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{{OLPC}}
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OLPC
{{Latest Releases | firmware = inline | extra = inline }}
Release Notes for the XO software
{{TOCright}}
This page details the current stable software image. Important changes are [[#Important notes|noted below]]. This image is "ship" software; there is much you can now do with the laptop out of the box (See [[542 Demo Notes]] and [[608-demo-notes|608 Demo Notes]]). General – somewhat outdated – instructions on how to use the Sugar interface can be found [[Sugar_Instructions|here]]. Also of note are the [[OLPC_Ship.1_Software_Release_Notes|Ship.1 Release Notes]]. The [[Library Release Notes]] page has information about the early stages of our sample content library. Finally, the [[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines]] describe our vision of where we are heading, only partially reflected in our current software.


These are the release notes for release 7.1.0, also known as "Ship.2", which incorporated build 650 of the system software.
The software is just maturing to the point where we can embark upon later-stage trials for feedback and polish. Please review the [[#Notes]] below and please report any new bugs to our trac system (See http://dev.laptop.org).
This is the build installed on the XO laptops that [[G1G1 2007]] donors received starting in December 2007.


There have been numerous releases since this, everyone should [[Upgrading the XO|update to a later stable release]].
==Overview==
<br clear="all" />
New in this release, Ship.2:
= General release notes =
* Network upgrades via 'olpc-update' (see below for details)
{{Users}}
* More robust wireless networking
Welcome to the OLPC community!

Overall, most of the first-generation vision for our system is now present and working:
* Sugar UI
* The Journal and datastore
* Presence service
* Easy real-time collaboration in many of our activities including:
** Read, Write, Chat, Browse, Record, EToys, TamTam Jam, Memorize, Connect, Calculate, and Measure
* Mesh networking
** Automatic configuration of ad-hoc meshes, allowing collaboration without any infrastructure or Internet access
** Automatic configuration of school server mesh
* Infrastructure Access Point connections
* Anti-theft activation on installation

Coming in future releases:
* Improvements on document and image transfer
* Improvements on jabber server for collaborating outside of the peer-to-peer mesh
* Better security for activities
* Integrated collaboration within activities (??)


==Important notes==
At this time, '''we do not recommend installing latest software on B2 systems''' due to some driver incompatibilities and excessive RAM and CPU usage.


==Stable builds==
The release notes on this page apply to the latest stable software release: {{Latest Releases/stable}}. We recommend that you follow the instructions found on the [[Autoreinstallation image]] page to upgrade to this image. If you are already at build 612 or higher, you can upgrade using the ''olpc-update 6xx'' command from a virtual terminal. (Information regarding the latest development builds &ndash; non-stable builds &ndash; can be found here: [[Test_Group_Release_Notes]].)

;{{ticket|1748|USB Update key needed to upgrade systems in the field}}: Note that the [[Autoreinstallation image]] has latent support for preserving the user files on the system in the ''olpc.fth'' file. The USB key must be large enough to hold both the image to be installed and any and all files the user may have created in /home/OLPC.


=Base-system notes=
The system is now based on [http://fedoraproject.org/relnotes.html Fedora Core 7], and [http://dev.laptop.org/git.do?p=olpc-2.6;a=summary OLPC's kernel] is based on [http://lwn.net/Articles/240973/ Linux 2.6.22].


If you are looking for help on getting started, please see the [http://laptop.org] pages.


==Network Connectivity==
==Network Connectivity==


===WPA does not work in this version===
'''Connecting to a Wireless Access Point'''
* To connect to a non-secured AP (Access Point)
*# Go to the neighborhood mesh view (3rd key from the left on the top row)
*# Hover over the circles to see the names of the APs
*# Click on the one you want to connect to


You can connect to a WPA access point through the User Interface in the current software version, 767. We are not working on a patch right now.


* There is a script for the [[WPA_Manual_Setting|WPA workaround script]] and the detailed instructions to get around this bug. This is for advanced unixal [http://sites.google.com/site/unix306] users.
'''Connecting to a WEP enabled Access Point'''
* To connect to most WEP enabled APs, you click on the AP in the neighborhood view (as above); then add the WEP key either as a password, a pass-phrase, or as a hexidecimal value
* Some APs (such as the Apple Extreme) will only work with a hexidecimal value. If you have a password or passphrase, go to [http://www.xs4all.nl/~rjoris/wpapsk.html Hex Converter] to get the hex key. Also, with the Apple Extreme you need to set 'shared key'. Most other APs prefer the 'open key' setting when using WEP.


===Some encrypted Access Points require Hex key===


If you try to connect to an encrypted (WEP or WPA) wireless access point (AP) with a password or passphrase, the connection may be not be successful.
'''Connecting to a WPA enabled AP'''<br>
[[WPA_Manual_Setting|WPA AP]]


* Every AP manufacturer uses a different algorithm for converting a passphrase to a key. The most reliable method for connecting to your own access point is to use a hex key when configuring the AP, then use the same hex key when you try to access it from the XO. Here are a couple of links for converting passwords and phrases to hex keys for WEP and WPA environments: [http://www.corecoding.com/utilities/wep2hex.php WEP Hex converter], [http://www.xs4all.nl/~rjoris/wpapsk.html WPA Hex Converter]
==Suspend/resume and power management==
;{{ticket|60|Suspend/Resume}}: Note that a number of the bugs in the tracker bug are likely duplicates. Suspend and resume using the power button currently wakes up for various types of wireless LAN traffic.
''Placeholder for suspend/resume bugs''


==Other==


'''New Features:'''


Other [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=assigned&status=new&status=reopened&group=component&component=wireless&component=network+manager&order=priority&col=id&col=summary&col=milestone&col=status&col=type Wireless and Network Manager] bugs and enhancements.
[[608-demo-notes|Demo notes of new features]]


==Collaboration and Sharing Activities==
Private invitation:
# Start an activity (such as Write);
# From either the Neighborhood (Mesh) view or the Friends view, find someone with whom to share;
# Hover over the XO icon of the invitee and click on 'Invite' (This sends an invitation to participate in your current activity);
# The invitation will appear as an icon in your colors on the taskbar tray of the invitee's laptop;
# This activity is started by clicking on it (in the usual manner of all activities), but it starts up as a shared activity.


Sharing a bookmark in Browse:
===Sharing is an activity specific feature===
# Open the browser;
# Share the activity either by issuing a private invitation as per above or by selecting 'share with neighborhood' from the menu under the Activity tab;
# Go to a URL of interest;
# From the Browse tab, click on the star in the upper right of the toolbar (This will create a bookmark that appears in a tray at the bottom of the activity window on each laptop that is sharing the activity);


There are a number of ways that activities might share or communicate with each other. For instance Chat will allow many laptops to connect and text typed on any laptop will be seen on all the laptops that are currently sharing.
'''Open Issues'''


When you share the Record Activity, the pictures taken after joining the activity will automatically be shared. Pictures taken before other have joined the activity are not shared.
*Network connectivity
** An XO that is acting as an MPP (mesh portal point) cannot participate in local mesh collaboration. (Until there has been more testing for an XO acting as an MPP vis-a-vis mesh collaboration, we have diabled automatic MPP mode. To manually enable this mode, please refer to the instructions [[Test_Config_Notes#Turn_on_MPP_Capability|here]].)
** Some activities share well in link-local; but don't share properly over the internet using the Jabber server. Activities that don't share well across the internet (G1G1) include Record photos and video (audio?), book reader, eToys, large files in Abiword may cause the activity to stop sharing. (This has been fixed in subsequent versions of the sharing/network software.)


To find out how sharing works (or if sharing has been implemented) in any particular activity, please see the notes on that [[Activities|Activity]].
* Connect to an Airport Extreme access point with a WEP key.
** You need to follow these steps when you login in the Airport configuration utility:
*# Choose a network security level of 40-bit or 128-bit WEP.
*# Set any password(you may tick the plain text option) and Update.
*# After the update login again and note the HEX password in the summary view.
** On the XO neighborhood view click the access point.
*# In the security popup type $:XXXXX, where XXXXX is the HEX password.
*# Choose the Shared Key option.
** If the AP changes or removes its WEP key, the XO will not realize it directly. You will need to
*# Remove /home/olpc/.sugar/default/nm/networks.cfg
*# Reboot


* Save photos
** Record has changed a lot, and as a result, old entries cannot be opened on the new build
** Follow these steps to save photos; unfortunately, videos will be lost.
*# Drag photos from record onto the clipboard.
*# Scroll over the clipboard images, and select "add to journal"
* Sharing a Write document works well for text, but if you add too many images (large docs) don't share properly.
::This is fixed in future builds.


Open [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=assigned&status=new&status=reopened&group=component&component=telepathy-gabble&component=telepathy-other&component=telepathy-salut&component=presence-service&order=priority&col=id&col=summary&col=component&col=owner&col=priority&col=version Collaboration or Sharing] bugs or enhancements.
* Journal


==Browse==
* Sugar
** The battery indicator on the home sugar page only updates when the power adapter is plugged in or removed. {{ticket|2861}}
** If the network neighborhood mesh view stops showing other laptops or access points, reboot sugar with CTL-ALT-ERASE


===Rich text field ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/5340 #5340])===


If you use a web-based mail program, such as google gmail, in rich text mode you may not see the cursor and you may not be able to type in the text field.
Transporting photos, audio, and video from Record to USB sticks (Clipboard objects don't work)
# Drag media to the clipboard
# The files will be automatically added to the journal (named Audio by {XO_name}, Video by {XO_name}, and Photo by {XO_name}
# Drag these files from the journal to the USB stick, and any other laptop will be able to see and open them.
#*If you add the clipboard objects to the journal, they will not save correctly.
#*These objects will be able to be opened with different activities, but if you transfer them to a USB, you will not see them.
#*Changing the names of the items in the journal will force them to create correct names and file extensions.
#*After changing the name, drag the item from the journal to the USB stick.
#*Now, a non-XO laptop will be able to see and open the items on the USB stick.


* To work around this, set your email to use 'Plain Text' mode. In gmail there is a link just above the body field to switch between plain and rich text.


===Can't attach file in gmail ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/5323 #5323])===
'''IMPORTANT''' (unless we are going to have people install the rpm's to use olpc-update instead of doing the upgrade with a USB stick)
* You must have the laptop plugged in with the AC adapter to upgrade firmware. Otherwise you will get a failure message; and you may need to boot on the backup image (holding down the gamekey O while booting) to try the upgrade again.
* Update to latest firmware before updating to latest image.
** The new firmware (Q2C28 and later) will check that the image is not corrupt before installing it, whereas the old firmware will wipe the nand and then run into trouble trying to install the new image.
** Basically, using the new firmware will keep you safe from possibly losing your data due to a corrupt image.


The browser may crash if you try to attach a file to your email from within google gmail. When you click on attach it takes a long time to try to open the journal.


* With this build you cannot attach a file to email. You can copy the file from the journal to a USB stick to get it off the XO.
Note that for long term storage, removing the battery pack after a full charge is best practice; this is true for all battery powered devices.


===Browse can't play back Record audio or video ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/4783 #4783])===
;[[RestrictedFormats]]: In some jurisdictions, patents on algorithms apply, and royalty payments may be required. Examples include MP3, and MPEG-4. This is a particular nuisance for media players, for which many of the common codecs algorithms are patented. In other jurisdictions, software patents do not apply and there are usually freely available implementations for these algorithms available. Sometimes, as in Adobe Flash, or the Real Helix player there are free (as in beer) implementations available, where those corporations have paid these patent royalties and made usually (binary) versions of codecs available. This has direct consequences as OLPC does not want to burden all machines with what may be unnecessary duplicate patent royalties: OLPC must therefore leave the customization of the distribution for these formats for "in country". For jurisdictions in which such patent laws apply, there are now solutions such as those sold by [http://www.fluendo.com/ Fluendo] to these issues. The Flash format (whether Adobe's Flash 9 or Gnash) illustrates this problem well; even though we can include gnash, as built it does not have support for MP3 or MPEG-4, which should work correctly if Gnash is rebuilt.


Audio and Video that is created in the Record activity cannot be played back in the browser.
;[https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=10900 fontconfig cache is invalidated too easily on mtime check]: Applications can take a <i>very</i> long time to start, due to a fontconfig caching bug provoked by the time being set incorrectly (which can happen easily if the battery is replaced or the time is set badly). To work around this problem, use the "date" command from a console to set the current time and date.


* To play back your audio or video, find the Record activity in the journal and resume it. The original video and audio is saved there and can be played back while in Record.
==[http://www.x.org X Window System]==


===Cannot view source with Fn + Space([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/5060 #5060])===
;[http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=x+window+system&order=priority X Window System open issues]: specific to OLPC are found in trac.


Ctrl-u now works.
==User Interface: [[Sugar]]==


Other open [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=assigned&status=new&status=reopened&group=component&component=browse-activity&order=priority&col=id&col=summary&col=milestone&col=status&col=type Browse] bugs and enhancements.
;Shutdown: to shutdown completely, hover over the XO in the home view and click on 'Shutdown'. This is a graceful shutdown, preferred to holding the power button for more than 4 seconds, which summarily resets the machine.


==Sugar UI==
;Suspend: Momentarily press the power button.


===Fly-overs sometimes don't go away ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/4515 #4514]) ===
;Screen Capture: Alt-1 does a screen capture and stores the result in the Journal.


After hovering over an icon on the Sugar UI, a fly-over may show up providing information or actions. Sometimes the fly-over remains on the screen after the action has started.
;USB Keys: USB keys are automatically mounted and their contents are viewable from within the Journal. Files can be dragged from the Journal or Clipboard onto the USB key from within the Journal. (USB file systems are still accessible from console and the developer's console through the standard Linux mechanisms.)


* To get rid of an old fly-over message, move the mouse and hover over another icon. Then move the mouse until it is not hovering over any icon.
[http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&component=sugar&order=priority Many of the user interface issues] we intend to fix. Among the most notable issues are:
;{{ticket|989|New networking UI needs documentation}}: To choose a network, push the first of the four circular "mesh view" keyboard buttons (or "F1" in an emulator), hover over each triangle until you find the access point you want to associate with, and then click on it. (Note that the access points are color-coded based upon a hash of the AP SSID. Therefore, once you learn the color of your desired access point, you can subsequently find it quickly.) You may be prompted for an access point's password.


===The Sugar frame doesn't always go away with the frame key===
;Network Autoconfiguration: an XO will now autoconfigure the network. If no school server mesh, or previously connected Infrastructure Access Point can be found, an ad-hoc mesh will be formed using private networks. It will also associate with conventional access points using WEP or WPA. If it associates via WEP or WPA, the mesh portal functions cannot work, however.


Sometimes the Sugar frame remains up front after an activity has started.
;Clipboard interaction (on the Frame): is not fully developed in all activities. Some activities can copy and paste (using Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V) or drag to and from the clipboard, but some do not.


* Usually the sugar frame will disappear after a few seconds. It may be help to click inside the activity or press the frame key (upper right-most key)
;Groups: are not yet exposed in the interface. Sharing, chat, etc. are [[share with neighborhood|shared with the neighborhood]] (open to everyone connected to the mesh) or by [[invite|invitation]] to individuals (and groups, where the invitations are issued one at a time).


==Presence Service==


;[http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=milestone&component=presence-service&order=priority PS open issues]: can be found in trac


===The cursor jumps or doesn't behave properly ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/2804 #2804])===
;Connections: [http://telepathy.freedesktop.org/ Telepathy] connections are supported via the school server - a [http://www.jabber.org/ jabber] [http://www.xmpp.org/ XMPP] server with some particular required [http://www.xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0163.html features] - as well as over the mesh network using [http://www.xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0174.html Link Local XMPP]. If you have no Internet access, link local is the default and you will see XOs in Neighborhood view who are on the mesh network. If you do have Internet access, link local presence will be switched off and you will only see XOs who are connected to the server.


Sometimes when you are using the touchpad, the mouse jumps to the edge or corner of the screen making it very difficult to use it.
;Default Server: The default XMPP server is now jabber.laptop.org, so if you have internet connectivity you should see other users from around the globe in Neighborhood view, via this server.


* It might help to re-calibrate the trackpad by pressing the four corner keys of the laptop, ensuring that the last one pressed is the 'fn' key. If this doesn't work, it might respond to restarting sugar by pressing these three keys at one time: Alt, Ctl, Erase. Finally, if that doesn't work, the problems might go away by reinstalling the software or when you upgrade to the next version.
;Server Connections: Activity icons appearing in the mesh should disappear when everybody leaves that (shared) activity. However if the PS fails to announce somebody leaving (for example {{ticket|2616|quitting the jhbuild emulator with alt-Q while in the activity}}), then the {{ticket|1935|icon remains on the mesh view}}.


* I've actually corrected this issue a few times by pressing hard on the trackpad near the corner or edge to which the cursor tends to jump.
==[[Developer Console]]==


===Upgrading activities is a manual process ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/4906 #4906])===
The developer console provides a set of tabs in a popup window on top of activities. It is launched by typing <tt>Alt-=</tt>.


If you have an activity installed on your laptop and you try clicking on the newer version to install it, it will continue to run the older version.
* The ''XO Resources'' tab shows basic information about the system, the recent CPU usage and flash usage


* For now you need to remove the older version manually and then install the new one, as described in the [[Activity Upgrade]] procedure.
* The ''Memphis'' tab returns information about executing processes. [http://dev.laptop.org/git.do?p=projects/soc-memphis Memphis])


* The ''Log Viewer'' tab allows exploration of many key system logs.


* The ''Terminal'' tab provides a terminal emulator and shell.


Other [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=assigned&status=new&status=reopened&group=component&component=sugar&order=priority&col=id&col=summary&col=status&col=type&col=milestone Sugar] bugs and enhancements.
* The ''Presence'' tab provides logs of the presence service in raw form (the mesh view is a graphical interpretation of these logs), to aid in debugging one of our key new services.


==[[Journal]] and Datastore==
== Journal & Datastore ==
The Journal is a log of all of the activity on the laptop. The Journal uses the underlying [[Sugar_Architecture/API/sugar.datastore|Datastore facility]].


===Journal may crash when indexing USB ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/5127 #5127]) ===
* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&component=datastore&order=priority Datastore issues] are in our trac system.


If you insert a USB stick into the XO and launch an activity before it is finished indexing the USB, the journal may crash.
* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&component=journal-activity&order=priority Journal issues] can be found in our trac system.


* The work around is to wait until the USB shows up in the journal before launching another activity.
* The datastore indexes all information on an external device; this issue—{{ticket|2627|Datastore should check versions and recreate indexes automatically}}—has caused some trouble during its development, which we hope to prevent in the future.


* Removable media support is now present. When a USB key is inserted, Sugar will now automatically mount the USB stick and put an icon on the bottom of the journal; if you click on the icon, the journal on the USB stick will be shown. You can also unmount the stick using that icon by using the pop-up menu. On an external device, the file name bears some resemblance of the name that may have been given to the journal entry, so you should be able to take a FAT formatted USB stick from an OLPC and mount it on Linux, Windows or MacIntosh to interchange files; on the JFFS2 file system right now it is simply a numeric has, which is arguably unfriendly.


===Journal may stop updating or become unresponsive ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/3376 #3376])===
=[[Pre-installed Activities]]=
A number of activities come pre-installed on the laptop. Instructions on loading additional activities is found [[#Additional Activities|here]].


If the datastore has crashed and restarted, the journal may become unresponsive.
==[[Chat]]==
[[Image:Chat.png]] Activity Version = 24


* To recover you can reboot the laptop from the Sugar Home screen (hover over the XO); or restart just Sugar by pressing Ctl, Alt, and Erase.
[http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=chat-activity&order=priority Chat open issues] can be found in trac.


Chat has been restored to our builds. It now uses the Presence Service, so instead of a global chatroom, if you start Chat from the frame it will create its own room for you. When others join in the Neighborhood view, the activity shows who has joined or left, and if you join it will display those who are already in the chat room.


===Journal can't read a read-only USB stick ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/4407 #4407])===
* Use either "[[share with neighborhood]]" or "[[invite]]" to advertise your chatroom to other people.


The journal writes to a USB stick as part of its indexing; so if the stick is read-only, it will not show the contents in the journal.
* There is also chat and "push-to-talk" capability built into Etoys.


* You can unprotect the USB stick or make it read/write.
==[[Browse]]==
[[Image:Web.png]] Activity Version = 59


Our Xulrunner-based browser uses the scaling engine from Firefox 1.9. This greatly improves browser behavior on our high-resolution display. More performance enhancement needs to be done, particularly in regard to the scaling of images. All of the Google Apps now work well. Please let us know (by filing a trac bug report) when you find web sites with formatting problems.


* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=browse-activity&order=priority Web Browser Open Issues] can be found in trac.


Other open [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=assigned&status=new&status=reopened&component=journal-activity&component=datastore&order=priority&col=id&col=summary&col=status&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&col=milestone Journal and Datastore] bugs and enhancements.
* {{ticket|542|SSL sites without official certificates fail to load}}.


* {{ticket|3353|Donut loses its center}}. When the browser opened a second instance (by opening a link to a "target") the donut becomes a solid circle and the individual instances of the browser are obscured. This bug has been fixed in later builds.


==Battery Life==
* Plug-ins should be installed in the directory /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins.


===Suspend/Resume is not enabled ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/5243 #5243])===
* The current version ships with a FOSS version of Flash called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnash Gnash]; it has improved substantially from Trial-1. [[RestrictedFormats|Adobe's Flash]] plug-in can be loaded on the laptop—in some situations it may be preferable to the current version of Gnash. As noted in [[RestrictedFormats]], we cannot distribute Gnash with patented codecs, though Gnash can be rebuilt to support a wide range of datatypes.


The hardware fixes for allowing software suspend and resume are available on mass production units.
* There is no Linux support for Shockwave; consequently Shockwave does not work in the browser.


* Battery life will increase as the software features are turned on for suspend and resume. This will be apparent after the next release.
* The web browser does not ship with Java plug-in. [[RestrictedFormats|Sun's Java]] and web browser plug-in work fine.


* The web browser has no tabs, no zoom (yet), and only partial provision for ebook mode (yet).


Other [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=assigned&status=new&status=reopened&group=component&component=power+manager+%28OHM%29&order=priority&col=id&col=summary&col=status&col=type&col=milestone Suspend and Resume] bugs.
* User experience has problems with pop windows.


* Most media objects stored in the Journal can be opened in the browser by "[[resuming from the Journal]]". Please report any problems with resume (by filing a trac bug report).


==Activities==
* {{ticket|4022|browser cannot open files generated by view source}} View source is invoked by typing either CTRL-U or FN-Space (FN-Gear-key). The page source is displayed in the Write activity—where it can be edited—and saved as a Journal entry. The Journal entry cannot be resumed in either Browse or Write (this is a regression that will be fixed in a later build). It can be copied from the Journal to the clipboard (but cannot be dragged into Write—another regression).


===Paint===
* Use either "[[share with neighborhood]]" or "[[invite]]" to advertise your browse session to other people with whom you can share bookmarks.


The tablet mode, where you can use a stylus on the touchpad, is not working in build 650.
==[[Write]]==
[[Image:Write.png]] Activity Version = 45


Users can only draw horizontal arrows. ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/4170 #4170]) In the future, the Ctrl key will be used to rotate shapes.
The Write activity is based on [[AbiWord]]. This activity is fully integrated in the [[Sugar]] environment, and provides an efficient, light weight text editor. It has support for reading various documents formats, such as Microsoft Word (.doc, .rtf), OpenDocument (.odt), (X)HTML (.html), and plain text (.txt). The core of this activity might be used for editing text in the wiki as well.


The selection tool only has limited functions: the paint bucket cannot fill in the selected area, one cannot crop, delete, or resize the selected area, one cannot apply effects to the selected area, etc. ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/3699 #3699], [http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/3701 #3701], [http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/3702 #3702])
* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=write-activity+%28abiword%29&order=priority Write activity issues] can be found in trac.


The images cannot be inserted from Journal records ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/4866 #4866]).
* {{ticket|4165|Write must expose UI to allow specifying output format.}} The Write activity has all the internal hooks for saving files out to arbitrary formats, but this feature is not exposed to the user. (You can use CTRL-SHIFT-S to invoke a "save-as" dialog, but it will save the file outside of the Sugar interface.) This will be fixed in later build.


There might be some delay when using a USB mouse ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/5390 #5390]).
* {{ticket|4108|Write activity doesn't share inserted pictures.}} This is a bug due to the sharing mechanism that is in Build 623. It has been corrected in later builds.


===Browse===
* Use either "[[share with neighborhood]]" or "[[invite]]" to advertise your Write session to other people with whom you can do simultaneous editing.


In this release there is no user interface to change web browser proxy settings due to the problem with displaying pop up windows ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/2910 #2910]).
* Most text document types can be [[resuming from the Journal|resumed]] in the Write activity from the Journal.


The browser does not offer parental control at this point. See
* Images can be imported into Write by dragging them from the clipboard or by using an import dialog from the Journal.
[[Ask_OLPC_a_Question#Parental_control]] .


Images drawn with Paint might not be viewed with Browse ([http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/5567 5567]).
* Etoys can also be used to author text and multimedia presentations.


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


In order to play previously recorded video/audio, you must resume the Record activity (from Journal). If you click on the video/audio item, it will be played by the browser.
[[Image:Record.png]] Activity Version = 32


The primary record activity has support for still images, video, and audio. (The [[Sugar_EToys|Etoys]] activity also includes support for the camera.) Playback of media (still, video, and audio) captured by Record can be [[resuming from the Journal|resumed]] from Browse or Etoys. Still images captured by Record can be imported into Write through a Journal search dialog or from the clipboard.


{{Developers}}
* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=camera-activity&order=priority Record open issues] can be found in trac.
= For developers =
This page provides more technical details on the current stable software image. Important changes are [[#Important notes|noted below]].


This image is "ship" software; there is much you can now do with the laptop out of the box (See [[542 Demo Notes]] and [[608-demo-notes|608 Demo Notes]]). General – somewhat outdated – instructions on how to use the Sugar interface can be found [[Sugar_Instructions|here]]. Also of note are the [[OLPC_Ship.1_Software_Release_Notes|Ship.1 Release Notes]]. The [[Library Release Notes]] page has information about the early stages of our sample content library. Finally, the [[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines]] describe our vision of where we are heading, only partially reflected in our current software.
* Green LEDs illuminate above the microphone and camera when the Record activity is running.


The software is just maturing to the point where we can embark upon later-stage trials for feedback and polish. Please review the [[#Notes]] below and please report any new bugs to our trac system (See http://dev.laptop.org).
* The Build 623 version of Record does not utilize the game-pad buttons. In later builds, these buttons can be used as a shutter.


==Overview==
* Record does not work properly in "[[rotate screen]]" mode.
New in this release, Ship.2:
* Network upgrades via 'olpc-update' (see below for details)
* More robust wireless networking


Overall, most of the first-generation vision for our system is now present and working:
* Record saves video as .ogg, which cannot be directly imported to youtube.com.
* Sugar UI
* The Journal and datastore
* Presence service
* Easy real-time collaboration in many of our activities including:
** Read, Write, Chat, Browse, Record, Etoys, TamTam Jam, Memorize, Connect, Calculate, and Measure
* Mesh networking
** Automatic configuration of ad-hoc meshes, allowing collaboration without any infrastructure or Internet access
** Automatic configuration of school server mesh
* Infrastructure Access Point connections
* Anti-theft activation on installation


Coming in future releases:
* The icons under the Record Tab are ambiguous. These have been redone in latter builds.
* Improvements on document and image transfer
* Improvements on jabber server for collaborating outside of the peer-to-peer mesh
* Better security for activities
* Integrated collaboration within activities (??)


==Important notes==
* Audio recording saves a still image, but that image is not displayed when [[resuming from the Journal]].
At this time, '''we do not recommend installing latest software on B2 systems''' due to some driver incompatibilities and excessive RAM and CPU usage.


==[[Drawing Activity|Draw]]==


==Upgrades / Stable Builds==
[[Image:Paint.png]] Activity Version = 12
The release notes on this page apply to the stable software release, already installed on MP(mass-produced) systems for 2007 G1G1 donors: [http://download.laptop.org/xo-1/os/official/latest/jffs2/ '''Build 650'''] (2007-12-05). We recommend that you follow the instructions found on the [[Stable_Upgrade|Stable Upgrade]] page.


=Base-system notes=
The [[Drawing Activity|application]] is fully written in [[Python]], using only [[GTK]] features. It is being developed at [[LSI|LSI-USP]] in [[OLPC_Brazil|Brazil]].
The system is now based on [http://docs.fedoraproject.org/release-notes/ Fedora 7], and [http://dev.laptop.org/git?p=olpc-2.6;a=summary OLPC's kernel] is based on [http://lwn.net/Articles/240973/ Linux 2.6.22].


* [https://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&component=drawing-activity+%28oficina%29&order=priority Paint (Oficina) Issues] can be found in the trac system.


==Network Connectivity==
* {{ticket|2657|Not able to import image from the Journal into Draw}}. This is fixed in later builds.


'''Connecting to a Wireless Access Point'''
* Etoys can also be used for drawing.
* To connect to a non-secured AP (Access Point)
*# Go to the neighborhood view ([[Image:Mesh key f1 small.png]])
*# Hover over the circles to see the names of network access points (APs)
*# Click on the one you want to connect to


==[[TamTam]]==


'''Connecting to a WEP enabled Access Point'''
[[Image:Activity8.png|51px]] [[Image:Tamtamedit-icon.png]] [[Image:Tamtamsynth-icon.png]] Activity Version 41
* To connect to most WEP enabled APs, you click on the AP in the neighborhood view (as above); then add the WEP key either as a password, a pass-phrase, or as a hexadecimal value.
* Some APs (such as the Apple Extreme) will only work with a hexadecimal value. If you have a password or passphrase, go to [http://www.xs4all.nl/~rjoris/wpapsk.html Hex Converter] to get the hex key. Also, with the Apple Extreme you need to set 'shared key'. Most other APs prefer the 'open key' setting when using WEP.


TamTam is a suite of music activities that span networked "jam sessions" to composition to a synthesizer lab.
The release notes for TamTamJam, TamTamEdit, and SynthLab are available [[TamTam Release Notes|here]].


'''Connecting to a WPA enabled AP'''<br>
* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=tamtam-activity&order=priority TamTam open issues] can be found in trac.


We continue to work on improving support for WPA encryption, and hope to have a better solution in our Update.1 release. In the meanwhile, [[WPA Manual Setting|WPA AP]] documents procedures for manual use of WPA encrypted access points.
==[[Etoys]]==


==Sugar Control Panel==
[[Image:Activity1.png|72px]] Activity Version = 60


You can now set some configuration parameters on the laptop from the command line in the [[Terminal Activity]]. The following parameters are settable:
The [http://www.squeakland.org/ Etoys] learning environment has been integrated into the Sugar environment, and you are encouraged to visit the Squeakland site. [[Sugar Etoys]] has information specific to [[Etoys]] in our Sugar environment.


* XO color
* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=etoys-activity&order=priority Etoys open issues] can be found in trac.
* jabber server
* language
* nickname
* radio on/off
* timezone


See [[Sugar Control Panel]] for details.
* Most media objects can be [[resuming from the Journal|resumed]] into Etoys from the Journal.


== Backward Compatibility ==
* Most media objects can be dragged from the clipboard into Etoys.


'''Upgrading to 650'''
* Etoys has rich-media capabilities: it can be used for painting, writing, presentations, video capture and playback, etc.


''From 623 (ship.1)''
* Etoys has numerous modes of network-enable interaction: sharing of objects, sharing of desktops, chat, push-to-talk, etc.


* Using olpc-update to get to 650 will not work. It fails due to some unicode character problems, which were fixed in 650.
==[[Turtle Art]]==
* If your laptop is secure, you should do a secure upgrade via USB to get to 650. This will overwrite the entire file system, so you should back up any files you want to save before doing this. You can follow the instructions: [[Upgrade_B%2A]]
* If your laptop is insecure, you can do an upgrade, following the procedure outlined on [[Autoreinstallation image]]


''From 542 (trial 3)''
[[Image:Turtleart.png|72px]] Activity Version = 4
* olpc-update is not available at all
* You can use the secure upgrade via USB (this will overwrite your file system, so backup files you want to save), though your machine is insecure.
** You can follow the instructions here to do so: [[Upgrade_B%2A]]
* To do an upgrade with backup and restore, use the process outlined on [[Autoreinstallation image]]


'''Activity files that won't work on 650'''
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.


''From 623 (ship.1)''
* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=turtle-activity&order=priority Turtle Art open issues] can be found in trac.


* Record
* Integration with the Journal is not complete.
** Old journal entries of record will not resume properly
** Both video and audio files cannot be viewed with the browser. (don't just throw them out, as this bug may have been fixed, and they may work with update.1)
* Measure
** Old journal entries will not resume properly. This means that any logs that were previously made will be lost.


''From 542 (trial 3)''
==[[Pippy]]==


* Block Party
[[Image:Pippy-icon.png|72px]] Activity Activity = 8
** It is not included in 650.
** If you'd like to save Block Party, move it from /usr/share/activities to /home/olpc/Activities before upgrading. Otherwise, you'll have to re-install it.
* Etoys
** you may lose your etoys projects.
* Watch and Listen
** It is not included in 650
** You can download the latest version from the [[Activities]] page.
* All TamTam activities
** These activities have changed greatly
** Unfortunately, any compositions will be lost
* Turtle Art
** Resuming the old activity entries will just start a new instance.
* Record
** Resuming the old activity entries will just start a new instance.
** The only way to save pictures is to copy them to the clipboard and then to the journal before upgrading.
** Video files will be lost.


==Other==
* Pippy is a simple Python programming environment.


'''Previous Release Notes'''
* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=pippy-activity&order=priority Pippy open issues] can be found in trac.


[[OLPC_Ship.1_Software_Release_Notes|Ship.1 Release Notes]]
* Cut and paste is not working in this version of Pippy.


'''Features:'''
==[[Calculate]]==


[[608-demo-notes|Demo notes of new features]]
[[Image:Calculate.svg|72px]] Activity Version = 12


'''Notes:'''
The calculate activity provides a generic calculator. The interface provides the simplest functions directly and should therefore be easy to use for the youngest children. However, it does support more complicated math and variables.


Note that for long term storage, removing the battery pack after a full charge is best practice; this is true for all battery powered devices.
* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=calculator-activity&order=priority Calculator open issues] can be found in trac.


;[[RestrictedFormats]]: In some jurisdictions, patents on algorithms apply, and royalty payments may be required. Examples include MP3, and MPEG-4. This is a particular nuisance for media players, for which many of the common codecs algorithms are patented. In other jurisdictions, software patents do not apply and there are usually freely available implementations for these algorithms available. Sometimes, as in Adobe Flash, or the Real Helix player there are free (as in beer) implementations available, where those corporations have paid these patent royalties and made usually (binary) versions of codecs available. This has direct consequences as OLPC does not want to burden all machines with what may be unnecessary duplicate patent royalties: OLPC must therefore leave the customization of the distribution for these formats for "in country". For jurisdictions in which such patent laws apply, there are now solutions such as those sold by [http://www.fluendo.com/ Fluendo] to these issues. The Flash format (whether Adobe's Flash 9 or Gnash) illustrates this problem well; even though we can include gnash, as built it does not have support for MP3 or MPEG-4, which should work correctly if Gnash is rebuilt.
* When "sharing", Calculate allows the sharing of variables and calculations across the network.


;[https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=10900 fontconfig cache is invalidated too easily on mtime check]: Applications can take a <i>very</i> long time to start, due to a fontconfig caching bug provoked by the time being set incorrectly (which can happen easily if the battery is replaced or the time is set badly). To work around this problem, use the "date" command from a console to set the current time and date.
* The calculator does not save its variable data to the Journal.

==[[Measure]]==

[[Image:Measure-icon.png|72px]] Activity Version = 11

The Measure activity is used to measure DC and AC voltages by observing them on a oscilloscope like interface, being able to watch waveforms in frequency domain (spectrum analyzer), logging data at a specified time interval and drawing the graph of logged data.

* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=measure-activity&order=priority Measure open issues] can be found in trac.

* Sharing is not enabled in this version of Measure.

==[[News Reader]]==

[[Image:Newsfeed.png|72px]] Activity Version = 21

Based on [http://penguintv.sourceforge.net/ PenguinTV]. A few RSS feeds of educational interest have been preprogrammed as examples:
* Astronomy Picture of the Day
* BBC News
* EPOD - Earth Science Picture of the Day
* Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
* Planet OLPC
Other feeds can easily be added/substituted.

* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=news-activity+%28penguintv%29&order=priority News open issues] can be found in trac.

==[[Read]]==

[[Image:Activity-xbook.svg|72px]] Acitvity Version = 32

Read is opened as a "helper" application to the browser. PDF files are opened in an ebook reader.

* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=read-activity&order=priority Read open issues] can be found in trac.

* Screen rotate works well within the Read activity, but the buttons don't remap to the current orientation.

* Read can be used to share "books".

==Memorize==

[[Image:Activity7.png|72px]] Activity Version = 18

* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=memorize&order=priority Memorize open issues] can be found in trac.

The game memorize is about finding matching pairs. A pair can consist of any multimedia object. At the moment these are images, sounds and text but this could be extended to animations or movie snippets as well. Which pairs do match is up to the creator of the game.

==Connect==

[[Image:Connect4.png|72px]] Activity Version = 15

A version of Connect-4 that supports network play, and is useful [http://dev.laptop.org/git.do?p=projects/connect-activity;a=summary as an example] of how to use Sugar's collaboration facilities.

* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=connect-activity&order=priority Connect open issues] can be found in trac.

* Connect requires two players to function - the game cannot be played until you share it and another player joins. At this time there is no support for starting a new game once somebody wins - that will be a future feature.

=Additional Activities=

Many activities are under development and they can be [[Activities|found with their status in the wiki]] while the [[Activity Grid]] has the status of all of the activities that have systematic testing.

Most activities are installed by first downloading a <tt>.xo</tt> file from the web; second, open the activity from the Journal. The activity is installed in <tt>/home/olpc/Activities</tt> and on the Frame.

==[[Helix Media Activity|Watch and Listen]]==

[[Image:Watch&listen.png|72px]] Activity Version = 8

Videos and DVD's can be played back on the system, including [http://www.helixcommunity.org RealNetwork] formats. A Sugar version of Real's Helix player is available and installed; only Ogg format media is in the base install for the reasons outlined in [[RestrictedFormats]]. Please see the [[Helix Media Activity]] release notes for further details. A browser plug-in version for media playback is expected soon. Watch & Listen is not preinstalled. It can be installed from [[Image:Watch_%26_Listen-8.xo|here]]

* [http://dev.laptop.org/query?status=new&status=assigned&status=reopened&group=component&component=helix-activity&order=priority Watch and Listen open issues] can be found in trac.

Watch and Listen is opened as a "helper" application to the browser.

=Temporary placeholders and Missing Pieces=

There is no user interface for controlling the audio input and mixing. The workaround right now is to use "alsamixer" in a terminal window. Speaker volume is controllable by the slider. There is currently no visual feedback for changing the volume.

Our plans include a web server and wiki system [[MikMik]], using an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WYSIWYG WYSIWYG] editor based on the write activity (currently [http://www.abiword.org/ Abiword]). This has a collaborative write capability we exploit.

==Backlight control==

The backlight can be controlled using F9 (dimmer) and F10 (brighter); With the backlight completely off, there is no color; hardware anti-aliasing for the color screen is also disabled (Screen resolution is maximized in this mode).
Likewise, volume is controlled by F11 (quieter) and F12 (louder).
[[Image:Brightness-volume.png|thumb|none|F9—F12 are assigned to this key (from left to right)]]

=School Server Notes=
The school server software is not quite ready.

==Laptop Registration==
To register with a school server, you execute the command ''olpc-register'' from a command line in the developer console. This establishes the relationship of the laptop with the school server (named "schoolserver" in the local DNS domain). It also establishes a [http://www.jabber.org/ jabber] server used by the presence service of the laptop. This should have a UI by Update.1.

==Laptop Backup to server==
In the Journal, there is a ''Backup'' tab; you select that tab, and if your laptop is registered, it will backup to the school server.

=OLPC Platform=

Inventory of "permanent" packages

Inventory of "debug" packages

Inventory of "optional" packages (?)

==Development environment==

==Languages - Logo, javascript, [[Python]]==

==Libraries==


==Where to find source ==
==Where to find source ==
Line 468: Line 321:
=Finding the Latest Test Builds=
=Finding the Latest Test Builds=


See [[Friends in testing]]
[http://olpc.download.redhat.com/olpc/streams/development/ Development and stable builds] can be downloaded. [[Firmware|Boot firmware]] is kept in this wiki. The latest stable [[Autoreinstallation image|firmware and system image]] combined into an easy to use package with a script to automate installation of the firmware and base image makes upgrades to the latest stable software extremely easy.

= Enabling logging =

Activity logging is now turned off by default. To turn on logs:
# edit ~/.xinitrc and uncomment the line that imports .sugar.debug (It is the second last line of the file and there are commented instructions over it in the file itself)
# in ~/.sugar.debug, add these lines -


export JOURNAL_DEBUG=yes (to enable Journal Logs)

export SHELL_DEBUG=yes (to enable Shell Logs)

export ACTIVITYNAME_DEBUG=yes (to enable activity Logs where ACTIVITYNAME is that given in activity.info file)

export SUGAR_EMULATOR=yes (this shows me logs of all activities without having to enable logging for each activity)



[[Category:Hardware]]
[[Category:Release notes]]
[[Category:Software development]]

Latest revision as of 07:37, 6 August 2013

The contents of this page are considered outdated and some of the information may be stale. Please use information here with caution, or update it.

OLPC Release Notes for the XO software

These are the release notes for release 7.1.0, also known as "Ship.2", which incorporated build 650 of the system software. This is the build installed on the XO laptops that G1G1 2007 donors received starting in December 2007.

There have been numerous releases since this, everyone should update to a later stable release.

General release notes

  For the general public

Welcome to the OLPC community!

If you are looking for help on getting started, please see the [1] pages.

Network Connectivity

WPA does not work in this version

You can connect to a WPA access point through the User Interface in the current software version, 767. We are not working on a patch right now.

  • There is a script for the WPA workaround script and the detailed instructions to get around this bug. This is for advanced unixal [2] users.

Some encrypted Access Points require Hex key

If you try to connect to an encrypted (WEP or WPA) wireless access point (AP) with a password or passphrase, the connection may be not be successful.

  • Every AP manufacturer uses a different algorithm for converting a passphrase to a key. The most reliable method for connecting to your own access point is to use a hex key when configuring the AP, then use the same hex key when you try to access it from the XO. Here are a couple of links for converting passwords and phrases to hex keys for WEP and WPA environments: WEP Hex converter, WPA Hex Converter


Other Wireless and Network Manager bugs and enhancements.

Collaboration and Sharing Activities

Sharing is an activity specific feature

There are a number of ways that activities might share or communicate with each other. For instance Chat will allow many laptops to connect and text typed on any laptop will be seen on all the laptops that are currently sharing.

When you share the Record Activity, the pictures taken after joining the activity will automatically be shared. Pictures taken before other have joined the activity are not shared.

To find out how sharing works (or if sharing has been implemented) in any particular activity, please see the notes on that Activity.


Open Collaboration or Sharing bugs or enhancements.

Browse

Rich text field (#5340)

If you use a web-based mail program, such as google gmail, in rich text mode you may not see the cursor and you may not be able to type in the text field.

  • To work around this, set your email to use 'Plain Text' mode. In gmail there is a link just above the body field to switch between plain and rich text.

Can't attach file in gmail (#5323)

The browser may crash if you try to attach a file to your email from within google gmail. When you click on attach it takes a long time to try to open the journal.

  • With this build you cannot attach a file to email. You can copy the file from the journal to a USB stick to get it off the XO.

Browse can't play back Record audio or video (#4783)

Audio and Video that is created in the Record activity cannot be played back in the browser.

  • To play back your audio or video, find the Record activity in the journal and resume it. The original video and audio is saved there and can be played back while in Record.

Cannot view source with Fn + Space(#5060)

Ctrl-u now works.

Other open Browse bugs and enhancements.

Sugar UI

Fly-overs sometimes don't go away (#4514)

After hovering over an icon on the Sugar UI, a fly-over may show up providing information or actions. Sometimes the fly-over remains on the screen after the action has started.

  • To get rid of an old fly-over message, move the mouse and hover over another icon. Then move the mouse until it is not hovering over any icon.

The Sugar frame doesn't always go away with the frame key

Sometimes the Sugar frame remains up front after an activity has started.

  • Usually the sugar frame will disappear after a few seconds. It may be help to click inside the activity or press the frame key (upper right-most key)


The cursor jumps or doesn't behave properly (#2804)

Sometimes when you are using the touchpad, the mouse jumps to the edge or corner of the screen making it very difficult to use it.

  • It might help to re-calibrate the trackpad by pressing the four corner keys of the laptop, ensuring that the last one pressed is the 'fn' key. If this doesn't work, it might respond to restarting sugar by pressing these three keys at one time: Alt, Ctl, Erase. Finally, if that doesn't work, the problems might go away by reinstalling the software or when you upgrade to the next version.
  • I've actually corrected this issue a few times by pressing hard on the trackpad near the corner or edge to which the cursor tends to jump.

Upgrading activities is a manual process (#4906)

If you have an activity installed on your laptop and you try clicking on the newer version to install it, it will continue to run the older version.

  • For now you need to remove the older version manually and then install the new one, as described in the Activity Upgrade procedure.


Other Sugar bugs and enhancements.

Journal & Datastore

Journal may crash when indexing USB (#5127)

If you insert a USB stick into the XO and launch an activity before it is finished indexing the USB, the journal may crash.

  • The work around is to wait until the USB shows up in the journal before launching another activity.


Journal may stop updating or become unresponsive (#3376)

If the datastore has crashed and restarted, the journal may become unresponsive.

  • To recover you can reboot the laptop from the Sugar Home screen (hover over the XO); or restart just Sugar by pressing Ctl, Alt, and Erase.


Journal can't read a read-only USB stick (#4407)

The journal writes to a USB stick as part of its indexing; so if the stick is read-only, it will not show the contents in the journal.

  • You can unprotect the USB stick or make it read/write.


Other open Journal and Datastore bugs and enhancements.


Battery Life

Suspend/Resume is not enabled (#5243)

The hardware fixes for allowing software suspend and resume are available on mass production units.

  • Battery life will increase as the software features are turned on for suspend and resume. This will be apparent after the next release.


Other Suspend and Resume bugs.


Activities

Paint

The tablet mode, where you can use a stylus on the touchpad, is not working in build 650.

Users can only draw horizontal arrows. (#4170) In the future, the Ctrl key will be used to rotate shapes.

The selection tool only has limited functions: the paint bucket cannot fill in the selected area, one cannot crop, delete, or resize the selected area, one cannot apply effects to the selected area, etc. (#3699, #3701, #3702)

The images cannot be inserted from Journal records (#4866).

There might be some delay when using a USB mouse (#5390).

Browse

In this release there is no user interface to change web browser proxy settings due to the problem with displaying pop up windows (#2910).

The browser does not offer parental control at this point. See Ask_OLPC_a_Question#Parental_control .

Images drawn with Paint might not be viewed with Browse (5567).

Record

In order to play previously recorded video/audio, you must resume the Record activity (from Journal). If you click on the video/audio item, it will be played by the browser.


  For Developers

For developers

This page provides more technical details on the current stable software image. Important changes are noted below.

This image is "ship" software; there is much you can now do with the laptop out of the box (See 542 Demo Notes and 608 Demo Notes). General – somewhat outdated – instructions on how to use the Sugar interface can be found here. Also of note are the Ship.1 Release Notes. The Library Release Notes page has information about the early stages of our sample content library. Finally, the OLPC Human Interface Guidelines describe our vision of where we are heading, only partially reflected in our current software.

The software is just maturing to the point where we can embark upon later-stage trials for feedback and polish. Please review the #Notes below and please report any new bugs to our trac system (See http://dev.laptop.org).

Overview

New in this release, Ship.2:

  • Network upgrades via 'olpc-update' (see below for details)
  • More robust wireless networking

Overall, most of the first-generation vision for our system is now present and working:

  • Sugar UI
  • The Journal and datastore
  • Presence service
  • Easy real-time collaboration in many of our activities including:
    • Read, Write, Chat, Browse, Record, Etoys, TamTam Jam, Memorize, Connect, Calculate, and Measure
  • Mesh networking
    • Automatic configuration of ad-hoc meshes, allowing collaboration without any infrastructure or Internet access
    • Automatic configuration of school server mesh
  • Infrastructure Access Point connections
  • Anti-theft activation on installation

Coming in future releases:

  • Improvements on document and image transfer
  • Improvements on jabber server for collaborating outside of the peer-to-peer mesh
  • Better security for activities
  • Integrated collaboration within activities (??)

Important notes

At this time, we do not recommend installing latest software on B2 systems due to some driver incompatibilities and excessive RAM and CPU usage.


Upgrades / Stable Builds

The release notes on this page apply to the stable software release, already installed on MP(mass-produced) systems for 2007 G1G1 donors: Build 650 (2007-12-05). We recommend that you follow the instructions found on the Stable Upgrade page.

Base-system notes

The system is now based on Fedora 7, and OLPC's kernel is based on Linux 2.6.22.


Network Connectivity

Connecting to a Wireless Access Point

  • To connect to a non-secured AP (Access Point)
    1. Go to the neighborhood view (Mesh key f1 small.png)
    2. Hover over the circles to see the names of network access points (APs)
    3. Click on the one you want to connect to


Connecting to a WEP enabled Access Point

  • To connect to most WEP enabled APs, you click on the AP in the neighborhood view (as above); then add the WEP key either as a password, a pass-phrase, or as a hexadecimal value.
  • Some APs (such as the Apple Extreme) will only work with a hexadecimal value. If you have a password or passphrase, go to Hex Converter to get the hex key. Also, with the Apple Extreme you need to set 'shared key'. Most other APs prefer the 'open key' setting when using WEP.


Connecting to a WPA enabled AP

We continue to work on improving support for WPA encryption, and hope to have a better solution in our Update.1 release. In the meanwhile, WPA AP documents procedures for manual use of WPA encrypted access points.

Sugar Control Panel

You can now set some configuration parameters on the laptop from the command line in the Terminal Activity. The following parameters are settable:

  • XO color
  • jabber server
  • language
  • nickname
  • radio on/off
  • timezone

See Sugar Control Panel for details.

Backward Compatibility

Upgrading to 650

From 623 (ship.1)

  • Using olpc-update to get to 650 will not work. It fails due to some unicode character problems, which were fixed in 650.
  • If your laptop is secure, you should do a secure upgrade via USB to get to 650. This will overwrite the entire file system, so you should back up any files you want to save before doing this. You can follow the instructions: Upgrade_B*
  • If your laptop is insecure, you can do an upgrade, following the procedure outlined on Autoreinstallation image

From 542 (trial 3)

  • olpc-update is not available at all
  • You can use the secure upgrade via USB (this will overwrite your file system, so backup files you want to save), though your machine is insecure.
    • You can follow the instructions here to do so: Upgrade_B*
  • To do an upgrade with backup and restore, use the process outlined on Autoreinstallation image

Activity files that won't work on 650

From 623 (ship.1)

  • Record
    • Old journal entries of record will not resume properly
    • Both video and audio files cannot be viewed with the browser. (don't just throw them out, as this bug may have been fixed, and they may work with update.1)
  • Measure
    • Old journal entries will not resume properly. This means that any logs that were previously made will be lost.

From 542 (trial 3)

  • Block Party
    • It is not included in 650.
    • If you'd like to save Block Party, move it from /usr/share/activities to /home/olpc/Activities before upgrading. Otherwise, you'll have to re-install it.
  • Etoys
    • you may lose your etoys projects.
  • Watch and Listen
    • It is not included in 650
    • You can download the latest version from the Activities page.
  • All TamTam activities
    • These activities have changed greatly
    • Unfortunately, any compositions will be lost
  • Turtle Art
    • Resuming the old activity entries will just start a new instance.
  • Record
    • Resuming the old activity entries will just start a new instance.
    • The only way to save pictures is to copy them to the clipboard and then to the journal before upgrading.
    • Video files will be lost.

Other

Previous Release Notes

Ship.1 Release Notes

Features:

Demo notes of new features

Notes:

Note that for long term storage, removing the battery pack after a full charge is best practice; this is true for all battery powered devices.

RestrictedFormats
In some jurisdictions, patents on algorithms apply, and royalty payments may be required. Examples include MP3, and MPEG-4. This is a particular nuisance for media players, for which many of the common codecs algorithms are patented. In other jurisdictions, software patents do not apply and there are usually freely available implementations for these algorithms available. Sometimes, as in Adobe Flash, or the Real Helix player there are free (as in beer) implementations available, where those corporations have paid these patent royalties and made usually (binary) versions of codecs available. This has direct consequences as OLPC does not want to burden all machines with what may be unnecessary duplicate patent royalties: OLPC must therefore leave the customization of the distribution for these formats for "in country". For jurisdictions in which such patent laws apply, there are now solutions such as those sold by Fluendo to these issues. The Flash format (whether Adobe's Flash 9 or Gnash) illustrates this problem well; even though we can include gnash, as built it does not have support for MP3 or MPEG-4, which should work correctly if Gnash is rebuilt.
fontconfig cache is invalidated too easily on mtime check
Applications can take a very long time to start, due to a fontconfig caching bug provoked by the time being set incorrectly (which can happen easily if the battery is replaced or the time is set badly). To work around this problem, use the "date" command from a console to set the current time and date.

Where to find source

Many of the OLPC activities, kernel, and other software are in our git repository.

Internationalization/Localization (see Category:Language support & Category:Languages (international))

Other Multimedia Software

Other software that has been tested on the OLPC systems includes Adobe Flash, and Real's Helix® and Sun's Java.

Finding the Latest Test Builds

See Friends in testing

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