Emulating the XO/Quick Start
From OLPC
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This page will help you get a look at the XO software, by running a "virtual XO" in an emulator. Another option is burning a LiveCD.
This page is being revised. Until that is completed, non-Windows users may find the old version easier to use.
[edit] Who should read this page
If you don't have access to an actual XO laptop but have some time, patience, and would like to get a taste of how the software looks and feels, this page will guide you through running an emulated XO laptop on your non-XO machine (desktop, laptop, etc). This means that your computer will pretend to be an XO - minus some of the special hardware features.
No programming/Linux experience is assumed, but patience and a sense of humor are required; getting emulation running can be tricky. Estimated time to completion is 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on your system and experience.
If you have any questions or suggestions on how to improve this walkthrough, please contact Mitra.
[edit] What to expect
This "virtual XO" was created as a software development tool. It is not intended for general use, and many things will not work. It is "just to get a taste" of what the laptop is like (and to help software developers). With time and people constraints, we are focused on the real XO.
- The camera and video will not work.
- Things are slower than on the actual machine. If you are unable to install qemu's kqemu accelerator, very much slower.
- You will see a snapshot of the past. The instructions will have you download the "latest stable build", which is sometimes quite a few weeks old. Development is very rapid. Things will be missing or different compared with the present.
- While rapidly maturing, this is still "alpha" software.
- TamTam, the popular music program, will likely not work (no sound).
[edit] Getting started with QEMU
Choose your Operating System:
