Computing in Haiti

If you think Windows is a headache in first world countries, try it on slow computers with slow internet connections and people that don't really speak the language their software was written for. Welcome to Haitian computing, where if you kept your Windows and your Virus-checker up to date, that would be the only thing you did with your computer!!!

Oh, wait. I meant to talk about "what's possible" rather than, um, being really whiny.

Here's what's already happened: By installing Google Chrome in French for quite a few people in Haiti, I've helped make internet browsing quicker and made it more difficult for malicious web sites to automatically add a virus to their computers. By installing AVG Free Anti-Virus in French on a number of computers, I've helped protect them from viruses, reduced some of the $cost$, inconvenience and slowness associated with competing software products, and helped people be more capable of managing their own computers (without as much language difficulty).

What's possible for the future? Doing away with virus checkers. Helping computers that have very limited Random Access Memory (a.k.a. "memory") run quickly. Doing away with a significant part of the economic barrier to computing.

How? By using a virus-free, free and open source alternative to Windows, possibly Ubuntu Linux (in an appropriate language). And by looking at the newer computers becoming available which are inexpensive and particularly suited to the kind of use (mainly internet/email and simple word processing) that computers see in Haiti. Let's make it happen, folks!

Here's a video of me helping two Haitian teachers open Facebook accounts. They aren't online often. But if you're interested in the participation-based learning that the Heads Together organization does, you can actually contact them directly! Let me know if you're interested - julianbrelsford -AtSymbol- gmail.com