I went to the Mowbray library on Friday afternoon, and I see that the Cape Town municiaplity is putting in computers with Internet access for the public. I think it's a brilliant idea, and not only do the public get access for free, they also get access to office and a few other things. I am not sure of what software they are using - I should look it up.
The Internet speeds however don't seem to be that great - the old lady using one of the terminals was getting quite irritated by the distinct lack of progress in downloading the pages of the net. What I did find interesting during the few minutes I had a chance to look at the system, was the terms and conditions for use. Apart from the usual, "do not download pirated copyrighted material" and the somewhat lesser condition of "do not download pornographic material", there was also a good deal about good Internet habits and practices. However, while the intentions are good (and the information was quite good too), the whole document was placed together with the terms and conditions during the registration process, and I doubt many people will end up reading all the material.
