vernonw@dasys1.UUCP (Vernon L. Williams) (10/25/88)
A member of the NY Board of Ed (I think) was wondering if there is some method of having a hardware/software based lock on the Apple IIe used by a client. He wants to make it such that no programs may be run on the machine except those approved by the Board. (Note: this is only a rough rendering of a message left on a bulletin board, since the person in question has not yet contacted me about this question I'm posting what I understand to be his query.) If you have any Ideas, please respond via Email, If you can implement this (aka you are a programmer/hardware developer - I'll give you info on how to contact the people involved, this might lead to a paying job... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vernon Williams DOS 3.3 you say??? vernonw@dasys1.UUCP Apple II users have Accidental Apple Developer Had THAT for years!! -- vernon williams Big Electric Cat Public UNIX ..!cmcl2!phri!dasys1!vernonw
SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (Murph Sewall) (10/27/88)
>A member of the NY Board of Ed (I think) was wondering if there is some method >of having a hardware/software based lock on the Apple IIe used by a client. He >wants to make it such that no programs may be run on the machine except those >approved by the Board. (Note: this is only a rough rendering of a message >left on a bulletin board, since the person in question has not yet contacted >me about this question I'm posting what I understand to be his query.) The notion seems antithetical to the concept of "education." It also seems a pretty fair example of the bureaucratic paranoia that accounts for the fact that we're losing our edge as THE technogoical innovator and leader in the World. The "frontier spirit" never wasted energy on such regressive proposals. [The Far Side shall return (I hope)] Murph Sewall Sewall@UCONNVM.BITNET Business School sewall%uconnvm.bitnet@mitvma.mit.edu [INTERNET] U of Connecticut {rutgers psuvax1 ucbvax & in Europe - mcvax} !UCONNVM.BITNET!SEWALL [UUCP] -+- My employer isn't responsible for my mistakes AND vice-versa! (subject to change without notice; void where prohibited) "Close enough for government work" - source unknown (naturally ;-)
vernonw@dasys1.UUCP ("Vernon L. Williams") (10/30/88)
I'm not sure that what you say about the "lock" being "antithetical to the concept of 'education'" is entirely fair. It depends entirely on the singular situation. If all they want to do is make sure that no one is playing games (though I personally think that you'd be right to call THAT "paranoid" and lacking in the "frontier spirit") or ensure that no one runs something that damages the system (possibly paranoid, but certainly possible since many teachers -- certainly not all-- are a bit computer phobic and/or lack some of the experience that many student have) there MAY be some justification for it. Whether it's worth what they are spending I don't know... Mind you I more or less agree that the best way for someone to learn about COMPUTERS is to poke around in their innards (well, at least at first) whether or not this is appropriate is dependent on what the system is being used for, after all somee computers are limited (ack) to teaching using only programs writen for that purpose. I'm glad WE didn't have a lock though! (I went to a High School with many Apple II's) //