"What an excellent way to make use of old PCs," said Slashdot blogger Gerhard Mack, referring to Robert Litt's free computer lab project. "Of course, the next thing he needs to do is start teaching the kids how to install and maintain these things. As a geek who spent his early teen years piecing together old computers just to have something to work on, I know how good a learning experience it would be."

Well it was a dark, dark week in the Linux blogosphere last week, as further evidence of the economy's sickly state spread across the land.

Tale after tale of personal tragedy has popped up on Google+ and beyond, in fact, making it more clear than ever that the magnitude of this economic crisis has reached nothing short of epic proportions.

Perhaps most notable among all the heart-wrenching stories, however, was the saddening news of the Linux community's very own Ken Starks.

For those who don't know him, Starks is a Linux advocate who has worked tirelessly for years equipping underprivileged kids with refurbished and Linux-powered PCs through the HeliOS Project, which has figured on LinuxInsider's virtual pages on several occasions in the past.

Today, however, Starks is fighting for his life in a brave battle against cancer.

"Ken's cancer has just recently begun to spread to his right lymph node, but his Oncologist has assured us that this is 80 percent curative if he gets the needed surgery in time," wrote Starks' life partner, Diane, in a blog post on Thursday.

"Unfortunately, his 1100 dollar a month SSI disability disqualifies him for Medicaid care and the local county low-income insurance he was receiving," Diane added. "This leaves us with about 2 weeks to either raise enough money for at least the OR for the surgery (we are hopeful of finding a surgeon to do the work pro bono) or raise enough money for the entire procedure."

It's heart-breaking enough to hear a tale like this even when the person in question is a stranger. When it's our own Starks -- a true hero who has done so much good for the world -- it's simply unbearable.

An Indiegogo campaign is now under way to raise funds for Starks' surgery.

Read the original:
Linux and Kids: A Tale of Success as a Hero Battles for Life