Minilgos
[English][Français][Português][?]
(This project is completely stalled at the moment, because of usb drivers design complexity)
What is Minilgos? :
Minilgos is a small operating system bootable from cdrom, not using hard disk at all.
It may help a wide range of charity organizations or parents, to educate children.
Minilgos compels 6-16 years old children to adopt a balanced way of life : study, play, rest.
E-mail & Web browsers are included. An internet account is required (can be shared).
Minilgos uses a "Vectorial & Phonetic Text" format for blind users & all languages support.
It may please elders, exhausted by spam, viruses & hackers (designed to be invulnerable).
Can act as internet phone or backup mail browser in case your hard disk is out of order.
You can equip a new user with a PC or a recycled console and create one's personal CD.
Companies may attempt to create "zero maintenance" projects based on Minilgos cdroms.
Why Minilgos got created ? :
Future belongs to very young people. They need a protected access to knowledge.
But current learning tools are based on an open system too much dedicated to adults.
Separate fonts system prevents an easy way to exchange foreign languages knowledge.
Minilgos brings a solution to fix these issues, and offers a speech feature for blind users.
Required hardware (if a PC is to be used):
- PC with BIOS and cdrom drive compatible with El Torito standard (cdrom boot).
- Vesa 2.0+ compatible graphic card, with 60Hz monitor (800x600) or 16/9 TV (800x480).
- Either an external modem connected to Com1/Com2, or a supported network adapter (10€).
- For xDSL or Cable (PPPoE or DHCP), use an external ethernet modem (40€).
- Standard PS/2 mouse & extended keyboard connected to standard ports (not usb).
- At least 4Mb of RAM. Processor 386+ & coprocessor 387+. Hard disk not needed!.
- Optional sound & internet phone abilities achieved through a supported sound card (15€).
Required hardware (if a recycled console is to be used):
- A way to run "Homebrew" software or a signed CD made by console manufacturer.
- Ethernet adapter (built-in or the accessory you can attach behind console).
- TV (480i), 60 Hz Monitor (640x480 or 800x600) or 16/9 TV (480p or 720p).
- For xDSL or Cable (PPPoE or DHCP), use an external ethernet modem (40€).
- Optional : Mouse & keyboard connected to usb port (or joypad port thru an adapter).
- Optional : Headphones & micro, if voice is to be used with/or instead of keyboard.
- Optional : A "component" to SVGA adapter and/or the official HDTV "component" adapter.
- Optional : A VGA SOG adapter (Sync. on Green).
Required subscriptions :
- Standard internet account : Web page, FTP access to Web page, and a POP3 mailbox.
Features for very young users :
- Web browser always connects to a reviewed page (impossible to define URL yourself).
- Web pages that can be seen with internal browser are reviewed and approved.
- Reviewer responsability is to accept only pages that can be seen safely by children.
- Passive ads, sex and violence are rejected. Ads have to be stored specifically in a category.
- Links have refered contents electronic signature and vanish if refered data changes.
- Links are accepted only if they refer to reviewed pages (or joint pages submitted for review).
- Web pages will raise/lower children entertainment time counter depending on their category.
- Counter management is a warranty that entertainment duration never exceeds work duration.
- Spam free. Any e-mail coming from unknown people is hidden and deleted automatically.
- Minilgos user must manage carefully the e-mail addresses phone book (known people).
Features for blind users or users with bad eyesight :
- All public data in documents or web pages holds phonetic encoding for speech engines.
- No more than keyboard arrows are needed in order to navigate and listen to every text.
- For people with bad eyesight, lower part of screen is a real time magnifier (x2).
- For people with 16/9 giant screens, the active display part (800x480) fits perfectly.
Features in order to allow knowledge exchange in all languages :
- Characters, keyboard layout and writing orientation can be adjusted for all languages.
- Characters are defined with vertices, can be modified and published. Editor is included.
- Character definition is encoded in documents, so it can be read by others. No font needed.
Technical details :
- Minilgos cdrom turns a PC or a video game console into a NC (Network Computer).
- One huge advantage of NC is that even if your house burns, no data is lost.
- One very bad point of NC is that saving data is never instant, maybe slow.
- Bootable cdrom. No need to have an hard disk. Existing hard disk is IGNORED.
- Virus free. Design done in order to be invulnerable to viruses (even if that creates limits).
- Only JPEG pictures and pure text (accents are converted) are shown in MIME e-mails.
- First Minilgos versions will not support JPEG with progressive format.
- First Minilgos versions will support only pictures <150Ko (800x600).
- Internet account details are encoded in CD (passwords tainted with global password).
- At boot time, Minilgos asks for your global password, then connects to network.
- Phone book and all personal documents are stored in your FTP area (at hidden locations).
- User can pick up any keyboard layout and character sets published by other users.
- Source code can be shown (in order to verify invulnerability vs viruses & hackers).
- Invulnerability based on non existence of code allowing external native code loading.
- Usage of strong encryption (SSL 128 bits, i.e the yellow lock or key) will be possible.
- You can use Minilgos with your own intranet environment (http, pop3, smtp, ftp).
- In order to share same account & modem, Minilgos can use DHCP with a gateway computer.
- FTP protocol is slow and used only at save time, for fast FTP reading, HTTP is used instead.
- Extended memory is used as a cache : if you access any data twice only first access is slow.
Soon, you will be able to download here :
- Image of minilgos cdrom, without any internet account details, to burn on cd-r.
- A configuration program, in order to encrypt your internet account details in cdrom image.
(You choose your global password, and your login password get encrypted with it, on CD)