public/docs/principles.md

Principles

Make a simple system (less complexity)

Rationale :

• Reduce the number of potential bugs and problems
• The remaining bugs will be easier to identify/isolate & fix
• Easier maintenance
• Lower human capital required

Limit security & filtering mechanisms

Especially during the launch, rationale :

• Reduce complexity (see above)
• Alem is a school, not a bank, so the security requirements are lower
• Some students will be able to bypass security systems in all cases
  • And they will spread the word quickly
• The only reliable way to identify students will be security cameras and staff attention
  • Students will share accounts and USB drives
  • They will open connections to the outside and there is no definitive way to prevent this
• We will "hire" the students who have found vulnerabilities using technical skills and creativity
  • We cannot anticipate every breach hundreds of students will find & exploit
• Focus on endpoint security rather than network security (firewall on each node)
  • Reduce complexity of the network and make it more flexible

Promote open, neutral network & technologies

Rationale :

• Students will spend more time learning things and exchanging ideas than bypassing censorship
• Students will have more extensive knowledge and skills
• It is better to make them aware of their situation than to try to stop them
• A student's motivation is very much influenced by his or her environment
  • An environment with limitations will limit the spectrum of things that stimulate the student's curiosity
• A focus will made on increasing student's empowerement in order to make them feel accountable for their own actions. If the student cheats, he has to understand that he is only hindering his own progress.