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
-   Less people to recruit

## 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