[Sugar-devel] Python is good - don't waste time (was Re: The future of Sugar on XO-1s)

[Dave Crossland]

Hey Jonas

A nice surprise to see you here :)

On 6 April 2016 at 09:29, Jonas Smedegaard <dr at jones.dk> wrote:

> Quoting Dave Crossland (2016-04-06 14:42:57)
> > On 6 April 2016 at 02:59, <sam at sam.today> wrote:
> >
> >> You can install GNU on a chromebook, you can install GNU on computer,
> >> you can install GNU on some tablets.  Those are the pedagogic devices
> >> of now and the future.  Those run faster with Gtk than with WebKit.
> >
> >
> > Will devices running GNU and Sugar desktops get into the hands of most
> > of the world's poor children in the next 10 years?
>
> Devices *not* running GNU (and therefore Sugar desktop) are likely
> devices not in the control of its owner.
>
> Underlying question is therefore if it matters that the device "in the
> hands" of those kids is in their own control or not.
>
> Only if it does not matter is it relevant to consider throwing away the
> work done developing Sugar-atop-a-POSIX-system and instead invest only
> in developing Sugar-atop-a-web-browser.
>

It would be nice if the devices came with GNU preinstalled. Sure! :)

But, they won't.

So, how will GNU get on them?

If the owners learn to love computers, as you and I love computers, then
they will care to assert control and run GNU.

That is, afterall, how we first came to be running GNU. Not sure about you
old boy, but I was 16 when I installed my first distro. The learning
experience changed my life.

Sugarizer presents a viable way to help them learn to love computers with
the computers they have.

GNU/Sugar is the platform kids deserves, but not the one they need right
now.

The way I see it, the OLPC strategy of shipping devices with GNU on them
isn't reaching most kids.

Sugar Labs first press release stated an intention to court other hardware
vendors. AFAIK there were and are none, and if Sugar Labs got into selling
hardware it still wouldn't matter, and would just compete with what is left
of OLPC. The Infinity laptop being built in Australia is great, all power
to them, but it shouldn't be the leading strategy.

The SOAS strategy of booting devices into GNU, and offering Activities from
ASLO, also fails to reach most kids, cause in MOST cases their devices
can't boot SOAS anyway. And as I said the other day, the cold hard fact is
that ASLO traffic is down 90% over the last 3 years.

So look, don't get me wrong. For this year, and the next year, and the next
year, the way Sugarizer Activities are integrated into GNU/Sugar is GREAT.
I am NOT advocating that we "throw out the great technologies we have now,"
and I'm sorry if I was unclear in my admittedly provocative thinkpiece;
that is simply not how Sugar + Sugarizer works today, so its nothing to be
worried about :)

What I _am_ advocating for is a vision, a mission, and a strategy for what
Sugar Labs will do over the next 1, 3, 5, 10 years with the mission.

As clear as I can distill it, it is this:

Sugar is high quality software for children to learn with, especially
younger children.


If we don't meet kids where they are at, we will not convert as many of
them into computer lovers as we could. Focusing on the development of
GNU/Sugar as the primary platform for the next 10 years is not meeting kids
where they are at. Dropping development of GNU/Sugar would be immoral,
given 100,000s of kids using it daily. But to get to 1,000,000,000 kids, it
can not be the primary focus.

Only web based software can reach a billion kids.

So Sugar has to become high quality web based software for children to
learn with.
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