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{|class="wikitable" cellpadding="2" style="border: 1px solid darkgray;" align="right"
|- style="font-size:120%"
|- style="font-size:120%"
| colspan=2 style="background:#D2B48C" height="60" width="120" align="center"| Download and Install XSCE
| colspan=2 style="background:#D2B48C" height="60" width="200" align="center" | Download and Install!
|-
|-
| colspan=2 style="background:#FFEBCD" height="60" width="120" align="center"| [[Image:Green_and_white_machine.jpg|80px]]<br />OLPC XO-1.5, XO-1.75 or XO-4
| colspan=2 style="background:#FFEBCD" height="60" width="120" align="center" | [[Image:rpi-logo.jpg|link=http://download.iiab.io/|80px]]<br />Raspberry Pi 3, 3 B+, 4, 400
|-
|-
| colspan=2 style="background:#ADD8E6" height="40" width="120" align="center"| [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2014-July/007464.html Online Install]
| colspan=2 style="background:#ADD8E6" height="40" width="120" align="center" | [http://download.iiab.io/ Download]
|-
|-
| colspan=2 style="background:#FFEBCD" height="60" width="120" align="center"| Intel NUC, x86 PC or Laptop
| colspan=2 style="background:#FFEBCD" height="60" width="120" align="center" | [[Image:Intelnuc-640x353ss.jpg|link=http://download.iiab.io/]]<br />Ubuntu, Debian, Mint<!--x86 PC/Laptop, NUC, BRIX, MSI-->
|-
|-
| style="background:#ADD8E6" height="40" width="120" align="center"| [[/FAQ#Is_a_quick_installation_possible.3F | Rapid Offline Install (6.0 RC1)]]
| colspan=2 style="background:#ADD8E6" height="40" width="120" align="center" | [http://download.iiab.io/ Download]
| style="background:#F0F8FF" height="40" width="120" align="center"| [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2014-July/007464.html Online Install]
|-
|-
| colspan=2 style="background:#FFEBCD" height="60" width="120" align="center"| [[Image:rpi-logo.jpg|80px]]<br />Raspberry Pi
| colspan=2 style="background:#FFEBCD" height="60" width="120" align="center" | [[Image:Green_and_white_machine.jpg|link=https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-Installation#do-everything-from-scratch|80px]]<br />OLPC XO-1.5, XO-1.75, XO-4
|-
|-
| style="background:#ADD8E6" height="40" width="120" align="center"| [https://github.com/XSCE/xsce/blob/master/docs/INSTALL.rst#install-on-raspberry-pi-2 Offline image copy to SD card]
| colspan=2 style="background:#ADD8E6" height="40" width="120" align="center" | [https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-Installation#do-everything-from-scratch Download]
| style="background:#ADD8E6" height="40" width="120" align="center"| [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2014-July/007464.html Online Install]
|}
|}


Welcome to the School Server Community Edition (XSCE, or http://schoolserver.org), a global project where volunteer professionals are taking the [http://UnleashKids.org One Laptop per Child movement] into a new decade, enabling quality learning among the world's poorest children.
Welcome to '''[http://internet-in-a-box.org Internet-in-a-Box (IIAB)]''' which is a global community of volunteer professionals taking the [http://UnleashKids.org One Laptop per Child movement] into a new decade, enabling quality learning among the world's poorest children. ''Note that we officially renamed from XSCE (School Server Community Edition) to IIAB (Internet-in-a-Box) in 2017.''


Please listen to the '''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cszv1s 23min BBC podcast "How to put the internet in a box"]''' from 2020-10-20 ! Consider also see our [https://web.archive.org/web/20170923172535/http://xsce.org/ summary origins], and Don Watkins' [https://opensource.com/article/17/5/internet-in-a-box-raspberry-pi May 2017 article at opensource.com] and check out our [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0cBGCxr_WPBPa3IqPVEe3g YouTube channel].
Please see our [http://xsce.org summary brochure]. Likewise [http://internet-in-a-box.org Internet-in-a-Box] is our [http://people.sugarlabs.org/~icarito/newsletter_sugarlabs/ProofSLNewsP4.psf.pdf close] [http://people.sugarlabs.org/~icarito/newsletter_sugarlabs/ProofSLNewsP5.psf.pdf partner] in making content as rich as possible, for all, in more than 10 countries as of 2015. Commercial support for our free software is available for those who need it, through [http://olpcMAP.net freelance consultants] as necessary.


The original California-based Internet-in-a-Box (founded by Braddock Gaskill) has been our [http://people.sugarlabs.org/~icarito/newsletter_sugarlabs/ProofSLNewsP4.psf.pdf close] [http://people.sugarlabs.org/~icarito/newsletter_sugarlabs/ProofSLNewsP5.psf.pdf partner] in making Free content as rich as possible, for all, in [http://olpcMAP.net more than twenty countries] since 2014.
Most important: contributors of all kind are invited to [[/FAQ#How_can_I_help.3F|contribute your talents]] to kids and schools worldwide, in any way you find meaningful!

Internet-in-a-Box is also being used for medical education, as can be seen in this '''[http://youtu.be/xI3Ed008Mxo Dominican Republic video]'''.

In August 2017, we helped run the http://OFF.NETWORK hackathon, bringing together many organizations [https://blog.learningequality.org/hacking-solutions-for-offline-access-eccbfe7fd910 nurturing quality offline content for all].

''Contributors of all kind are invited to '''[[/FAQ#How_can_I_help.3F|contribute your talents]]''' to kids and schools and libraries worldwide, making their learning more meaningful in any way you can!''

Professional/Commercial support for our free software is available for those who need it, via freelance consultants as necessary. Contact holt @ unleashkids.org if you need to get to know your choices here.


= Our FAQ =
= Our FAQ =


Global community volunteers keep our <b>[[/FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]]</b> (and answers!) fresh thanks to organic input from folks just like yourself, <i>always welcome!</i>
Global community volunteers keep our<!-- [http://IIAB.io Forums] and--> '''[[/FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]]''' (and answers!) fresh thanks to organic input from folks just like yourself, <i>always welcome!</i>


= Our Product =
= Our Product =
XSCE provides rich content and reliable communication to schools, libraries and classrooms. In everyday usage, a well-designed school server brings laptop and device collaboration to life, to [[/Vision|bring kids the very best]] learning opportunities imaginable:
Internet-in-a-Box (IIAB) provides rich content and reliable communication to schools, libraries and classrooms. In everyday usage, a well-designed school server brings laptop/tablet collaboration to life, to [[XS_Community_Edition/Vision|bring kids the very best]] learning opportunities imaginable:


* Content – make the best [http://internet-in-a-box.org educational media] available to your kids and teachers.
* Content – bring the best [[/FAQ#What_can_I_do_with_E-books_and_Internet-in-a-Box.3F|educational media]] available to your kids and teachers.
* Classroom connectivity - install quickly like a home WiFi, or extend it across your school.
* Classroom connectivity install quickly like a home Wi-Fi router, or extend it across your school.
* Internet gateway – control Internet costs with laptop/device policies you choose.
* Internet gateway – control Internet costs with laptop/device policies you choose.
* Maintenance – reinforce laptop/device auto-updates, so teachers can focus on teaching.
* Maintenance – manage laptop/device auto-updates, so teachers can focus on teaching.

'''Get started by downloading and installing the latest, with our official [https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-Installation Install Doc]. Raspberry Pi fans and Ubuntu 20.04 / Debian 10 users should try out our [http://download.iiab.io/ IIAB 7.2 pre-release 1-line installer]. All consider a [[/FAQ#Is_a_quick_installation_possible.3F | Quick Install]], to install the best open learning content you need, and please [[IIAB/FAQ#What_are_the_best_places_for_community_support.3F|give us input]] on which directions [https://github.com/iiab/iiab/milestone/7 IIAB 7.2] should head!'''

[[IIAB/7.1|IIAB 7.1]] was released June 6, 2020, with [https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-7.1-Release-Notes Release Notes here].

[[IIAB/7.0|IIAB 7.0]] was released September 30, 2019, with [https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-7.0-Release-Notes Release Notes here].

[[IIAB/6.7|IIAB 6.7]] was released February 21, 2019, with [https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-6.7-Release-Notes Release Notes here].

[[IIAB/6.6|IIAB 6.6]] was released September 12, 2018, with [https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-6.6-Release-Notes Release Notes here].

[[IIAB/6.5|IIAB 6.5]] was [https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/unleashkids/jYML3TLOUgg released] May 24, 2018, with [https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-6.5-Release-Notes Release Notes here].

[[IIAB/6.4|IIAB 6.4]] was released October 5, 2017, with [https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-6.4-Release-Notes Release Notes here].

[[IIAB/6.3|IIAB 6.3]] was released July 13, 2017, with [https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-6.3-Release-Notes Release Notes here].


Get started by downloading and installing the latest, using February 2016's [https://github.com/XSCE/xsce/wiki/XSCE-Installation fresh Install Doc]:
[[IIAB/6.2|IIAB/XSCE 6.2]] was released April 19, 2017, with [https://github.com/xsce/xsce/wiki/IIAB-6.2-Release-Notes Release Notes here].


[[XS_Community_Edition/6.1|XSCE 6.1]] was [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2016-September/007961.html released] September 22, 2016, including Calibre, WordPress, DokuWiki, Sugarizer and CUPS.
'''[[/FAQ#Is_a_quick_installation_possible.3F | Quick Install]] of [[/6.0|XSCE 6.0]] will be possible starting late February 2016, following our [[/6.1/Sprint | Toronto Summit]], including [[/Features|many new features]] for educators and administrators. For example [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgg_%28software%29 Elgg] for students and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OwnCloud ownCloud] for teachers are two capabilities tested in Malaysia in March 2015. Downloadable images are increasingly available (even [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/unleashkids/N9BwwuG3hXU on CentOS 7] now!) but [http://groups.google.com/group/unleashkids drop us a line] if you need assistance!


[[XS_Community_Edition/6.0|XSCE 6.0]] was [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2016-March/007854.html released] March 27, 2016, following our [[XS_Community_Edition/6.0/Sprint | Toronto Summit]], including [[XS_Community_Edition/Features|many new features]] for educators and administrators. For example [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgg_%28software%29 Elgg] for students and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nextcloud Nextcloud] for teachers, as tested in Malaysia starting March 2015. Downloadable images for different OS's are increasingly available (e.g. on [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/unleashkids/N9BwwuG3hXU CentOS 7.2+] for larger servers) but [http://groups.google.com/group/unleashkids drop us a line] if you need assistance.
'''[[/5.1|XSCE 5.1]] was released July 27, 2014.''' Read the [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2014-July/007464.html full announcement] and [https://github.com/XSCE/xsce/blob/master/ReleaseNotes5.1.rst release notes] to learn about its capabilities. The list is impressive: Samba filesharing, XOVis visualization of student work patterns, vnStat traffic-monitoring console, better Internet-in-a-Box searchability, customizable web-filtering requested by many schools, OpenVPN remote access, and a new module for automated field-testing.'''


Earlier, [[/5.0|XSCE 5.0]] was released [[/5.0/Road_Map|Jan 22, 2014]] introducing [[/5.0/Ansible_Progress|ansible progress]] for developers especially ([http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2014-January/007148.html announcement]). [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2013-December/007031.html XSCE 5.0 RC 1] was released Dec 17, 2013, formerly known as 0.5 RC 1, and [[/0.4|XSCE 0.4]] on [[/0.4/Road_Map|Oct 3, 2013]].
Earlier, [[XS_Community_Edition/5.1|XSCE 5.1]] was released July 27, 2014. Read the [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2014-July/007464.html full announcement] and [https://github.com/XSCE/xsce/blob/master/ReleaseNotes5.1.rst release notes] to learn about its capabilities. The list is impressive: Samba filesharing, XOVis visualization of student work patterns, vnStat traffic-monitoring console, better Internet-in-a-Box searchability, customizable web-filtering requested by many schools, OpenVPN remote access, and a new module for automated field-testing. [[XS_Community_Edition/5.0|XSCE 5.0]] was released [[XS_Community_Edition/5.0/Road_Map|Jan 22, 2014]] introducing [[XS_Community_Edition/5.0/Ansible_Progress|ansible progress]] for developers especially ([http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2014-January/007148.html announcement]). [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2013-December/007031.html XSCE 5.0 RC 1] was released Dec 17, 2013, formerly known as 0.5 RC 1, and [[XS_Community_Edition/0.4|XSCE 0.4]] on [[XS_Community_Edition/0.4/Road_Map|Oct 3, 2013]].


= Our Project =
= Our Project =
XSCE is a community-based project developed and supported by volunteers from around the world.


Internet-in-a-Box (IIAB) is a community-based project developed and supported by volunteers around the world.
Our heartbeat is a weekly call Thursdays 10AM NYC Time, and a 24hr live chat channel described further below. See the '''[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o6QtzLb6e58YKWqMf_junux2XyBRLFm31un8YLcYslg/edit Agenda/Minutes]''' for a history of past topics or to add a topic for a future week. Please email [[User:Holt|Adam Holt]] (holt @ laptop.org) to coordinate adding you to the call.


Our heartbeat is weekly calls, typically Thursdays 10:00AM NYC Time, and a 24hr live chat channel described further below. See the '''[http://minutes.iiab.io Agenda/Minutes]''' for a history of past topics or to add to this week's agenda. Please email [[User:Holt|Adam Holt]] (holt @ unleashkids.org) to coordinate adding you to the call!
Several times per year we try to meet face-to-face, for as much as a week of design and hacking. During these sprints (so far all hosted in the northern hemisphere) we work like crazy to get features complete, so they're ready for feature freeze, happening just after the hack sprint. All are welcome, of course if you are the sort that likes to stand on a soapbox and preach, we may ask you to take a turn in the kitchen ;)


Code & issue tracking transitioned from https://github.com/xsce/xsce to https://github.com/iiab/iiab in May 2017.
We welcome [http://www.theopensourceway.org/wiki/Introduction open community tools] of diverse kinds, supporting contributors of all kind. Join our IRC live chat [http://webchat.freenode.net/ directly on the web] by entering channel '''#schoolserver'''. Or, any IRC chat software can be connected to '''irc.freenode.net''' to join this same channel.


Our '''[[/FAQ#What_technical_documentation_exists.3F|technical documentation]]''' has made great strides since 2017, please let us know what else is needed!
Our primary mailing lists are [http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/server-devel server-devel@lists.laptop.org] for software architects and [http://groups.google.com/group/unleashkids unleashkids@googlegroups.com] for educators and implementers. New contributors of all kind are strongly encouraged to ask questions! Affiliated digital library projects include http://internet-in-a-box.org and [http://mail.archive.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/pathagar Pathagar]. We try not to lose sight of the world's poorest schools which (1) lack broadband (2) are unable to afford pay-per-view ebooks (3) are wary of advertising/manipulation of our youngest citizens.


Several times per year we try to meet face-to-face, for a week or weekend of design/hacking. During these sprints (so far all hosted in the northern hemisphere) we drive for consensus designs, work like crazy to prove the core is deliverable, towards a feature freeze soon after the sprint.
Education is inherently political: how can we each invest our lives nurturing the most meaningful learning communities in the face of self-interested governments/corporations/unions/religions, each trying to help, but also dominate? As such please consider our 70-person "xsce-devel" Google Group, where all contributors are invited to join in non-published discussion: to join please just send a short note about your school/server/experience/ambitions to holt @ laptop.org. Implementation conversations on civic learning realities are sorely needed at every level, but reality check: [http://planet.laptop.org OLPC's long history] makes clear that humanitarian policymaking is not always best served by "e-male" posturing traditions on open source mailing lists. In short, educators are far too busy for another flame war. As such we seek a more friendly balance, by including more educators' and female voices, thanks to an [https://www.theopensourceway.org/wiki/Communities_of_practice#Develop_both_public_and_private_community_spaces invigorating & organic interplay between public and private community spaces!]


For August 2017 we've organizing the http://OFF.NETWORK Content Hackathon in conjunction with Wikimania 2017 in Montreal. We try hard to welcome all: but of course if you're the sort that stands on a soapbox to preach, we may ask you to take a turn in the kitchen ;)
Code and issue tracking is at '''https://github.com/XSCE/xsce'''.


We always welcome [http://www.theopensourceway.org/wiki/Introduction open community tools], supporting very diverse contributors and education systems from different parts of the world. Please explore our '''[http://IIAB.io Forums!]'''
Our '''[[/FAQ#Where_are_the_docs.3F|technical and user documentation]]''' has made great strides in early 2016 thanks to Tim Moody, please let us know what you think!

You can also join our 24x7 IRC live chat [https://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#schoolserver directly on the web] by entering channel '''#schoolserver''' (or, any IRC chat software can be connected to '''irc.freenode.net''' to join this same channel). If your Internet connection is intermittent and you need an intermediary computer (AKA irc bouncer) to connect to irc for you, please contact us and consider [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LofncyUS90gO8DFgDJZKLf2DPnEUlJe0MVoa5-i7L8A/edit these instructions].

Our primary mailing lists are [http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/server-devel server-devel@lists.laptop.org] for software/hardware engineering and [http://groups.google.com/group/unleashkids unleashkids@googlegroups.com] for educators and implementers. New contributors of all kind are strongly encouraged!

In 2017, we aim for renewed support for community-managed digital libraries, including [https://calibre-ebook.com/ Calibre] and/or [http://mail.archive.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/pathagar Pathagar].

We all try hard not to lose sight of the struggle surrounding the world's poorest schools, which (1) lack broadband (2) are unable to afford pay-per-view ebooks, and (3) are wary of advertising/manipulation of our youngest citizens.

Education is inherently political: how can we each invest our lives nurturing the most meaningful learning opportunities/communities in the face of well-meaning governments/corporations/unions/religions so often adrift?

As such please consider our 85-person "xsce-devel" Google Group, where all contributors are invited to join in non-published discussion: to join please just send a short note about your school/server/experience/ambitions to holt @ laptop.org. (Implementation conversations on civic learning realities are sorely needed at every level, but with a reality check: [http://planet.laptop.org OLPC's long history] makes clear that humanitarian action is rarely served by "e-male" posturing traditions inherent to so many mailing lists. Field educators are far too busy for another self-indulgent flame war.)

As such we seek a more friendly balance, by including more educators' and female voices, in an [https://www.theopensourceway.org/wiki/Communities_of_practice#Develop_both_public_and_private_community_spaces invigorating & organic interplay between public/posterity spaces and more intimate/offline engagement!]


= Our Ecosystem =
= Our Ecosystem =
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School Servers come in many forms, from tiny offline digital libraries to giant LMS (learning management systems). Here are some of the better known approaches, for developing world communities:
School Servers come in many forms, from tiny offline digital libraries to giant LMS (learning management systems). Here are some of the better known approaches, for developing world communities:


* The original [[School Server | OLPC School Server]], where it all began!
* http://wiki.laptop.org/go/School_server
* [http://kickstarter.com/projects/1776324009/brck-your-backup-generator-for-the-internet BRCK.com] by Ushahidi
* [http://kickstarter.com/projects/1776324009/brck-your-backup-generator-for-the-internet BRCK.com] Hotspot by Ushahidi, creators of the [http://www.brck.com/2015/09/brck-education-kio-and-kio-kit-launch/ Kio Tablet]
* http://SMEserver.org since 1999, based on CentOS
* http://SMEserver.org since 1999, based on CentOS
* http://eXeLearning.org being enhanced by Mike Dawson, for Nokia phones
* http://eXeLearning.org being enhanced by Mike Dawson, for Nokia phones
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* [https://github.com/PathagarBooks/pathagar Pathagar Bookserver] by Sayamindu Dasgupta, now maintained by Seth Woodworth & All
* [https://github.com/PathagarBooks/pathagar Pathagar Bookserver] by Sayamindu Dasgupta, now maintained by Seth Woodworth & All
* [http://libraryforall.org Library For All], [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1692978335/library-for-all-a-digital-library-for-the-developi apparently for Haiti] but is there Creole content?
* [http://libraryforall.org Library For All], [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1692978335/library-for-all-a-digital-library-for-the-developi apparently for Haiti] but is there Creole content?
* [http://www.librariesforall.org/library-in-a-box/ Library-in-a-box] by Libraries For All.
* [http://www.librariesforall.org/library-in-a-box/ Library in a Box] by Libraries For All.
* [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/griffey/librarybox-20 LibraryBox] by [http://jasongriffey.net/ Jason Griffey]
* [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/griffey/librarybox-20 LibraryBox] by [http://jasongriffey.net/ Jason Griffey]
* [http://piratebox.cc PirateBox] by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Darts David Darts]
* [http://piratebox.cc PirateBox] by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Darts David Darts]
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* [http://ole.org Open Learning Exchange] and similar dedicated implementers, like Mennonite Committee in ~6 countries in Central Africa?
* [http://ole.org Open Learning Exchange] and similar dedicated implementers, like Mennonite Committee in ~6 countries in Central Africa?
* [http://mujica.org/khan/ Khan Academy on a Stick] by Jonathan Field.
* [http://mujica.org/khan/ Khan Academy on a Stick] by Jonathan Field.
* [https://wiki.debian.org/FreedomBox FreedomBox] By JNTU (Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad) and http://freedomboxfoundation.org
* [http://funsepa.org FUNSEPA] in Guatemala aims to provide reconditioned computers & training to public schools (as many as 4M kids?)
* [http://www.minielibrary.com/ mini eLibrary] by Smartware Myanmar Co., ltd.
* [http://www.potentiel3-0.org/index.php/en/who-we-are/our-history/11-sample-articles/76-2018-livbox LivBox] built on YNIBOX
* [http://www.ynibox.org/ YNIBOX] by Fred Moine & All


= Our Community =
= Our Community =
Our community is made up of people just like you. If you are interested in the project please reach out to any of our members to learn more about us.
Our community is made up of people just like you. If you are interested in the project please reach out:


* [https://ca.linkedin.com/pub/jerry-vonau/5b/905/627 Jerry] [https://github.com/jvonau Vonau] (SW architecture)
* [http://schoolserver.wordpress.com/author/georgejhunt/ George Hunt] (configuration, GUI, low-power HW)
* [http://schoolserver.wordpress.com/author/georgejhunt/ George Hunt] (configuration, GUI, low-power HW)
* [http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/tim-moody/6/722/2a6 Tim] [http://google.com/search?q=Tim+Moody+site%3Alists.laptop.org Moody] (documentation, testing, Puppet/Ansible auto-distribution & config mgmt)
* [http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/tim-moody/6/722/2a6 Tim] [http://google.com/search?q=Tim+Moody+site%3Alists.laptop.org Moody] (documentation, testing, Puppet/Ansible auto-distribution & config mgmt)
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= Our History & Inspiration =
= Our History & Inspiration =


How did XSCE's design evolve? Progress only makes sense when we [[/FAQ#How_did_XSCE.27s_design_evolve.3F|learn from the past...]]
How did IIAB/XSCE's design evolve? Progress only makes sense when we [[/FAQ#How_did_IIAB.2FXSCE.27s_design_evolve.3F|learn from the past...]]

<br>

== <u><i><b>NEW SINCE 2014: SEE [http://minutes.iiab.io WEEKLY UPDATES!]</b></i></u> ==


<br>
<u><i><b>NEW: SEE [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o6QtzLb6e58YKWqMf_junux2XyBRLFm31un8YLcYslg WEEKLY UPDATES!]</b></i></u>


=== Jul 2014 Agenda ===
=== Jul 2014 Agenda ===
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=== May 2014 Agenda ===
=== May 2014 Agenda ===


Progress accelerating on [[/Features#Features_Planned|XSCE 5.1]] thanks to Tim & George. Implementation in Haiti, Ghana, Nepal, India anticipated late summer. June's weekly progress summaries will be posted in our [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o6QtzLb6e58YKWqMf_junux2XyBRLFm31un8YLcYslg weekly minutes].
Progress accelerating on [[XS_Community_Edition/Features#Features_Planned|XSCE 5.1]] thanks to Tim & George. Implementation in Haiti, Ghana, Nepal, India anticipated late summer. June's weekly progress summaries will be posted in our [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o6QtzLb6e58YKWqMf_junux2XyBRLFm31un8YLcYslg weekly minutes].


=== Apr 2014 Agenda ===
=== Apr 2014 Agenda ===


Learning about Martin Dluhos' [https://martasd.cloudant.com/xovis/_design/xovis-couchapp/index.html visualizations] of kids' usage patterns in Nepal. Transition to new download site http://download.unleashkids.org. New page added for '''[[/Microtasks|Volunteer Microtasks]]'''.
Learning about Martin Dluhos' [https://martasd.cloudant.com/xovis/_design/xovis-couchapp/index.html visualizations] of kids' usage patterns in Nepal. Transition to new download site http://download.unleashkids.org. New page added for '''[[XS_Community_Edition/Microtasks|Volunteer Microtasks]]'''.


=== Mch 2014 Agenda ===
=== Mch 2014 Agenda ===


User acceptance testing accelerates in Haiti & Malaysia, gathering requirements from OLE Nepal for [[/Features#Features_Planned|XSCE 5.1, 5.5 or 6.0]]. Hardware/power planning matures, around Cubox and competitors.
User acceptance testing accelerates in Haiti & Malaysia, gathering requirements from OLE Nepal for [[XS_Community_Edition/Features#Features_Planned|XSCE 5.1, 5.5 or 6.0]]. Hardware/power planning matures, around Cubox and competitors.


=== Feb 2014 Agenda ===
=== Feb 2014 Agenda ===


[[/Features|Planning]] gets serious for [[/5.1|XSCE 5.1]] and [[/6.0|XSCE 6.0]] around our late Feb [[/6.0/Sprint|meetup in Los Angeles]], alongside a greatly improved version of Internet-in-a-Box. [[/Features#Features_Implemented|Current]] and [[/Features#Features_Planned|Planned Features]] nicely detailed in separate tables on the [[/Features]] page.
[[XS_Community_Edition/Features|Planning]] gets serious for [[XS_Community_Edition/5.1|XSCE 5.1]] and [[XS_Community_Edition/6.0|XSCE 6.0]] around our late Feb [[XS_Community_Edition/6.0/Sprint|meetup in Los Angeles]], alongside a greatly improved version of Internet-in-a-Box. [[XS_Community_Edition/Features#Features_Implemented|Current]] and [[XS_Community_Edition/Features#Features_Planned|Planned Features]] nicely detailed in separate tables on the [[XS_Community_Edition/Features]] page.


=== Jan 2014 Agenda ===
=== Jan 2014 Agenda ===


Internet-in-a-Box incl full-text-search refinement with [[/5.0|XSCE 5.0]]; implementation intensifies in Haiti; XSCE 5.1or 6.0 [[/Features|brainstorming/groundwork]].
Internet-in-a-Box incl full-text-search refinement with [[XS_Community_Edition/5.0|XSCE 5.0]]; implementation intensifies in Haiti; XSCE 5.1 or 6.0 [[XS_Community_Edition/Features|brainstorming/groundwork]].


=== Dec 2013 Agenda ===
=== Dec 2013 Agenda ===


[[/5.0/Road_Map|XSCE 5.0 release]] approaching, alongside [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2013-December/007056.html Internet-in-a-Box with fulltext search] of Wikipedia! Prep intensifying for Haiti deployments (Jan 2014) and Nepal hopefully sometime early in 2014.
[[XS_Community_Edition/5.0/Road_Map|XSCE 5.0 release]] approaching, alongside [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/2013-December/007056.html Internet-in-a-Box with fulltext search] of Wikipedia! Prep intensifying for Haiti deployments (Jan 2014) and Nepal hopefully sometime early in 2014.


=== Nov 2013 Agenda ===
=== Nov 2013 Agenda ===
[[/5.0/Ansible Progress|v5.0 culmination]] -> [[/Features|5.1 or 6.0 definition]] hack sprint, [[/5.0/Sprint#XS.28CE.29_Sprint_Part_2:_Malaysia_Culmination|Nov 18-20 in Malacca, Malaysia]], in conjunction with [http://www.olpc.asia/basecamp2013/ OLPC Basecamp 2013 (Nov 16-18)] whose [http://olpcbasecamp.blogspot.com/ enlivening blog] lays clear our humanitarian commitment.
[[XS_Community_Edition/5.0/Ansible Progress|v5.0 culmination]] -> [[XS_Community_Edition/Features|5.1 or 6.0 definition]] hack sprint, [[XS_Community_Edition/5.0/Sprint#XS.28CE.29_Sprint_Part_2:_Malaysia_Culmination|Nov 18-20 in Malacca, Malaysia]], in conjunction with [http://www.olpc.asia/basecamp2013/ OLPC Basecamp 2013 (Nov 16-18)] whose [http://olpcbasecamp.blogspot.com/ enlivening blog] lays clear our humanitarian commitment.


=== Oct 2013 Agenda ===
=== Oct 2013 Agenda ===
[[/0.4|XSCE 0.4]] released [[/0.4/Road_Map|October 3, 2013]]. v5.0 "crystallization" hack sprint [[/5.0/Sprint|Oct 21-23 in San Francisco]] (formerly known as 0.5) following [http://olpcSF.org/summit SF's Summit (Oct 18-20)], in conjunction with Internet Archive's [http://bib.archive.org/ Books in Browsers Summit Oct 24-25]
[[XS_Community_Edition/0.4|XSCE 0.4]] released [[XS_Community_Edition/0.4/Road_Map|October 3, 2013]]. v5.0 "crystallization" hack sprint [[XS_Community_Edition/5.0/Sprint|Oct 21-23 in San Francisco]] (formerly known as 0.5) following [http://olpcSF.org/summit SF's Summit (Oct 18-20)], in conjunction with Internet Archive's [http://bib.archive.org/ Books in Browsers Summit Oct 24-25]


=== Sep 2013 Agenda ===
=== Sep 2013 Agenda ===
[[/0.4/Road_Map|v0.4 release]] final testing. Haiti implementation of XSCE 0.4 at two schools, for the new school year.
[[XS_Community_Edition/0.4/Road_Map|v0.4 release]] final testing. Haiti implementation of XSCE 0.4 at two schools, for the new school year.


=== Aug 2013 Agenda ===
=== Aug 2013 Agenda ===
[[/0.4|XSCE 0.4 RC1]] released August 24. Prep for final release! Haiti implementation late Aug and early Sept. [http://utilite-computer.com Utilite] and/or [http://trimslice.com TrimSlice] custom hardware early prototype shipping to beta experimenters.
[[XS_Community_Edition/0.4|XSCE 0.4 RC1]] released August 24. Prep for final release! Haiti implementation late Aug and early Sept. [http://utilite-computer.com Utilite] and/or [http://trimslice.com TrimSlice] custom hardware early prototype shipping to beta experimenters.


=== Jul 2013 Agenda ===
=== Jul 2013 Agenda ===
[[/0.4/Sprint|v0.4 Sprint July 8-12]], 1hr north of Winnipeg. [[User:Holt/XS_Community_Edition/0.4|v0.4 spec]] gaining precision, bringing stability & configurability to most XOs, x86, 64-bit Fedora, RPi? [https://github.com/PathagarBooks/pathagar Pathagar bookserver] & [http://internet-in-a-box.org Internet-in-a-Box] integration also expected.
[[XS_Community_Edition/0.4/Sprint|v0.4 Sprint July 8-12]], 1hr north of Winnipeg. [[User:Holt/XS_Community_Edition/0.4|v0.4 spec]] gaining precision, bringing stability & configurability to most XOs, x86, 64-bit Fedora, RPi? [https://github.com/PathagarBooks/pathagar Pathagar bookserver] & [http://internet-in-a-box.org Internet-in-a-Box] integration also expected.


=== Jun 2013 Agenda ===
=== Jun 2013 Agenda ===
[[/0.3|Version 0.3]] released! Prep July sprint! Volunteers can [http://facebook.com/UnleashKids buy XO-4 Touch Laptops] if they will help test XSCE & http://internet-in-a-box.org etc.
[[XS_Community_Edition/0.3|Version 0.3]] released! Prep July sprint! Volunteers can [http://facebook.com/UnleashKids buy XO-4 Touch Laptops] if they will help test XSCE & http://internet-in-a-box.org etc.


=== May 2013 Agenda ===
=== May 2013 Agenda ===

Latest revision as of 12:57, 4 January 2021

This IIAB XSCE content does not reflect the opinion of OLPC. These pages were created by members of a volunteer community supporting OLPC and deployments.

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Welcome to Internet-in-a-Box (IIAB) which is a global community of volunteer professionals taking the One Laptop per Child movement into a new decade, enabling quality learning among the world's poorest children. Note that we officially renamed from XSCE (School Server Community Edition) to IIAB (Internet-in-a-Box) in 2017.

Please listen to the 23min BBC podcast "How to put the internet in a box" from 2020-10-20 ! Consider also see our summary origins, and Don Watkins' May 2017 article at opensource.com and check out our YouTube channel.

The original California-based Internet-in-a-Box (founded by Braddock Gaskill) has been our close partner in making Free content as rich as possible, for all, in more than twenty countries since 2014.

Internet-in-a-Box is also being used for medical education, as can be seen in this Dominican Republic video.

In August 2017, we helped run the http://OFF.NETWORK hackathon, bringing together many organizations nurturing quality offline content for all.

Contributors of all kind are invited to contribute your talents to kids and schools and libraries worldwide, making their learning more meaningful in any way you can!

Professional/Commercial support for our free software is available for those who need it, via freelance consultants as necessary. Contact holt @ unleashkids.org if you need to get to know your choices here.

Our FAQ

Global community volunteers keep our Frequently Asked Questions (and answers!) fresh thanks to organic input from folks just like yourself, always welcome!

Our Product

Internet-in-a-Box (IIAB) provides rich content and reliable communication to schools, libraries and classrooms. In everyday usage, a well-designed school server brings laptop/tablet collaboration to life, to bring kids the very best learning opportunities imaginable:

  • Content – bring the best educational media available to your kids and teachers.
  • Classroom connectivity – install quickly like a home Wi-Fi router, or extend it across your school.
  • Internet gateway – control Internet costs with laptop/device policies you choose.
  • Maintenance – manage laptop/device auto-updates, so teachers can focus on teaching.

Get started by downloading and installing the latest, with our official Install Doc. Raspberry Pi fans and Ubuntu 20.04 / Debian 10 users should try out our IIAB 7.2 pre-release 1-line installer. All consider a Quick Install, to install the best open learning content you need, and please give us input on which directions IIAB 7.2 should head!

IIAB 7.1 was released June 6, 2020, with Release Notes here.

IIAB 7.0 was released September 30, 2019, with Release Notes here.

IIAB 6.7 was released February 21, 2019, with Release Notes here.

IIAB 6.6 was released September 12, 2018, with Release Notes here.

IIAB 6.5 was released May 24, 2018, with Release Notes here.

IIAB 6.4 was released October 5, 2017, with Release Notes here.

IIAB 6.3 was released July 13, 2017, with Release Notes here.

IIAB/XSCE 6.2 was released April 19, 2017, with Release Notes here.

XSCE 6.1 was released September 22, 2016, including Calibre, WordPress, DokuWiki, Sugarizer and CUPS.

XSCE 6.0 was released March 27, 2016, following our Toronto Summit, including many new features for educators and administrators. For example Elgg for students and Nextcloud for teachers, as tested in Malaysia starting March 2015. Downloadable images for different OS's are increasingly available (e.g. on CentOS 7.2+ for larger servers) but drop us a line if you need assistance.

Earlier, XSCE 5.1 was released July 27, 2014. Read the full announcement and release notes to learn about its capabilities. The list is impressive: Samba filesharing, XOVis visualization of student work patterns, vnStat traffic-monitoring console, better Internet-in-a-Box searchability, customizable web-filtering requested by many schools, OpenVPN remote access, and a new module for automated field-testing. XSCE 5.0 was released Jan 22, 2014 introducing ansible progress for developers especially (announcement). XSCE 5.0 RC 1 was released Dec 17, 2013, formerly known as 0.5 RC 1, and XSCE 0.4 on Oct 3, 2013.

Our Project

Internet-in-a-Box (IIAB) is a community-based project developed and supported by volunteers around the world.

Our heartbeat is weekly calls, typically Thursdays 10:00AM NYC Time, and a 24hr live chat channel described further below. See the Agenda/Minutes for a history of past topics or to add to this week's agenda. Please email Adam Holt (holt @ unleashkids.org) to coordinate adding you to the call!

Code & issue tracking transitioned from https://github.com/xsce/xsce to https://github.com/iiab/iiab in May 2017.

Our technical documentation has made great strides since 2017, please let us know what else is needed!

Several times per year we try to meet face-to-face, for a week or weekend of design/hacking. During these sprints (so far all hosted in the northern hemisphere) we drive for consensus designs, work like crazy to prove the core is deliverable, towards a feature freeze soon after the sprint.

For August 2017 we've organizing the http://OFF.NETWORK Content Hackathon in conjunction with Wikimania 2017 in Montreal. We try hard to welcome all: but of course if you're the sort that stands on a soapbox to preach, we may ask you to take a turn in the kitchen ;)

We always welcome open community tools, supporting very diverse contributors and education systems from different parts of the world. Please explore our Forums!

You can also join our 24x7 IRC live chat directly on the web by entering channel #schoolserver (or, any IRC chat software can be connected to irc.freenode.net to join this same channel). If your Internet connection is intermittent and you need an intermediary computer (AKA irc bouncer) to connect to irc for you, please contact us and consider these instructions.

Our primary mailing lists are server-devel@lists.laptop.org for software/hardware engineering and unleashkids@googlegroups.com for educators and implementers. New contributors of all kind are strongly encouraged!

In 2017, we aim for renewed support for community-managed digital libraries, including Calibre and/or Pathagar.

We all try hard not to lose sight of the struggle surrounding the world's poorest schools, which (1) lack broadband (2) are unable to afford pay-per-view ebooks, and (3) are wary of advertising/manipulation of our youngest citizens.

Education is inherently political: how can we each invest our lives nurturing the most meaningful learning opportunities/communities in the face of well-meaning governments/corporations/unions/religions so often adrift?

As such please consider our 85-person "xsce-devel" Google Group, where all contributors are invited to join in non-published discussion: to join please just send a short note about your school/server/experience/ambitions to holt @ laptop.org. (Implementation conversations on civic learning realities are sorely needed at every level, but with a reality check: OLPC's long history makes clear that humanitarian action is rarely served by "e-male" posturing traditions inherent to so many mailing lists. Field educators are far too busy for another self-indulgent flame war.)

As such we seek a more friendly balance, by including more educators' and female voices, in an invigorating & organic interplay between public/posterity spaces and more intimate/offline engagement!

Our Ecosystem

School Servers come in many forms, from tiny offline digital libraries to giant LMS (learning management systems). Here are some of the better known approaches, for developing world communities:

Our Community

Our community is made up of people just like you. If you are interested in the project please reach out:

Our History & Inspiration

How did IIAB/XSCE's design evolve? Progress only makes sense when we learn from the past...


NEW SINCE 2014: SEE WEEKLY UPDATES!


Jul 2014 Agenda

XSCE 5.1 was released July 27th 2014, with announcement and release notes here!

Jun 2014 Agenda

XSCE 5.1 release imminent. For Intel NUC at minimum, and hopefully many other platforms tested soon too...

Jun 2014 Agenda

George Hunt begins active Fedora 20 development on low-end Intel NUCs like the Celeron 2.4GHz dual-core, evaluating this WiFi-enabled all-inclusive unit's toughness for deployment across many Haiti schools later this summer.

May 2014 Agenda

Progress accelerating on XSCE 5.1 thanks to Tim & George. Implementation in Haiti, Ghana, Nepal, India anticipated late summer. June's weekly progress summaries will be posted in our weekly minutes.

Apr 2014 Agenda

Learning about Martin Dluhos' visualizations of kids' usage patterns in Nepal. Transition to new download site http://download.unleashkids.org. New page added for Volunteer Microtasks.

Mch 2014 Agenda

User acceptance testing accelerates in Haiti & Malaysia, gathering requirements from OLE Nepal for XSCE 5.1, 5.5 or 6.0. Hardware/power planning matures, around Cubox and competitors.

Feb 2014 Agenda

Planning gets serious for XSCE 5.1 and XSCE 6.0 around our late Feb meetup in Los Angeles, alongside a greatly improved version of Internet-in-a-Box. Current and Planned Features nicely detailed in separate tables on the XS_Community_Edition/Features page.

Jan 2014 Agenda

Internet-in-a-Box incl full-text-search refinement with XSCE 5.0; implementation intensifies in Haiti; XSCE 5.1 or 6.0 brainstorming/groundwork.

Dec 2013 Agenda

XSCE 5.0 release approaching, alongside Internet-in-a-Box with fulltext search of Wikipedia! Prep intensifying for Haiti deployments (Jan 2014) and Nepal hopefully sometime early in 2014.

Nov 2013 Agenda

v5.0 culmination -> 5.1 or 6.0 definition hack sprint, Nov 18-20 in Malacca, Malaysia, in conjunction with OLPC Basecamp 2013 (Nov 16-18) whose enlivening blog lays clear our humanitarian commitment.

Oct 2013 Agenda

XSCE 0.4 released October 3, 2013. v5.0 "crystallization" hack sprint Oct 21-23 in San Francisco (formerly known as 0.5) following SF's Summit (Oct 18-20), in conjunction with Internet Archive's Books in Browsers Summit Oct 24-25

Sep 2013 Agenda

v0.4 release final testing. Haiti implementation of XSCE 0.4 at two schools, for the new school year.

Aug 2013 Agenda

XSCE 0.4 RC1 released August 24. Prep for final release! Haiti implementation late Aug and early Sept. Utilite and/or TrimSlice custom hardware early prototype shipping to beta experimenters.

Jul 2013 Agenda

v0.4 Sprint July 8-12, 1hr north of Winnipeg. v0.4 spec gaining precision, bringing stability & configurability to most XOs, x86, 64-bit Fedora, RPi? Pathagar bookserver & Internet-in-a-Box integration also expected.

Jun 2013 Agenda

Version 0.3 released! Prep July sprint! Volunteers can buy XO-4 Touch Laptops if they will help test XSCE & http://internet-in-a-box.org etc.

May 2013 Agenda

Very successful Toronto-area Sprint May 8-13,with Braddock Gaskill all the way from LA! 0.3 RC1 unleashed May 14; RC2 May 28? India prototype installed.

Apr 2013 Agenda

Prep v0.3 May sprint. Los Angeles interfacing with Caryl Bigenho's http://localfi.org and Braddock Gaskill's http://internet-in-a-box.org.

Mch 2013 Agenda

Boston meetup Mch 1-4 with Sameer Verma, Anish Mangal. Early pre-field test connects an orphanage from Haiti.

Feb 2013 Agenda

Toronto/Waterloo area Sprint Feb 6/7 to 10/11.

Release of XSCE 0.1 Stable and 0.2 Coming.

Jan 2013 Agenda

Proposed Core Spec and Priority Tuning.

Dec 2012 Agenda

Jamaica implementation sprint (delayed).

Nov 2012 Agenda

Centred around Toronto area hack sprint Nov 10-18:

Expand testing+UX with Anna Schoolfield, Tim Moody & Seneca College students' packaging with York Univ/Seneca College Professor Chris Tyler.

Meet with Anish Mangal and Nathan Riddle near Detroit etc to discuss wider community integration.

Oct 2012 Agenda

Working w/ Alex Kleider's model classroom @ http://olpcSF.org/summit & http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugarcamp_SF_2012.

Sep 2012 Agenda

Toronto area hack sprint Sept 16-23, incl public demo Saturday Sept 22.

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