Demo notes/542: Difference between revisions

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{{Obsolete|link=see: [[Manuals]]}}
This page describes the basic instructions for Build 542, the ''Trial 2'' Build for the B4 laptops.
{{ Translations }}<!-- When translating replace with {{ Translation | lang = | source = version = }} filling in the appropriate parameters. See [[Translating/HowTo]] -->
(See [[Hardware release notes]], [[Software release notes]], and [[Library release notes]] for additional information).

This page ''from 2007'' describes the basic instructions for Build 542, the ''[[OLPC Trial-2 Software Release Notes|Trial 2]]'' Build for the [[XO B4]] laptops.

Some translations of this page are being made and remerged with the wiki. Doc versions (with some wikitext artifacts):
* [[:Image:Xo notes es-v2.pdf]] | [[:Image:Xo notes es-v2.doc]] (Spanish),
* [[:Image:Xo notes ar-v2.pdf]] | [[:Image:Xo notes ar-v2.doc]] (Arabic),
* [[:Image:Xo notes fr-v2.pdf]] | [[:Image:Xo notes fr-v2.doc]] (French),
* [[Demo_notes/542/lang-he]] (Hebrew),
* [[:Image:Xo notes pt-v2.pdf]] | [[:Image:Xo notes pt-v2.doc]] (Portuguese),
* [[:Image:Xo notes th-v2.pdf]] | [[:Image:Xo notes th-v2.doc]] (Thai),
* [[:Image:Xo notes am-v1.pdf]] | [[:Image:Xo_notes_am-v1_plus_font.zip]] (Amharic) | (.zip contains Word doc and a font that you may need to install.)
* [[:Image:Xo notes hi-v2.pdf]] | [[:Image:Xo notes hi-v2 plus font-FINAL.zip]] (Hindi) | (.zip contains Word doc and a Hindi-kruti font that you may need to install.)
* [[:Image:Demo-Notes-zh.doc]] (Chinese),



=Important Notes=
=Important Notes=


Please note that the B4 laptops are Beta units and that the software is Alpha; we expect that Trial-3 software will be our first Beta software release). There are bugs (please refer to the bug tracking system at http://dev.laptop.org); not all components are yet operational.
Please note that the B4 laptops are Beta units and that the software is Alpha. We expect that the Trial-3 software will be our first Beta software release. There are bugs (please refer to the bug tracking system at http://dev.laptop.org), and not all components are operational yet.


# There are still some outstanding issues with power management; battery life will not be as good as it will get.
: There are still some outstanding issues with power management; battery life will improve over time.


More detail regarding the status of various software components is available on the [[OLPC Trial-2 Software Release Notes]] page in this wiki.
More detail regarding the status of various software components is available on the [[OLPC Trial-2 Software Release Notes]] page in this wiki.
Line 14: Line 29:
==An overview of the laptop==
==An overview of the laptop==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:Drawing75c1.jpg
Image:BTest-4.png
</gallery>
</gallery>
There are LED indicator lights above both the camera and the microphone to indicate if one or both are turned on.
This figure will be replaced by a B4 unit. Perhaps the most significant change is the position of the microphone, which has moved over to the left side of the bezel and the addition of LED indicator lights above both the camera and microphone.


==The keyboard==
==The keyboard==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:keyboard-touchpad.jpg
Image:keyboard-touchpad.jpg
Image:Trackpad.png
</gallery>
</gallery>

The center part of the touchpad can be used as a pointing device. The entire surface can be used with a stylus.
[[Image:Trackpad.png]]


The center part of the Graphics Tablet, which is called the Trackpad (gray shaded area in picture), can be used as a pointing device. Move your finger around the Trackpad to move the cursor. The entire surface of the Graphics Tablet can be used with a stylus.


==Opening the laptop==
==Opening the laptop==


Position the handle away from you and lift both antennae up and toward you until the laptop clicks open. Lift the screen up from the keyboard; you may have to hold the keyboard down as you lift up on the display.
Position the handle away from you and lift both antennae ("bunny ears") up and towards you until the laptop clicks open.


<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:Opening-1.jpg|lifting the 'bunny' ears
Image:Opening-1.jpg|lifting the "bunny ears"
</gallery>
Image:Opening-2.jpg|laptop 'clicking' open

The laptop display and the keyboard are connected on a hinge. Lift the laptop display up and hold the keyboard down to open.

<gallery>
Image:Opening-2.jpg|laptop "clicking" open
</gallery>
</gallery>


Line 40: Line 63:
Image:Power-button.jpg|Power button
Image:Power-button.jpg|Power button
</gallery>
</gallery>
The Power Button is located in the bottom right-hand corner of the bezel surrounding the screen. The green power LED should come on immediately, but it takes approximately two minutes for the machine to boot. If, for some reason, you do not see text appear on the screen within 15 seconds, or if the machine does not power on at all, please see the [[#Bugs and or Known Issues]] Section at the end of this document.


Once the laptop is running, the Power Button is used for suspend. You must hold down the button for 10 seconds to shutdown the laptop. (You can also shutdown the laptop from the hover menu on the XO figure on the home view.)
The Power Button is located in the bottom right-hand corner of the bezel surrounding the screen. Press the power button to turn the laptop on. The green power LED will come on immediately when turned on. However, it takes approximately two minutes for the laptop to boot.

Once the laptop is running, you can use the Power Button to suspend the laptop by pressing it briefly. To shutdown the laptop, you need to hold down the button for 10 seconds.


=Using the laptop=
=Using the laptop=
Line 49: Line 73:
Image:542-homeview.png
Image:542-homeview.png
</gallery>
</gallery>
Features of the Home View include the XO icon; the network-status indicator; the battery-status indicator; and the [[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/The Laptop Experience/The Frame|Frame]];
Features of the Home View include the XO icon (the XO figure in the center of the screen), the Activity Circle (which includes the Journal icon--a book and pencil), the network-status indicator (either a circle or a triangle located above the Activity Circle), the battery-status indicator (located below the Activity Circle), and the [[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/The Laptop Experience/The Frame|Frame]];


You can return to the Home View by hitting the Home Key (circle with one dot) or by clicking on the Home Icon on the Frame (as per [[#Upper-left icons (places)|below]]).
If you leave the Home View to engage in an activity, you can return to the Home View at any time by pressing the Home Key (circle with one dot) [[Image:Key zoom.jpg|100px]].

or by clicking on the Home Icon (circle with one dot) on the Frame (as per [[#Frame|above]]).
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:Key zoom.jpg
Image:542-shutdown.png
</gallery>
</gallery>

===XO icon===
===XO icon===
Each laptop is assigned a [[OLPC_Human_Interface_Guidelines/The_Sugar_Interface/Colors|color dyad]] that is used as an identifier throughout the interface.
Each laptop is assigned a [[OLPC_Human_Interface_Guidelines/The_Sugar_Interface/Colors|color dyad]] that is used as an identifier throughout the interface.


There is a menu that appears when you place the cursor over the XO icon in the center of the screen. As of Build 542, this menu is only used for shutdown. It may be used for setting user preferences, such as colors, in the future.
A menu (hover menu) appears when you place the cursor over the XO icon in the center of the screen. As of Build 542 (software build installed on this laptop), this menu is only used to shutdown the laptop. See image above. In the future, it may be used for setting user preferences, such as colors. The XO can also be shutdown by holding the Power On/Off button down for 10 seconds.



====Activity circle====

The circle around the XO icon is used to display any activities that are currently running on the laptop. (In later builds, e.g., 547, the size of the sector is proportional to how much memory the activity is consuming. If the circle fills up, you will run out of memory.) The [[#Journal]] is always displayed at the bottom of the circle. You can resume an activity by clicking on its iconic representation in the circle.
====Activity Circle====
The circle around the XO icon is used to display activities that are currently running on the laptop. The [[#Journal|Journal]] is always displayed at the bottom of the circle ([[Image:Journal-icon.png|40px]]). You can resume an activity by clicking on its iconic representation in the circle.
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:542-homeview-circle.png
Image:542-homeview-circle.png
</gallery>
</gallery>
===Network status===
===Network status===
The status of the wireless network is indicated by either a circle (mesh) or triangle (infrastructure) on the Home View. Details regarding connectivity are described [[#Establishing a network connection|below]].
The status of the wireless network is indicated by either a circle (mesh) or triangle (access point--school server or other network) on the Home View. Details regarding connectivity are described [[#Getting connected|below]].
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:542-network-status-infrastructure.png
Image:542-network-status-infrastructure.png|Network or Access Point Icon
Image:542-mesh-meshicon.png|Mesh Icon
</gallery>
</gallery>

===Battery status===
===Battery status===
The battery status is indicated by a battery icon. The icon fills with color from the left to indicate the current charge. Putting the cursor over the battery icon brings up more detail. Please note that the battery LED is illuminated when the battery is charging; it varies from yellow to green. Red is used to indicate that the battery is running low.
The battery status is indicated by the battery icon. The icon fills with color from left to right to indicate the current charge. Moving the cursor over the battery icon provides a pop-up menu with more information. Please note that the battery LED, which is located in the right-bottom corner of the display screen, is illuminated when the battery is charging; it varies from yellow to green. A red light indicates that the battery is running low.
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:542-battery-hover.png
Image:542-battery-hover.png
</gallery>
</gallery>
===Frame===
===Frame===
The Frame appears by default on the Home View. (It does not appear by default in any other view.) You can toggle the Frame with the Frame Key on the most upper-right corner of the keyboard [[Image:Key_frame.jpg]] or by moving the cursor to any corner of the screen ([[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/The Laptop Experience/The Frame#Hot Corners|aka 'Hot Corners']]).
The Frame always appears on the Home View. You can toggle the Frame (to hide or show the Frame) with the Frame Key, which is located on the upper-right corner of the keyboard [[Image:Key_frame.jpg|40px]] or by moving the cursor to any corner of the screen ([[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/The Laptop Experience/The Frame#Hot Corners|aka 'Hot Corners']]).


====Upper-left icons (places)====
====Upper-left icons on the keyboard and display (Keys to help navigate around the laptop)====
[[Image:542-homeview-zoom.png|150px]]
<gallery>

Image:542-homeview-zoom.png
*Circle with eight dots: This icon takes you to the [[#Neighborhood View|Neighborhood View]]; you can view network resources and other users on the mesh network;
</gallery>
*Circle with eight dots: This icon takes you to the [[#Neighborhood View]], where you see network resources and the other users on the mesh network;
*Circle with three dots: This icon takes you to the [[#Group View|Group View]]; you can see users you have identified as friends;
*Circle with three dots: This icon takes you to the [[#Group View]], where you see those users have identified as friends;
*Circle with one dot: This icon takes you to the [[#Home View|Home View]];
*Circle with one dot: This icon takes you to the [[#Home View]];
*Circle with rectangle: This icon returns you to your last open activity, so you can resume work on your current activity.

*Circle with rectangle: This icon returns you to the [[#Activity View]], where you resume work on the current activity.
====Bottom icons found on the display (Keys to take you to activities)====
Different builds have different collections of activities. In Build 542, the activities available are (from left to right on the menu bar):

<!--
unsuccessful attempt to make an imagemap to make these pictures links

<imagemap>
Image:blockparty.png|73px|a falling-block game
rect 1 1 73 73 [[w:#BlockParty|BlockParty]]
desc bottom-left
#default [[#BlockParty]] Blockparty
desc bottom-left
</imagemap>
-->

[[Image:blockparty.png|40px]][[Image:paint.png|40px]][[Image:calculator.png|40px]][[Image:write.png|40px]][[Image:chat.png|40px]][[Image:etoysicon.png|40px]][[Image:web.png|40px]][[Image:news.png|40px]][[Image:connect4.png|40px]][[Image:watch&listen.png|40px]][[Image:tamtam.png|40px]][[Image:turtleart.png|40px]][[Image:record.png|40px]]


*'''[[#BlockParty|BlockParty]]''': a falling-block game;
*'''[[#Draw|Draw]]''': a drawing activity;
*'''[[#Calculate|Calculate]]''': a calculator;
*'''[[#Write|Write]]''': a word processor;
*'''[[#Chat|Chat]]''': a text chat program;
*'''[[#Etoys|Etoys]]''': a programing environment;
*'''[[#Browse|Browse]]''': a web browser;
*'''[[#News Reader|News Reader]]''': a RSS (Really Simple Syndication) news feed;
*'''[[#Connect4|Connect4]]''': a Connect4 game (connect the dot);
*'''[[#Watch and Listen|Watch and Listen]]''': a multimedia player;
*'''[[#TamTam|TamTam]]''': a music activity;
*'''[[#TurtleArt|TurtleArt]]''': a programing environment;
*'''[[#Record|Record]]''': a video capture activity.

====Right-side icons on the display (your XO buddies)====


This menu found on the right-hand side of the Frame contains the XO icons of the people with whom you are collaborating on XO online projects.
====Bottom icons (actions)====


<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:542-taskbar.png
Image:542-buddy-bar.png]]
</gallery>
</gallery>


====Left-side icons on your display (clipboard)====
Different builds have different collections of activities. In Build 542, you should see:
*'''[[#BlockParty]]''': a falling-block game;
*'''[[#Draw]]''': a drawing activity;
*'''[[#Calculate]]''':a calculator;
*'''[[#Write]]''':a word processor;
*'''[[#Chat]]''':a text chat program;
*'''[[#Etoys]]''':a programing environment;
*'''[[#Browse]]''':a web browser;
*'''[[#News]]'''':an RSS news feed;
*'''[[#Connect4]]''':a Connect4 game;
*'''[[#Watch and Listen]]''':a multimedia player;
*'''[[#TamTam]]''':a music activity;
*'''[[#TurtleArt]]''':a programing environment;
*'''[[#Record]]''':a video capture activity.


The menu on the left side of the Frame contains the icons for the clipboard. Most activities support drag and drop onto and off of the clipboard.
====Right-side icons (buddies)====


<gallery>
[[Image:542-uddy-bar.png]]
Image:542-clipboard-detail.png


Image:542-clipboard-detail-hover.png|Hover
The XO icons of the other people with whom you are collaborating show up on the right-hand side of the Frame.
</gallery>


==Neighborhood View==
====Left-side icons (clipboard)====
<gallery>
Image:542-meshview.png
</gallery>
Neighborhood Icon


The left side of the Frame is for the clipboard. Most Activities support drag and drop onto and off of the clipboard.


From the Neighborhood View (sometimes referred to as the Mesh View), you can see who is present on the network; which activities and objects are being shared; and which networks are available. You can access the Neighborhood View by pressing the Neighborhood Key (circle with eight dots -- [[Image:Key zoom.jpg|40px]]) or by pressing the Neighborhood Icon on the [[#Home View|Frame]].
[[Image:542-clipboard-detail.png]] [[Image:542-clipboard-detail-hover.png|Hover]]


==Neighborhood View==
[[Image:542-meshview.png|thumb|none|Neighborhood View]]


Your XO icon appears in the center of the screen in the Neighborhood View. Moving your cursor over another XO icon will bring up a menu that provides additional details (user's name) and actions you can take (add to list of Friends). For example:
From the Neighborhood View (sometimes referred to as the Mesh View), you can see who is present on the network, what activities and objects are being shared, and what networks are available. You can access this view by hitting the Neighborhood Key (eight dots) or by clicking on the Neighborhood Icon (as per [[#Upper-left icons (places)|above]] on the Frame).


<gallery>
[[Image:Key zoom.jpg]]
Image:Ivan-hover.png
</gallery>


Your icon will appear in the center of the screen. Putting your cursor over an icon invokes a hover that provides some additional details or actions to take.


===Getting connected===
===Getting connected===
The circle and triangles represent the mesh and infrastructure access points. (The access points are color-coded by a random hash generated from the ESSID.) By default, Network Manager first tries to connect to a [[School server]]; then an access point; if that fails, it resorts to a mesh point on Channel 1. This searching process can take up to five minutes, since there are many channels to check and timeouts associated with each one. You can override Network Manager by clicking on a triangle (access point). The interior of the triangle will blink while the connection is being established. The exterior of the triangle will blink when the connection has been established. (If you are connecting to a '''WEP''' access point, you will be prompted for a '''hexadecimal''' key. We currently do not support '''WAP''' access point.)
Icon representations in the Neighborhood View include the circle for the mesh network [[Image:542-mesh-meshicon.png|40px]] and triangles for the infrastucture [[Image:542-mesh-apicon.png|40px]] access points (school server or other networks). (The access points are randomly color-coded.) By default, the Network Manager (software program internal to the laptop) first tries to connect to a [[School server|school server]]; if the connection to the school server fails, the Network Manager tries to connect with an access point (a network); if connection to the access point fails, the Network Manager connects to a mesh point on Channel 1. This searching process can take up to five minutes, since there are many channels to check and timeouts associated with each one. You can override the Network Manager by clicking on a triangle (access point). '''The interior of the triangle (or circle) blinks while the connection is being established. The exterior of the triangle (or circle) will blink when the connection is established.''' (If you are connecting to a '''WEP''' access point, you will be prompted for a '''hexadecimal''' key. We currently do not support '''WPA''' access point.)


More details re the connection:
More details regarding the connection:
* if you connect to an access point, your laptop will become a mesh portal point -- other laptops in the vicinity will be able to connect to the Internet through your laptop;
* if you connect to an access point, your laptop becomes a mesh portal point&mdash;other XO laptops in the vicinity will be able to connect to the Internet through your laptop;
* similarly, if there is another laptop connected to an access point, you should be able to connect to it -- and the Internet -- through the mesh;
* similarly, if there is another XO laptop connected to an access point, you can connect to that laptop&mdash;and the Internet&mdash;through the mesh;
* if there are no access points available, your laptop will default to a mesh point on Channel 1, enabling it to connect to other laptops;
* if there are no access points available, your laptop will default to a mesh point on Channel 1, which enables your laptop to connect to other laptops;
* please be patient: it takes Network Manager up to five minutes to walk through all of the options.
* please be patient; it takes the Network Manager up to five minutes to progress through a number of the options until it finds a suitable connection.


===Joining an activity===
===Joining an activity===
Clicking on an activity icon from the Mesh View will launch that activity on your laptop as a collaboration. The details of the collaboration varies from activity to activity.
From the Neighborhood View (also, called Mesh View), moving the cursor over an activity icon and pressing enter launches that activity on your laptop as a collaboration. Details of the collaboration vary from one activity to another.


===Adding a buddy===
===Adding a buddy===
Hovering over an XO icon reveals the name of the person associated with that icon and a menu that can be used to add them to your Groups View.
Hovering over an XO icon creates a pop-up window with the name of the person associated with that icon and a menu that can be used to add this person to your Group View as a friend. Move the cursor to and select "Make a Friend" to add this person.
<gallery>
Image:542-MakeAFriend.png
</gallery>


==Group View==
==Group View==
<gallery>
[[Image:542-groupview.png|thumb|none|Group View]]
Image:542-groupview.png|Group View
</gallery>
From the Group View (also known as the Friends View), you can see which friends are on the network. You can access this view by pressing the Group Key (circle with three dots -- [[Image:Key zoom.jpg|150px]]) or by pressing on the Group Icon on the [[#Upper-left icons (Keys to help navigate around the laptop)|Frame]].


==Activity Circle==
There is not much you can do from the Group View (sometimes referred to as the Friend View) except to see which of your friends is present on the network. You can access this view by hitting the Group Key (three dots) or by clicking on the Group Icon (as per [[#Upper-left icons (places)|above]] on the Frame).


You can initiate activities from the [[#Home View|Home View]] by pressing the icon for that activity from the [[#Bottom icons (Keys to take you to activities)|menu bar located at the bottom]] of the Frame. An icon representing the activity you started will appear in the [[#Activity Circle|Activity Circle]] and blink for a few seconds before launching into that activity. If you leave your activity without closing it, you can resume your current activity by pressing the Actitvity Key (circle with rectangle --[[Image:Key zoom.jpg|150px]]) or by pressing the Activity Icon on the [[#Upper-left icons (Keys to help navigate around the laptop)|Frame]].
[[Image:Key zoom.jpg]]


You can open activities until the ring is full; you will not be able to start any more activities until you close one or more.
==Activity View==

There Activity View is where you run applications. You can resume the current activity by hitting the Actitvity Key (rectangle) or by clicking on the Activity Icon (as per [[#Upper-left icons (places)|above]] on the Frame).

[[Image:Key zoom.jpg]]


==Activities==
==Activities==
Line 161: Line 218:
[[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/Activities/Activity Basics#Switching Activities|Switching between activities]]
[[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/Activities/Activity Basics#Switching Activities|Switching between activities]]


You can have multiple activities running at once&mdash;moving between them by returning to the Home view (key with one dot&mdash;[[Image:Key zoom.jpg]]) and then clicking on an activity that you'd like to return to. (There will be hot-key tabbing between activities in future builds.)
Multiple activities can run at once. You can move between running activites by returning to the Home View (key with one dot&mdash;[[Image:Key zoom.jpg|150px]]) and clicking on an activity found in the Activity Circle.


[[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/Activities/Activity Basics#Ending Activities|Exiting Activities]]
[[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/Activities/Activity Basics#Ending Activities|Exiting Activities]]


Every activity has an Activity tab that includes a Stop Icon. Clicking on this icon exits the activity. Alt-C works -- in most cases -- as a shortcut for exiting activities. (The Keep Icon will be used for version control in the Journal.) An instance of the activity can be renamed by typing into the text field on the Activity Tab.
Every activity has an Activity tab that includes a Stop Icon [[Image:542-stopicon.png|40px]]. Clicking on this icon exits the activity. Alt-C works -- in most cases&mdash;as a shortcut for exiting activities. (The Keep Icon [[Image:542-keepicon.png|40px]] will be used for version control in the Journal.)


An instance of the activity can be renamed by typing into the text field ([[Image:542-textfield.png|175px]]) on the Activity Tab.
[[Image:542-activity-tab.png]]


Many activities can be run either stand-alone or shared with other users on the mesh by selecting "My Neighborhood" within the activity ([[Image:542-sharemenu.png|175px]]).
===Journal===


[[Image:542-activity-tab.png|400px]]
[[Image:542-Journal-1.png|thumb|left|The Journal]] [[Image:542-journal-2.png|thumb|none|The Journal: details]]


===[[Journal]]===
The Journal is accessed from the Journal Icon at the bottom of the Activity Circle on the Home View. The Journal automatically logs your activities on the laptop. From the Journal, you can search by keyword and sort by activity or date. Clicking on an entry brings up a detail page from which one can resume an activity (by clicking on the icon with the rectangle) or copy its contents onto the clipboard.
<gallery>
Image:542-Journal-1.png|The Journal
Image:542-journal-2.png|Details View
</gallery>
The Journal is accessed from the Journal Icon ([[Image:Journal-icon.png|40px]]) at the bottom of the Activity Circle on the Home View.


<gallery>
===Web Browsing===
Image:542-homeview.png
</gallery>


The Journal automatically logs your activities on the laptop. From the Journal, you can search by keyword and sort by activity or date. Clicking on an entry brings up a detail page from which you can resume an activity (by clicking on the Activity Icon or Key[[Image:542-resumeicon.png|40px]]) or copy its contents onto the clipboard (by pressing on the Copy Icon [[Image:542-copyicon.png|40px]]).
[[Image:542-browse.png|thumb|none|Browsing]]


The Journal also supports external media. When a USB key is inserted into the machine, the contents from the USB key are entered into the datastore of the laptop and become accessible through the Journal. Click on the USB icon [[Image:journal-usb.png|80px]] to access the content. You can also drag and drop Journal entries on to or off of a USB key.
To launch the web browser, click the "Globe" Icon [[Image:Activity3.png]] on the Frame. The browser has two tabs: the standard Activity Tab and a Browser Tab. The latter has a address field, forward and backward history buttons, and a reload button.

===[[Browse]]===

Browse is an Internet browser.

<gallery>
Image:542-browse.png
Image:IDCL.png
Image:Raven.png
Image:Gmail.png
Image:Igoogle.png
Image:Googledocs.png
Image:Googledocs2.png
</gallery>
To launch the web browser, click the Globe Icon [[Image:web.png|40px]] on the Frame. The browser has two tabs: the standard Activity Tab and a Browser Tab. The Browser Tab has an address field, forward and backward history buttons, as well as a reload button.


===[[Etoys]]===
===[[Etoys]]===


Squeak Etoys is a media-rich authoring environment with a simple, powerful scripted object model for many kinds of objects created by end-users that runs on many platforms. It includes 2D and 3D graphics, images, text, particles, presentations, web-pages, videos, sound and MIDI, etc. It includes the ability to share desktops with other Etoy users in real-time, so many forms of immersive mentoring and play can be done over the Internet.
[[Image:etoys-start.jpg|Etoys start screen|thumb|none|Etoys]]
From the frame, click the shooting-star icon [[Image:Activity1.png]]; the Etoys activity will load and show a launch screen. (Please see [www.squeakland.org] for an Etoys tutorial.)


<gallery>
Image:542-etoys.png|Etoys start screen
Image:542-etoys-badge.png|The Etoys badge is used for sharing.
</gallery>
From the [[#Frame|Frame]], press the shooting-star icon [[Image:etoysicon.png|40px]]; the Etoys activity will load and present a launch screen.


There is a [http://www.laptop.org/OLPCEtoys.pdf PDF guide to Etoys], and other tutorials [http://www.squeakland.org here].


===[[TamTam]]===
===[[TamTam]]===


TamTam is a suite of three music and sound related activities for the XO. TamTam is written in python with some C functions for speed-critical services. The audio engine for TamTam is Csound.


From the Frame, click on the drum icon&mdash;[[Image:Activity8.png]].
From the Home View Frame, click on the drum icon&mdash;[[Image:tamtam.png|40px]].


<gallery>
[[Image:542-tamtam.png|thumb|none|TamTamJam]]
Image:542-tamtam.png|TamTamJam
</gallery>


Use the keyboard to play sounds at different pitches.
Use the keyboard to play sounds at different pitches.


<gallery>
[[Image:542-tamtam-edit.png|thumb|none|TamTamEdit]]
Image:542-tamtam-edit.png|TamTamEdit

</gallery>
Use TamTam Edit to compose music.
Use TamTam Edit to compose music.


<gallery>
[[Image:542-tamtam-synth.png|thumb|none|TamTam Synth Lab]]
Image:542-tamtam-synth.png|TamTam Synth Lab
</gallery>


Use TamTam Synth Lab to create new instruments.
Use TamTam Synth Lab to create new instruments.


===Record===
===[[Record]]===


This activity uses a camera to take still pictures or videos.
The video and still image record activity is launched by clicking on the Camera (Eye) Icon&mdash;[[Image:Activity6.png]]. If you share the camera activity, then a Camera Icon appears in the Neighborhood View. Other users can launch the Record Activity from the Neighborhood View. Everyone shares pictures.


The video and still image record activity is launched by pressing on the Camera (Eye) Icon&mdash;[[Image:record.png|40px]] in the [[#Frame|Frame]]. If you share the camera activity, then a Camera Icon appears in the [[#Neighborhood View|Neighborhood View]]. Other users can launch the Record Activity from the Neighborhood View ([[Image:542-mesh-cameraicon.png|40px]]) and share pictures.
[[Image:542-record-1.png|thumb|left|Record sharing]] [[Image:542-record-2.png|thumb|none|Record sharing]]
<gallery>
Image:542-record-1.png|Record sharing
Image:542-record-2.png|Record sharing
</gallery>


===Watch and Listen===
===[[Helix_media_activity|Watch and Listen]]===
Watch and Listen is based on the Helix multimedia player. It supports a wide variety of audio and video formats.
Watch and Listen is based on the Helix multimedia player. It supports a variety of audio and video formats.
Launch the Watch and Listen progrm by clicking on the [[Image:watch&listen.png|40px]] icon in the [[#Frame|Frame]].


<gallery>
[[Image:542-helix.png|thumb|none|Multimedia]]
Image:542-helix.png|Multimedia
</gallery>


===Write===
===[[Write]]===
<gallery>
[[Image:542-write.png|thumb|left|Write]] [[Image:542-write-share.png|thumb|none|Write]]
Image:542-write.png|Write
Write, based on the [[Abiword]] is abasic word processor. When shared, multiple people can simultaneously edit the same document (i.e., group editing).
Image:542-write-share.png|Sharing
</gallery>
Write, based on the [[Software_projects#Write_.28Collaborative_Word_Processor.29|Abiword]] word processor, is a basic word processor. To launch Write, press the Write icon [[Image:write.png|40px]] in the [[#Frame|Frame]]. When shared, multiple people can simultaneously edit the same document (i.e., group editing). To launch Write as a group activity, press the Write Icon from the [[#Neighborhood View|Neighborhood View]] ([[Image:542-mesh-writeicon.png|75px]]).


===Calculate===
===[[Calculate]]===


<gallery>
[[Image:542-calculate.png|thumb|none|Calculate]]
Image:542-calculate.png|Calculate
Calculator activity has the classic functions (sum, subtract, divide and multiply).But also scientific functions (cos, sin, exp, etc)
</gallery>
Calculator activity provides classic calculator functions such as add, subtract, divide and multiply, as well as scientific functions such as cos, sin, exp, etc. To launch the Calculator application press the calculator icon [[Image:calculator.png|40px]] from the [[#Frame|Frame]].


===TurtleArt===
===[[Turtle Art]]===
<gallery>
[[Image:542-turtleart-1.png|thumb|left|TurtleArt]] [[Image:542-turtleart-2.png|thumb|none|TurtleArt]]
Image:542-turtleart-1.png
Image:542-turtleart-2.png
Image:Eric-ta-star.png
Image:Eric-ta1.png
</gallery>
Turtle Art is a logo-like application that draws colorful art via a turtle and scratch-like visual programming elements that snap together in compilable ways.


To launch the Turtle Art application press the [[Image:turtleart.png|40px]] icon on the menu bar in the [[#Frame|Frame]].
TurtleArt is a programming environment that uses tiles.


===Read===
===[[Read]]===
<gallery>
[[Image:542-read.png|thumb|none|Read]]
Image:542-read.png
The Read (PDF) Activity allows you to share books on the mesh (in the Neighborhood View).
Image:542-read-rotate.png
Image:Read-Twain.png
</gallery>
The Read (PDF) Activity allows you to share books on the mesh (in the Neighborhood View) [[Image:542-mesh-readicon.png|40px]].


===Chat===
===[[Chat]]===


The Chat activity provides a simple interface for collaborative discussion, be it between two individuals or among a group as large as an entire classroom.
[[Image:542-chat-1.png|thumb|left|Chat]]
[[Image:542-chat-2.png|thumb|none|Chat]]


<gallery>
To start a chat, open Chat Activity by clicking on balloon icon&mdash;[[Image:Activity2.png]]. A Chat Icon will appear in the Neighborhood View on each laptop in the mesh: other users can join the chat by clicking on this icon. Enter text at the bottom of the screen.
Image:542-chat-1.png
Image:542-chat-2.png
</gallery>

To start a chat, open the Chat Activity by clicking on the balloon icon&mdash;[[Image:chat.png|40px]] in the [[#Frame|Frame]]. A Chat Icon will appear in the Neighborhood View on each laptop in the mesh: other users can join the chat by clicking on this icon ([[Image:542-mesh-chaticon.png|40px]]). Enter text at the bottom of the screen on one XO, and the text will appear on the screen on other XOs engaged in the chat.


===BlockParty===
===BlockParty===


BlockParty is a falling-blocks puzzle game; the object of the game is to create a horizontal line of blocks wthout gaps. Launch Block Party by pressing the [[Image:blockparty.png|40px]] icon on the meunu bar in the [[#Frame|Frame]].
A Tetris-like game


===Draw===
===[[Draw]]===
<gallery>
Image:542-draw.png|Draw
</gallery>


This is an activity to make drawings and paintings. Launch Draw by pressing the Draw icon [[Image:paint.png|40px]] on the menu bar in the [[#Frame|Frame]].
[[Image:542-draw.png|thumb|none|Draw]]
This is an activity to make drawings and paintings.


===News Feed===
===Connect4===

[[Image:542-news.png|thumb|none|News Feed]]
Connect4 is a two-player game; the object of the game is to be the first player to place four circles in a row.
An RSS feed.
<gallery>
Image:542-connect4-launch.png
Image:542-connect4-player1.png
Image:542-connect4-player2.png
</gallery>

To connect another player to the game, Player One launches the game from the menu bar on the [[#Frame|Frame]] [[image:connect4.png|40px]]. Player Two joins the game by selecting the Connect4 icon in the [[#Neighborhood View|Neighborhood View]] ([[Image:542-mesh-connect4-icon.png|40px]]).

===[[News Reader]]===

The NewsReader activity provides an interface for viewing news feeds (RSS feeds--Really Simple Syndication) of current news.

<gallery>
Image:542-news.png|News Feed
</gallery>

To launch the News Reader, press the News Reader icon[[Image:newsfeed.png|40px]] on the menu bar on the [[#Frame|Frame]].


=Notes=
=Notes=
Line 258: Line 393:
==Other Activities==
==Other Activities==
There are many more [[Activities]] that can be loaded onto the laptop. Automatic installation is working in recent builds (547+) but not yet in Build 542.
There are many more [[Activities]] that can be loaded onto the laptop. Automatic installation is working in recent builds (547+) but not yet in Build 542.
<gallery>
[[Image:Measure.png|thumb|Measure]] [[Image:Memory1.jpg|thumb|Memory]] [[Image:Memory.jpg|thumb|none|Memory]]
Image:Measure.png|[[Measure]]
Image:Memory1.jpg|[[Memonumbers]]
Image:Memory.jpg|[[Memoletters]]
</gallery>


==Dual-resolution display==
==Sunlight-readable display==
The XO's unique display works both indoors and in direct sunlight. The display works in the following ways:
* A color image is generated from the backlight passing through color filters in the display.
* A high-resolution grayscale (black and white) image is generated from ambient light reflecting off of mirrors in the display.
* When the backlight is on ''and'' there is a source of ambient light&mdash;the sun, a room light, etc.&mdash;you see the combination of two displays.
* You can save power (and thus extend battery life) by turning the backlight off. The display remains visible, but there is no color.
* If the ambient light is too intense, the color is washed out; typically you would turn off the backlight in sunlight.


On the top row of the keyboard, there are three long buttons. The long button on the far right controls the lighting and sound on the display.
These are instructions for demonstrating both the color and the black-and-white modes of the display from any activity. In black-and-white mode, with the backlight off, the screen is high resolution and viewable in sunlight; it is the most energy-efficient setting.


[[Image:Key_brightness-volume.png|200px]]
On the top row of the keyboard is a long button with different-sized solid circles.


This long button contains four keys. The left two keys control the lighting.
[[Image:Key_slider.jpg|none]]


The two larger circles control the B&W and color modes on the display.
*The small sun key on the left dims the backlight when pressed; repeated presses on this key puts the display into black and white mode.
*The large sun key, the second key from the left, increases the brightness of the backlight and enables color mode when pressed repeatedly.


The two keys on the right of the long button are used to decrease and increase speaker volume.
*Pushing the largest circle (far right) puts the display into B&W mode.
*Pushing the second largest (second from the right) circle puts the display into color mode.

The two smaller circles on the left side of the button control the backlight.

*To turn off the backlight, press the smallest dot (on the far left) 12 to 15 times.
*To turn on the backlight, press the second dot from the left between 12 and 15 times.


==Handheld mode (or eBook mode)==
==Handheld mode (or eBook mode)==


When in this mode, keyboard and touchpad are covered, so only game controller buttons (which can be used for scrolling), camera, and microphone work.
When in the eBook mode, the keyboard and touchpad are covered. Only the game controller buttons, which can be used for scrolling, the camera, and the microphone, work.


<gallery>
<gallery>
Line 289: Line 429:
</gallery>
</gallery>


==Keyboard shortcuts==
==Bugs and or Known Issues==
:Ctrl-C &ndash; copy
:Ctrl-V &ndash; paste
:Ctrl-X &ndash; cut
:Alt-C &ndash; quit
:Ctrl-Alt-Erase &ndash; restart Sugar (and X Windows)
:Alt-= &ndash; toggle on/off developer console
:Ctrl-Alt-F1 &ndash; console (1)
:Ctrl-Alt-F2 &ndash; console (2)
:Ctrl-Alt-F3 &ndash; X Windows
:Alt-1 &ndash; save snapshot of screen into the Journal


(F1 is the same as the Neighborhood View Key; F2 is the same as the Friends View Key; F3 is the same as the Home View Key.)
===Keys that do not work===
:[[Image:Key_search.jpg]] &mdash; Journal search key
:[[Image:Key_bulletinboard.jpg]] &mdash; Bulletin-board key
:[[Image:Key_grab.jpg]] &mdash; Grab keys (on either side of the space bar)


===The laptop does not turn on===
==Bugs and/or Known Issues==
===Audio suspend problem===
The fix is probably to reset the embedded controller (EC):
There is a bug that causes the laptop to squeal if it goes into suspend mode while using TamTam. Please exit TamTam ''before'' closing the laptop (which puts it into suspend mode). The work-around is to turn off the laptop: When it is turned back on, the squeal is gone. ''(NOTE: fixed in later builds)''
#You must unplug the laptop and remove the battery;
#Turn the XO over and move the button on the right side to the right; this will unlock the battery; [[Image:Battery-1.jpg|250px]] [[Image:Battery-2.jpg|250px]];
#Move button on the left side to the left while lifting up the battery.
#Remove the battery '''and wait at least 30 seconds'''.
#Replace the battery and lock the battery in place.
#Plug the laptop back in.


===Battery status icon problem===
Note that if you have completely discharged your battery, you will have to run the laptop without the battery&mdash;a bug in the battery-charge circuit prevents the charging of a completely dead battery.
The battery status icon does not always accurately reflect the percentage of charge left in the battery. Please monitor the battery LED located in the right-bottom corner of the display to determine when to recharge. If the battery LED is red, battery needs to be recharged.


===Keys that do not work===

:[[Image:Key_search.jpg|75]] &mdash; Journal search key
[[Category:Press]]
:[[Image:Key_bulletinboard.jpg|75]] &mdash; Bulletin-board key
[[Category:General Public]]
:[[Image:Key_grableft.png]] [[Image:Key_grabright.png]] &mdash; Grab keys (on either side of the space bar)
[[Category:Developers]]
:[[Image:Key_viewsource.png|100px]] &mdash; View-source key ''(NOTE: enabled for Browse in later builds)''
[[Category:Sugar]]
[[Category:Demo]]

Latest revision as of 02:19, 13 April 2012

542-stopicon.png This page has a more up-to-date location: see: Manuals
  english | עברית HowTo [ID# 269610]  +/-  


This page from 2007 describes the basic instructions for Build 542, the Trial 2 Build for the XO B4 laptops.

Some translations of this page are being made and remerged with the wiki. Doc versions (with some wikitext artifacts):


Important Notes

Please note that the B4 laptops are Beta units and that the software is Alpha. We expect that the Trial-3 software will be our first Beta software release. There are bugs (please refer to the bug tracking system at http://dev.laptop.org), and not all components are operational yet.

There are still some outstanding issues with power management; battery life will improve over time.

More detail regarding the status of various software components is available on the OLPC Trial-2 Software Release Notes page in this wiki.

Getting Started

An overview of the laptop

There are LED indicator lights above both the camera and the microphone to indicate if one or both are turned on.

The keyboard

Trackpad.png


The center part of the Graphics Tablet, which is called the Trackpad (gray shaded area in picture), can be used as a pointing device. Move your finger around the Trackpad to move the cursor. The entire surface of the Graphics Tablet can be used with a stylus.

Opening the laptop

Position the handle away from you and lift both antennae ("bunny ears") up and towards you until the laptop clicks open.

The laptop display and the keyboard are connected on a hinge. Lift the laptop display up and hold the keyboard down to open.

Note that the laptops in these figures are B2 units (B4 units have a dual-tone XO on the back of the machines).

Power on and power off

The Power Button is located in the bottom right-hand corner of the bezel surrounding the screen. Press the power button to turn the laptop on. The green power LED will come on immediately when turned on. However, it takes approximately two minutes for the laptop to boot.

Once the laptop is running, you can use the Power Button to suspend the laptop by pressing it briefly. To shutdown the laptop, you need to hold down the button for 10 seconds.

Using the laptop

Home View

Features of the Home View include the XO icon (the XO figure in the center of the screen), the Activity Circle (which includes the Journal icon--a book and pencil), the network-status indicator (either a circle or a triangle located above the Activity Circle), the battery-status indicator (located below the Activity Circle), and the Frame;

If you leave the Home View to engage in an activity, you can return to the Home View at any time by pressing the Home Key (circle with one dot) Key zoom.jpg.

or by clicking on the Home Icon (circle with one dot) on the Frame (as per above).

XO icon

Each laptop is assigned a color dyad that is used as an identifier throughout the interface.

A menu (hover menu) appears when you place the cursor over the XO icon in the center of the screen. As of Build 542 (software build installed on this laptop), this menu is only used to shutdown the laptop. See image above. In the future, it may be used for setting user preferences, such as colors. The XO can also be shutdown by holding the Power On/Off button down for 10 seconds.


Activity Circle

The circle around the XO icon is used to display activities that are currently running on the laptop. The Journal is always displayed at the bottom of the circle (Journal-icon.png). You can resume an activity by clicking on its iconic representation in the circle.

Network status

The status of the wireless network is indicated by either a circle (mesh) or triangle (access point--school server or other network) on the Home View. Details regarding connectivity are described below.

Battery status

The battery status is indicated by the battery icon. The icon fills with color from left to right to indicate the current charge. Moving the cursor over the battery icon provides a pop-up menu with more information. Please note that the battery LED, which is located in the right-bottom corner of the display screen, is illuminated when the battery is charging; it varies from yellow to green. A red light indicates that the battery is running low.

Frame

The Frame always appears on the Home View. You can toggle the Frame (to hide or show the Frame) with the Frame Key, which is located on the upper-right corner of the keyboard Key frame.jpg or by moving the cursor to any corner of the screen (aka 'Hot Corners').

Upper-left icons on the keyboard and display (Keys to help navigate around the laptop)

542-homeview-zoom.png

  • Circle with eight dots: This icon takes you to the Neighborhood View; you can view network resources and other users on the mesh network;
  • Circle with three dots: This icon takes you to the Group View; you can see users you have identified as friends;
  • Circle with one dot: This icon takes you to the Home View;
  • Circle with rectangle: This icon returns you to your last open activity, so you can resume work on your current activity.

Bottom icons found on the display (Keys to take you to activities)

Different builds have different collections of activities. In Build 542, the activities available are (from left to right on the menu bar):


Blockparty.pngPaint.pngCalculator.pngWrite.pngChat.pngEtoysicon.pngFile:Web.pngNews.pngConnect4.pngFile:Watch&listen.pngTamtam.pngTurtleart.pngRecord.png


Right-side icons on the display (your XO buddies)

This menu found on the right-hand side of the Frame contains the XO icons of the people with whom you are collaborating on XO online projects.

Left-side icons on your display (clipboard)

The menu on the left side of the Frame contains the icons for the clipboard. Most activities support drag and drop onto and off of the clipboard.

Neighborhood View

Neighborhood Icon


From the Neighborhood View (sometimes referred to as the Mesh View), you can see who is present on the network; which activities and objects are being shared; and which networks are available. You can access the Neighborhood View by pressing the Neighborhood Key (circle with eight dots -- Key zoom.jpg) or by pressing the Neighborhood Icon on the Frame.


Your XO icon appears in the center of the screen in the Neighborhood View. Moving your cursor over another XO icon will bring up a menu that provides additional details (user's name) and actions you can take (add to list of Friends). For example:


Getting connected

Icon representations in the Neighborhood View include the circle for the mesh network 542-mesh-meshicon.png and triangles for the infrastucture 542-mesh-apicon.png access points (school server or other networks). (The access points are randomly color-coded.) By default, the Network Manager (software program internal to the laptop) first tries to connect to a school server; if the connection to the school server fails, the Network Manager tries to connect with an access point (a network); if connection to the access point fails, the Network Manager connects to a mesh point on Channel 1. This searching process can take up to five minutes, since there are many channels to check and timeouts associated with each one. You can override the Network Manager by clicking on a triangle (access point). The interior of the triangle (or circle) blinks while the connection is being established. The exterior of the triangle (or circle) will blink when the connection is established. (If you are connecting to a WEP access point, you will be prompted for a hexadecimal key. We currently do not support WPA access point.)

More details regarding the connection:

  • if you connect to an access point, your laptop becomes a mesh portal point—other XO laptops in the vicinity will be able to connect to the Internet through your laptop;
  • similarly, if there is another XO laptop connected to an access point, you can connect to that laptop—and the Internet—through the mesh;
  • if there are no access points available, your laptop will default to a mesh point on Channel 1, which enables your laptop to connect to other laptops;
  • please be patient; it takes the Network Manager up to five minutes to progress through a number of the options until it finds a suitable connection.

Joining an activity

From the Neighborhood View (also, called Mesh View), moving the cursor over an activity icon and pressing enter launches that activity on your laptop as a collaboration. Details of the collaboration vary from one activity to another.

Adding a buddy

Hovering over an XO icon creates a pop-up window with the name of the person associated with that icon and a menu that can be used to add this person to your Group View as a friend. Move the cursor to and select "Make a Friend" to add this person.

Group View

From the Group View (also known as the Friends View), you can see which friends are on the network. You can access this view by pressing the Group Key (circle with three dots -- Key zoom.jpg) or by pressing on the Group Icon on the Frame.

Activity Circle

You can initiate activities from the Home View by pressing the icon for that activity from the menu bar located at the bottom of the Frame. An icon representing the activity you started will appear in the Activity Circle and blink for a few seconds before launching into that activity. If you leave your activity without closing it, you can resume your current activity by pressing the Actitvity Key (circle with rectangle --Key zoom.jpg) or by pressing the Activity Icon on the Frame.

You can open activities until the ring is full; you will not be able to start any more activities until you close one or more.

Activities

Switching between activities

Multiple activities can run at once. You can move between running activites by returning to the Home View (key with one dot—Key zoom.jpg) and clicking on an activity found in the Activity Circle.

Exiting Activities

Every activity has an Activity tab that includes a Stop Icon 542-stopicon.png. Clicking on this icon exits the activity. Alt-C works -- in most cases—as a shortcut for exiting activities. (The Keep Icon 542-keepicon.png will be used for version control in the Journal.)

An instance of the activity can be renamed by typing into the text field (542-textfield.png) on the Activity Tab.

Many activities can be run either stand-alone or shared with other users on the mesh by selecting "My Neighborhood" within the activity (542-sharemenu.png).

542-activity-tab.png

Journal

The Journal is accessed from the Journal Icon (Journal-icon.png) at the bottom of the Activity Circle on the Home View.

The Journal automatically logs your activities on the laptop. From the Journal, you can search by keyword and sort by activity or date. Clicking on an entry brings up a detail page from which you can resume an activity (by clicking on the Activity Icon or Key542-resumeicon.png) or copy its contents onto the clipboard (by pressing on the Copy Icon 542-copyicon.png).

The Journal also supports external media. When a USB key is inserted into the machine, the contents from the USB key are entered into the datastore of the laptop and become accessible through the Journal. Click on the USB icon Journal-usb.png to access the content. You can also drag and drop Journal entries on to or off of a USB key.

Browse

Browse is an Internet browser.

To launch the web browser, click the Globe Icon File:Web.png on the Frame. The browser has two tabs: the standard Activity Tab and a Browser Tab. The Browser Tab has an address field, forward and backward history buttons, as well as a reload button.

Etoys

Squeak Etoys is a media-rich authoring environment with a simple, powerful scripted object model for many kinds of objects created by end-users that runs on many platforms. It includes 2D and 3D graphics, images, text, particles, presentations, web-pages, videos, sound and MIDI, etc. It includes the ability to share desktops with other Etoy users in real-time, so many forms of immersive mentoring and play can be done over the Internet.

From the Frame, press the shooting-star icon Etoysicon.png; the Etoys activity will load and present a launch screen.

There is a PDF guide to Etoys, and other tutorials here.

TamTam

TamTam is a suite of three music and sound related activities for the XO. TamTam is written in python with some C functions for speed-critical services. The audio engine for TamTam is Csound.

From the Home View Frame, click on the drum icon—Tamtam.png.

Use the keyboard to play sounds at different pitches.

Use TamTam Edit to compose music.

Use TamTam Synth Lab to create new instruments.

Record

This activity uses a camera to take still pictures or videos.

The video and still image record activity is launched by pressing on the Camera (Eye) Icon—Record.png in the Frame. If you share the camera activity, then a Camera Icon appears in the Neighborhood View. Other users can launch the Record Activity from the Neighborhood View (542-mesh-cameraicon.png) and share pictures.

Watch and Listen

Watch and Listen is based on the Helix multimedia player. It supports a variety of audio and video formats. Launch the Watch and Listen progrm by clicking on the File:Watch&listen.png icon in the Frame.

Write

Write, based on the Abiword word processor, is a basic word processor. To launch Write, press the Write icon Write.png in the Frame. When shared, multiple people can simultaneously edit the same document (i.e., group editing). To launch Write as a group activity, press the Write Icon from the Neighborhood View (542-mesh-writeicon.png).

Calculate

Calculator activity provides classic calculator functions such as add, subtract, divide and multiply, as well as scientific functions such as cos, sin, exp, etc. To launch the Calculator application press the calculator icon Calculator.png from the Frame.

Turtle Art

Turtle Art is a logo-like application that draws colorful art via a turtle and scratch-like visual programming elements that snap together in compilable ways.

To launch the Turtle Art application press the Turtleart.png icon on the menu bar in the Frame.

Read

The Read (PDF) Activity allows you to share books on the mesh (in the Neighborhood View) 542-mesh-readicon.png.

Chat

The Chat activity provides a simple interface for collaborative discussion, be it between two individuals or among a group as large as an entire classroom.

To start a chat, open the Chat Activity by clicking on the balloon icon—Chat.png in the Frame. A Chat Icon will appear in the Neighborhood View on each laptop in the mesh: other users can join the chat by clicking on this icon (542-mesh-chaticon.png). Enter text at the bottom of the screen on one XO, and the text will appear on the screen on other XOs engaged in the chat.

BlockParty

BlockParty is a falling-blocks puzzle game; the object of the game is to create a horizontal line of blocks wthout gaps. Launch Block Party by pressing the Blockparty.png icon on the meunu bar in the Frame.

Draw

This is an activity to make drawings and paintings. Launch Draw by pressing the Draw icon Paint.png on the menu bar in the Frame.

Connect4

Connect4 is a two-player game; the object of the game is to be the first player to place four circles in a row.

To connect another player to the game, Player One launches the game from the menu bar on the Frame Connect4.png. Player Two joins the game by selecting the Connect4 icon in the Neighborhood View (542-mesh-connect4-icon.png).

News Reader

The NewsReader activity provides an interface for viewing news feeds (RSS feeds--Really Simple Syndication) of current news.

To launch the News Reader, press the News Reader iconNewsfeed.png on the menu bar on the Frame.

Notes

Other Activities

There are many more Activities that can be loaded onto the laptop. Automatic installation is working in recent builds (547+) but not yet in Build 542.

Sunlight-readable display

The XO's unique display works both indoors and in direct sunlight. The display works in the following ways:

  • A color image is generated from the backlight passing through color filters in the display.
  • A high-resolution grayscale (black and white) image is generated from ambient light reflecting off of mirrors in the display.
  • When the backlight is on and there is a source of ambient light—the sun, a room light, etc.—you see the combination of two displays.
  • You can save power (and thus extend battery life) by turning the backlight off. The display remains visible, but there is no color.
  • If the ambient light is too intense, the color is washed out; typically you would turn off the backlight in sunlight.

On the top row of the keyboard, there are three long buttons. The long button on the far right controls the lighting and sound on the display.

Key brightness-volume.png

This long button contains four keys. The left two keys control the lighting.

  • The small sun key on the left dims the backlight when pressed; repeated presses on this key puts the display into black and white mode.
  • The large sun key, the second key from the left, increases the brightness of the backlight and enables color mode when pressed repeatedly.

The two keys on the right of the long button are used to decrease and increase speaker volume.

Handheld mode (or eBook mode)

When in the eBook mode, the keyboard and touchpad are covered. Only the game controller buttons, which can be used for scrolling, the camera, and the microphone, work.

Keyboard shortcuts

Ctrl-C – copy
Ctrl-V – paste
Ctrl-X – cut
Alt-C – quit
Ctrl-Alt-Erase – restart Sugar (and X Windows)
Alt-= – toggle on/off developer console
Ctrl-Alt-F1 – console (1)
Ctrl-Alt-F2 – console (2)
Ctrl-Alt-F3 – X Windows
Alt-1 – save snapshot of screen into the Journal

(F1 is the same as the Neighborhood View Key; F2 is the same as the Friends View Key; F3 is the same as the Home View Key.)

Bugs and/or Known Issues

Audio suspend problem

There is a bug that causes the laptop to squeal if it goes into suspend mode while using TamTam. Please exit TamTam before closing the laptop (which puts it into suspend mode). The work-around is to turn off the laptop: When it is turned back on, the squeal is gone. (NOTE: fixed in later builds)

Battery status icon problem

The battery status icon does not always accurately reflect the percentage of charge left in the battery. Please monitor the battery LED located in the right-bottom corner of the display to determine when to recharge. If the battery LED is red, battery needs to be recharged.

Keys that do not work

75 — Journal search key
75 — Bulletin-board key
Key grableft.png Key grabright.png — Grab keys (on either side of the space bar)
Key viewsource.png — View-source key (NOTE: enabled for Browse in later builds)