Lev Lazinskiy

Digital Divide

I am doing research on the digital divide and how Open Source Software can help to combat the digital divide.

I have found out some very interesting things. I am doing this for a class, and it is very accelerated therefore I am unable to do as much research as I would have liked, but this is definitely a topic that I would love to revisit at some time in the future.

The most interesting things that I have discovered so far is more information about:

One Laptop Per Child Program.

802.11s Wireless Mesh Networks.

And, how right here in Maryland a public library converted all of their computers over to linux.

I have always wondered as a kid growing up in an underfunded school district why they did not just convert all the computers over to Linux. Even as a high schooler I had this vision of a world without licensing fees. I thought I was alone in my way of thought back then. Not many people knew what Linux was at all! But now that I am taking this Ethics Course at the College level it is great to see that not only do people know what Open Source Software is, they can see how it can help to combat the digital divide.