Contributors program/September 5, 2008

where : IRC - irc.freenode.net, #olpc-meeting

time   : 1800 UTC / 1400 EST
duration: 15 minutes

Agenda

• laptops out to date / this week
• local laptop pools (temporary, long term)
• process for community review
• outstanding requests (see below)

  Requests from countries : South Africa, Pakistan, Egypt

  Requests for events : morgs (SA), paulf (deb-ambs), hpachas (peru)

• bulk chargers, solar and other devices

Attendees

• --Sj talk
• --gregdek

Projects reviewed

SqueakBot (4)

On the software side, I\'m the main developper of SqueakBot, currently porting it to the XO platform. I've advanced knowledge of the Squeak environment.

For the next Scifest festival (http://www.scifest.org.za/) in South-Africa, we would like to propose a workshop around robots cooperation. This would involve 4 teams of 2 to 3 children for 3 hours long workshops during a week. Each team would develop control programs for a robot through the XO (cf the SqueakBot project) and set up cooperation schemes to achieve a global mission. Complete project description here: http://skadge.free.fr/wiki/doku.php?id=collaborativerobotsworkshop

Cyberlector (4)

Our experience with the information technologies is linked to the topic of assistive technologies.

• Experiencia con el hardware:

Our team has experience in adjustment of conventional portable equipment for the use of persons with visual disability; both to a level of monitors as to a level of devices of audio exit. Likewise, we have experience in the development of simple models of antennas amplifiers of wireless internet sign.

• Experiencia con el Software:

Along our activities, CIDESI has applied programs of access to the computer as screen readers, magnifiers, browsers, speakers, etc. In all these activities, we have worked with licensed programs also with programs of free distribution, for example: Home Page Reader, JFW, DUAL, WebIE, NVDA, WAT, and others. But, our main experience has been linked with the development of the software Web Infolector. A program that allows acceding to on line books of accessible and simple way. This is a program that is designed to be administered by a blind librarian.

I. General Analysis

A. Physical design exam: To carry out an examination of the keyboard distribution and the control elements of the devices of graphical exit and of audio exit.

B. Examination of the graphical interfaces and of audio: It is foreseen to examine the quality and the modulation in the services that the graphical interface offers. An examination that includes the size, the contrast graduation and the elements’ movement of the screen.

C. Analysis of the user interfaces’ codification: It is foreseen to carry out an analysis of the compatibility between the operating system and the video controllers that include the equipment to identify points or aspects of improvement in their performance.

D. Examination of the audio quality and its configuration options: In the same way as the previous text, it is foreseen to examine the audio quality with the purpose to facilitate the use of voice synthesis for blind users. Likewise, it will carry out an examination of the options of sound control and the use of earphones.

II. Development of an Accessible Model Implemented with Adapted Technologies of Free Distribution

- Incorporation of a module of characters’ magnification It will develop tests with some of the tools for low vision that run in Fedora, in order to know the equipment behavior and to identify the best services.

- Configuration of accessibility attributes in the graphical interface It will carry out configuration and modulation activities of the attributes of graphical interface with the purpose of listing the available options for the final user. It is sought to make the options included for fault compatible in the operating system with the options the help product offers.

- Configuration of accessibility attributes in the audio interface This task will be aimed to optimize the sound performance in the equipment and of the operating system, from the own operating system included in the equipment as from the assistance product.

- Testing of the Proposed Model

Testing of the graphical interface This activity foresees the participation of users with low vision, people with diverse degrees of diminished vision to know the behavior of the adapted proposals in the model. This activity will develop from the installation of the assistance products up to the configuration of final user.

Testing of the audio interface This activity includes the participation of blind users. The intention is to validate the sound functionality, the audio qualities through a routine controlled by the own blind user. It is foreseen to list all the control options including the option of make independent the audio display, the video display to allow saving energy of the equipment on the part of the blind users.

III. Final presentation and production of Recommendations

Production of a video presenting the results

It is foreseen to edit a video with a routine of use of the accessible model on the part of users with low vision. It is sought to present all the incidents of the user (with visual disability) with the adapted equipment.

Production of a Final report It will produce a set of punctual recommendations on the presence or lack of accessibility attributes for users with visual disabilities.

Fed. Ambassadors (5)

david nalley, ke4qqq same as inode's req? doublecheck

The Fedora Ambassadors seek to utilize XOs to recruit new contributors to the Fedora Project\'s OLPC SIG. Essentially we are asking for one laptop per NA region - one in Canada and three in the US. The XO would rotate between Ambassadors who would receive the laptop for one month at a time - and in that month get in front of at least 3 groups and showing off the XO and urging people to get involved in the contributing. Ambassadors have access to large segments of the \"geek\" population, often asked to speak all over the country. In addition it fills a nice void that exists within the OLPC and Fedora OLPC-SIG which is how people can get involved. Having personally seen people purchase G1G1 units in hopes of getting involved with development - only to see them flounder because \'getting involved\' appeared to be quite a daunting task in itself. Being placed within Fedora, Ambassadors can provide a gentle introduction into contributing to OLPC from within Fedora to those users, and there are clearly outlined processes for contributing.

Enveria

For 5 years I have been actively running several ITC companies that develop software for customers, as well as supporting the Enveria IDE.

There is an existing Enveria IDE for desktop software development. The next version is intended to contain more components that will expand the role of this software tool so that it will become a much more collaborative system.

In keeping with the OLPC/Sugar idea of \'activity\' as opposed to \'application\' this will become an Activity Development Environment (ADE).

The initial aim is to integrate communication, project management, and code repository components to allow for better native internal support for team work in the development of activities/applications. Our goal is to foster more effective team building and also development of individual programming skill in new learners and old hands alike.

With this in mind, the idea of the OLPC mesh and the overall aims of the project (and that of Sugar) are very much complimentary to the aims of Enveria.

While grafting existing aspects of Enveria onto Sugar would take some amount of time, it could certainly be done without the aid of the underlying hardware. However, to best match the newer collaborative features we would require access to hardware.

Eastern Cape Schools

Ronald Wertlen is looking for 150 machines... passed to darah.