XS Conf 08 MAR 25 IRC LOG

This is the IRC log for the School Server Teleconference 25 March 2008

Conversation with #olpc-xs 
(08:53:35 PM) mvn071: BryanWB:meeting started
(08:53:40 PM) h01ger [n=holger@socket.layer-acht.org] entered the room.
(08:53:43 PM) h01ger: hi
(08:53:55 PM) huslage [n=huslage@75-92-155-42.sea.clearwire-dns.net] entered the room.
(08:54:06 PM) huslage: g'day
(08:54:27 PM) m_stone [n=mstone@teach.laptop.org] entered the room.
(08:54:29 PM) martin_xsa: is that technically possible?
(08:54:42 PM) huslage: has the call started? i hear nothing
(08:54:43 PM) martin_xsa: what's your skye acct?
(08:54:52 PM) mvn071: it started
(08:54:53 PM) martin_xsa: BryanWB, what's your skype acct?
(08:54:55 PM) olpc_wad: Aaron, still hearing nothing ?
(08:55:02 PM) huslage: yep.
(08:55:11 PM) huslage: calling in again
(08:55:42 PM) BryanWB: my acct is berrdawg, skypeout
(08:56:30 PM) crosvera [n=crosvera@25-240-90.adsl.terra.cl] entered the room.
(08:56:34 PM) crosvera: hello
(08:56:36 PM) crosvera: sorry be late
(08:56:39 PM) martin_xsa: hola
(08:56:48 PM) crosvera: hola
(08:56:51 PM) crosvera: voy a llamar ahora
(08:57:21 PM) huslage: hola crosvera
(08:57:56 PM) crosvera: hi huslage
(08:58:02 PM) martin_xsa: ouch
(08:58:14 PM) huslage: major feedback
(08:58:21 PM) mvn071: sound is getting less
(08:58:48 PM) martin_xsa: BryanWB, can you hear? Carol suggests you talk via irc...
(08:59:31 PM) crosvera: i ha 11 minutes
(08:59:35 PM) BryanWB: i hear perfectly well
(08:59:38 PM) martin_xsa: say your name
(09:00:00 PM) martin_xsa: bryan is talking
(09:00:04 PM) crosvera: im in the call
(09:00:09 PM) martin_xsa: next?
(09:00:48 PM) dan_p: Hi, Dan Poltawski here, I work with moodle with K12 schools in the UK (got no voice)
(09:01:06 PM) crosvera: my turn?
(09:01:31 PM) BryanWB: dan_p: welcome
(09:02:24 PM) martin_xsa: anyone else?
(09:02:41 PM) mvn071: http://martenvijn.nl ...
(09:03:01 PM) arjs [i=Anks@221.134.239.1] entered the room.
(09:03:09 PM) martin_xsa: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XS_Roadmap
(09:05:15 PM) cafl: me http://msbit.com/cafl.html -- static version of school website: http://msbit.com/robin/html/
(09:09:51 PM) olpc_wad: cafl: Any relationship with the NYC schools ? Or are they working solo ?
(09:10:09 PM) BryanWB: cafl: working w/ Teaching Matters?
(09:10:40 PM) cafl: I am freelancing...my daughter teaches at that school...teach for america. It is a charter
(09:12:15 PM) olpc_wad: Cool. Martin and I are talking to the NYC schools tmw. as well. When does Icahn Charter School plan to deploy ?
(09:12:57 PM) cafl: I am travelling there Thursday. Will be there through the next week.
(09:13:38 PM) cafl: I am putting this in one class...4/20th laptop per child
(09:15:22 PM) cafl: I hope success will interest the icahn foundation
(09:16:47 PM) TTown: Sound is dropping out for short times (from any participant). Anybody else experience this?
(09:16:57 PM) crosvera: yeah
(09:18:07 PM) martin_xsa: we all like hardware ;-)
(09:20:55 PM) mvn071: floss accespoint => wrap/alix/soekris performs well
(09:21:15 PM) crosvera: floss?
(09:21:20 PM) BryanWB: mvn: needs to be easy to set up accesspoint, i have no experience w/ this
(09:21:22 PM) mvn071: opensources
(09:21:29 PM) crosvera: yeah
(09:21:30 PM) mvn071: linux / bsd
(09:22:07 PM) mvn071: just make brigdes, or ssh configs form XS
(09:22:13 PM) mvn071: from
(09:23:02 PM) olpc_wad: We have noticed that OpenWRT turns cheap access points into good access points, but it adds to the installation overhead.
(09:23:23 PM) TTown: Large school scenario: I hear with traditional access points 1 one server for 250 clients is normal. Using no high end servers, will server clusters be considered (--> red hat cluster management suite)
(09:23:49 PM) crosvera: damn it i don't have more money
(09:23:55 PM) mvn071: ack, and not very scalable hardware (redoing)
(09:24:16 PM) olpc_wad: We are trying to avoid clusters if possible...
(09:25:41 PM) crosvera: I am out of the conference
(09:27:57 PM) BryanWB: sorry crosvera
(09:28:08 PM) crosvera: np
(09:28:33 PM) crosvera: then you talk me about the conference :D
(09:28:41 PM) BryanWB: sure :)
(09:28:59 PM) cafl: talking about taxonomy now, crosvera
(09:29:09 PM) crosvera: ;)
(09:29:17 PM) cafl: on wiki
(09:29:24 PM) huslage: olpc_wad: the OpenWRT idea is good, but I found when doing Katrina relief that it was more of a hindrance than useful after a fashion
(09:31:15 PM) olpc_wad: I agree, in terms of having to install it on the AP. Did you run into technical problems as well ?
(09:31:42 PM) huslage: yeah, mostly in administration issues.
(09:31:48 PM) mvn071: linksys had bad capcitors, better take smc
(09:32:01 PM) huslage: olpc_wad: has the 50x15 been considered as a school server platform?
(09:32:03 PM) BryanWB: huslage: I am wary of learning curve w/ OPenWRT, when we already have a lot of new tech to work w/
(09:32:13 PM) crosvera: cafl, what about backup XO's information?
(09:32:18 PM) huslage: exactly BryanWB
(09:32:34 PM) huslage: http://50x15.com/en-us/
(09:33:56 PM) martin_xsa: thanks for the yum comment, I'll see if I can make it more reliable
(09:35:01 PM) martin_xsa: our plan is to have the same mechanism that can be deployed via USB key or internet
(09:35:20 PM) martin_xsa: or mixed delivery
(09:35:28 PM) mvn071: bootable usb-stick..?
(09:35:36 PM) cafl: great ... easy to be blinded by being used to reliability
(09:35:54 PM) martin_xsa: mvn071, the usb key just has a signed script
(09:36:18 PM) martin_xsa: cafl, I'm familiar with _very_ bad connectivity areas: Pacific islands
(09:36:54 PM) olpc_wad: 50x15 is not environmentally sealed, and has no WAN connection.
(09:37:13 PM) huslage: what about customizations?
(09:37:21 PM) cafl: I'm not...this last 3 months has been a revelation
(09:37:32 PM) olpc_wad: I looked at it, but it is underpowered and doesn't get us much. AMD is suggesting a miniITX IPC if you are going to use AMD chips.
(09:38:35 PM) huslage: yrsh
(09:38:37 PM) huslage: yeah
(09:38:47 PM) huslage: we looked at it a while back at Inveneo
(09:38:49 PM) huslage: it sucked
(09:38:56 PM) huslage: i didn't know if it had gotten better
(09:46:20 PM) sulocha1 [n=root@124.41.199.252] entered the room.
(09:47:37 PM) TTown: Birmingham scenario: 20+% of student population changed schools within the last 12 months
(09:47:59 PM) mvn071: crypted backup's with user key
(09:48:03 PM) mvn071: ?
(09:49:04 PM) BryanWB: Yo sulo
(09:49:17 PM) sulocha1: hey bryan
(09:49:18 PM) sulocha1: hey guys
(09:49:51 PM) mvn071: edubuntu ?
(09:49:58 PM) crosvera: what are you talking about right now?
(09:50:22 PM) cafl: martin_xsa: why debian instead of ubuntu which is a secondary distro in the xo context?
(09:50:36 PM) BryanWB: cafl: debian more stable
(09:50:45 PM) dan_p: debian longer-term?
(09:51:39 PM) crosvera: yeah, Debian has several rules with the software update
(09:51:43 PM) mvn071: oke
(09:52:58 PM) dan_p: kernel?
(09:53:10 PM) crosvera: dan_p, ah?
(09:53:49 PM) dan_p: whacky hardware which might not be supported on stock debian kernels
(09:54:32 PM) huslage: yes dan_p
(09:55:26 PM) crosvera: but, it could be possible configure the kernel package
(09:56:01 PM) dan_p: yep. Indeed/backports
(09:56:26 PM) dan_p: woo for unsexy ;)
(09:56:35 PM) sulocha1 left the room.
(09:56:37 PM) martin_xsa: Cobol!
(09:59:31 PM) cafl: martin_xsa: Consider that schools will be adding/customizing application content (e.g. websites, etc.)
(10:01:24 PM) mvn071: http://reductivelabs.com/trac/puppet/wiki/PuppetOnDebian
(10:04:05 PM) huslage: puppet is very nice for what martin_xsa is talking about
(10:08:21 PM) mvn071: what is K<x>?
(10:08:37 PM) olpc_wad: Kindergarden through <x> grade
(10:08:38 PM) martin_xsa: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?f=731
(10:08:51 PM) mvn071: tnks
(10:09:32 PM) dan_p: (I am a developer) and we host over 100 K6 moodles
(10:09:56 PM) dan_p: But I am not clear on the pedology used in these schools
(10:10:28 PM) martin_xsa: carol - thanks for waiting a sec
(10:11:09 PM) mvn071: sorry_ have to show up @ dinner => bye => tnhks
(10:11:11 PM) martin_xsa: carol, go ahead
(10:11:14 PM) martin_xsa: please :-)
(10:11:21 PM) dan_p: http://cleo.net.uk/getfile.php?src=778/CLEO_PrimaryThemesFlyer.pdf
(10:12:47 PM) bemasc left the room (quit: "Quit").
(10:14:32 PM) cafl: static version of school website: http://msbit.com/robin/html/
(10:17:24 PM) BryanWB: I would like to see Moodle as the primary CMS. Has the critical mass in education.
(10:20:47 PM) BryanWB: dan_p: what's your e-mail address? want to talk w/ you about moodle for k-6 kids.
(10:21:01 PM) dan_p: talktodan@gmail.com
(10:21:07 PM) huslage: nice
(10:21:52 PM) BryanWB: dan_p: do you have examples we can look at from the regular Internet? We need a very, very simple UI for our Moodle install in Nepal. More for teachers than the kids.
(10:22:43 PM) dan_p: I am not sure there are any which you'd be able to get anywhere with (they are closed environments for thes chools)
(10:23:19 PM) BryanWB: dan_p: Argh. We want to use Moodle as 1) layout lesson plans for teachers so they don't feel at a loss what do to w/ the XO 2) forums for kids 3) blogging
(10:23:45 PM) BryanWB: let's use Sakai! :) joking
(10:27:55 PM) martin_xsa: cafl, I have to confess that you are quite an outstanding Drupal user
(10:35:53 PM) martin_xsa: open questions?
(10:37:03 PM) cafl: martin_xsa: getting special hardware at deployments like mine ... antenna chargers eg
(10:38:30 PM) olpc_wad: cafl: antenna chargers ?
(10:38:53 PM) olpc_wad: Active antennas and chargers ? Power supplies for standalone repeaters ?
(10:38:58 PM) cafl: live antennas, new gang chargers
(10:39:17 PM) cafl: typing one-handed
(10:39:20 PM) crosvera: martin_xsa, what about XS admin interface?
(10:40:07 PM) cafl: active antennas, new gang chargers
(10:40:07 PM) martin_xsa: todo: moodle+Pootle
(10:40:13 PM) olpc_wad: cafl: For that installation, we have to recommend conventional APs, not active antennas.
(10:40:20 PM) huslage: that hurts my brain
(10:40:31 PM) olpc_wad: Are you in touch with Richard Smith about gang chargers ?
(10:40:55 PM) TTown: Question: Scalability for large schools - if clusters are unwanted and fairly low cost of the shelf hardware the main server resource. At what student number do we expect to hit the ceiling?
(10:41:15 PM) martin_xsa: x11vnc
(10:41:17 PM) martin_xsa: ?
(10:41:34 PM) huslage: TTown: that depends on the hardware really
(10:41:44 PM) martin_xsa: export gdm - ?
(10:41:53 PM) crosvera: x11vnc??
(10:41:56 PM) cafl: olpc_wad: I am using a wap, but would be interested in the chargers. just thought it is something that should be documented
(10:42:04 PM) huslage: they are talking about sharing screens, crosvera
(10:42:13 PM) crosvera: aaaaa
(10:42:15 PM) huslage: it is not a server activity really
(10:42:24 PM) martin_xsa: crosvera, we'll talk admin UI later :-)
(10:42:34 PM) crosvera: with vinagre
(10:42:35 PM) BryanWB: huslage: not really a server activity but great for teacher training
(10:42:40 PM) huslage: yes
(10:42:43 PM) crosvera: with vinagre yo can share screens
(10:42:57 PM) crosvera: *you
(10:42:58 PM) huslage: i don't disagree, just telling him what we're talking about
(10:43:32 PM) olpc_wad: We are working to bring up early prototypes, but need people interested in buying them to go further. You can send mail to rsmith@laptop.org to let him know you are interested.
(10:43:56 PM) cafl: tx
(10:46:06 PM) crosvera: another tool to share screens http://italc.sourceforge.net/
(10:46:41 PM) olpc_wad: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Remote_display
(10:46:53 PM) olpc_wad: For sharing a display between laptops
(10:48:04 PM) martin_xsa: thanks all!