If there is enough of this era software running around, it might make sense to make an esp32 laptop with a 7” screen, running a DOS emulator. Bonus if we could do it on a riscV variant. Set it up with a few hundred educational titles, Qbasic, WordPerfect or Ms Works, and an assortment of other programs including old DOS games (and a parental controls) with a launcher menu.

Give it a basic postscript printer driver and a microSD slot for future expansion, a gopher client and a mud client, maybe access to a couple other legacy protocols but no standard web access so it won’t work as a media consumption device or social media outside of things like (AI?) moderated MUDs or chatrooms. You’d want a python or JavaScript interpreter and a simple file manager. Also perhaps an interface to Wikipedia and a telnet type interface to a chatbot API for local or commercial models.

It runs a little against my grain, but perhaps to enable the network Stuff It would need a PPPOE connection to a gateway so that users could be registered and controlled to remove bad actors : tied to chip ID for a “secured area” that parents could opt in to ? iDK, online safety is a tough problem for children. Maybe there is a better solution than total AI surveillance and access controls, but how would you keep bad actors out? Or maybe just not offer any online functionality at all, except maybe a Bluetooth proximity based link to other machines to enable LAN parties?

Something like that would make a pretty great kids computer that could give them access to a complete k-6 education and much deeper computer skills than the current host of consumption oriented devices.