Talk:Software components

Have you considered adding Mono as a software component of the OLPC?

If Sugar was running on Mono, it would make it easier to write Activities in languagues other than Python. For example Java, C#, possible Ruby: http://www.mono-project.com/Languages

IronPython is an implementation of Python that runs on Mono. It is supposed to be faster than CPython. There is a reference to that on the original IronPython page. The current IronPython page is: http://www.codeplex.com/Wiki/View.aspx?ProjectName=IronPython

I've read that the final version of the OLPC will run Windows (according to this article, that is why the SD slot was added). Will these applications also be on the final Windows version or will they be rewritten?

removed

• A basic quizzing web application with around 20 quizzes built by CERTY

In general web applications, while accessible from the laptops, will not be bundled onto the laptop. --Walter 02:50, 4 November 2006 (EST)

The problem with Mono is that it allows too many languages to be used, each of which requires its own support libraries. The OLPC doesn't have the storage to spare for Python libs, Ruby libs, C# libs, etc.

Python has the power to build the type of applications that would be useful in an educational environment. That's why it was chosen. The laptop also supports Javascript in xulrunner and csound. And programs can be written in C as well.

The laptop is not a PC in the conventional sense. It has very limited memory and will be used in a very different networking environment from a PC. Most software will need to be written specifically for OLPC or heavily modified to suit a very different environment. Python is the ideal language for this development work.