[LINK] Computers for schools more than hardware

[Roger Clarke]

At 9:00 +1100 22/2/08, Tom Worthington wrote:
>But I expect almost no one will want a completely network 
>independent computer. It doesn't make sense to store important 
>information in a desktop computer which can be lost, stolen, or 
>broken.

It doesn't make sense to store important information **only** in a 
single device which can be etc., etc.

Call that 'data survival security'.

There's also the need for 'data content security'.

An approach that satisfies both is to use broadband connections to 
sustain an encrypted mirror of the content of the desktop / handheld 
/ wearable.

(Yes, the decrypyion key needs to be stored in an accessible manner 
too, which raises further security issues).

The master copy (preferably of both data *and* software) remains the 
local one, so as to minimise dependence on connections (latency, 
interruptions).

And, from a Green IT viewpoint, I'm a sceptic about there being big 
differences between the energy-consumption and carbon-footprint 
profiles of thin-client/fat-server and fat-client/less-fat-server 
architectures.


-- 
Roger Clarke                  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/

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Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng  Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program      University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW