Kids Operating System (Linux OS)

[Taang Sianpu]

Introduction

Keeping young children occupied these days is quite a challenge. Quite naturally they see computers as a source of entertainment and want to enjoy them along with the rest of us. Herein lies the next challenge in that some areas of the internet are not suitable at all for child viewing and can potentially present real life dangers.

Discussion

DoudouLinux aims to achieve an optimum balance by providing an environment aimed at kids 2-12 which is fun, educational and safe to use. This is good thinking because it removes the need to let your kids loose with your own operating system and also prevents the possibility of them bypassing whatever security software you have installed on it. Never underestimate the ability of little minds to work these things out. Instructions for bypassing parental filterscan easily be found via Google or on social networking sites. The easiest way to run DoudouLinux is from a downloaded CD image. Once you've burned the image to a disk, there is nothing to install, update or configure. Running it from a live CD also means you wont interfere with your normal Windows installation. To run Windows again just pull out the live CD and reboot. An alternative using a USB key is also provided but this is a lot more complicated and not supported by all systems. The download link and instructions for both options are here. Although DoudouLinux is designed primarily to run as a live CD, if you like what you see and have a spare computer, it is possible to make afull install. Access to the installed system on which the CD is running is not possible so your resident files and settings are in no danger of being lost, altered or infected. The system comes complete with a range of programs which are both fun and educational. Content filtering is included by default so you have no worries about your charges accessing inappropriate material when connected to the internet. Most of the programs don't even require a knowledge of files, folders or menus and can be operated without the ability to read. The latest release, code named Gondwana (June, 2011) contains quite a lot of new features including better hardware support for network connections. This was one of the issues I found during testing and it's great to see developers responding to feedback. Some users may even find DoudouLinux suitable for older people with learning difficulties or other disabilities. There's no doubt that older kids will soon outgrow this and want the “real thing”, but for younger children, DoudouLinux is an ideal introduction to the world of computing.

[Taang Sianpu]

Standard DoudouLinux is delivered with about fifty applications that have been specially chosen to be accessible for children from 2 years old. These applications cover the following topics:

Education → teach children while having fun [1]
Fun → have fun with games, easy to access but not necessarily simplistic
Work → write texts, calculate, communicate, etc.
Multimedia → listen to music, watch videos, play or create music, or create animation movies
In the beginning, younger children will only use educational games. Then as they grow and learn, they can be led to work tools, fun games and multimedia applications.