public/docs/principles.md

Principles

Make a simple system (less complexity)

Rationale :

• Reduce the numbers of potential bugs
• The remaining bugs will be easier to identify/isolate & fix
• Easier maintenance
• Less people to recruit

Limit security & filtering mechanisms

Especially during the launch, rationale :

• 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
• Reduce complexity (see above)
• 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