Overview
Our objective
To provide an Apple computer with modern software to families with children in our community at low cost, with possible subsidies. This will assist with their educational opportunities and in acquiring additional computer skills.
The program
COVID-19 has placed us all in our homes much more than we ever anticipated, and in many cases family income has been drastically reduced. With the assistance of Salida Sunrise Rotary we believe we can help families to acquire a computer for family purposes. School-aged children already get chromebooks from the School District, but those do not address the needs of pre-K children or parents who could use them to further their education.
The computers and software
We acquire older Apple iMac computers, the 2009-2012 vintage. They have a small footprint and the monitor and the CPU are integrated.
These computers are wiped clean, and set up with an open-source modern lightweight operating system called Lubuntu. This operating system is very lean and makes these older computers run much faster than the Windows or Apple OS/X systems. Linux operating systems have so far been virus- and malware-proof.
There is a lot of software (just about all of it free) available for Linux systems. These computers come with some pre-installed:
- Firefox and Chrome web browsers
- LibreOffice which is an open source Microsoft Office clone
- Zoom and Skype for video conferencing
- and much, much more...
The computers have wifi connectivity (the family has to have internet access already), bluetooth, and a CD/DVD drive.
Cost
Typically our computers cost between $150 (for 21.5" machines) and $200 (for 27" machines) each, fully loaded and ready to go. Each unit comes with a new USB keyboard and mouse. We are making these computers available at cost, though in some cases we can provide some financial assistance to help families afford these.
For more information
For more information contact: David Moore, mooreflyfish@gmail.com, 719-239-0085.