XS Community Edition/Use Cases

Use Cases

In addition the scenarios listed in Sridhar's Design Doc, and Release Priorities for Early 2013 here are 7 interesting use cases proposed by Tony Anderson:

1. Configure the XS server to handle internet access via a GSM (mobile) network. In much of the developing world, cell phone networks outreach wifi.

2. How to configure the XS server to control XO access to the internet (e.g for the next hour only the 4th grade class) to make effective use of the available bandwidth.

3. In an expensive GSM environment, how to configure the school server to access the internet for updates periodically, e.g. fetch and send email, access rss feeds of news in the local language, get updates from a central server).

4. Configure the server to support an attached printer and to make this printer accessible (under control for paper and ink usage). The current print model in Linux requires each client (XO) to have the print driver installed. The main cost of a printer is the expendables (paper and ink), so schools will have to limit student ability to print.

5. Configure the server to provide email (pop3 and smtp). Make this work in a 'dial-up' internet environment (i.e. internet access is not continuous but intermittent).

6. Currently I am using Django to provide access to a digital library stored on the school server. Pathagar has a similar approach. OLE Nepal is using Fedora Commons and Fez.

7. The school server can be configured with Mediawiki to enable access to Wiki4Schools. There is an alternative based on Kiwix and Wiki4Schools using the Zim format. This has the advantage of providing a search interface. Note: I normally get to Wikipedia via a Google search. The school server does not support such an engine. Incidentally, the school server wiki slice is much larger than that offered by the Wiki Sugar activities and does not tie up space in the XO local store.