[Sugar-devel] [PATCH] Display build number at Name Page

[Simon Schampijer]

On 07/08/2011 02:26 PM, Daniel Drake wrote:
> On 15 June 2011 16:01, Esteban Bordón<ebordon at plan.ceibal.edu.uy>  wrote:
>> This patch show the build number in the name page for first boot (see
>> attached file). It's very useful to test the correct massive flashing for
>> technical team.
>
> I have a lot of experience handing out laptops to our target first
> time users (young children, often in places with little access to
> computers), and this screen is their first interaction with the
> laptop.
>
> It may sound excessive and a little unbelievable, but this first step
> really is a very challenging and stressful experience for everyone
> involved. This screen must be kept as simple as possible.
>
> For example, in Ethiopia, with all laptops strictly turned off, the
> teacher explained (in the local language, of course) what the first
> steps with the laptop are - write your name, pick your colour. At the
> same time, I drew the screens on the blackboard. We then ran through
> this in person, and the teacher used me as an example. She asked for
> my name, which I told her, then wrote in the "Name:" box that we had
> drawn on the board. Simple? Most children in that class turned on the
> laptop having not really understood their own teacher, and wrote
> "Daniel" in the name box.
>
> Or in Nicaragua, where a very young girl looking very blankly and
> nervously at the screen, eventually found enough courage to talk to
> the odd foreigner in front of her and finally responded to my
> question: "What's your name?". Maria. "How do you spell it?"
> m-a-r-i-a. "Can you see the M key on the laptop?". Yes - she points at
> it. "Ok, now press it with your finger."  She looked blankly for a
> while and said "I...can't"
>
> I have a lot more experiences like this. Even the next steps are
> difficult where children don't understand that they have to move the
> mouse to the "Next" button before clicking, or they don't understand
> why the click was necessary (isn't pointing at the button with the
> mouse enough?).
>
> So while I can see some value in a quick communication of the
> installed software version details for a small proportion of people
> involved, I think displaying it in this form would just add to the
> huge amount of confusion that our target users experience when they
> first receive their laptop.
>
> Instead, I would suggest that it be made available by a keypress for
> the technically inclined. This is already the case (Ctrl+Alt+F2). But
> if that really is insufficient then perhaps it could be temporarily
> shown on the Sugar naming screen while Ctrl+Shift are held down, or
> something like that.
>
> Daniel

Thanks Daniel for your thoughts on this. As I said in an earlier mail I 
am against overloading the naming page with build information. A 
compromise to show it on a special key sounds ok to me.

I still like the idea of displaying it during the boot process as well. 
Sascha, do you have a link to the dextrose patch for that?

Regards,
    Simon