Re: [IAEP] What do I want Big Time To Be?
Caryl Bigenho wrote: Hi All, Hi, I've put some comments inline... When I asked if SoaS was ready for Big Time, Martin replied, What do you mean? I'd recommend it but I don't know enough about what you want. So here is what I mean and want... I would like to be able to go into a room (or exhbit hall) filled with overworked, underpaid educators and while showing them Sugar on the XO, tell them they can run some of the same (and some even better) Activities on the equipment they already have at their schools... and that they can do it for free (free is good). Running Sugar on a Stick on the XO with the *latest* Sugar version from the NAND is something that's on the list for the Blueberry launch. Martin Dengler has been doing a great job at getting this realized! I would like them to get really excited about being able to get something for their students that is not only sound educationally, but that they can afford because the download is free. Their only cost is their chosen storage media. I would like to be able to show them how it works on a MacBook (my machine) and on a PC (if someone would just tell me how to get one for very little $$$). I would like it to be stable software that runs on their choice of Live CD or USB stick. The point about Macs in general is that it's hard to say what's going to work and what isn't. At least insofar as most of the Linux distribution haven't focused on it. Which is why I wouldn't guarantee that everything works. This is also a distribution question, since it's the underlying distribution that needs to provide the support. Anyway, without knowing what is causing issues, what hardware is used, and so on, it's a bit hard to say what's wrong (there are just so many different models out there!). Providing hardware information works for example pretty well following there instructions: http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_on_a_Stick/Hardware On the stability: Development snapshots intended for testing won't necessarily be stable, as a matter of fact. Final releases should be, and that's what we're working on. Really. I would like to be able to give them links for downloading it and for getting other Activities. I would like to be able to give them links for very easy to follow instructions for downloading and using the software. And, I would like to be able to give them links to a place they can get help if they get stuck. activities.sugarlabs.org and answers.launchpad.net/soas should do the trick. I know some of these things exist already but, unless I have missed something, most of them don't. My next presentation to educators will be at the CUELA/LAUSD Tech Fair on November 14. It all depends on what you're looking at. Strawberry is now several months old. It works and is rather stable. But it doesn't contain all the features that are going to be in the next version, obviously. Until Blueberry is out, there are the snapshots, but those might not be entirely working. So again, Blueberry is what will introduce a lot of this officially. How much of this is real already? How much is in the dim and distant future? Send links! Caryl = --Sebastian ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
Re: [IAEP] What do I want Big Time To Be?
Caryl, I don't know what your budget is, but you can get a refurbished PC for under $100 here: http://www.pcsurplusonline.com/index.cfm I have bought several computers from this place. They are sold with no OS installed, sometimes with no hard drive, but generally they have a CD-ROM drive, a keyboard, and a mouse. These would make a pretty good demo machines, IMHO. I've been buying used IBM/Lenovo boxes for my own use and like them a lot. The Think Centre desktop model has a small form factor that would make it almost as handy for demonstrations as a laptop would be but would be more reliable and cost much less. (Generally speaking used laptops are no bargain). HP has a small form factor machine too, but I favor the IBM model. It's designed to be easy to work on without tools. James Simmons Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:30:53 -0800 From: Caryl Bigenho cbige...@hotmail.com Subject: [IAEP] What do I want Big Time To Be? To: IAEP SugarLabs iaep@lists.sugarlabs.org Message-ID: snt118-w9460d098803f05f6947e8cc...@phx.gbl Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Hi All, I would like to be able to show them how it works on a MacBook (my machine) and on a PC (if someone would just tell me how to get one for very little $$$). I would like it to be stable software that runs on their choice of Live CD or USB stick. How much of this is real already? How much is in the dim and distant future? Send links! Caryl ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
Re: [IAEP] What do I want Big Time To Be?
On Sun, Nov 1, 2009 at 11:30, Caryl Bigenho cbige...@hotmail.com wrote: Hi All, When I asked if SoaS was ready for Big Time, Martin replied, What do you mean? I'd recommend it but I don't know enough about what you want. So here is what I mean and want... Agreed. I would like to emphasize that after the successful demos, teachers should be able to go back to their schools and get started without having to call on us for assistance. That means that o They can find the download page through Google, even if they don't have a URL. That works now to get to http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_on_a_Stick, if they can remember the name. If they can't, we have to think about what they will look for instead. o The download is automatic and trouble-free. Currently, no, according to http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_on_a_Stick/Strawberry, which puts the download locations on the third screen down, and talks about Bittorrent, SHA hashes, downloading extra software, and other issues. o There is an automated installer, so that no technical knowledge is needed. No. o The installer offers to make a boot CD, and explains how the user can tell whether one is needed. No. o Enough documentation, tutorials, demos, and sample lesson plans are included so that our teacher can convince other teachers that this is worth their time, and also administrators and parents. We have made a good start, but there is much more to be done. Or, alternatively, we can point them to a ready supplier of CDs and sticks with Sugar already installed. Another way to look at this is through one of Fred Brooks's Laws from The Mythical Man-Month: The difference between a program you can use and a program you can sell is three times the effort. (Brooks's principal Law is: Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.) Hofstadter's Law also applies: Projects tend to take twice as long as expected, even when you have taken account of Hofstadter's Law. Also stated as: The first 90% of the work takes the first 90% of the time, and the remaining 10% of the work takes the other 90% (sic) of the time. Why is there never time to do a job right, but always time to do it over? All of these laws have been amply verified during XO and Sugar development. We are only as far advanced as we currently are because this is not a commercial operation. I would like to be able to go into a room (or exhibit hall) filled with overworked, underpaid educators and while showing them Sugar on the XO, tell them they can run some of the same (and some even better) Activities on the equipment they already have at their schools... and that they can do it for free (free is good). Free is the only way to get around the competing forces that have made the schools' acquisition process such a bureaucratic nightmare. I would like them to get really excited about being able to get something for their students that is not only sound educationally, but that they can afford because the download is free. Their only cost is their chosen storage media. The real question is whether they are allowed to use it on existing school computers, even though it will not be installed and will not affect what is installed. I would like to be able to show them how it works on a MacBook (my machine) and on a PC (if someone would just tell me how to get one for very little $$$). I would like it to be stable software that runs on their choice of Live CD or USB stick. I would like to be able to give them links for downloading it and for getting other Activities. Done. SoaS Wiki page and a.s.l.o. I would like to be able to give them links for very easy to follow instructions for downloading and using the software. Currently, easy for techies. So simple, even a 12-year old can understand it. Quick, someone get me a 12-year-old!--Groucho Marx And, I would like to be able to give them links to a place they can get help if they get stuck. Right. That should be on the SoaS page. Instead, we ask them whether they would like to help us. I know some of these things exist already but, unless I have missed something, most of them don't. My next presentation to educators will be at the CUELA/LAUSD Tech Fair on November 14. How much of this is real already? How much is in the dim and distant future? Send links! Caryl ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep -- Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation. The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination. http://www.earthtreasury.org/ ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
[IAEP] What do I want Big Time To Be?
Hi All, When I asked if SoaS was ready for Big Time, Martin replied, What do you mean? I'd recommend it but I don't know enough about what you want. So here is what I mean and want... I would like to be able to go into a room (or exhbit hall) filled with overworked, underpaid educators and while showing them Sugar on the XO, tell them they can run some of the same (and some even better) Activities on the equipment they already have at their schools... and that they can do it for free (free is good). I would like them to get really excited about being able to get something for their students that is not only sound educationally, but that they can afford because the download is free. Their only cost is their chosen storage media. I would like to be able to show them how it works on a MacBook (my machine) and on a PC (if someone would just tell me how to get one for very little $$$). I would like it to be stable software that runs on their choice of Live CD or USB stick. I would like to be able to give them links for downloading it and for getting other Activities. I would like to be able to give them links for very easy to follow instructions for downloading and using the software. And, I would like to be able to give them links to a place they can get help if they get stuck. I know some of these things exist already but, unless I have missed something, most of them don't. My next presentation to educators will be at the CUELA/LAUSD Tech Fair on November 14. How much of this is real already? How much is in the dim and distant future? Send links! Caryl ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
Re: [IAEP] What do I want Big Time To Be?
Caryl, I will leave it to the developers to answer some of the technical questions. I just wanted to let you know that I have done this presentation with our teachers and would love to be of help to you if that would forward what you are up to. Good luck! Gerald On Sun, Nov 1, 2009 at 2:30 PM, Caryl Bigenho cbige...@hotmail.com wrote: Hi All, When I asked if SoaS was ready for Big Time, Martin replied, What do you mean? I'd recommend it but I don't know enough about what you want. So here is what I mean and want... I would like to be able to go into a room (or exhbit hall) filled with overworked, underpaid educators and while showing them Sugar on the XO, tell them they can run some of the same (and some even better) Activities on the equipment they already have at their schools... and that they can do it for free (free is good). I would like them to get really excited about being able to get something for their students that is not only sound educationally, but that they can afford because the download is free. Their only cost is their chosen storage media. I would like to be able to show them how it works on a MacBook (my machine) and on a PC (if someone would just tell me how to get one for very little $$$). I would like it to be stable software that runs on their choice of Live CD or USB stick. I would like to be able to give them links for downloading it and for getting other Activities. I would like to be able to give them links for very easy to follow instructions for downloading and using the software. And, I would like to be able to give them links to a place they can get help if they get stuck. I know some of these things exist already but, unless I have missed something, most of them don't. My next presentation to educators will be at the CUELA/LAUSD Tech Fair on November 14. How much of this is real already? How much is in the dim and distant future? Send links! Caryl ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
