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

[Tony Anderson]

Our need is a deployable device - one that can be purchased in 
quantities of 30+.
If we develop a technique to install Sugar on such a device, that can be 
done for all of them at
the time of deployment. So, if anyone can find a suitable tablet with a 
manageable price (less than $100)
and can install Sugar on it from a usb drive - it would be a boon.

Sora Edwards-Thro is planning a deployment with the $50 Kindle Fire (an 
Android derivative). Her intent
is to use Sugarizer. I would recommend adding the GCompris Android 
version. What she really needs is
a Sugarized version of the WriteBook activity. So far, no one has 
stepped up to take that on. Naturally, the strategic
interest is how well the Kindle supports learning.

Tony

On 04/06/2016 10:03 PM, Dave Crossland wrote:
>
> Hey Jonas
>
> A nice surprise to see you here :)
>
> On 6 April 2016 at 09:29, Jonas Smedegaard <dr at jones.dk 
> <mailto: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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