Release notes/11.3.0

EXTREMELY EARLY DRAFT

Purpose

This new OLPC software release adds support for the new XO-1.75 laptop, and includes some new features and bug fixes.

New features

Sugar-0.94

Sugar-0.94 is included in the release. This updated version includes various improvements such as more powerful View Source functionality, and easier file exchange between the Journal and the regular filesystem.

One notable change is that the Keep button has been removed from activities. Many users mistook this with Save, but actually Sugar saves all your work for you - you do not have to tell it do so. The now-removed Keep button's functionality could be better described as duplicate; those who used it with the intention of saving would actually end up with two copies of their work.

More information is available in the Sugar 0.94 release notes.

Activities

• All the activities were reviewed by the Design Team to do his user interface more consistent.

There are pending changes but we improved a lot in this cycle.

• The Portfolio activity has been added to the default set of activities shipped by OLPC. This activity automatically creates a slide show from Journal entries that have been 'starred'.

• GetBooks activity improved his interface to do easier the use of catalogs, and show hundred of available classic books.

• Distance activity can be used with different units and can be used with custom units too.

XO-1.75 support

A great deal of engineering effort has gone into the production of the hardware and software of OLPC's new XO-1.75 laptop. This new laptop model may look and feel the same as previous XOs, but represents a radical change internally: an ARM processor is now used (similar to those found in common mobile phones and tablets). The processor is now included on the same chip as the rest of the core system functionality, taking the definition of System-on-Chip to a new level.

The XO-1.75 also adds accelerometer hardware, presenting many new opportunities for user interaction with the laptop. For example, see Bert Freudenberg's example of how tilting of the laptop can be used to control a ball's motion in Etoys.

Many thanks to all Sugar and Fedora community members who have helped with development and testing of this new laptop and its software.

Installation

Installation is distinct from update. If you have user data on the laptop that you wish to preserve, you may want to follow the Update instructions, below.

XO-1.75

How to install signed build 880 of release 11.3.0 on XO-1.75.

The build is installed to the internal microSD device. You will need a USB drive or Secure Digital card of at least 1 GB capacity, but only for the duration of the installation.

ALL USER DATA WILL BE ERASED FROM THE LAPTOP!

• Prepare the USB or SD drive:
  • Download os880.zd4, see How to Download,
  • Save the file to the top directory of the drive,
  • Download os880.zd4.zsp.fs.zip,
  • Save the file to the top directory of the same drive,
  • Rename the file to fs.zip, (removing the os880.zd4.zsp part of the name),
  • Check that the drive contains at least the two files fs.zip and os880.zd4.

• Prepare the laptop:
  • Make a copy of any data you wish to keep,
  • Check the battery is inserted and locked,
  • Check that the power cord is in place and the battery indicator is green,
  • Turn off the laptop, unless it is already off,
  • Insert the USB drive into any USB port on the laptop,

• Start installing:
  • Hold down all four game keys above the power button,
  • Turn on the laptop,
  • Wait for the message Release the game keys to continue,
  • Release the game keys.

Installation progress will be displayed. Green colour will fill grey blocks. It will take about five minutes. Once finished, the laptop will reboot automatically. You may remove the USB or SD drive during or after the reboot.

The USB or SD drive can be used on other laptops.

If you see a message Boot failed then either:

• the USB or SD drive has not been properly prepared, or;
• the firmware is out of date and should be updated (see Firmware).

The above instructions assume that you are installing onto a 4 GB internal eMMC. For the 8 GB version, use the os880.zd8 and os880.zd8.zsp.fs.zip files.

If you have many laptops of different sizes, check out How to avoid downloading multiple sizes of a build, which applies equally to XO-1.75.

XO-1.5

How to install signed build 880 of release 11.3.0 on XO-1.5.

The build is installed to the internal microSD device. You will need a USB drive or Secure Digital card of at least 1 GB capacity, but only for the duration of the installation.

ALL USER DATA WILL BE ERASED FROM THE LAPTOP!

• Prepare the USB or SD drive:
  • Download os880.zd4, see How to Download,
  • Save the file to the top directory of the drive,
  • Download os880.zd4.zsp.fs.zip,
  • Save the file to the top directory of the same drive,
  • Rename the file to fs.zip, (removing the os880.zd4.zsp part of the name),
  • Check that the drive contains at least the two files fs.zip and os880.zd4.

• Prepare the laptop:
  • Make a copy of any data you wish to keep,
  • Check the battery is inserted and locked,
  • Check that the power cord is in place and the battery indicator is green,
  • Turn off the laptop, unless it is already off,
  • Insert the USB drive into any USB port on the laptop,

• Start installing:
  • Hold down all four game keys above the power button,
  • Turn on the laptop,
  • Wait for the message Release the game keys to continue,
  • Release the game keys.

Installation progress will be displayed. Green colour will fill grey blocks. It will take about ten minutes. Once finished, the laptop will reboot automatically. You may remove the USB or SD drive during or after the reboot.

The USB or SD drive can be used on other laptops.

If you see a message Boot failed then either:

• the USB or SD drive has not been properly prepared, or;
• the firmware is out of date and should be updated (see Firmware).

The above instructions assume that you are installing onto a 4 GB internal microSD card. For the 2 GB version, use the os880.zd2 file, and for the 8 GB version, use the os880.zd8 file. The downloads are roughly the same size.

If you have laptops of different sizes, check out How to avoid downloading multiple sizes of a build for a set of XO-1.5 where the microSD or SD card size varies.

XO-1

How to install signed build 880 of release 11.2.0 on XO-1.

The build is installed to the internal NAND flash device. You will need a USB drive or Secure Digital card of at least 1 GB capacity, but only for the duration of the installation.

ALL USER DATA WILL BE ERASED FROM THE LAPTOP!

• Prepare the USB or SD drive:
  • Download os880.img, see How to Download,
  • Save the file to the top directory of the drive,
  • Download os880.img.fs.zip,
  • Save the file to the top directory of the same drive,
  • Rename the file to fs.zip, (removing the os880.img part of the name),
  • Check that the drive contains at least the two files fs.zip and os880.img.

• Prepare the laptop:
  • Make a copy of any data you wish to keep,
  • Check the battery is inserted and locked,
  • Check that the power cord is in place and the battery indicator is green,
  • Turn off the laptop, unless it is already off,
  • Insert the USB drive into any USB port on the laptop,

• Start installing:
  • Hold down all four game keys above the power button,
  • Turn on the laptop,
  • Wait for the message Release the game keys to continue,
  • Release the game keys.

Installation progress will be displayed. Green colour will fill yellow blocks. It will take about five minutes. Once finished, the laptop will reboot automatically. You may remove the USB or SD drive during or after the reboot.

The USB or SD drive can be used on other laptops.

If you see a message Boot failed then either:

• the USB or SD drive has not been properly prepared, or;
• the firmware is out of date and should be updated (see Firmware).

There are no other build sizes for XO-1.

Update

You may wish to update from a previous version of the operating system. This method preserves most user data, the Sugar Journal and installed Sugar Activities, but does not preserve certain operating system customizations such as additional packages.

(Update is distinct from install. If you have followed the install procedures above, then you need not follow this section.)

Preparation

To prepare for an operating system update:

• remove as much saved content as you no longer need,
• remove any large activities you no longer need (in the Home view, erase them),
• remove any large collections (library content) you no longer need, and;
• use Software update to ensure the Terminal activity is the latest available version.

Follow the instructions in one of the subsections below, according to which method and laptop model you are using.

Simple Online Update

• establish an internet connection from the laptop (if you plan to do online update),
• start the laptop normally,
• start the Terminal Activity, and depending on the laptop model type:

XO-1.75

sudo olpc-update candidate_xo1.75-880

XO-1.5

sudo olpc-update candidate_xo1.5-880

XO-1

sudo olpc-update candidate-880

See Simple Online Update for more detail about the method.

Simple Offline Update

• download a .usb and .toc file, see How to Download,
  • for XO-1.75
    • os880.usb,
    • os880.toc,
  • for XO-1.5
    • os880.usb,
    • os880.toc,
  • for XO-1
    • os880.usb,
    • os880.toc,
• put them on a USB drive,
• boot the laptop normally,
• plug the USB drive into the laptop,
• start the Terminal Activity, and type:

sudo olpc-update --usb

See Simple Offline Update for more detail about the method.

After the Update

• Sugar will attempt to update its Activities -- you should be online for the Activity Updater to complete.

known issues:

1. 11306