-devel-request@lists.debian.org
> with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org

-- 
 Regards, | Do you like browing the web, independent of whatever
 .        | type of computer you are talking to on the other end?
 Randy    | "Enhancements" to public standards and protocols is the
          | way the WWW will be turned into a proprietary nightmare.