NSC will require that every grade school student has a computer. While having a high end machine will be preferable, this is not realistic. With that said, the education system will be configured to support Kal-OS. The minimum specs will be as follows:
- Kal-OS
- AMD 2.5Ghz CPU and 16GB of memory
- 128GB of NVME storage and SDXC card reader
- Wifi-6+ and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity
- 14″ 16:10 screen
- 2 USB-C ports
- Charging by USB-C
- 720p Webcam
- All day battery
Rationale
First, there will be efforts to work with the makers of Kal-OS to provide a means to mass deploy their OS on national computers. This will include not only the students, but the schools’ faculty. Not only that, all government computers will use the same OS to streamline things, and allow for easy transition between the computer the students work with, and a computer that they may interact with when dealing with the government. By choosing a single free to own OS, this will be a game changing event for the nation. No more buying bloated OSes that requires new, and higher end systems that don’t work well and stuffed with ads. Kal-OS will just work, and work well. This OS is also defined with STEM in mind which is very important for the Ministry of Education.
The system will run on an AMD 2.5Ghz or better processor. In addition, there will be 16GB of memory. These two things should keep the system in a reasonable price (especially when having millions built), and support the needs of the user. 16GB of memory also seems to be the minimum standard for AI which will also need to be a focus on the systems.
While Kal-OS can function on 40GB of storage, 128GB of storage is chosen to allow for updates, and additional software. Also, there might come an instance where the student may not have the means to acquire a sufficient size SD card for their personal files. If this is the case, then 128GB can be eaten quickly as personal files, and school projects will demand a bit of storage. The idea however is to have the OS and programs installed on the 128GB storage drive, and personal files on the SD card or OS drive, and SD card. In example, one’s music library might be on the PC’s storage to make it easier to synch with the phone, but documents, and other personal files might be best to go on the SD card. With this portable and upgradeable storage as a standard, every computer will require an SD card reader. The school store will sell SD cards for a little more than cost. The school is not in the business of making money, but serve the students.
Wifi-6, and Bluetooth 5 will be required for wireless connectivity. The school and any other government institution will always be at the newest wifi standards, but it is understandable that a home may not be. By setting a reasonable minimum will allow for a lower cost system for deployment. Bluetooth will be able to sync with the eBook reader, and wireless devices such as earphones, mice, and keyboards. This will assure that the new protocols are in place to allow for best use case while still keeping resource reasonable.
A 14″ 16:10 screen will be essential considering this is a notebook PC. The screen resolution will be at least 1080p resolution which will allow the basics to run on the screen. While not top of the line, consider that this is an educational student computer. They will be able to use their system to get work done, and they can watch Youtube, and browse social media (after school of course) on a 1080p screen. Also, the more realistic resolution will make it easier to have an all day battery.
2 USB-C ports are the minimum. One of the reasons is NSC requires that any device that is 240 watts or lower. This will apply to the PC system provided to the students for their education. If they need to continue their school work and the battery is running low, they can use one of the USB-C ports to charge the system, and the other port can be applied for another task. This means that the system should be versatile enough to handle any student’s needs.
The webcam is especially important in remote learning, and instances when the student has to do a video call. While the average resolution is 1080p, 720p is the minimum for any system within the school network.