Is there any ‘simple OS’ that can be used to teach kids basic computers concept? I am looking for something which is hopefully self-contained – meaningly, it runs like a normal application, but the kids get to mess about with the computer (in limited ways) and changes in the application won’t affect the entire OS – something like a virtual OS running ontop of an OS.
It doesn’t have to be anything powerful, just useful for teaching computer concepts like files and etc. Of course, opensource are preferable since they more educator-friendly, but I guess anything is fine.
What ages are you looking for? There are some keyboard overlays for very young children (babies) that run software on a regular computer but limit the “ouchie” things that can be done with a full keyboard.
Would it be possible to just create another use on the computer that has limited access? From what I recall, XP allows each user to have their own programs, permissions, etc. I would bet you could even hide most directories and system information from the user. I don’t think that would be very useful for a reasonably clever kid above the age of 5 (from what I have seen of the little whiz’s I know).
I’m not a big fan of the nanny software systems, I think a parent is best. And please, do not put a computer in a childs bedroom. Make it so the screen can be seen by anyone walking by. Also, LOOK at what they are doing.
I was thinking about kids from age 8 to 12. It’s not really a web-nanny idea I am looking for. It’s more like something for the kids to go wild while exploring the computer without affecting the rest of the computer, maybe a standalone application which simulates an OS.
It’s for schools and such, so I guess supervision isn’t a problem, but it’s nice if the application is easy enough for kids to run it themselves or under the guidance of a parent.
There are emulators for the Apple II and the Commodore 64 (and most other old systems) out there. That might be pretty close to what you’re looking for - they’ll have BASIC at the command line, but won’t completely blow up the computer if they put the thing in a loop*.
I’ve used Apple II Oasis for windows in the past and it worked well. I’ve also used OSXII and Berine II the Rescue on OS X. I know there are dozens more out there, most of them free.
I think the hard part with these would be finding programming references for them, but I bet google will come to the rescure there. There were a lot of kid-oriented programming books written for those systems, I’m sure some of them have found their way to the web.
The one problem I see is that kids might not be so keen on playing with something so visually primitive when compared to systems of today.
What your describing needs to lock the kids into the program, stopping them from getting back to Windows (or whatever). This is going to be hard to do - better make sure the computer essentials are locked down in the first place. Don’t assume 12-year-olds will struggle to find a way around a more simple preventative measure!
buckgully - the trouble is, learning how to mess around with a C64 emulator only teaches them that. I read the OP as wanting to familiarise them with modern desktop environments, directory structures, menu systems, etc.
I learned programming on a C64. I sure as heck wouldn’t want to learn modern programming on it. I’m still trying to unlearn a lot of what I learned during the BASIC (and, to some extent, assembly lanugage) days.
You can run something like Virtual PC which will let you run an emulated computer inside of your computer. If you have enough disk space you can set up several virtual computers inside of yours so that if the kids screw one up you can just use another one until you get it fixed.
It’s not completely safe, since the kids can get out of the virtual PC and back to your regular PC.
A linux “live” CD will also work. Just boot off of the CD. Whatever the kids do to screw it up doesn’t matter. Just reboot the computer and start over. Linux has the basics of files and folders and such, though if you really start getting into it, linux is more complicated and less user friendly than windows. For basic point and click the kids should be able to get around in it.
I take classes online, and for many of them we have utilized the TestOut LabSim software. The most recent class I took using this was Data Communications & Networking. It allowed us to simulate both hardware and software setup, configuration, and troubleshooting.
When working with the hardware you see a workbench and all the appropriate machines and peripherals; when working with software you get a representation of a simulated desktop, that functions like your normal desktop. You can go in and mess around with the settings without actually affecting your computer.
Upon second glance, I see they have secondary education solutions as well. It sounds like it might be just what you’re looking for.
VMWare might be what you’re looking for. Its a FREE standalone application that simulates an entire computer (virtual machine), so you can install a real OS into it and go wild. As long as you stay within the VMWare window, you don’t have to worry about messing up your computer.
VMWare player, and VMWare server are both free. The player version will let you run virtual machines created by others, the server version lets you build your own virtual machines.
I use it at work to run Linux on my Windows desktop for development/testing.
Of course, there’s no nanny features here. They’d need to stay within the virtual machine to avoid breaking anything on the real machine.
You might want to look at the Computer Programming Language LOGO.
It is designed for educational (especially children) use, features ‘turtle graphics’, which seems to really attract kids, and generally runs in its own environment, outside the operating system.
(One of the designers was Seymour Papert, well known in educational circles.)
I don’t remember what it was called, but at my high school the tech center had some sort of programming lock on them so that no matter what the kids did (and this wasn’t an administrator account they could log in with, too) when they reset the computer, nothing saved - it reverted back to it’s “normal” state. That seems to be like it would be a pretty good option - they’re not messing around with the account that is important, and if they screw something up, just restart.
But seriously, when I mean nothing saved - I mean it. No documents, no viruses, no music, no settings, NOTHING. It went back to the original settings, and it took an administrator to change it, and the administrator had to access it remotely. I can’t for the life of me remember what that lock was called, though - centurian? Centrillian? Fuck if I know. I can call up the high school and ask, but I doubt if they’d tell me. But if you can find out, that seems like it’d be a pretty nifty solution to your problem. I remember that in Web design I had specific freeware programs I liked to use that I couldn’t actually install on the computer (well, I could, but it wouldn’t stay there after I rebooted), so I had to keep a CD with the programs in my binder so I could install them Every. Time. Not really fun, but it did keep us from screwing up the computer too much.
Thanks everyone for all the possibilities! Unfortunately, none of those seems to be lightweight enough.
Actually, I looking for something that allows kids to explore computers more than just ‘locking out’ access to sentitive areas - actually, a mock-up of an OS in application form would do - there’s no need for a full-functioning OS, just something that feels like an OS, plays like an OS so that kids can play with it.
Running emulators for older OS sounds like a good idea, though – get kids used to the command line!
tashabot’s solution sounds perfect for you, if you can just track down what program it was.
Something seems backwards to me about getting a “simple OS” for children. I can understand wanting to protect the system from being abused or irreparably damaged, but I don’t think children need a simple OS to understand what’s going on. Isn’t the conventional wisdom that children automatically pick up new technology like a native tongue, while adults puzzle futilely over a user manual before resigning themselves to living with a DVD player that endlessly flashes 12:00?
There is much to be said in favour of this.
My seven year old grandchild teaches her dad how to use his computer (fairly advanced formatting etc. in Word, as just one example)
Her mother (my daughter) hasn’t a clue.
