Larry Stillman, an Australian researcher and blogger emailed me about the South African-based Digital Doorway Project:
“The Digital Doorway is a variant of the Hole in Wall project in India, where a robust computer is installed in a disadvantaged setting. In the South Africa case, they have designed a multi-terminal kiosk, using open source software that for all intents and purposes, appears impossible to break, yet offers an internet experience and general computer experience to disadvantaged kids as a group, rather than individual experience. It can be installed, yet remotely managed in extremely remote locations. Potentially, it could run off solar power and be used to wireless network PCs or other devices. It is a different approach to the One Laptop Per Child project, that has faced some financial, design, manufacture and political hurdles that reflect a market approach … Rather than focussing on individuals, when resources are more restricted, the South Africans have chosen to build something that can be used by many, and has been designed so that it is truly robust. And it has been conceived and designed in South Africa. It has been installed around the country with possible use in many other countries.”.
