Semi-OT - Hardening a PC.

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Colin McGregor <colinmc151-bJEeYj9oJeDQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org>

| The hardware questions are a little tricker, namely I
| gather theft is a BIG issue at the shelter. You name
| it, and it gets stolen I gather (past efforts along
| these lines I gather saw keyboards and mice stolen).
| So, how to harden a PC in a way the leaves it usable,
| but makes it effectively impossible to steal...

I wonder about the message this sends to the people using the
computer.  (I almost said "users", but that term itself is a bit
demeaning.)  I'm sure that many of these people already have
self-esteem issues.  Overtly treating them as untrustable is probably
bad for them.

I'm not saying that you can trust them collectively.  I am saying that
you shouldn't broadcast your distrust.

In fact, it might be possible to send them modest messages of trust by the 
right social design.  For example, create a post of "monitor" for some of 
them to staff.

This is not my area of expertise so my suggestions would be very
amateur.


There was a project in India where web access was provided, with no
instructions, in a slum.  The kids figured out how to use it on their
own.  /. etc. made a big deal of this a few years ago.  I think that
the hardware was embedded in a wall (think: ATM).
http://www.google.ca/search?q=web+wall+slum+india&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

An anchored trackball, possibly with an anchored keyboard, is all that
users need to touch.  Neither is valuable so high-security anchors are
not needed -- just some spares.


Perhaps access for a USB key or an SD memory might evolve as a useful
adjunct.  Lots of people want to load MP3 players or store pictures.
Maybe some of them use shelters.
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