Software components

  This page is monitored by the OLPC team.

A general discussion of software on the laptop is found here.

Operating system

• Linux Kernel: Linux 2.6.22; Fedora Core 7 base environment.
  • The OLPC specific bits of the kernel are pulled from the olpc-2.6 GIT tree on dev.laptop.org:http://dev.laptop.org/git.do?p=olpc-2.6;a=summary

Programming environment

• Python (Version 2.5);
• Javascript™;
• CSound, music programming language;
• The Etoys implementation of Squeak using Smalltalk, an object-based programming language;
  • Please see Sugar Etoys for a detailed description of the Sugar implementation
• Turtle Art LOGO, a graphical programming environment;
• Gnash, a free and open source plug-in for the Adobe Flash™ file format supporting vector and raster graphics, a scripting language called ActionScript™ and streaming of audio and video;
• Adobe's Flash Player and Java™ virtual machine can be added via Yum or RPM install but are not part of the standard distribution.

Libraries

• Mozilla Gecko/Xulrunner (the Firefox web engine);
• GUI toolkit (GTK+) (Gnome);
• Matchbox window manager;
• Pango text layout;
• Gnome accessibility toolkit (ATK);
• Python GTK+ bindings version 2.10;
• Cairo 2D-graphics support;
• X Window System X.org Foundation;
• Font rendering (Freetype);
• Avahi local service discovery;
• Multimedia framework: gstreamer and RealNetworks;
• Bitfrost security system;
• Mesh network;
• Game library: Pygame

Libraries to support all of the above, others can be installed by Yum or RPM.

User environment

• Sugar graphical user interface, written in Python, on top of the X Window System and the Matchbox Window Manager.
  • “Zooming” interface to mesh network;
  • Journal interface to file system;

Flash space available for other software content ~800 mbytes.

Applications

There are three types of activities distributed with the base system: tools for exploring, expressing, and collaborating. A matrix of applications that have been (or are being) built for the laptop can be found here.

Tools for exploring

• a web browser built on the Firefox engine;
• a simple document viewer based upon evince (including the ability to view PDF);
• an RSS (“really simple syndication”) reader (PenguinTV);
• multimedia playback using gstreamer (the Real Networks Helix™ platform has been ported to the laptop and is available for download but is not part of the base distribution);
• OpenDocument Viewer to read documents in OpenDocument format, a highly-compressed format that is a fully open international standard (ISO 26300);
• The Opera web browser and the Real Networks Helix™ platform have been ported the laptop and are available for download but not part of the standard distribution.

Tools for expressing

• TamTam, a music synthesis and composition tool;
• Etoys (see above);
• a word processor based upon the Abiword project;
  • OpenDocument Viewer to read documents in OpenDocument format, a highly-compressed format that is a fully open international standard (ISO 26300)
• video, audio, and still-image capture and playback (a “video wiki” is under development);
• a pixel-paint programming;
• a journal;
• a wiki with WYSIWYG editing, using Crossmark (under development);
• VIM and NANO text editors.

Tools for communicating

• chat and serverless instant messenger;
• a VoIP client (under development);
• Email through the web-based Gmail service;
• Native email client (under development).

Other Tools

• Calculator;
• Spreadsheet (under development);
• a shell and debugger;
• Develop, an activity editor (under development).

Games

• Numerous games, including variations of the “memory game”, strategy games, etc.

Shared Applications

All applications share a common data store accessible through the Journal; Most applications, including, reading, writing, recording and browsing, allow for collaboration; through the network: child-to-child and teacher-to-child.

Mesh Networking

• The specifications for the wireless networking interface include:
• Ability to act as a mesh point when laptop's main CPU is off;
• Support for asymmetric links/paths;
• Incremental releases—mesh networking is available immediately on XO; Upgrades will continue to improve functionality and adherence with standards;
• Simultaneously acts as a mesh point and an infrastructure node.
• Standards Compliance: follow 802.11s draft when possible.

Additional Software projects

• OLPCities, a virtual world programming environment
• FACIL, a webpage editor developed to be used by children. (In English at http://wiki.laptop.org/go/EASE)
• Musical Editor, a music composition toolkit
• Drawing Workshop, a shared graphics space
• Tux Paint, a paint program with extreme ease-of-use
• a Tetris-like game that exploits the mesh
• chat, serverless linux instant messenger http://retroshare.sf.net , VOIP, email
• a shell and debugger
• Develop, an activity editor

See also

Software overview