BOSTON--If you believe Brian J. Rosenthal '99 and Jason E. Bressner '99, the real computer crisis of the 21st century is not the Y2K bug, but the fact that scores of American citizens seem to be left out during the current revolution in computers and technology.

"As computers become more prevalent and a part of everyone's lives, those without access to such resources find themselves at a competitive disadvantage," said Bressner.

To address the issue, Bressner and Rosenthal have organized a series of free classes to teach anyone who's interested how to design a Web page.

Their first graduating class presented their final projects last night at a commencement ceremony held at the South End Technology Center at the Tent City public housing development in Boston.

The classes are run both by InterCity, a Harvard organization led by Rosenthal, and CyberTrain, a company started by Bressner.

The concept behind CyberTrain and Intercity's computer literacy project is a simple one: Teach underprivileged people basic HTML skills so they can apply for lucrative jobs in an industry where qualified workers are typically scarce.

"It's a way for people to get paid for their mind and intellect, while as before their jobs were much more monotonous," Bressner said.

The program is still in its infancy, but Bressner has big plans for CyberTrain. This summer, he expects to enroll over 200 students in as many as 15 separate classes at technology centers around Boston.

"We're hoping to perpetuate this through an expansion across Boston, and ultimately beyond," he said.