On Tue, Dec 27, 2016 at 11:18 AM, Tony Anderson <tony_ander...@usa.net> wrote:
> measure the parameters of the video stream produced by the XO-1 after > conversion to ogg. Any XO should be able to sustain that level. > > One current browser practice is to stream media where the browser is > capable. This is not suitable for an XO. The media should be downloaded and > played locally. One of the customizations is to patch the Browse activity > to automatically download mp3 (unless a short Talk English clip), mp4, pdf, > epub, and txt files. > In the case of the book formats, a user is not going to be able to read it > while online. This patch is simple and effective. > Great suggestions, thanks Tony. I'll add these to http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Browser_improvements along with your general recommendation to avoid HD video (and broadband glitz in general...) On 12/27/2016 03:52 PM, Adam Holt wrote: Thanks Terry Gillett for accentuating this central point that I'd failed to highlight -- now added to http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Browser_improvements : "*Perhaps Most Important: can we communicate concisely/explicitly best browser & video "what works" guidelines, so that hard-working free content aggregators/publishers (many of whom volunteers) understand their tight packaging requirements across old Androids, old XO's, etc? Hence greatly enhancing the XO's practical purposes during its remaining years~"* On Sat, Dec 24, 2016 at 10:47 AM, Adam Holt <h...@laptop.org> wrote: > Thanks Tony for your voluminous and very thoughtful experiences below! > > I'm pretty swamped with holiday prep over the coming 48 hours, but is > there a good time I can call you in the coming 7-10 days? > > I don't want to miss (or misrepresent) anybody's hard-fought "fieldback" / > usability testing lessons, recommendations & opinions @ > http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Browser_improvements > > > On Sat, Dec 24, 2016 at 2:04 AM, Tony Anderson <tony_ander...@usa.net> > wrote: > >> Hi, Adam >> >> I hope the scope of this discussion is Sugar, not just the Browse >> activity. >> >> First, the performance of the various models of the XO has not changed >> and will never change. >> >> Second, the last major change to the Browse activity was the move from >> Hulahop to Webkit. My guess is that the problems reported have nothing to >> do with Browse (or Firefox or ....). I suspect that the problems have to do >> with the burden on the server and the network. >> >> Three, solving performance problems depends on measurement, not >> speculation. Through its history, Sugar developers (XO and XS) have >> not measured anything in the real environment (a classroom of 40 XOs >> collaborating or using a server). While XSCE incorporates Munin, I have >> not seen any reports of the Munin measurements of an XSCE server in a >> classroom of XOs. At the Malaysia summit it took about 30 mins to establish >> by actual use that an access point was limited to 15 connections. >> >> Four, in my experience when there is a hiccup on an XO, the problem needs >> investigation. The Log activity is frequently a good tool. Since Sugar and >> its activities are written in Python and the source code is immediately >> available, it is possible to add print statements as needed to determine >> where the problem is. Python includes a simple means to measure time >> elapsed between two points in code to find badly written loops, etc. >> >> Over the years, I have developed a 'customize' script to add needed >> features to Sugar. I view this as comparable to what a person installing >> Fedora or Ubuntu does to configure the system for their use. While Sugar >> developers seem to consider such changes as blasphemy, the standard >> distributions encourage this. >> The Sugar developers have implemented the third different configuration >> utility: gsettings replacing GConf and the configure file Howeve, in line >> with their religion, the developers retain control by providing the user >> with access only to selected settings made visible through 'mysettngs'. >> >> The XOs in Rwanda are locked so these changes must be made post-install, >> so the devlopers suggestions to make a Sugar build locally is irrelevant. >> >> The xo-custom script is executed after the XO is flashed by: >> >> cd /run/media/olpc/xo1 >> bash xo-custom >> >> where the usb stick label identifies the target XO model, in this case >> the XO-1. There are five models: XO-1, XO-1.5, XO-1.75, XO-4, XO-1SD. >> A current project is to create a single stick that can be used with any >> model. This project also intends to provide a Sugar activity custom-1.xo. >> The goal is that the user can flash any model from the same stick and >> then can install the custom script by: >> >> cd /run/media/olpc/xomaster >> sugar-install-bundle custom-1.xo >> >> This has the advantage that the customization script can be run by >> launching the custom activity (and erasing it upon completion). Meanwhile >> the stick can be used to flash another XO. In a classroom with mixed >> models, the same stick can be used. >> >> The customize script currently does the following: >> >> 1. Install miscellaneous modules; zip, path.py, pexpect, ftp. Probably >> only pexpect is needed since path.py can be included in the activies that >> use it. Sugar now inlcudes zip. For sending files to the server, scp is >> used instead of ftp. >> >> 2. Remove ~/.ssh/known_hosts to prevent problems in registering the >> server. >> >> 3. Customize Sugar >> a. Change corner detection in frame to 0 (never). The goal is to >> require the frame to be opened by the frame key and not by cursor position. >> b. Implement a default where activities launched from the Home View >> start new. Resuming activities can only be done from the Journal. >> c. Change activity.py in /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/sugar/activity/ >> and in /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/sugar3/activity to correct an >> error >> in the Journal where a resumed activity can not be saved under a >> new name without losing the original. The modified version with 0.110 will >> also >> provide Utkarsh Tiwari's code to provide a requirement that >> user's give saved files a name (comparable to changing 'untitled' in >> Office). This change >> was not implemented in 0.110 because of quirky reasoning by the >> Sugar developers. It also will provide similar ability to give a screen >> shot a name >> without having to switch to the Journal. >> >> 4. Update sugar-launch and sugar-install-bundle. These changes were >> needed because of problems which probably now have been fixed. >> >> 5. Update SimpleHTTPServer.py to add some needed mime_types such as mp3, >> mp4, and so on. >> >> 6. Provide custom index.html in /home/olpc/.library_pages. The standard >> screen is nearly useless for an XO not connected to the internet. The >> custom screen identifies the school or institution at the top and >> provides direct links to the school server (This may the intent of the >> 'captive portal' in xsce). >> I suspect many users are not aware that the opening page in browse is >> file:///home/olpc/library_pages/index.html). >> >> 7. Add and remove Sugar activities to achieve a standard set. It is very >> difficult for teachers to deal with an assignment to use a specific >> activity such as >> Memorize only to find it is not installed on one or more XOs in >> the class. >> Currently, the script replaces Browse (installing a version >> with the jsfiddle feature and causing certain mime_types to be downloaded >> and not displayed >> online( The current fashion in browsers is for the browser to >> attempt to display any mime_type it knows - this is not helpful for XOs >> where the object >> needs to be displayed away from the server. I can't imagine a >> school where students are given class time to read War and Peace). So, for >> example, >> pdfs, txt, mp3 (with one exception), mp4, epub, webm files >> are downloaded to the Journal for offline access by Read or the Jukebox. >> Recent versions of >> Sugar have included documents in the Home View along with >> Sugar activities. Another example of the quirky thinking of the developers. >> First, the >> library_page already includes documents stored locally. >> However, documents in the Home View and in Browse require space on local >> storage even >> though only a few users may ever need access to them. With a >> schoolserver, these documents can be located there and downloaded to the >> Journal as needed. The script will be modified so that a >> deployment can decide which of these to keep and which to omit. The script >> adds the Quiz activity, and >> replaces the Jukebox activity. The Jukebox activity is >> retro-fitted version 26, the last version that supported gstreamer 0.1. The >> scripts enabling playing of mp3, mp4, etc. work only with 0.1 >> due to undocumented changes in the design of 1.0. Supposedly deprecation >> means that the new version >> provides all of the capabilities of the original and is >> better. Clearly this is in the eye of the beholder. >> >> 8. Install needed Gnome programs as Sugar activities. >> Currently the script installs Gcompris which includes installing >> GCompris as a gnome application and then installing gcompris-7.xo. It also >> intstalls the Zim >> Desktop Wiki. The install takes two steps, install Zim as a gnome >> application and then install the zim-7.xo Sugar activity. >> >> 9. Install flash support. >> >> 10. Install media support for mp3, mp4, webm, and m4a. >> >> 11. Install Libre Office as a gnome application (only on XOs with at >> least 4GB storage). >> >> Tony >> >> >> >> >> >> On 12/23/2016 10:19 PM, Adam Holt wrote: >> >> On Fri, Dec 23, 2016 at 3:09 PM, George Hunt <georgejh...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> pursuant to our discussion this morning, chrome on older 32 bit machines >>> running linux will not be supported after March 2017. >>> >>> http://www.pcworld.com/article/3010404/browsers/googles-kill >>> ing-chrome-support-for-32-bit-linux-ubuntu-1204-and-debian-7.html >>> >> >> Fascinating if unfortunate that Google wants old hardware to just >> magically disappear, among the global poor. >> >> another vote for firefox >>> >> >> Noted. >> >> I will continue to write up the best suggestions from all @ >> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Browser_improvements (please write your >> suggestions directly there as well, if you so choose!) >> >> -- >> Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ http://unleashkids.org ! >> >> -- >> Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ http://unleashkids.org ! >> >> -- Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ http://unleashkids.org !
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