Point of clarification. The next sticks we are getting will not be randomly given out to people. We are going to use them for: 1. Working with classes of kids at computer labs for an hour or two. In an ideal world we could let them keep their stick so they could work on thier project after the class is over. We hope to get testing and publicity from these events. 2. Giving out at FOSS VT. A conference for educators interested in Free and Open Source Software. I'd like to see if we can get people back channeling the conference through Sugar Chat and shared write. If we are going to do conferences on a regular we'll need to get them cobranded and have someone else pay. Then it would be way cool to have them in the conference goodie bag with everyone at the conference talking and sharing through sugar. We could have Browse set to the conference home page. It could be very fun at education conferences. But we need to get someone else to pay. :) As companies will often pay for a branded USB stick without anything on it to go in the conference goodie bag this seems like a realistic hope. <div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 3:41 PM, David Farning <<a href="mailto:dfarning@sugarlabs.org">dfarning@sugarlabs.org</a>> wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> This become an issue of cost effectiveness. I understand Branded USBs are on the order of $8 a stick. The Fedora Ambassadors tried giving away USB keys. Thye found that they were not cost effective. The high cost per unit combined with the low 'stick rate' made them unfeasible. I understand everybody who walked by, grabbed a stick. After all, who turns down a free USB stick. With CDs people who grab one at least have some level of interest about the product. This leads me to believe that good old LiveCDs will continue to be our primary introduction method. USB keys will be a higher cost method for higher potential users. For example: We give a way CDs in our booth at a conference. We give away USB sticks as part of Sugar related talks. david 2009/3/1 Eben Eliason <<a href="mailto:eben@laptop.org">eben@laptop.org</a>>: <div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c">> As I understand it, this cannot be so simple because it needs to be a > bootable image, and not just a set of files. I'd also suspect there's > partitioning being done (not sure) so that user data can still be > stored on it as well. > > An alternative proposal (if Sugar Labs is willing to assume the > overhead involved) is to offer "Sugarsticks" at cost to those who want > them. We could even brand them with the sugar logo, perhaps, in its > variety of colors. Reducing the barrier to entry like this would make > it really easy for people to try, and "commercializing" like this > gives the project a certain credibility; a realness. > > In a way, we could give kids an attachment to their "Sugarstick" > similar to that of kids to their XOs. > > - Eben > > > On Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 12:27 PM, Tomeu Vizoso <<a href="mailto:tomeu@sugarlabs.org">tomeu@sugarlabs.org</a>> wrote: >> Hi, >> >> I'm wondering if it may be possible to lower further the barrier for >> the less technical users that want to download sugar on a stick. >> >> Maybe we could offer a .zip for download that can be expanded on a >> bootable usb stick and just work? >> >> Regards, >> >> Tomeu >> _______________________________________________ >> Sugar-devel mailing list >> <a href="mailto:Sugar-devel@lists.sugarlabs.org">Sugar-devel@lists.sugarlabs.org</a> >> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel</a> >> > _______________________________________________ > Sugar-devel mailing list > <a href="mailto:Sugar-devel@lists.sugarlabs.org">Sugar-devel@lists.sugarlabs.org</a> > <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel</a> > _______________________________________________ Sugar-devel mailing list <a href="mailto:Sugar-devel@lists.sugarlabs.org">Sugar-devel@lists.sugarlabs.org</a> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel</a> </div></div></blockquote></div> -- Caroline Meeks Solution Grove Caroline@SolutionGrove.com 617-500-3488 - Office 505-213-3268 - Fax