docs: Add a development principles section to the README

This documents some development principles which should be borne in mind
when working on new malcontent features.

Signed-off-by: Philip Withnall <pwithnall@endlessos.org>
This commit is contained in:
Philip Withnall 2020-11-04 11:49:01 +00:00
parent 8e65091fc2
commit 07ee189e2c
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@ -52,6 +52,32 @@ AppArmor or SELinux. However, its correct use by applications should provide
enough of an obstacle to prevent users easily or accidentally having access to
content which they shouldnt.
Development principles
---
malcontent exists to make it easier for parents to responsibly set limits on
what their children can do on the computer (similarly, for other carer/caree
relationships). It should provide guidance on, and nudge parents towards,
following the best practice for discussing, choosing and setting restrictions on
their childs computer use.
Restrictions should be supported which allow giving children access to material
which is appropriate to their age/stage of development, but which can restrict
access to other material so they are not overwhelmed with too many, or too
complex, ideas for their stage of development. Similarly, restrictions should be
supported to control unsupervised communication with unknown people online, as
being coerced or bullied is one of the more common harms for children online.
Best practices should be research and evidence-based, and supported by large
international or national childrens organisations or charities. They may change
over time.
malcontent is a tool to help with a social problem. In the hands of a bad
parent, it can be used to do bad things. Features in malcontent should be
designed with that in mind, such that if they are used maliciously, they should
not give the parent radically more power over their child than they would have
had without malcontent.
Example usage
---