Welcome to the DEK (Desktop Environment for Kids) project home page

DEK (Desktop Environment for Kids) is a project to bring the functionallity of Edmark's KidDesk Family Edition to the Linux (and UNIX in general) world. Edmark's KidDesk Family Edition is presently available for MS-Windows and MacOS. It is an application that does the following:

Provides a secure way for children to use the family computer. The kids only have access to their programs and folders (ala chroot).
Provides a set of kid-friendly "Desks"--not compter desktops, but puctures of actual desks, complete with the common things one would have on a desk: pencil holder, calendar, calculator, notepad, clock, telephone w/ answering machine, lamp, address book, mailbox, picture frame w/name plate. On the desk's blotter are icons for the kid's applications. The desk accessories are all "bound" to built-in applications (and can be bound to other applications).

I bought Edmark's KidDesk Family Edition for my niece -- my sister has a old Mac IIci -- when she was about 5 years old (she is now 10). My niece loves this program.

This program would also be great in a classroom environment as well as in a home environment. Given the high cost of MS-Windows (and the recent problems various charities are having with Microsoft), this would be good package to install on Linux boxes for use by underprividged kids.