OLPC 8.1.1 Features

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NOTE: The contents of this page are not set in stone, and are subject to change! This page is a draft in active flux ... Please leave suggestions on the talk page.

The purpose of providing software for connected laptops is to make affordances for desirable human behaviors like

• reading, writing, computing, sharing
• reflecting, creating images and sounds,
• speaking, broadcasting, publishing
• searching, listing, following,
• configuring, modifying, and debugging

Some affordances provided by the OLPC 8.1.1 operating system and most collections of activities include:

Connectivity

associate with 802.11 b/g access points with or without WEP and WPA1 encryption.

associate with other XO or Active-Antenna 802.11s meshes.

Writing

keymaps are correct or are very close to correct for US/International, Amharic, Spanish, Portuguese, and Kreyól keyboards.

Recording Audio and Video

We've got a camera, a microphone input with optional voltage bias, and some speakers.

Pippy, Record, and TamTam will be able to play and record sounds.

Pippy and Record will be able to take photographs.

Record will be able to record short videos.

Measure will be able to measure signals with or without DC voltage bias.

volume keys on the keyboard will adjust the speaker volume while Sugar is running.

Multi-media Composition

pictures can be composed with text in a system editor such as Write. (We actually expect Write to do a lot of other things.)

fancier multimedia like video, audio, and programs can be manipulated in an environment like EToys.

copy-and-paste media clips between activities

download media clips into the Journal

Interpreters for Standard Data Formats

be able to display and edit DOC, ODT, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WAV, OGG, HTML, JS, some SWF, and several other less-well known formats.

We expect NOT to be able to display restricted formats including MP3, MPEG, most AVI, RM, FLV, etc.

Extensibility and Malleability of Software

w/ internet or preparation: install new activities and library content via the internet or via USB keys.

w/ internet: install new software via 'yum install' or 'rpm -U' via the internet. Data in /home should be PRESERVED.

w/ internet: olpc-update to new versions of the operating system via the internet. Data in /home should be PRESERVED.

w/ preparation: olpc-update to new versions of the operating system via USB. Data in /home should be PRESERVED.

w/ preparation: reflash appropriately signed builds via USB. NO DATA should be preserved.

access the root account via the virtual terminals or via the Terminal activity (if present.)

access to the firmware "ok" prompt w/ developer key, requestable through Browse

Real-time Synchronous (RS) Collaboration

Reliability of current RS collaboration is conditioned in complicated ways on available network bandwidth, packet loss rates, connectivity scenario, and exact software protocol/implementation. See the Collaboration network testbed for details.

Robustness

Installing or removing activities should never change the ability of the system to run.

In practice, bad things may happen if you run out of disk space or if you remove/modify the Journal or Terminal.

Alternately, malicious code could circumvent the isolation framework separating activities from system software and user data.

Power Conservation

when the lids are closed, suspend in order to conserve power.

resume from suspend in response to input such as key-presses, mouse motion, power-button presses, unicast network traffic addressed to the laptop, and several other stimuli.

Peripherals

store user data to and to retrieve user data from FAT16/VFAT formatted USB Mass Storage devices.

We DO NOT expect to be able to store user data to or to retrieve user data from SD cards until #6532 is addressed.

USB ethernet adapters, keyboards, and mice should function similarly to their normal function on other operating systems.

login via serial consoles.

We do not have strong expectations about the behavior of other peripherals.

Simplified Multi-Tasking

interact with one activity or "location" at a time

switch between the current activity and other locations with the view keys or the frame

switch between activities with Alt-Tab or the activity ring

start new activities and stop running ones with the frame, ring, or activity toolbar, respectively.