On Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 6:03 PM, Caroline Meeks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:
> > > On Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 6:42 PM, David Farning <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > >> *Clinic next door to a School* - A health clinic located right next door >> Sasha's school has a close partnership with the school. Many students are >> scene there so they decided to add a donated computer to their waiting room >> just for kids to use Sugar. This computer still has its hard-drive, but its >> dedicated for Sugar. Some of the basic sugar files are located on the hard >> drive and it is set up to allow students to log out rather then shutting >> down and restarting between each student. >> >> This is an very interesting idea. A hybrid harddrive usb solutions. From >> a technology perspective it would not be that hard to implement. When the >> computer boots from the hard drive it waits at a login prompt for the user >> to either login or insert a USB with the users /home directory. The current >> generation of linux distribution has excellent support for DBUS to >> communicate the status of hot swapped devices such as USBs. >> >> A big advantage of this method would be to take advantage of the >> hard-drives speed while storing user data on the USB. Furthermore, the >> users login criteria would be stored on the USB. This would allow >> passwordless login. >> >> The main concern that I have heard about storing user data on a USB is >> that kids will lose them. Kids can be trusted not to lose their textbooks >> and folders. Why not reverse the trend of shrinking USBs and make textbook >> sized USBs for kids:) We make big pencils and big crayon for younger >> students. Why not big USBs? > > > Yes I think loss will be an issue. > > Big is definitely an interesting idea. I also like the braclet USBs - > http://www.ipromo.com/?fuseaction=product.&productsid=106 > Mostly we have to make it cheap enough, and making replacing them easy > enough that its not that big a deal if they are lost. > Yes, the ability to recreate a lost USB is important. Modifying the existing server backup mechanism to allow teachers to reflash a USB should be relatively straight forward. > > >> * >> **The Zoo*: .... >> >> This seems very similar to the clinic. > > > Interestingly when I discussed this with Marco the Zoo is hard use case. > Everywhere else we can assume the kids are all attending the same school > district, thus we can assume they are all running the same version of > Sugar. For the Zoo we might have kids from different towns all coming with > Sugar USBs but different versions. This might be harder to support. > However, this is a problem I would love to have! Not very close to our > current reality, so we don't need to focus on it. So basically, for right > now its similar to the clinic. > >> >> * >> **YMCA*: After school and on snow days and vacations Sasha goes to the >> local YMCA. There is a bank of 10 computers for kids to use. They are thin >> clients run from one server. There is a USB port, and the user experience is >> just like booting on a stand alone computer, except because it doesn't >> really have to fully boot for each student switching users is much faster. >> >> The difficulty here seems to be defining what is a thin client. One >> interesting approach is the one taken in the >> Extremadura<http://www.hotcosta.com/Extremadura.Spain> >> * *region in spain. Several years ago they start putting computers on >> the desks of all of the students in the region. Now, as the computers are >> becoming outdated (the students have faster computers at home) they are >> adding high powered servers to schools. By configuring the existing laptops >> and desktops as clients for the new servers, they are able to extend usefull >> life of the existing equipment by several years. >> >> For this to become possiable with Sugar we will need to engage the LTSP >> developers.** > > > Yes, I emailed Eric Harrison and he believed it was possible. But yes, we > need someone very familiar with LTSP to do this. > >> * >> >> >> At School*: Due to the E-Rate program Sasha's school and all the schools >> in town are well connected so the schools system decided to take advantage >> of the economies of scale and hosts a large server centrally. In each >> classroom there are thin clients and a USB port. The user experience is >> exactly the same as at the YMCA, but in this case the server is located >> several miles away. >> >> A current preference for US schools seems to be using E-Rate to finance a >> client server system where student can log into their virtual desktop from >> anywhere that has Internet access. >> >> This thinking seems to stem from the belief within the current generation >> of school sysadmins that only they can be trusted with a student's data. A >> second reason is that schools tend to integrate students systems to closely >> with teachers administrative systems. As a result many districts are >> putting a tremendous emphasis on backing up students data. >> >> Client Server systems allow sysadmins to backup a student's data to school >> or district level SAN. It has been awhile since I have gone to school, but >> I can't remember anyone photo copying my notebooks so that I would have a >> 'backup' if I lost my original. On the contrary, I remember losing point >> for losing my homework. It was called learning responsibility. >> >> This belief also seems to stem from the quirk of human nature that if we >> pay a consultant to install an expensive system, we tend to be happier then >> if we install an inexpensive system our selves:( >> > > Yeah, I know how you feel. But its not our job to tell the IT departments > how to spend their money, its our job to make sure their students can use > Sugar, at as many locations as possible both inside and outside of schools, > regardless of what decisions the school IT departments make. Pesonally, I'm > hoping that this trend is just this year's fad and it will go away. > Sorry I did not mean to imply that we should tell customers how they should spend their money:) As you say, I hope this tendency is just a fad. > > But I'm all for computers backing up user's data!!! > I also support backing up. But the idea of taking a snapshot of a students home directory every 5 minutes and storing it on a dual SANs seems a bit much. That is just what some of the in vogue consultants are recommending. david > > >> >> On Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 11:54 AM, Caroline Meeks < >> [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> Hi, >>> >>> This is a request for technical assistance for "Sugar on a Stick". >>> >>> It looks like we have a pilot school for our USB boot project, and a >>> grant proposal in so I am trying to think through various use cases around >>> creating ubiquitous access with a USB storage device. I've written up some >>> use cases here: >>> >>> >>> http://www.sugarlabs.org/go/DeploymentTeam/School_Key#Vision_of_different_ways_the_USB_might_work_in_the_students_environment >>> >>> I'd love thoughts on what is feasible, how hard, and how much benefit >>> would each scenario actually provide. >>> >>> I've done tests to show that "Home" and "Grandma's" are feasible. I'm >>> curious as to whether putting some of the boot files on the hard drive (Zoo) >>> could reduce boot time or have any other advanatages as most of our donated >>> computers will likely have working disk drives. I wonder if combining with >>> a LTSP or other virtualization scheme is possible (YMCA/School). >>> >>> Note all scenarios are fictional. >>> >>> Write your ideas here or on the Wiki page as you see fit. >>> >>> Thanks! >>> Caroline >>> >>> -- >>> Caroline Meeks >>> Solution Grove >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> >>> 617-500-3488 - Office >>> 505-213-3268 - Fax >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Sugar mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/sugar >>> >>> >> > > > -- > Caroline Meeks > Solution Grove > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > 617-500-3488 - Office > 505-213-3268 - Fax >
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