To Tim's point on Docker vs. Python/R installation, I will say that at UC Berkeley, prior to the emergence of the JupyterHub approach, some large classes were using VM-based solutions. This provides a single positive target (get virtualization working) vs. a complex potential target of dependency hell - users with multiple versions of R/Python already installed, and interacting in confusing ways. We quickly came up with a list of known problems and solutions that we kept track of via a local mailing list.
The initial requirements (work in low resource / poor internet) are a useful point of reference for problems we have not solved at Gigantum... but I still think we have a nice solution that provides some of the accessibility of binder, while empowering new users to be "producers" of their own environments right away. Regarding the server solution - I wonder if you've thought about just putting together a cheap standalone server? Intel NUCs, for example can be quite inexpensive, fit in the palm of your hand, have great WiFi (Intel, natch), and are modestly upgradable (RAM / storage). Running RStudio on such a system serving as an ad-hoc wireless hub would work in most locations as long as there is electricity. Single-node JupyterHub is also getting quite easy to set up. Or you could literally give everyone a raspberry pi who needed one for quite cheap as well! (if only the pi zero didn't have the foolishly small HDMI port...). This also avoids security concerns with using a mission critical system for supporting students. Best, Dav On Tue, Sep 18, 2018 at 1:33 AM Tim Head via discuss < [email protected]> wrote: > Hey there, > > I work on mybinder.org. > > On Tue, Sep 18, 2018 at 1:41 AM Darya Vanichkina via discuss < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> >> Do colaboratory and/or binder and/or any of the other tools deal with >> this in an efficient way??? >> >> > Speaking for mybinder.org: Technically yes, in practice probably no. > > The tool we use behind the scenes to turn a repository into a running > docker image is https://repo2docker.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ which you > can also use locally. However it uses Docker, so if the setup instructions > for the carpentry required software aren't working, chances are that > installing Docker won't work either. > > If you install `pip install jupyter-repo2docker` and then run `repo2docker > https://github.com/norvig/pytudes/` in a terminal you get exactly what > you'd get if you visited https://mybinder.org/v2/gh/norvig/pytudes/master > > T > -- > Let us be your hub hero https://hubhero.net > *The Carpentries <https://carpentries.topicbox.com/latest>* / discuss / > see discussions <https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/discuss> + > participants <https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/discuss/members> + > delivery > options <https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/discuss/subscription> > Permalink > <https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/discuss/T963f4b806cda01a2-M6ccddc1067af3173e5dd2fae> > ------------------------------------------ The Carpentries: discuss Permalink: https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/discuss/T963f4b806cda01a2-M1edea0db6fc654de56fd57f7 Delivery options: https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/discuss/subscription
