8 Jan 2002 nymia   » (Master)

Volunteer Work

Decided to sacrifice some coding time to volunteer as an assistant instructor for a computer training class for low- income families. There was an article covering the training program. Basically, it's for people who want to get some basic computer skills.

It was really quite a humbling experience though. Without it, I will probably never know there are people who are eagerly waiting, looking for opportunities to get them started in computing. Unfortunately, there was no Linux software in sight. Maybe I should talk to the director and suggest the idea of having a Linux training as a secondary item later.

With my experience having exposed to filthy rich and low- income type of people. I'm glad I'm still sane enough to know the difference and appreciate both.

This is definitely in line with my philosophy. I will donate my time and effort in helping people help themselves. The work is actually very simple and that is to get them introduced into the world of computers, most probably, the Internet.

Linux For The Masses

With that in mind, I just wish those people who are involved in the development of Linux (the whole shebang) understand this simple thing: Make Linux Accessible To The Masses.

Here are some ideas:
  • Lose the elitist attitude.
  • Hide the CLI.
  • Provide GUIs to everything.
  • Standardize the user interface.
  • Use simple words to explain things.
  • Multi language support.
  • Make the GUI similar to the most popular out there.
Furthermore, here are some applications the masses will most likely want to immediately use after finishing the training program:
  • Internet Browser.
  • Email.
  • Wordprocessor with multi-language support.


Language

Had lots of fun trying to communicate in a different language. Had to listen accurately and think of words necessary to respond. Overall, I somehow managed to communicate decently though. One of them I will never forget were the words..."click doble veces en un segundo para abrir el program, como rapido." And "ponga el diskette en la makina."

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