[Sugar-devel] State of Sugar?

[C. Cossé]

Hi Christoph,

Yes, I'm familiar, but I was talking in the context of ways to help
Sugar/Sugarizer platforms, not for me personally.  I just used myself as an
example.  Where there is one, there are usually more ...

Cheers,
-Charlie

On Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 1:42 PM Christoph Derndorfer-Medosch <
christoph.derndorfer at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Charlie,
>
> have you looked at Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/)? I've supported two
> or three open source developers via it over the years and am finding it a
> low-friction way to do that via exactly the kind of monthly
> subscriptions/donations that you mention.
>
> Cheers,
> Christoph
>
> On Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 9:25 PM C. Cossé <ccosse at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hello all,
>>
>> I would like to mention that there are probably other people, besides
>> myself, who would love to develop their ideas for education software, if
>> only there were some way to get paid.  I used to make free education
>> software back when I had kids and could afford the time.  I personally
>> still have a list of un-implemented ideas for education software which I'd
>> love to work on, but the factor that makes it possible is missing, ie
>> money.  It wouldn't necessarily be too difficult to modify the Sugar (and
>> Sugarizer) eco-systems to promote compensation of developers.  For example:
>> someone likes a project and wants to encourage further development by
>> "putting $500 on it".  Or, since that might not happen very often, then
>> convert into a "subscription" system in which subscription fees are used to
>> compensate developers, perhaps allowing the subscriber choose which
>> projects to support.  If there are people who want to develop and other
>> people who want to support such work, then it could be successful.
>>
>> Just sayin' :)
>>
>> -Charlie Cosse
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 3:47 AM Christoph Derndorfer-Medosch <
>> christoph.derndorfer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> a quick thought experiment from another old-timer and long-term lurker
>>> here:
>>>
>>> James, I think one might also turn your assessment on its head:
>>>
>>> "The *low number of contributors* to Sugar Labs, Sugar, Sugarizer,
>>> and Music Blocks is *due to the focus that we have, and it's unclear*. The
>>> relatively *small amount of continued contributions* alone will *not
>>> have any real effect on that*.
>>>
>>> Sugar Labs contributors *will arrive and thrive* if there is a *clear
>>> Sugar Labs focus*."
>>>
>>> Just my 2 euro cents,
>>> Christoph
>>>
>>> On Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 8:53 AM James Cameron <quozl at laptop.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I disagree that the focus has shifted or that it should be shifted
>>>> back to what it was.  The state of Sugar Labs, Sugar, Sugarizer, and
>>>> Music Blocks is due to the contributors we have, and they are too few.
>>>> No amount of refocusing will have any real effect on that.
>>>>
>>>> Sugar Labs will thrive if there are contributors.
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 11:40:58PM +0100, Bastien wrote:
>>>> > Thanks James.
>>>> >
>>>> > So Sugar is maintained by a handful of people but it is not actively
>>>> > developed anymore.  Sugar Labs puts some efforts in maintaining it but
>>>> > does not really know who is still using it.  Sugar Labs also hosts the
>>>> > Sugarizer project, which is well alive and reaching children at least
>>>> > in France.
>>>> >
>>>> > I hope this does sound approximatively correct.
>>>> >
>>>> > Sugar Labs was all about provoking a change in the way we experience
>>>> > education (learning and teaching) through the development of Sugar, as
>>>> > a flagship for such a change.  This flagship was designed around a few
>>>> > core principles and powerful ideas that are still alive and relevant
>>>> > today: namely focus, reflection and collaboration.
>>>> >
>>>> > I think we all agree these core principles will survive the software.
>>>> >
>>>> > What if Sugar Labs focus was not to promote Sugar (which is dying) but
>>>> > to help build a network of contributors around these core principles?
>>>> >
>>>> > What if we insist on the "Labs" more than on the "Sugar"?
>>>> >
>>>> > The Free Software Foundation is saying over and over that children
>>>> > should use free software.  But building free educational software is
>>>> > something very few people are interested in doing seriously, and the
>>>> > ones willing to do it by following the aforementioned core principles
>>>> > may not want to rely on Sugar or Sugarizer.
>>>> >
>>>> > How to help these people?
>>>> >
>>>> > You know my love for this project and my commitment to helping OLPC
>>>> > back in the times, Sugar Labs community and Sugarizer today.  But I
>>>> > don't feel the pulse of the Sugar community anymore, and I think that
>>>> > may be because the focus is back on the software, rather than on the
>>>> > core principles and the people themselves.
>>>> >
>>>> > Stated otherwise: if Alan K., Seymour P., Cynthia S. and Walter were
>>>> > back again in the same room to discuss the future of education, what
>>>> > would they propose?  Could Sugar Labs host these new ideas?
>>>> >
>>>> > --
>>>> >  Bastien
>>>> > _______________________________________________
>>>> > Sugar-devel mailing list
>>>> > Sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>>> > http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> James Cameron
>>>> http://quozl.netrek.org/
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Sugar-devel mailing list
>>>> Sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Christoph Derndorfer
>>>
>>> volunteer, OLPC (Austria) / co-founder, TechnikBasteln® [
>>> www.technikbasteln.net]
>>>
>>> e-mail: christoph at derndorfer.eu
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Sugar-devel mailing list
>>> Sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> ccosse.github.io
>>
>
>
> --
> Christoph Derndorfer
>
> volunteer, OLPC (Austria) / co-founder, TechnikBasteln® [
> www.technikbasteln.net]
>
> e-mail: christoph at derndorfer.eu
>
>

-- 

ccosse.github.io
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