Projects/SugarMail

Introduction

• Name: SugarMail
• Location: Malaysia
• Number of Laptops Requested:2

Personnel

• Name: Mohd Lazim Bin Abdul Raoh
• Qualification: Undergraduate student for Bachelor Degree of Computer Science in Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia. Familiar with python programming and Django. Still learning the Ruby on Rails framework and working under Linux and OpenBSD environment. Experience in working in Macintosh environment for graphic and movie editing.
• Contact: +6133223780, mythrage [at] yahoo [dot] com

Objectives

• This e-mail client can still be used even though there is no Internet connection available.
• Kids still can send the e-mail eventhough they are away from their home (don't received by receiver)
• Kids can send to the real e-mail address if they want (after configuring the e-mail account from external server)
• To ensure that kids never forget what they want to tell their friends earlier.
• Give a better understanding on actual e-mail implementation instead of using a webmail.

How it's work

During classes, kids are connected to each other in meshed network. All names and position of the kids can be located at the Neighbourhood. Instead of chatting to each other, the usage of e-mail might help them understand how e-mail works. Unfortunately, the deployment of web server won't be necessary if none of the use it wisely.

Instead of deploying a web server, e-mail can be send to anyone within the meshed network without sending it to any web server first. Each computer can act as a web server and mail client. When they stay in the class, all the e-mail that they send to their friends will be available at their friends side. But if they go home, all the e-mail that they send will be saved in their laptop and forwarded if the receiver XO laptop getting close to the sender.

This will shows the kids how the e-mail works even though it is not working as properly as usual. The name of the receiver depend on the name of the XO laptop and all the name of other laptop will be saved in order for them to send this e-mail to another XO laptop.

By configuring the XO laptop to use any external e-mail account such as Gmail, the kids can use this e-mail address to send a real e-mail to any e-mail address.

Plan of Action

• Received XO laptop from OLPC
• Compile tinymail framework in XO laptop
• Design SugarMail interface using pyGTK+
• Combine the implementation of tinymail into designed SugarMail interface so that the normal working mail client can send a simple mail to any mail server.
• Do further programming on the implementation of mail client without internet connection.

Needs for the Project

Why is this project needed?

• Setting up mail server to be used for mailing require a lot of costs and resource.
• XO laptop should work unreliable to any other machine or servers
• There's some situation where there is no internet connection and sending mail should be impossible when the XO cannot access the GMail available in the current released.

Locally?

• Malaysia is one of the country that have a lot of trees and mountain. Eventhough there is a wireless internet connection available, there might be some place that got no wireless coverage. Sending e-mail might be impossible for those who got no internet connection. SugarMail can provide communication medium for XO user to send and received e-mail from each other without any internet access.

Why can't this project be done in emulation mode with non-XO machines?

• Compiling tinymail under normal computer and under XO laptop give different result in calling the class from tinymail framework. Besides, XO got the ability to communicate to each other under meshed network and this is the key to the development of SugarMail.

Why are you requesting the number of machines you are asking for?

• 2 XO laptop are required for development purpose of SugarMail because this e-mail client require the collaboration between 2 or more XO laptop for it to work properly.

End Products

SugarMail is a mail client that provide mail services to all XO user to send e-mail with or without internet connection. SugarMail require no mail server for it to work properly as it use the tinymail framework for mobility.

Distribution and Sharing

The SugarMail will be included in activities list in OLPC wiki that can be downloaded by any XO user arround the world.

Timeline

This project require 1 year of development process. Development might take longer time because the developer still not familiar with XO laptop and it's environment. This require additional 3-4 month for developer to study the features available in XO laptop including the meshed network features that might be used in SugarMail implementation.