From owner-freebsd-questions Tue Nov 7 15: 0:45 2000 Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from carbon.btinternet.com (carbon.btinternet.com [194.73.73.92]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id DC44937B479 for ; Tue, 7 Nov 2000 15:00:35 -0800 (PST) Received: from [62.7.55.99] (helo=oemcomputer) by carbon.btinternet.com with smtp (Exim 3.03 #83) id 13tHjD-0002dn-00 for freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG; Tue, 07 Nov 2000 23:00:32 +0000 Message-ID: <000b01c0490e$40096060$6337073e@oemcomputer> From: "Daniel Taghioff" To: Subject: A simplified operating system for developing countries. Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2000 22:58:28 -0000 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0007_01C0490E.3E54F9A0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C0490E.3E54F9A0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0008_01C0490E.3E54F9A0" ------=_NextPart_001_0008_01C0490E.3E54F9A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I am studying development studies in London, and I am interested in low = cost internet technologies as a tool for allowing people to organise = themselves to improve their social situation, espaecially in the third = world. I am looking around at low cost networking solutions like Linux, freebsd = and netbsd. What I am looking for is the simplest possible operating = system, which takes the least possible disk space, and will run on a the = largest possible range of 486 and pentium hardware, allowing text = download form the internet and simple spreadsheet and wordprocessing = functions. The idea is that with a few floppy disks and a refurbished computer = (with a modem), people with access to a phone line (not as simple as it = sounds) in the developing world will, with very little previous = experience of computers, be able to install such a system and access = information from the internet in a text format, without outside support. = =20 Is this possible? Is anyone already doing this? Is anyone interested in doing this? Please see attached text file with my inintial project proposal. Thankyou. ------=_NextPart_001_0008_01C0490E.3E54F9A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I am studying development studies in = London, and I=20 am interested in low cost internet technologies as a tool for allowing = people to=20 organise themselves to improve their social situation, espaecially in = the third=20 world.

I am looking around at low cost = networking=20 solutions like Linux, freebsd and netbsd. What I am looking for is = the=20 simplest possible operating system, which takes the least possible disk = space,=20 and will run on a the largest possible range of 486 and pentium = hardware,=20 allowing text download form the internet and simple spreadsheet and=20 wordprocessing functions.

The idea is that with a few floppy = disks and a=20 refurbished computer (with a modem), people with access to a phone line = (not as=20 simple as it sounds) in the developing world will, with very little = previous=20 experience of computers, be able to install such a system and access = information=20 from the internet in a text format, without outside support. =

Is this possible?

Is anyone already doing = this?

Is anyone interested in doing = this?

Please see attached text file with my = inintial=20 project proposal.

Thankyou.

------=_NextPart_001_0008_01C0490E.3E54F9A0-- ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C0490E.3E54F9A0 Content-Type: text/plain; name="Seeds of truth initial proposal.txt" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="Seeds of truth initial proposal.txt" Facilitating NGO start-up by the provision of materials via appropriate = information technologies. The fundamental aim of the project is to spread expertise in = establishing organisational capacity towards developmental aims, and = making that expertise available via the internet, but in a way that is = as low cost and as locally controllable as possible. The notion of = using information technology as the main medium is based on these = premises: * Information technology is more interactive than most other media, and = more suitable for the networking that characterises socially organised = activities. * Information technology is a useful tool in itself for the organisation = of social activities. * Information technology is a gateway to other opportunities within the = modern world, when the high labour absorption rates of the information = industry since the explosion in the internet is considered. For these reasons IT is considered a correct central medium in = transmitting NGO start-up information into developing country settings, = despite the obvious technical limitations. However IT should hopefully be used in co-ordination with other "lower = tech" media in order to improve its outreach.=20 The academic literature and current work in this area. The theoretical literature relating to this type of work falls into = various categories. There is the category of materialist histories, which trace the role of = communications in forming events within developing countries from the = era of colonisation, facilitated by railroads and telegraphs, to the = current international labour relations of the "post-modern information = age". These writings often stress the dangers of cultural imperialism = as an extension of this history. There is the category of media studies, which explore more the role of = the media in the modern nation state setting, and the relationships = between media, education, democracy and the construction of modernity. = Whilst a critique of the type of developmental determinism that emerges = from this approach is present in this literature, such notions seem to = very much current practice relating to ICT (information and = communications technology) by large actors such as the world bank = (Woods, 1993) who are already coming under fire for their inappropriate, = technically oriented approaches to this area. The early writers in this = literature, such as Daniel Lerner, 1957, stress the importance of = literacy as a prerequisite to expansion of the (Mass) media.(Hedebro, = 1982) Another area of the literature focuses on development communication as a = discipline, moving the discussion more onto content, and to specific = approaches within projects and programmes in this area (Hornik, 1988). = Here the educational theme of modernisation approaches are taken up, = along side a locally appropriate methods discourse. Following on from = this come discussions of the cultural dimensions of communication for = development. (Boeren, 1994) Current Work On the internet, current work in progress can be found on the UN FAO = website, focussing on local chat networks between farmers in south = America. Also The WB is focussing on large call centre technologies in = order to spread technical capability in Developing countries. Also the = International Development Research Centre(IDRC) has a series of papers = on ICT's which criticise the WB approach of involving $40 000 initial = investments in white elephant high end call centres, advocating socially = appropriate approaches such as Grameen Telecom's $600 Village Pay Phone, = based on cell-phone technology, and feasible as a micro-credit based = enterprise. They also discuss the use of VHS technology for extending = data transfer beyond the payphone net in an inexpensive way, which has = been explored in South Asia. Finally they include a paper on evaluating = ICT based projects. Visualising the project cycle The project might begin with an investigation into and gathering = together of the information that might be required in order to start up = an NGO in a developing country. This might include company and = charities regulations, simple accounting techniques, fundraising advice = and support, techniques for holding meetings (PRA as well as traditional = chair/agenda/minutes models.) A list of contacts broken down by region = etc... This information gathering may involve approaching NGO's already working = with these issues, academic writings etc... The efficacy of working = with these materials on a distance learning basis also needs to be = evaluated in some way. Secondly the technical aspect needs to be approached. My vision is to = use low end computer equipment that is going out of date in the = developed world as a technical base. I imagine this equipment being = used with software based on a simplified form of Linux, the open source = operating system maintained by a community of ideologically oriented IT = enthusiasts. I also see the VHS data transfer technical solution as a = good means of extending these technical capabilities where the phone = network has not yet reached. This is all far too much for one person or project to manage, so I need = to approach two sets of people. Firstly NGO's working with distributing = dated computer equipment to the developing world, such as Computeraid in = the UK. Secondly to find a group of idealogically minded programmers = who would produce a simplified version of Linux that would run on a text = and simple graphics only basis on a wide range of hardware, with a very = simple set up sequence. My personal discussions with IT enthusiasts = indicate such a technical solution is not at all unfeasible, or so time = consuming to generate as all the components of it already exist. Finally the implementation of this project and a clear consideration of = target groups. At this stage I imagine this project being targeted at = southern NGO's who would use the extra technical capacity to support the = start-up of membership based organisations within their areas. = Hopefully in turn a diffusion of IT skills and equipment to MO's might = occurr, improving their organisational and communications capacity, and = providing marketable skills within the communities. The issue of what = people will do with these skills IF we mange to get this far will have = to be considered. At the moment I imagine the materials will be = translated into locally appropriate languages, and I hope to gain = professional help in producing culturally appropriate formats. Areas of work where IT capacity may be particularly "Developmental" One area where IT may be particularly useful is in allowing local = organisations to find out about their legal and political rights. Along = side providing a general administrative platform, IT may provide access = to legal information, legal advice networks, a means of publicising = infringements on rights, and a means raising local level issues up the = political agenda. If international moves towards "rights to = development" start to gain force, such local level advocacy may become = increasingly worthwhile.=20 Working within the Aid chain: the reasons why=20 It would be wise to work with this as a means of producing self reliance = closer to the beneficiary end of the aid chain, rather than trying to = disseminate it to communities nor connected to the Aid networks, at = least as a starting point for the work. The reasons are based on the = technical difficulty of facilitating people to use IT for NGO startup = and also the political difficulties associated with such a project. Dealing with the technical difficulties firstly, it is widely understood = that information technology is unapproachable for those not familiar = with it, and perhaps that setting up an NGO is most easily done where = working examples are available as a guide to practice. For both of = these reasons it seems wise to introduce such a project in an = environment where support and advice is available to the beneficiaries, = rather than expecting them to go it alone during the early stages. This type of work seems particularly prone to subversion by what has = been termed in the literature as local elites, meaning those who enjoy a = greater than average level of social influence within a social space = that the beneficiaries are dependent on. Robert Chambers discusses the = types of projects likely to meet with political opposition from these = types of groups, and mentions those that introduce the poor to new = productive assets, and those that politically or legally empower the = poor (Chambers, 1983, p. 160-165). Since the hope is that this project = will attempt to do all of these things, the risk of political opposition = to these aims, be it through attempting to co-opt the resources on offer = to better off groups, or merely attempting to block the progress of the = work, are high. As such, working through aid chains that already = grapple with these problems, and hopefully have the necessary local = support to overcome such obstacles, seems essential. =20 Bibliography: Boeren, A.; In other words... the cultural dimension of communication = for development; CESO, the Hague, 1994. Chambers, R.; Rural Development, putting the last first; Longman, = London, 1983. Hedebro, G.; Communication and social change in developing countries; = Iowa State University Press, Iowa, 1982.=20 Hornik, R.C.; Development communication, information, agriculture and = nutrition in the thrid world; Longman, New York, 1988. Jefkins, F ; Ugboajah, F.; Communications in Industrialising countries; = Macmillan, London, 1986. Stonier, T ; Jayaweera, N.; Robertson, J. ; The New Economics of = Information; New Economics Foundation, London 1989. Woods, B.; Communication, Technology and the development of people; = Routledge, New York, 1993. Articles from IDRC ..\Development\Socialise the modem of production.doc http://www.idrc.ca/reports/read_article_english.cfm?article_num=3D552 Report on FAO Projects: http://www.fao.org/sd/cddirect/cdpub/SDREpub.htm http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/ECONOMIC/esn/field/fieldpro.htm Daniel Taghioff, 3rd Year Geography and Development Studies. 1of 4 ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C0490E.3E54F9A0-- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message