Meet the OLPC Team Behind the "Sugarized" User Interface

   
   
   
   
   

After two days of constant OLPC XO BTest-3 hardware upgrade coverage, thoughts, and impacts, its time to remember the greater vision, the complete One Laptop Per Child program. What better way to remember that this project is about people, not machines, that to see a wonderful soft-music-background video exploration of the talented OLPC leadership by Red Hat, a major OLPC sponsor:

If you get all fired up by the video and want to participate in the largest monoculture computer distribution ever attempted, then check out Red Hat's other recent OLPC-related release: a step by step tutorial on how to construct a Sugarized activity in Python.

While you are reading the tutorial, be aware of Christopher Blizzard's achievement with Sugar:

Notice how incredibly simple it is to write an activity. Set up one descriptor file, one icon, and a source file. Copy those files into a directory on the laptop and you’re ready to go.

You don’t have to learn the entire RPM build system to be able to get an activity on the laptop. You don’t have to put random files all over the place on the file system nor do you have to know the details of %configure, or how the macro system works or how you need to re-run ldconfig if you happen to use a library. The cognitive load is shifted from learning everything about how we package software to actually writing the software itself. You also don’t need root access to install software and, holy crap, it’s trivial for me to give you a piece of software that I have on my machine.

And so let this be a call to action, be your turn to Sugarize code, and be your opportunity to join the OLPC developer team.

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4 Comments

Wow, very impressed that such sensible steps are being made to reduce barriers to involvement in the project.

That was a very nice video clip, it'll go a long way in helping people to understand OLPC's efforts. Could anyone please send me a link to this video (via my Yahoo-360...link included or email). I'd like to tag the video as an "extra" while I help to inform people in Nigeria where I'm on the OLPC4Nigeria test team. Thanks.

While it's a little on the feely touchy side the video is excellent and I'm very much looking forward to the next episodes!

Cops are nervous about the 2.3mb picture the headless guys and the sissors they said do not let that happen agian. One more chance. We have a crossing guard going to Mass. next week we will chaeck it out then.
Based on a true story. Just playing but every thing is fact exceptwhat the cops said. 2.3mb the travling crossing guard 2out of 3 aint bad!

Now recently it was stated that 2500 were supposed to be handed out in March 2007.
Now there is an issue about 150 Million. Are you sure that this is going to happen at all?.
I have been monitoring the program and there is some thing very strange going on.
As you seem to be in some ways connected to the program based on your style.
If for some reason something prevents the laptop form being delivered what then?
Is there going to be an unfortunate mishap like a boat sinking or shipment plane crashing with the laptops?
There are also a much deeper security concerns about the set up based on some very interesting evidence that came to light about size in the regular main frame.
Why are there several pictures on the site with heads blocked out like covered as well as scissors displayed while men stand in a photo with there heads cut out.
IS this going to be a DHS issue?
I hope that something happens soon either you give them or don't. In my up an coming Visa Report this concept of style will be fully discussed but in relation to another company. If the laptops are not received in conjunction with this report. No one is going to say any thing but it was there own fault for beliving OLPC in the first place.
Then you will all be discredited because this is going down.For that lind of cash I should watch for my life right. Maybe not I live on the edge.
150Million X'x$130.00== No wonder the CEO of Visa left. Is he waiting at the bottom of the pyramid for a pick up?

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