[Its.an.education.project] Where do you want to go today?

[Edward Cherlin]

On Fri, May 2, 2008 at 8:52 AM, Bernie Innocenti <bernie at codewiz.org> wrote:
> [cc list]
>
>  Walter Bender wrote:
>  > I don't think we can pick up the entire load of supporting the OLPC
>  > platform. OLPC has to do that. But I think we can maintain a great
>  > working relationship with the core Tech Team.

The XO, you mean? As far as I am concerned, it's their baby. If we
could buy for resale on practical terms, I would take a different
view. I believe that we need to support Sugar in Linux packages and on
new hardware such as the proposed Pixel Qi $75 computer. Can anybody
get through to Mary Lou these days? I know that she is furiously busy
with the venture capitalists and other essential startup matters.

>  Agreed, but maybe we should ship a full OS image nevertheless,
>  at least for emulators such as QEMU.
>
>  Otherwise, how do we distribute Sugar for public evaluation?
>  RPMs and debs for the various distros?   It's a possibility, but
>  it seems a little weak as a demo...

That depends in part on who "we" are. We can invite in those who are
doing the current packages and Live CDs.

>  We could endorse groups or individuals who want to provide Sugar
>  "distributions", such as Wolfgang Rohrmoser, Kurt Gramlich with the
>  LiveCD, and Aaron Kaplan with the Classmate port.  OpenWRT also seems
>  to be doing progress on OLPC support.  Red Hat may also be interested
>  to resume work on it.

That, too.

>  > Regarding support, I am concerned that we'll need to support Sugar
>  > regardless of whether or not we "sell" to end users and we need a
>  > connection to end users in order to get the feedback necessary to keep
>  > grounded. Maybe a for-profit entity is the best way to think about the
>  > support problem.
>
>  Yes, it's a well tested business model.

One of the biggest problems at OLPC has been the lack of contact
between the community and the users. We have to open up that
conversation. However, I expect the children to be able to handle
support within a year. They would be able to go on to outsourced
support of almost anything that they have the opportunity and
willingness to learn.

>  The rest of the quote to provide more context for everybody else:
>
>  > On Fri, May 2, 2008 at 9:38 AM, Bernie Innocenti <bernie at codewiz.org> wrote:
>  >> Walter Bender wrote:
>  >>
>  >>> I think it is clear what we ant to do: find a home for Sugar where it
>  >>> can grow in both a principled way and in a way that broadens its
>  >>> reach. But we shouldn't abandon the project on the XO, even if there
>  >>> is instability and uncertainty at OLPC.

So far there has been no effort to chase us out of the volunteer
community AFAIK so I see no problem there. But things could change.

>  >>> I think the next steps are consensus on the scope of what Sugar is and
>  >>> the structure of its new home. In regard to the latter, I think we
>  >>> should try to keep it simple and aligned with other projects.

There are an awful lot of projects that we could align with in
software, education, every subject matter field, communications
technology, and economic opportunity for our graduates and students.

>  >>  I think I am the only platform developer in the group.  Unless Chris,
>  >>  Michal, Scott and Dilinger join in -- which is likely, but not
>  >>  imminent -- we'd be seriously understaffed to do the whole OS on
>  >>  our own.

I think that when we put out a public announcement of the opportunity
to Do Sugar Right we will get a more than adequate response.

>  >>  On the other hand, if we want to get into the business of integrating
>  >>  Sugar with several different hardware platforms, we'd have to do some
>  >>  hiring.  Given my background, of course I'd _love_ to work in this area.

We need to talk with Mary Lou before we do anything on other platforms.

>  >>  Frankly speaking, I also view this as an interesting for-profit
>  >>  business opportunity.  I see a large market here and nobody being
>  >>  better positioned in it than us.

Exactly. That was one of the ideas for Earth Treasury when OLPC was
the only game in town but wouldn't play. I will cheerfully hand over
the plan if I can be a part of it here.

>  >>> In parallel, I am also trying to put together a plan for a broader
>  >>> focus on learning, where Sugar would be the technology core. I think
>  >>> this will help with scoping the various efforts.

We need, in my view, to create the enterprise for rethinking and
reworking the textbook, actually planning for localization, and
creating documentation of a number of different kinds for various
audiences of stakeholders: at least schoolchildren of different ages,
teachers, parents, education researchers, subject matter specialists,
education officials, government, NGOs, and the general public.

Also we need to find a way to bring together the splintered NGO
community around several topics and goals. If we can make money, and
thus fund the spread of availale best practices to the whole world, we
and our partners would greatly accelerate the ending of poverty and
oppression in the world. We would then be able to address several
further problems such as global warming and environmental degradation
together with a new generation of children much less bound by the
mental strictures which conventional education was designed to impose.

Where we can go after that I don't know, but I will gladly let another
generation take up where I and my generation must leave off.

>  >>  Yes.  I have no contacts and experience here, but it's clearly needed.

We will be able to call on the best there are to supply such lacks.

>  >>> I am still on the fence about the support issue,
>  >>>
>  >>  What support issue?  I think we won't be "selling" to end users
>  >>  directly, or did I misunderstood our middle-term intentions?

We haven't even asked the questions properly. There is no way we could
have the right answers yet.

>  --
>    \___/
>   _| o |  Bernie Innocenti - http://www.codewiz.org/
>   \|_X_|  "It's an education project, not a laptop project!"
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-- 
Edward Cherlin
End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business
http://www.EarthTreasury.org/
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay