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archives: through 2006; Jan-Jun 2007

OLPC News Feed?

Is there now or are there any plans to make OLPC news available as an RSS feed? I would very much like to provide my site's readers with up-to-date news on OLPC's progress. Best regards! MT

Check out olpcnews.com, an unaffiliated (and at times critical, but at-heart friendly) news site.

Also, search in Google News for OLPC and capture and copy the resulting RSS feed to your aggregator of choice.

Will Limited Storage Impact Feeling Of Ownership?

I have been impressed by Seymor Papert's idea that the relationship that users have with their personal computers makes them more powerful. I also note that the storage limitations of the OLPC mean that some portion of the materials of an individual student are likely to be stored on the server. What I am curious about is how this will impact the student's sense of ownership and whether the software will be designed to mitigate this limitation by blurring the distinction of local/remote storage. I imagine that this might be done by something simple like establishing a virtual volume that contains the local and remote materials. Of course it may well be that this isn't an issue at all.

The objective is to have the 'server' space transparently integrated into the 'user' space, so that accessing a resource (ie: a file) stored in the server will be transparent. For more info, you can read OLPC Human Interface Guidelines#Automatic Backup and Restore or OLPC Human Interface Guidelines#The Laptop Experience for a broader view. --Xavi 22:46, 31 May 2007 (EDT)

My first 386 had an 80 MB HD. That was plenty for me to write Basic programs, draw scribbles in Kid Pix, and feel like I owned the machine. I wouldn't worry about space vs. ownership. Ben 01:36, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

I haven't read Papert, but as a Mac user, I can tell you that I'm well aware how much I have fetishized and bonded with my machine. =) Anyway, there are two modalities to this: hardware and software. If allowed, a kid might "customize" her or his laptop case with decorations of some sort. If allowed, they might also upgrade or customize the hardware, if they were so inclined. Obviously this could lead to problems, but what is allowable will probably be determined at the local level. In terms of software, it is much the same, but much more fluid. Kids will want to control the decoration and functionality of their computers, but these settings can be easily stored on the server if more than one child is using a laptop. It's not just the access to files that is important, but the ability to create and save personal configurations. --216.175.82.30 13:27, 12 November 2007 (EST)

Game Jam

Can Game Jam games be accessed through FireFox in a format that people can can try it or see an in action demo of the games themes?

If not as many programs can be presented for view in diffrent system formats do you think becuase of the Google link that the program is not being relistic in the real world of internet? In some ways the clanist social pratices of many people and nations is a mid level part of their problem. By following this type of only if you.... belong to the group ,have this kind of system, have a laptop ect... may not be progressive. WHAT DO YOU THINK? jULY 7,2007

Wireless on/off switch?

Does the X0 have a hardware option to turn the wireless off and on? If so, what key(s) are used? If not, is there a simple software option?

Zane

There is no hardware option. It is possible to turn off wireless in software, once you have gone to the terminal and logged in as root. I do not know the precise command required. For most users, wireless on/off will be handled completely automatically. Ben 01:23, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

Multiple users per laptop?

I know the philosophy is "One Laptop *PER CHILD*". However, we were wondering about getting just two or three XO's for our preschool, and having the kids share. Is that feasible? Would all the kids have to share the same file space, or is it possible (with user profiles, or separate flash memory cards) for them to have their own space?

Once G1G1 opens, you will be able to order a handful of XO's for any purpose you desire. OLPC's "Sugar" interface is designed to reduce complexity by only having one account per computer. However, I do not think preschoolers really require separate accounts, filespaces, usernames, and passwords. I suspect they would do just fine sharing a few XOs. (In principle, you could provide each of them with their own SD card, and instruct them to save all their files to it, but this seems a tall order for a 4-year-old). Ben 01:21, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

SD card size?

How large an sd card can the xo use?

SDHC cards are supported, so at least 4 GB, and probably 8 GB as well. Ben 01:13, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

dial-up

sorry if I'm dumb. If I do the "buy one, give one" thing, and I don't have wireless access, will I be able to access the internet via dial-up?

You can use a USB to serial (RS-232) converter to connect to a modem for dial-up access. Chris 21:25, 14 October 2007 (EDT)

ayudenos a ayudar

Distinguidos Señores de wiki.laptop.org

Mi nombre es Patricio Sharup, vivo en el canton taisha, provincia de morona santiago, amazonia, pais-ecuador. Mi pregunta es, como dar inicio a una apertura de dialogo con esta empresa para ver las posibilidades de cooperacion por parte de wiki.laptop.org.

Saludos cordiales... PATRICIO SHARUP

Posiblemente quieres ir a OLPC_Spanish_America, o a #olpc-es por IRC en freenode.net Ben 01:12, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

Boot Time

As of this date, October 12, 2007, as OLPC prepares to undergo full production, what is the boot time of the XO?

Donating the income of free ad space

I would like to use some free space on my site to place ads. I want to let the income of these ads be donated to the OLPC project. Is there a possibility for me to ensure that the advertisers paid for their ads by donating to your project, without transferring the money to my account first?

Thank you for your interest in donating to OLPC. We recommend that you transfer the money through your account. First, it will allow you to ensure proper credit for a possible charitable donation (please make any donations payable to the OLPC Foundation). Second, tracking and confirm third party payments would introduce an overhead that our small, already multi-tasking team can not take on.

One Laptop in America

It would be nice if we could concern ourselves with providing children in America before we worry about everyone else. My wife is a teacher and cannot even get a single computer in her classroom much less a laptop for every child. Why can't we fix this problem first. I saw the report on Dateline (I think that was the show), and the question was asked if we can purchase them for Americans, and the response was we have to buy two. One for us, and one for someone in another country. Are you kidding me?

OLPC is an international project, not an American project. It so happens that many of the developers are US citizens, but many are not. In all cases, OLPC's philosophy is to deal with Departments of Education. If you would like to see OLPC deployed in your state, you must lobby your Department of Education. If your state wishes to order enough laptops for all entering school children, OLPC will almost certainly be happy to help. Ben 01:08, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

Give 1, Get 1 - warranty/support

For people participating in the Give 1, Get 1 program, how will warranty and support issues be handled? As I understand it, other countries buying XOs for students will buy spares and handle maintenance and repairs themselves. What will be the warranty period for the US purchased XO systems, and will there be some type of mail-in or depot exchange/repair program available (possibly through Quanta)?

G1G1 laptops are currently planned to include a 30 day warranty. Full details will be provided to participants before ordering opens. Ben 00:59, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

I did not see any further information on warranty and/or repair options. Can this information be provided? Sales have already begun (I'm proud to have purchased a G1G1 option) but it would be nice to know how to fix these puppies.

is there a scope to filter age-specific or grade-specific information

I am a parent of 7yr old and a teacher educator. I was going through the library grid. The info there is quite useful for children(and educators). I am wondering whether it would be possible to make it in to auto-capsules that are age-appropriate and adequate? For example, I was going through module on animals,the info is vast and a child of say age 7-8 may not require all that is there, may be he/she would be quite thrilled to get some exciting bits of it to begin with. How we can filter? of course one way is through teacher intervention, but typical parental tendency would be to make available all that is out there on the wiki. I would be keen to know any such efforts are made in this direction to sort the info grade wise/age wise? thanks

There are efforts being made in this area in the "OLPC Content" group. You may want to visit Curators and coordinators or visit the #olpc-content IRC channel. Ben 00:55, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

Alex - russian (e-mail removed)

Добрый день. Как можно приобрести ваш компьютер вне правительствненной программы? Очень нужно. salt2002@ukr.net

До сих пор есть одна возможность получить этот компутер вне правительственой программы, покупить в США. [1] Конечно, вам нужен помошник в США и деньги чтобы так делать.

Up to now there is only one way to get this computer outside of government programs, buy it in the USA. Of course, you need a helper in the USA and money in order to do this.

Note: this query seems to come from Ukraine, not Russia, judging by the email address.

Making a donation from a group

As part of a discussion in my Bus Adm 230 Introduction to Information Systems lectures, I talk about the digital divide. As part of this discussion I mentioned projects designed to help bridge this chasm - and of course - talked about the OLPC program.

I have collected over $100 dollars from my students for your project! I will add enough money to bring the total up to $200 - enough to provide a child with an XO laptop. I would like to know the best way to donate this money in the name of my class.

Thank you for giving my students the opportunity to make a difference!

Wonderful! You should go straight to XOGiving.org and click "Donate". Ben 00:51, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

Antennas , plugs

why do the antennas have to be sticking out, as it makes them easily breakable / fragile ? Couldn’t you put them alongside the screen like it is done on other laptops? Although it gives it a fun look, it probably cost more if they can resist real life bending and tearing? What about dust /sand in the plugs, are they isolated from the rest of the case? Are these plugs safe if a child put’s in a paper clip?

Hope I don't offend anyone in asking, trivial questions.

I don't know much about the decisions behind the antennas, but there are several facts that may help answer your questions: The antennas serve double duty; they both provide wireless networking and cover the plugs to provide some protection against dust. Unlike typical laptops, the XO has almost all of its electronics in the screen portion (only the keyboard and battery are in the base), so having an antenna around the edge of the screen might not have been an option due to interference. If I recall correctly from when I last saw an XO, the antennas are rubberized and quite rugged; this is apparently a recent design change in reaction to field tests. This photo shows that the plugs are directly on the motherboard, not really isolated at all, but they may still be adequate for keeping out dust. According to the hardware specification, the laptop conforms to child toy safety standards, among others, which hopefully test for the safety of the ports as well. —Joe 14:04, 17 October 2007 (EDT)

Will the OLPC be able to boot something like PUPPYOS via a USB stick?

Before I consider the purchase of two OLPC laptops, I would like to verify that the hardware will support booting Linux via USB flash devices. I know PuppyLinux was unfortunately quickly dismissed as a possible candidate to run on the OLPC hardware; however, since the AMD Geode is a x86 processor, I am in hopes I can boot PuppyLinux from USB attached devices, IE... USB Flash, Compact flash using USB adapter, hard drive/cdrom/dvdrom using sata/ide-to-USB adapter, etc.. Has anyone on the development team tried to boot any of the later PuppyOS releases on the current OLPC hardware? If so, how did it work?

Thanks Very Much In Advance Regards Ron

give one get one

what will the laptop come with if I get one from the give one get one offer?

See the Activities page to get a sense of the range of software that will come from the laptop.

Give 1: Get One program --> how to run another OS on my olpc

While I am fascinated to try the sugar UI paradigm, I feel that I may wish to run a different light linux distro on an olpc that I get through the "Give 1: Get 1" program in order to work with a broader and more current selection of packages. This raises a number of questions which I haven't been able to find answers for:

• What distros other than the stock image will install easily on the OLPC? I know fedora is related to the OLPC stock image, but is fedora light enough? What about DSL or another light distro?
• What drivers and other software may need to be hand added to these distros to take advantage of the networking and display optimizations of the XO?
• Does the XO hardware have the capability to work with more standard network topologies and use standards such as WPA?

"Easily" is a relative term, and even more so when combined with the words "installing Linux". :) There is a page on the wiki that tells how to install a fairly vanilla Debian on the OLPC (and there's also one for installing Fedora Core, but that is quite old and uses a custom image). Given that Debian goes on fairly easily (where "easily" requires command-line work, a USB key, and an additional Debian machine), I imagine other Linux distributions could be made to work as well. I have seen the XO running off of commodity 802.11b wireless networking, and I understand it also works with ethernet if you have a USB adapter (but not just any adapter will work). —Joe 15:01, 23 October 2007 (EDT)

JVM in XO

Is there any way to install JVM (Java Virtual Machine) or similar tool in XO o run java software?

The Java page implies that there is. —Joe 14:00, 23 October 2007 (EDT)

If a developer wants to use a JVM, one way to do it is by leveraging the technology from dotFX, Inc. dotFX enables developers to deliver live applications packaged as a link or direct to the desktop. An XO user can obtain an always updated JVM for example, managed by our technology, if a developer wants to package his/her software as secure, live software on our technology. Since the technology is not pre-loaded with XO, the first time a user comes to a website for example with your application packaged as link, he/she will get an initial download we call ClientFX which has the parts of the JVM dynamically loaded to use your app. After that, the user can click on any live application link and access software as easily as he/she access content today. See www.dotFX.com to download the ServerFX product for free. Or, email me with any questions. In addition, I check this site frequently, because I think what OLPC's mission is awesome. Thanks. -Pete President/co-founder dotFX, Inc pete@dotFX.com

setting up web proxy in the OLPC machine

Our network is under proxy settings.. could you please help us how to set up web proxy in OLPC machines

I'm not sure if this answers your question, but there is an answer to a similar question about configuring the XO's web activity for web proxies further up on this page. —Joe 19:21, 24 October 2007 (EDT)

WHY?

WHY don't you just buy Pen's paper and textbooks in calgary kids get along really well without laptops1!

Why don't you just buy pens, paper, and textbooks? In Calgary, kids get along really well without laptops!

First of all, it is not clear that the economics of printing and distributing textbooks is favorable relative to distributing laptops. Second, there are many more things you can do with a laptop than you can with just pen and paper: explore, express, compute, communicate etc. Third, I would guess that most children in Calgary have some access to libraries, computers, cell phones, newspaper, television, radio, etc. and teachers! This is not the case for most children in the developing world, for whom we have designed the laptop.

Software

Dear Sirs,

I sent the following email to technology@laptop.org as directed by your web site. I recieved in return an autoresponder email that offers the ability to give laptops away. As you can see by the email I sent, this was not my purpose in contact. Aprend would be happy to contribute whatever it can in the future, but realistically, without software and a purpose, the XO will make a good boat anchor (for a very small boat at 3lbs.) How do we get in touch with a human (not autoresponder) to investigate at which level we may be of assistance?

Sincerly, Rod Gilchrist

Email originally sent:

My name is Rod Gilchrist. I have a small company in Austin, Texas named Aprend. We have developed a learning management system with integrated authorware. Our software is written totally in JAVA. Due to the features of JAVA, the translation of the GUI is a snap. Localization of language of the GUI, regardless of the language or dialect is very easy. The ability to create content is also very easy with the integrated authorware, localization of the GUI for the content creation software is also very easy. in addition, due to JAVA, our software runs under virtually any OS on any hardware.

It appears to me that the OLPC XO project could possibly use our software to deliver education to children using your laptops all over the world, in their localized language.

I would like to investigate an alliance between Aprend and your project to possibly provide our software with the XO laptop to enable educators at the user end of your project.

Please contact me if you are interested. I have attached a trifold brochure word file in hopes of explaining the features to you.

Sincerely, Roderick E. Gilchrist, CEO Aprend Software (512) 328-5119 rod@aprendsoft.com

Java is not supported.

Rod - I am the President of dotFX, Inc (www.dotFX.com). We innovated a technology which can take existing Java applications and make them live - accessible as a clickable link or direct from the desktop. If the Aprend Software solution is placed on the dotFX framework it becomes "live" software. We manage the delivery of the application and underlying JVM/JRE dynamically. Currently OLPC does not support Java; however, I am a believer in their mission and think that access to free software for kids around the world, securely, is very important. If your software is packaged as a live application, then OLPC kids can access a JVM to their machine organically. The policy decision for OLPC for Java one way or another can be made over time; however, in the interim, there is a path. Let me know if you have any questions. -Pete

President, co-founder dotFX, Inc www.dotFX.com pete@dotFX.com

Rod, Pete - It may help both of you to know that the stated requirement for software included on the XO laptops will all be open-source. That said, there are developers who are working to make their proprietary software able to run on the XO, with the understanding that for the foreseeable future those programs will not be bundled. In other words, the XO is not a platform for profit-seeking companies or individuals to capitalize upon at this time.

Best regards, RKV

RKV - Thanks. I had a dialouge with Joe on that too. Our ServerFX is for free. We have no API/IDE needed, so unlike any other IDE vendor I know of, there is no future risk of developers / users being forced into payment, since the developer can at any time choose to stop using our technology and it does not set back his/her code base, since we did not cause change in the first place. In fact, developers can use us speculatively at any point in the lifecycle of software - design, build, or service post launch. The 30k existing Java applications in open source for example can be packaged as a live clickable link (eg OLPC icon on the desktop) where OLPC and 3rd party open source developers could publish live apps as links into for free for OLPC users around the world, eg games, productivity software, etc -- all types at sourceforge.com for example. As I mentioned to Joe, we are not allergic to making ServerFX open source; however, we want to make that decision if there is enough demand with OLPC and other channels we are discussing. We manage the update issue with the framework, any JRE version running, and the applications. I have not yet Rod from Aprend yet, so I am not sure what he is thinking. In my case however, also because of my non profit work in global education (eg board member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, etc), the OLPC mission is consistent with my personal interests in access and success for all kids, especially via technology as one tool. I love your guys mission - whether dotFX can help or not. -Pete, dotFX

Usability testing

Can anyone tell me if, how, and when usability tests will be (have been, are bring) conducted for the OLPC project? Keith Karn

I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for, but there have been a number of field trials of the XOs, the feedback from which are used to improve the hardware and software. And feedback is solicited at various showings of the device, such as at the Boston Game Jam. I'm not sure if there is any formal usability testing in place, though. —Joe 00:27, 26 October 2007 (EDT)

Digital Radio Mondiale

I am interested in making a cheap DRM using avalable AM/FM radio and use it with line in of PC. Can anyone help me regarding the Hardware and Software of the DRM.

If your device only uses the line-in, there will be a standard activity that can record from that port and play it back, like the Record activity. If the device needs an additional communication route (for example to specify tuning or encode/decode radio signals on the CPU), the best route may be through one of the laptop's standard USB connections. There may be more information available via the Peripherals page; the Hardware and Software pages may also have the basic information that you're looking for. —Joe 00:53, 26 October 2007 (EDT)

Wired netword card

Is there also a wired network card on the laptop ? I heard that wireless connection can cause brain tumors.

There is no wired network card built-in to the laptops, but USB ethernet adapters can be used. —Joe 12:55, 26 October 2007 (EDT)

MP3 files

I noticed that one cannot download speech podcasts in mp3 format to the xo. Is there any way to download these mp3 files, or download software that will allow it?

There is MP3 software that can run on the laptops, but it's not clear whether it will ship with the laptops or, if not, how easy it will be for a user to install. See the RestrictedFormats page. —Joe 12:55, 26 October 2007 (EDT)

Forth in Open Firmware

Is there a usable Forth interpreter one can experiment with and learn from in the firmware?

Apparently, the firmware's Forth interpreter is user-accessible (see instructions in the Open Firmware FAQ). —Joe 12:55, 26 October 2007 (EDT)

Okay, that is OFFICIALLY very cool! lol... Thanks for answering, Joe! I'm really looking forward to the "Buy two, get one" in November. :)

Microsoft Windows XP on XOs

Microsoft has been talking about getting the XP to work on the XO systems. I personally would consider Microsoft having anything to do with this project as a mistake. One of the core principals is free and open source software and any moves to work with Microsoft on this project would run contrary to this. Will the OLPC initiative be staying open source and sticking with Linux? -- Thomas (New Zealand)

According to the list of OLPC myths, the officially distributed OS is still Linux. However, an open system means that anyone (including Microsoft) can develop for it. —Joe 17:25, 26 October 2007 (EDT)

Wireless networking health safety

Can the antenna give brain tumor ?

No. The wireless system is entirely safe. It is certified for safety in the US by the FCC and Underwriter's Laboratories. Ben 00:46, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

dotFX Java Framework

dotFX, Inc. (www.dotFX.com) has a free framework product called ServerFX which allows the 6 million java developers to take existing java applications and make them "live" software, i.e. desktop distributed through the Internet securely. For example, there are 30,000 existing Java applications (desktop apps / "dead" apps) which can be packaged as a clickable link / icon on the desktop or within a browser.

This provides extreme ease of use and ease of access for OLPC users to many free software applications, not previously accessible.

Please let me know if you would like to learn more. I am interested in leveraging the dotFX innovative technology for the OLPC mission.

Very truly yours - -Pete

Pete Hartigan President, co-founder www.dotFX.com pete@dotFX.com

I can't say whether or not the OLPC people are interested in your product, but note that the XO laptop is being distributed only with open source software and it is not currently shipping with Java. —Joe 12:31, 27 October 2007 (EDT)

If there are java developers interested in distributing their software, we can package their software as a "link" in a browser, or as a desktop icon. We manage the JVM for the developer and OLPC. It does not need to be distributed upfront. That is a decision OLPC can make either way, since our free installer and live update features can handle all of this pain for developers. As far as open source, we are not allergic to that consideration if there is proper demand. The key however is the value for the end user --- there are 30,000 existing java applications in open source for example which no one really uses -- we can package these as "links" and make them accessible to the common user -- ie they get free software, live from the network, in an easily accessible manner & updated for them with only deltas each time each user clicks on an application. Our framework provides mechanism for developers to run the apps offline or online, and provision in other ways if they want - yet at a high level the value for OLPC users around the world is straight forward. Get access to free software easily and none of them need to learn how to manage the software. For OLPC project - it is more value for basically no cost. For OLPC and developers, since we can publish services inline at runtime - if people want to monetize their work, we can package an ad object, license object (for premium services), and other revenue generating mechanisms on demand. -Pete pete@dotFX.com

Few highlights for OLPC kids and developers:

1. Environment is secure - so kids around the world can click on apps and have a true security model (vs abdication of security with a trust/no trust decision being forced upfront)

2. Online / Offline

3. Low network footprint - eg if a child is in Africa, India or China for example with low bandwidth - this technique gets full functionality to them in low network availability areas of the world.

4. Infinite number of applications possible on a small hard drive - dynamic applications / servcies - taken on and off as required

5. Applications are monitorable if desired - In the context of social networking applications with kids involved, the browser is generally not good enough to ward off the risk of preditors for example. A developer may choose to want a more monitorable environment for safety purposes. We provide the mechanism if developers want it.

Why pay $150 for what is a 10-year-old machine?

There's no need to spend time considering the pro's and con's of selling this computer to the general public. It won't be offered up for sale. Why? For EXACTLY the same reasons they are not being peddled to developed nations: buyers will ask legtimate questions BEFORE buying and then the truth about these computers and their great limitations will be exposed. Why would anyone pay $150 for what is essentially a re-packaged 10-year old machine? (in terms of computer power/storage/software).

If you only restrict your analysis to computer power, storage capacity and bundled software, then you might be right although I do think that you undervalue the bundled mesh networking software. But the real point is that the OLPC has conciously accepted constraints in computer power, storage capacity and bundled software in order to be innovative in other areas. The XO laptop leverages current interface technology far more than any other PC. Nowadays it is common for WiFi interfaces to be built around their own CPU but only the OLPC leverages this so that the main computer can be powered down while the satellite CPU continues to transmit/recieve data. Only the OLPC has the innovative dual-mode LCD technology that allows normal use, as well as a special low-power black and white mode for ebook reading. This is one of very few modern laptops that have no moving parts and therefore are likely to last a long time which means they provide better green value for money.

P.S. I actually picked this question up from a blog comment that I saw, because I think it nicely sums up a widespread view which is also an ill-informed view that undervalues the leading edge technology in this laptop.

Please consider adding "childsplay" to software packages...

The "childsplay" package is a wonderful Python based package that has kept my 3.5 year old productively engaged for the last couple of months and it seems that it would be ideally suited for inclusion in the OLPC software suite. More info on it can be found at:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/childsplay/

http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/packageinfo?packageID=1463

Thanks for considering this suggestion.

Sincerely,

Dominic Caffey, dcaffey_fl@yahoo.com

The author of childsplay, Stas Zytkiewicz, has expressed interest in porting it to the XO and apparently has had a preliminary version of it running, so I think there's a good chance it will eventually be available. —Joe 16:28, 28 October 2007 (EDT)

Internet Access

Is there any program on the XO computer that eliminates inappropriate web access sites for kids?

Information on the Internet and Peru trial pages suggests that the countries themselves will be responsible for providing an Internet connection that is appropriately filtered. —Joe 18:17, 28 October 2007 (EDT)

Can the technology be adapted so students with language-based learning disabilities can use this?

My niece attends a private school for children with a wide range of learning differences. I would like to purchase one for her but am not sure how adaptable it will be. Can additional software be installed? The application for this population of student in that school setting would be wonderful. Not only could we provide the assisted technology to help LD students learn, but as well help all children around the world! I am most interested in pursuing this!

Yes, support for children with disabilities, both learning and physical, is a priority, and something that is being worked on. Yes, other software can be installed, it just wont necessarily fit the Sugar theme. is for Insects 17:01, 14 November 2007 (EST)

Laptop

What items will be inside the shipping box if bought from give one get one??

Protecting children from bad content on the internet

Does the sugar XO system effectively protect children from pornographic or other adult material on the internet and how is it done. Is it possible to circumvent these filters by adding new browser software or in other ways? With geek and source code buttons these children are being encouraged to look under the hood. I feel it of utmost importance to protect vulnerable children from pornography.

See the filtering question above. It seems the countries/schools will be responsible for filtering the internet before it even reaches the laptops. —Joe 20:40, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

Shipping give one get one

How long is the shipping once I purchase a $100 laptop from give one get one?

We will be setting up a first-come-first-served queue; but until we know the scale of the interest, we won't know the degree to which the volume will impact our production pipeline. We will develop a schedule for shipments and share it with the public as soon as possible.

Is the Get 1 computer the same as the Give 1?

I will participate in the Give 1 Get 1 program, and plan to take the Get 1 to my sister in Laos, who builds libraries there through her non-profit (www.thelanguageproject.org). Currently Laos is not among the governments that are participating in the OLPC program. For obvious reasons, I would therefore like to make sure that the Get 1 computer that I receive is exactly the same as the Give 1 computers that are sent to developing countries. Can this be arranged?

I don't think you get to choose where your "give 1" goes - you won't ever see it, it won't be shipped to you.

Battery

What type of battery will the Give 1 Get 1 laptop come with? Will it have the LiFeP battery or the NiMH battery?

I guess quite some people would like to know (me included), so is there any answer?

No answer yet. Good question though; but it may have to wait for production availability and component costing. The price of the raw materials can change a bit. Given the average temperature of the target country, NiMH will charge properly. The answer will be one of either (a) mixed, (b) LiFePO₄, or (c) NiMH. --Quozl 05:18, 13 November 2007 (EST)

Give 1, Get 1 questions

1. I read that there is a limited number for this program and they will sell out in minutes. What time exactly will the program open? (time zone specific?) I want to be sure to get one when available.
2. I would like some info on what the computer includes as it will be sold in US for this program. I have read all the technical articles, etc., but I'm not a technology geek, so I'd like some plain words. Also, will we be able to download updates and additional programs as they are developed?
3. Will the version sold in US for the G1, G1 promotion include an alternate recharging source, or have one available as an option? (solar panel,crank, etc.) I would like to have this option, even though most of the time I will plug it in to recharge. There are times when I will want to use an alternate source of energy (camping trips, etc.)
   

Thanks for your info

Well, let's see if we can resolve some of this for you!

1. Here's the relevant text from an email OLPC sent out on November 9:

You are receiving this email because you requested a reminder from One Laptop per Child about our limited-time "Give One Get One" program. Starting Monday, November 12 at 6:00am EST, you will be able to donate one XO laptop to a child in the developing world and also receive a laptop for the child in your life, by visiting www.laptopgiving.org[2] or calling toll-free 1-877-70-LAPTOP.

2. Regarding the contents of the G1G1 package that you would receive, we'll probably know more after November 12. Right now, there's not much available other than what you can find in the Hardware specification of this wiki, and that nearly lists what might be available. Regarding software, though, if you look at the software over on the Activities page, it looks like any typical open source library - lots of different programs with new builds and releases being issued all the time. I don't think this will be a problem.

3. Sorry, I couldn't find out anything here regarding specifics about what will be shipped with the G1G1 program. (I'd like to know myself!) --Valichi 16:30, 9 November 2007 (EST)

ASUS Eee similarity

I saw a small laptop called the ASUS Eee PC. What is the difference between that and the $100 laptop?

You may want to look at the XO's hardware specs and the ASUS Eee's specs. As I see it, the main difference is that the XO is designed to be deployed as part of an educational program, especially in areas without a lot of technological infrastructure, while the Eee is designed to be used as a conventional ultra-portable laptop. So the XO has a spill- and dust-proof rugged case, a long battery life, mesh networking, a sunlight-readable display, and a tablet mode, while the Eee has a faster processor, more storage, a VGA port, an expansion slot, a more versatile card reader, maybe more memory, and a keyboard that may be more comfortable for an adult to type on. The Eee appears to be more expensive, but much of that may be overhead related to sales, advertising, and support; it's not clear how much it actually costs to make. They both ship with a Linux variant and other open-source software, although the Eee apparently includes other software, like Skype and Windows Media codecs. As the Wikipedia article says, the two laptops aren't really intended to compete with each other. —Joe 13:44, 3 November 2007 (EDT)

NGO'S CAN BE A POWERFUL TOOL IN YOUR IMPLIMENTATION

Greetings, I have read what you have to say about NGO's and how they would slow down your progress at implementation but I do want you to consider the fact that it is possible for NGO's to receive funding for educational purposes from international foundations and organizations. Perhaps a NGO could aid with the funding requirement of, for the sake of argument, the teaching of the educators in the use of the new machines. Surely with such new technology, instruction for the teaching staff would be required...and then there is the matter of initial set up, another area where outside funds could be used. It seems to me that they are numerous areas that NGO's could step in and help with the program, we just need to know that our efforts would be supported by you and the governments concerned. Some smaller third world countries simply do not have the funds for education that your program may demand. I am affiliated with a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that also holds a NGO in Belize. Our organization would be honored to help in your mission. Should you reconsider your position on NGO's, please keep us in mind. I feel sure that you can contact me by return email, as I do not wish to use your site for free advertisement. Your mission is noble and I respect your desire to educate the poor. JWB

Age range

What is the age range you are targeting ?

According to the Our Market page, it is ages 6 to 16 years. —Joe 15:53, 4 November 2007 (EST)

German localization

Exist a german software version of the OLPC? I like to get some for our clas here helping at same time with OLPS´s for Peru. Norbert

childs laptop

where or in which stores will the OLPC be sold

See the Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution page. —Joe 15:47, 4 November 2007 (EST)

How Does Wireless Work?

Do you need to sign up for wireless internet? If not how does the wireless work?

The XO laptops can communicate several ways using wireless networking. They can communicate with the internet through a nearby wireless router, or they can communicate directly with other XOs nearby (the wireless "mesh"); if any laptop in the mesh is near a wireless router, the others in the mesh can access the internet through this connection. The countries participating in the OLPC program will be setting up the wireless routers in their schools so that the students can access the internet. (If you are asking about the laptops received through the Give-One-Get-One program, you will need to find your own wireless service. Some libraries, coffee shops, and internet cafes provide this service to their patrons; otherwise, you will have to ask your local internet service provider about setting up wireless networking.) —Joe 15:27, 5 November 2007 (EST)

Note: According to a news article on the front page of the wiki, T-Mobile is offering a year of free wireless internet access for the Give-One-Get-One machines in certain locations throughout the U.S. —Joe 17:46, 7 November 2007 (EST)

Computer Usage

Do you have concrete stats on the level of computer access/usage around the globe? By country?

Drinking Water and Healthcare?

Why is giving a laptop to a child so important when issues such as safe drinking water and healthcare remain problems in so much of the world?

This is answered on the OLPC Myths page. —Joe 09:37, 6 November 2007 (EST)

Support for Give 1 Get 1 units?

My niece is interested in this program for her boys. What technical support is available for units purchased this way? What warranty?

Thank you, that's an important question, and we have a prepared answer. Item 9 of the terms and conditions handles support, and item 6 covers warranty. If after reading those items you still have questions, please ask. --Quozl 05:04, 13 November 2007 (EST)

Augmentative communication for special needs children

Please address how these laptop computers might help special needs children with their communication. Our daughter has had various augmentative communication devices but enjoys and seems to prefer using the computer. Her communication devices have voice output; are accessed using a dynamic touch screen and have word prediction capabilities. Her new device called the Chat PC is housed in a hand held Dell computer. The touch screen keyboard is so tiny that she has to use a stylus to type in the letters. It can be frustrating to use because of its size. Wouldn't your lap top computer be easier to use because the keyboard and screen are seperate? How much does it weigh? If it is easier to use it might be an even more powerful tool for communication than a hand held device. We would like to purchase one if possible but we need more information.

If possible I hope that your company will address the very important issues that these children face as they struggle to be understood. Molly Dobrowski

Judging from the Accessibility page, the OLPC plans to address a number of possible impairments, but, judging from activity on the mailing lists, some necessary details are still being decided. At the least, it sounds like some form of speech synthesis will be available on the production machines. It's not clear whether a trackpad would be easier to use than a touch-sensitive screen; one disabled user on the Talk:Accessibility page found the XO's trackpad difficult to use. (However, according to this page, a future version of the laptop may have a touch-sensitive screen.) The size and weight of the laptop is given on the Hardware page. —Joe 16:42, 7 November 2007 (EST)

About Jobs in OLPC

Hello.

I am interested in localization career. The career page says that I need to send my cover letter and CV. But I want further job description and have some questions. Can you please give me the HR department E-mail address. Thanks.

Muhammad

Impact on school culture

Hello, What's been the impact on school culture or environment: have teachers' perceptions changed concerning their environment since using OLPC; how are principals measuring the level of learning; do you have designated individuals contacting you regularly with progress data?

While perhaps someone else knows more about impact and ongoing feedback, there are a number of initial reports from pilot sites available in the Pilot Site section. —Joe 22:05, 7 November 2007 (EST)

What age group in the United States is this XO laptop appriate for? Can an adult keep a journal"

How much memory do these computers have? Can you create files to email and to access on this computer? Can you access the internet like any other lap top?

What age group in the United States, is this appropriate for?

Can a child in USA interact and communicate to a group of kids in a different country?

Can you download different software packages.

Basically haw is this similar to a regular lap top, because the demo makes it look completely different, unless the demo was just illustrating the educational teaching feature.

I definitly support these lap top for the kids in other countries, but I am trying to figure out how I can ustilize the Get One Give One program, and if this laptop would be something I could use, as a writer, and my 12 year old would benefit from.

Thank you

According to the Our market page the laptop is being designed for ages 6-16. Others can of course use it, but note that the keyboard is designed for small hands, so it may be uncomfortable for an adult to use for long periods. According to the Hardware page, the laptop has 256Mb of RAM and 1Gb of flash storage. There is currently no built-in e-mail client (although there may be in the future), but webmail (like Google mail) can be used. The laptop can use standard 802.11b wireless networking and it comes with a web browser based on Firefox, so it can access the internet in a manner similar to other laptops. To my knowledge, there is no system expressly set up to allow XO owners in different countries to communicate with each other, but there are existing pen pal services on the internet that could be used. There is additional software that can be downloaded and installed on the laptops—and in fact the laptops are designed to allow the children themselves to write software if they want—but note that most existing software (e.g. Windows programs) will not run on the laptops. The user interface to the laptops is quite different from traditional laptops in the hope that it will be easier for children to use.—Joe 14:30, 8 November 2007 (EST)

Time wasteth, 1 business day before merry XO-mas

Is there any hope of more complete answers on purchase-related questions in the one business day that remains?

Can you be more precise? Sj talk

I can, and I was, but they have moved the question set.

There's only so many ways I can ask these, but this particular question was about hope. The project brings hope to the young of a small country - that's wonderful. I kind of hope to get one too, but I despair if I can't actually help the child I know.

Note: SJ moved your list of questions to the Give1Get1 page and answered them there; he noted the change in the page history, but it's understandable that you didn't know to check this. I imagine that he didn't notice that this section was posted by the same person. (It's easier to sort these things out if you sign your comments and keep them together.) —Joe 13:16, 9 November 2007 (EST)

Since Joe notes the moved location now, I've trimmed it, go look there. It doesn't appear that non-staff can move their own questions side-by-side here though. (It was probably the same IP address; I did these from work.)

My real frustration is an understandable effect of few volunteers and a complex world - nobody ever asks me the *easy* questions anymore ... nor in a timely fashion. They happen when they happen, and those aren't always next to each other. sorry.

I'm not gonna dream of asking how anyone would help my friend's kid's German autistic school programme. If the OLPC doesn't survive her youngster it would hardly expect dozens of them to survive the batch of them :) and if the Germans can't afford any computers they want in whatever "Give Many" they'd want I'd be pretty surprised. (If someone wants to dream of answering this anyway, I hope you live in Germany and know how to make the XO pass the local whatever-it-is for general purpose use.) -- Heather

Laptop capabilities

I live in the U.S.A. I was thinking of getting a laptop for my 8yo. Can you connect to the internet as you could on any other laptop?

yes.

Does her friend(s) have to have one of these (OLPC) laptops to communicate or will it talk to any computer and do the same basic activities my home computer will do?

it can talk to other computers and to the internet. it comes with activities that are probably different than those on your home computer.

I would love to be able to help an under privledged child while helping my own, but I am not sure of the capabilities of your laptop----can you please give me more information and specifics....What a GREAT idea you have had and a dream come true for many children. Who knows, we could have some intelligent leaders in our future because of you!!!!

Thank You
R. Compton
Fairhope, Alabama

Depending on your level of computer literacy, you might want to consider looking first at the Activities page, to see what applications are native to the XO, or put another way, what applications will run on the XO without additional support. The Software components page will then tell you what other programs are being developed for the machine.

Regarding the XO itself, you might want to look at the Hardware specification page to get a better feel for what the XO hardware is capable of. --Valichi 16:39, 9 November 2007 (EST)

Battery life?

When I unplug my MacBook from the wall, it tells me how much battery time I have left. Usually this is around 3 hours. Does the XO do this and if so, on a full charge, how much time does it take during heavy use for the battery to discharge fully? In other words, how long does the battery last, worst case scenario? Thanks!

It does not tell you remaining time in minutes, but in percentage of charge; currently, if you do not use any power saving modes, it would last roughly as long as your macbook. Sj talk

Computer Friendly?

How user friendly are these computers? If I purchase one and donate one, do I have to add programs and download software? Do I have to add this computer to my current wireless program?What if you know nothing about computers, is this a good computer to learn on?

For the provided school-age kid activities, they are extremely user friendly. This includes web browsing. For other stuff, such as business use, they are more complicated and will likely require use of the command prompt. This is a good computer for learning if you really wish to understand how computers work.

Printing

Will it have printer hook up capabilities/ and if what printers will be compatible?? --Hopele 00:48, 9 November 2007 (EST)

The laptops do not currently support printing; see the Our Software page. —Joe 12:23, 9 November 2007 (EST)

what can I do with it?

Will it do secure online shopping? Will it work with YouTube?

Yes. No, unless you add extra software.

Internet connection in a no wifi ambient

Can I use usb port to connect OLPC via cable? In a lot on country (in china for example) is easier to meat a lan cable connection. The usb to lan adapters work on OLPC?

Yes. See USB ethernet adaptors for a list of adapters known to work. —Joe 12:04, 9 November 2007 (EST)

possible to download a mapping program?

Can tne DeLorean mapping software be loaded into your computer?

You would have to ask the software manufacturer that question, sorry. --Quozl 18:29, 18 November 2007 (EST)

Microsoft compatibility

Would it be possible to load a Microsoft Windows OS on these?

While Microsoft is reportedly working on a version of Windows XP for the XO laptops, it is not known how successful they have been or if they plan to make the result available to the public. So for now the answer is no. —Joe 14:25, 9 November 2007 (EST)

WHERE IS THE BUY 1/10th DONATION BOX? I SEE TH: BUY ONE/GIVE ONE, 100+, 1000+

Wireless WPA Security

I really haven't seen this answered yet. Does the network driver support wireless security protocols??? WPA??? How easy & specifically what app is used to configure it as a security-enabled wireless access point?? All I've seen so far is nebulous answers.

I haven't seen it addressed, either, but apparently there is a closed trac ticket to fix WPA, so it seems reasonable to assume that WPA is possible with the XO's network driver, although it may not be easy to configure via a user interface, yet. This mailing list post implies that making advanced wireless security protocols easy to use is not a high priority, as of about a year ago. —Joe 03:36, 10 November 2007 (EST)

EN FRANÇAIS

J'AIMERAIS PARTICIPER AU PROGRAMME GIVE ONE GET ONE EN FRANÇAIS. Par exemple, offrir un ordinateur à un(e) enfant dans un pays FRANCOPHONE et en obtenir un pour une enfant francophone. Sera-t-il possible de le faire LE 12 NOVEMBRE?

Babelfish says: I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE PART IN PROGRAM GIVE ONE GET ONE IN FRENCH. For example, to offer a computer to one child in a FRENCH-SPEAKING country and to obtain some for a French-speaking child. Will it be possible to do it on NOVEMBER 12?

I live in France and would really like to back up the last comment, when can I get the opportunity to show my support for this education project, I have been following your progress religiously since I heard about your objectives, my son is only five but I know where this program is going and I want to be able to contribute to it, G1G1-Europe can anyone give me a possible timeframe for expansion plans of this two week North American Only launch?

People in Europe have been getting them. The keyboard has the required accents and Euro, though it is QWERTY. You'll need a friend in the USA or Canada. There are mail forwarding services that may help. You may need a PayPal account or Credit card that is associated with the USA.

Babelfish indique : Les gens en Europe les ont. Le clavier a les accents et l'Euro exigés, bien qu'il soit QWERTY. Vous aurez besoin d'un ami aux Etats-Unis ou au Canada. Il y a des services de expédition de courrier qui peuvent aider. Vous pouvez avoir besoin d'un compte de PayPal ou d'une carte de Degré de solvabilité qui est associée aux Etats-Unis.

Buy 1 Give 1

During the Buy 1, Give 1 offer, can an individual buy 2, give 2 or buy 3 give 3 or is it limited to one?

There is no limit. See SJ's comment on the Give1Get1 page. If you are planning to give large numbers (100+) of laptops, you might want to look at the Give Many page. —Joe 14:44, 12 November 2007 (EST)

Mentorship program for children

Getting a laptop opens the gateway to free resources on the web. However, at least in short-term, I think a mentor is needed for the child to guide them through. It could be done on a voluntary basis. Currently there seems no such focus in your voluntary services section. What do you think?

XO and PXE/Etherboot

Is it possible to network boot the XO using PXE and/or Etherboot? I ask because I'm a long-time K12LTSP user and would like to continue to provide this environment as an option to my teachers (and - who am I kidding - myself too!).

Best Regards, Mark

Booting over the net is certainly possible, but probably not with PXE or Etherboot. The XO uses OpenFirmware instead of a PC BIOS. (like a PowerPC Macintosh or a Sun SPARC) The laptop can not directly run LILO, Grub, DOS, or Windows. There is no VGA-compatible video hardware. The built-in storage does not act like an IDE or SCSI device.

Language

Is the software on the XO translated into the child's native language? When the XO is used to search the Internet is it being translated into the native language?

A great deal of effort is being put into localizing the core XO activities, so that the children can work in their native language. You can read more (or participate) on the Localization page. When browsing the internet, the XO displays the pages in the language in which they are written, but the children can of course use free online translation tools like Google to get rough translations of the pages. —Joe 14:39, 12 November 2007 (EST)

WHEN will the Give 1 Get 1 initiative be available in other countries also?

We living in other countries will also like to participate in the Give 1 Get 1 initiative.

You are starting in the US and Canada. But declared that you will try to expand the program globally over time. Any chance that us living in Scandian Countries can be able to join before christmas 2007 ?

I don't know when G1G1 might be expanded, but note that according to point 5 of the G1G1 terms and conditions, there is no guarantee that the participants will receive the laptops before Christmas. —Joe 15:14, 12 November 2007 (EST)

Wireless internet availability in Kabul Afghanistan

I will be sending three of the laptops I ordered to a "Tent School" in Kabul, Afghanistan. There is no internet connection at the school. I am told the universities do not even have internet connection. I know that my friends use an internet cafe when they send email. Does One Laptop have a satellite or some other sort of wireless connection set up so that the children at this school could connect to the internet using the computers wireless capability?

When laptops are supplied in bulk, they come with school servers. A school server has 3 wireless antennas. It will often also have a satellite link or other internet connection, allowing the laptops to use the internet. A regular wireless access point device (wireless router device) can be used instead.

Some of the students and teachers speak some English but I am not certain as to their fluency. Will they be able to get their own Arabic language on the computer?

The laptop is intended to support Arabic, but you won't get the Arabic keyboard via G1G1. You'll get a "US international" keyboard. It's QWERTY with extra stuff like the Euro symbol and numerous accents. You can draw Arabic symbols on the keyboard with a black marker, then switch the language. NOTE: Arabic is far from universal in that area. The students may need Pashtun, Farsi, etc.

Will directions for the operation of the computer (owner's manual) be available to them in their native language?

The laptop does not ship with any paper at all. Paper would get lost or damaged, and would cost extra. The laptop is easy to use.

Printer

Can created documents be printed or can you send your work to a windows based computer and print through that computer? Do you sell a printer specific to this computer or can any printer be attached to it?

The laptops do not currently support printing; see the Our Software page. It should be possible to transfer files to a printer-capable computer, but this is likely something that only a technically minded adult could do, at this point. —Joe 14:09, 12 November 2007 (EST)

Other colors

I would love to purchase one for my daughter, but she favors fushia or pink. When this color is available will I still be able to purchase a computer from your company?

No, sorry. The software does allow your daughter to choose fushia or pink to identify herself on the laptop, and a random colour pair is used for the logo on the outside of the panel, but the case colors are the same across production. See The Theft Problem for why we are doing it this way. --Quozl 04:47, 13 November 2007 (EST)

disk space?

how much disk space is on the OLPC?

According to the Hardware page, the XO has 256Mb of RAM and 1Gb of flash disk space. —Joe 15:27, 12 November 2007 (EST)

In addition, one can add external or portable storage via the three USB sockets or the wireless network. We frequently use this feature during development and testing, so we know it works, but the software we supply is intended for simple use by children, not complex use by adults. The software can be changed. 1Gb of flash disk space may not be sufficient for your application, but we believe it is a reasonable tradeoff between cost and utility for our deployment. --Quozl 04:36, 13 November 2007 (EST)

Give one Get one Expansion plans - G1G1-Europe

when can the rest of the World get the opportunity to show support for this education project, I have been following your progress religiously since I heard about your objectives a couple of years ago;

I spent last summer reading the following two books which I can fully recommend;

1) The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap by Seymour Papert

2) The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer  by Seymour Papert

My son is only five but I know where this program is going and I want to be able to (have an OLPC laptop for my child) and contribute to it; G1G1-Europe, can anyone give me a possible timeframe for possible expansion plans of this two week North American Only launch?

Too many computers? (An idealistic, down the road question)

I am very interested in seeing 4 billion or some other large number of these laptops making it out in the developing countries. I see each child that has one of these machines as being a tiny piece of proof that this world is really one world. With a potential huge number of these out there, all connected to flickr, sharing their pictures, and blogging about their education, their region, how they care for their goat . . . I see it being almost impossible to conceive of this world in the singular country view.

So, in the event that this happens, I can easily see there being too many people to have flickr still allowing free accounts, or allowing as many free photos to be shared and things of the like. I know this is in the realm of fantasy at this point, but I'm wondering if we will end up with countries and regions being blocked from service and being relegated to a lower/lesser internet.

If a school is delivered too many crayons, they would send some back, or find new ways to use them. If a society is given too many telephones, they begin to find new ways to use them too ... for even more trivial calls, or telesales. So yes, expect an increase in photo sharing. As for what flickr and others will do, it is best to ask them. I'm sure they can think up regional focus services. --Quozl 19:10, 18 November 2007 (EST)

How to keep the laptops in the hands of the children?

How will OLPC ensure that children, and especially little girls, are not pressured to give away their laptops to fathers, uncles, and others who might sell them or use them for business or other purposes besides educating children?

I'm not sure if there is a plan to specifically address this situation, but some countries have requested a general anti-theft system where the laptop stops working if it goes for a length of time without receiving a signal from the local school. You can read more about it in the Bitfrost specification. —Joe 19:22, 12 November 2007 (EST)

Battery Life

What is the battery life on the OLPC (how long will it last per charge)

Per SJ's answer to a similar battery question above: about three hours of use on a full change. Note that the battery is supposed to last longer in the various power-saving modes, and battery use may improve as the system software gets better. A note on the Arahuay trial page implies that the battery may last quite a bit longer (5-12 hours) in recent models for certain usage patterns. —Joe 19:37, 12 November 2007 (EST)

What can be done to keep the laptops with the children?

In the third world, donations can become the local currency. Theft is more common. No one even has a car radio. In the third world, a laptop computer has a high value. What can be done to prevent the laptops from being stolen from the children and being used as black market currency or business computers?

See the grey market section of the Our market page as well as the Bitfrost page. —Joe 19:44, 12 November 2007 (EST)

Mesh interoperability

Hi, Would the wireless mesh network work with any standard wireless router or wireless switch? Is the mesh network only internal between the mesh laptops and than some of the laptop's are connected to standard wireless routers as standard stations (not Mesh, so any wireless AP can be used)?

According to the Wireless page, the laptops implement 802.11b/g wireless networking standards (which are used by standard wireless routers) as well as the 802.11s standard, which is used for the mesh. From the info on that page, it seems that any laptop that can connect via 802.11b/g will offer "portal service" to other laptops through 802.11s, so that the mesh effectively extends the connectivity range of the standard 802.11b/g stations. See also Mesh Network Details and the Active Antenna. —Joe 21:37, 12 November 2007 (EST)

Personal Uses

would the XO laptop be a good note taking device for let's say, college courses?

Maybe, maybe not. One advantage is that it is silent; it has no fan, and the keyboard may be quieter than a traditional laptop keyboard. One disadvantage is that the keyboard is built for small hands; it may be difficult for an adult to use, let alone touch-type. Keyboard size aside, if you just need to enter text, you should be fine with the software with which the laptop ships, but if you are expecting to be able to take handwritten notes, formulas, and diagrams, you may be better off with a more traditional tablet PC; the XO does have a stylus-capable surface, but I'm not sure there are activities that use it yet. The XO can record audio, although the amount it is limited by storage capacity (and that goes double for video). —Joe 21:23, 12 November 2007 (EST)

Changing Shipping Information

I ordered over the phone, how do I change my shipping address? ~LDoran

BATTERY

I'm new to Laptops, so: what's involved in 'recharging' the battery? what's needed? (I'm also new to this system so i hope I can find the answer(s) to this question.)

• the laptops include an AC adaptor to charge the battery, and charging will happen if the AC adaptor is connected, regardless of whether the laptop is on or not. There is a battery indicator on the front and back that shows this. For more detail, or alternate ways to charge, search for battery or charging in this Wiki. --Quozl 04:18, 13 November 2007 (EST)

Get 1 Give 1, mesh network safety concerns

I am considering getting a computer for my child through the Get 1 Give 1 program, but would like to know more about possible safety concerns. From what I understand, the mesh network allows the computers to contact each other, even without internet access. Is it possible to turn this off, or limit it? I don't really like the idea of strangers in the area being able to message my child -- not everyone with these computers will be other children. Also, will there be an easy way to set up an internet filter?

• That is an important issue. The current software builds provide automatic association with nearby XO laptops, as this is what is required in mass deployment to the target countries. The software can be changed to either disable this, or to force association with your home access point. We haven't described how to do this yet, and it is a technical software task, not for the inexperienced. You can filter with your home equipment fine, as item 10 of the Terms and Conditions describes. In the mass deployment we use school servers to do this filtering. The software is open source, so if we can't help you, the community of other owners will be able to. --Quozl 03:48, 13 November 2007 (EST)

Note that the ability to turn off the wireless networking is a planned feature for the control panel software under development. There is apparently existing software that will do this, but it is not currently easy for children to use. —Joe 10:28, 13 November 2007 (EST)

Success of G1G1 program

I have read several articles about your project, and the last one I read this weekend (a month old Newsweek since I have been traveling) and I have given to the G1G1 program. Will you be posting information on your website as to the success of this program? How many are given, whether the 2 week window was uniformly used or if it peaked then ebbed or vice versa, etc.?

Good luck with your program.

Dr. Elisa H. Barney Smith

G1G1 charging technology?

Will the shipped (vs donated) XO come with any of the off-grid charging technologies (crank, pedal, pull-cord) or an option to get the solar panel? If so, which one(s)? Will they be available for separate purchase as accessories? Thanks.

1-800 service # doesn't work from Canada

Any word on when I can speak to a service rep. about my order? The 1-800 service number doesn't work from Canada.

Email confirmation of order

Will I recieve an email confirming my order through the G1G1 program?

A general confirmatory e-mail was sent to me at 11:30 pm on Thursday, November 15th, from "OLPC Customer Care." No new details were provided: "Laptops will be delivered on a first come, first served basis. While early purchasers have the best chance of receiving their XO laptops in time for the holidays, quantities are limited and we cannot guarantee timing. We will provide you with regular email updates. If you have any questions about your donation, please contact OLPC at service@laptopgiving.org."

                                                                                     --Hexagonal

On-line payment secure socket layer (SSL)

I would like to make my payment on-line. But the website does not appear to be SECURED through SSL? I see the PAYPAL option, but I do not want to register with paypal. If I use my VISA card directly, I do not know that your site is secure? Who provides the SSL?

Please POST the confirmation LINK of your SSL provider on the website, so that I can confirm payment security.

Extra batteries..

Will we be able to get extra batteries and replacement parts if we participate in G1G1? Extra cables and such? What is included with the XO in the boxes shipped to North America?

Graphical Terminal Client Availability?

Would Sugar support a remote graphical terminal client a such as NXClient (to connect to a NoMachine NXServer) or Remote Desktop Connection (for connection to a Windows Terminal Server)? It would seem to me that in contexts with more developed IT infrastructure, the XO's integrated WiFi and minimal local computing power would make a nearly ideal rugged, lightweight thin client device. A school with a robust wireless network and capable server infrastructure could run Windows Terminal Services or NXServer on central network servers and deliver a complete application environment with enormous data storage capacity with minimal network bandwidth requirements if one could install a Remote Desktop Protocol or NX client on the XO. While this approach fails to leverage the research & effort OLPC software engineers have put into the Sugar user interface, it dramatically lowers the barriers to adoption of the XO hardware in developed countries by potentially allowing schools to deliver very nearly the same computing experience that students and teachers are already accustomed to receiving, but on the low-cost, lightweight, child-friendly XO hardware. --Keith.Gillette 15:35, 13 November 2007 (EST)

The XO is general purpose in that respect. Both rdesktop (RDP) and VNC have worked for me on the XO, and I imagine that NXClient would work but it isn't in the Debian repository I used, presumably because of license restrictions. But while use as a Thin client is possible, it isn't really where the big benefits lie ... we want these units to work without network connection as well. Such countries with already deployed infrastructure would figure out how to re-use it. --Quozl 20:31, 13 November 2007 (EST)

How is the Give 1 Get 1 signup going ?

How many have been ordered so far or are you going to wait until the end of the offering period.

"Off Grid" charging for G1, G1 computers

I have been checking the blogs--official and unofficial--for this answer. So I'll ask it again and I hope that someone will finally give us a real answer. Here it is--do we get some sort of charging device other than AC adapter for the computers purchased during the Give One, Get One program? This question has been asked over and over and over in every way, shape, and form, on official and unofficial blogs, but it has never been fully answered. Bloggers express interest in taking their computers hiking, camping, etc. and just charging them in the most "off the grid" way possible. Just because we have abundant power available in the US and Canada doesn't mean that we have no interest or need for the alternate charging devices. I think it is rude of OLPC to keep ignoring this simple question. If you haven't got an answer yet because you haven't decided--then tell us that so we can know what the heck is going on.

I did notice that you have a new feature on the Give One, Get One page on the OLPC site. This has a feature that allows you to "explore" the XO by clicking on tabs on graphics of the computer. This is a fairly good explaination of the computer--except for the issue of the charging system. It states that the computer can be charged with an AC adapter and with alternate devices. But, it doesn't tell us if we will get one of the alternate devices.

So, please will someone "in the know" get a straight answer and tell us once and for all--Just what will we see when we open up the box that comes in the mail? Will we get a charging device in addition to the AC adapter? Will we get a coupon to order our choice of alternate charger (extra cost or no extra cost)? And please update that "explore the XO" feature to be more specific about what we are actually getting when we open up the box.

Thanks for your question. Sorry you think we've been rude, but we've got lots to do. Your question has been seen, as have others that are similar, and your detailed explanation helps us to answer. But a final answer is not yet available. My opinion as a volunteer project member may help set your expectations, but I'm not talking on behalf of OLPC: the box will include an AC adapter and a single battery, the battery will not be in the XO. The alternate power devices are not mentioned in the offer. While we know there is interest, we certainly don't want to increase the cost by including something that not everyone will use ... and including a coupon means additional cost as well. Remember this isn't our "core business" ... the kids in the developing world are. What they need they will get. On a more technical level, all you have to do is provide 12V DC to the laptop for it to operate or charge the battery. During testing in the Australian outback I connected the units to the car 12V DC supply, and they performed flawlessly. Tests have been done to ensure a wide range of voltage is acceptable ... that should be in the specifications somewhere. --Quozl 22:24, 13 November 2007 (EST)

In other words: if you have a source of power that gives anything between 5 and 25 volts of power, just hook it up. A crank generator - a solar panel connected directly - or whatever, and a multimeter to watch the voltage to make sure it's not straying too much over. For more discussion, see Battery and power.

Sorry to insist on that point but i want to stress out an important flow here : power super IS critical in most of the developing countries ! A major characteristic of the 100$ laptop was the hand cranked power device ! Whether it is attached to the laptop or external is a design DETAIL ! But the XO laptop - besides the fact that it costs now about 180$ - seems to have simply got rid of it and there is no mean of power supply other than the AC adapter...

It is very very unclear and alarming, at the stage of post-production and while the give1-get1 program has already started, to see that there is no answer regarding power supply ! I know that the laptop i get is going to be plugged in my wall socket... but where is the laptop i am going to give going ??

Thank you for your concern for those in developing countries. We agree that power supply is critical to deployment in those countries. Yes, hand cranked power devices are one of the options we will deploy if needed. We do have such devices. There are many other devices we can deploy, and we have pointed you to further information. We will use the best ones for the situation. We will not tell you at this stage what we choose for each deployment, because this is not yet finalised. The "give 1" portion of your payment covers the deployment of one laptop and appropriate power supply, in combination with the other donations it also covers school servers, school networking, school charging arrays, and all the other things needed for the deployment to succeed. We have changed our plans as a result of careful research and development ... and as you point out those changes include the removal of a crank from the case, and an increase in the per unit cost ... a cost that was initially estimated five years ago. The dream is for the kids, and we do not stick to plans if they are proven wrong. If you are still alarmed after this answer, then you should either be more precise with your question or decline to participate in the program. --Quozl 06:29, 19 November 2007 (EST)

RAM upgrades

Can you upgrade the RAM in the XO Laptop?

No. The RAM is permanently attached on the main circuit board. This cuts cost. If you have a program that needs more memory, you must either fix the program to reduce the memory demand, use a different system, or add external slow memory, otherwise known as swap space, via the USB or wireless. --Quozl 19:51, 13 November 2007 (EST)

I'm sure if you're handy with a soldering iron, you'll be able to expand the RAM. Of course, soldering surface-mount chips is quite tricky...

You will need to find which chips are the correct ones to use, and make sure that all the required copper traces are on the board, and make sure the firmware can setup the registers to match refresh requirements, and test that it works over all operational temperature ranges ... this task is entirely unlike upgrading the RAM of a common PC ... Good luck. --Quozl 00:32, 16 November 2007 (EST)

The Donate one get one program says it does not include shipping

but gives us no way of finding out how much shipping is beforehand. Given it is likely that our refund period will be over by the time these computers ship, is there any way of getting a shipping quote? I am uncomfortable with making an open ended promise to pay some unspecified shipping and handling charge in a couple of months.

The donation page should quote you shipping before it asks you to confirm your donation (maybe it needs your address to calculate the shipping?). I have seen some reports online that shipping is around $25. —Joe 09:52, 14 November 2007 (EST)

Alternate power sources availability

Will North American purchasers involved in the donate one get one program be able to also buy the solar recharger or pull string recharger? If so, how can we order this? If not, where can we get the same?

See Quozl's answer to a similar question above. It looks like for now you may need to experiment; the Hardware page says that the XO works with a 11-17 volt DC power source. You might try searching for "portable solar power" or "portable hand generator" online. —Joe 10:10, 14 November 2007 (EST)

North America is the land of plenty. You should have no trouble finding a third-party charger that works with the XO-1.

Module PIL and search beta-tester

Hello,

I am in the process of developing a didactic program for recognition of images for olpc . this is my diploma work. This activity's name is Ghost because an image is hidden by a ghost.

1)In my code i'm using the PIL module to resize and save images and I would like to know if this module is already default installed with python 2.5

2) I would like to find a beta-tester to test my application on a real machine to see what I need to change so that it runs on OLPC.

Thank you for your responses.

Email: cihan.akkurt@gmail.com

I don't think PIL is installed by default, but you can include it with your activity, although this will increase the file size a bit. Alternatively, you could do your image manipulations with the built-in gtk/cairo Python libraries. An easy way to test your application without having a real machine is to run your application in an emulated XO image; see the Emulating the XO page. Emulation would also show you exactly what Python libraries are available. If your application already runs in an emulator and you want to see if it runs in a real machine, you can ask on the Sugar mailing list or on IRC, where I'm sure someone would be willing to try it out. Note that the Sugar interface is quite a bit different from traditional windowed interfaces, so your application may require some changes; see the activity tutorial for one example, and see the source repository for others. —Joe 09:46, 14 November 2007 (EST)

How to get this PC for my girl from Germany? (I am an Egyptian )

I will be in Germany after 10 days and I do have a 200 $ So , I want to by this PC for my Girl (Egyptian Girl)

my e-mail is :

Eman.ghozzy@gmail.com

and the phone at Germany is:

02 166 - 420761

(this is the Hous owner telephone Fr. Heldgard )wher I will be by 23 Nov. 2007

Would you please help me to get this PC

Dr. Fr. Eman Ghozzy

Power

How is the laptop powered and are any of the alternative power sources available as part of the give one get one program?

The laptop can be powered by a range of voltages, and the Give One Get One laptops come with AC adapters. See Quozl's answer to a similar question above. —Joe 12:20, 14 November 2007 (EST)

speech therapy through your webcam progrm,and other internet services

We provide speech therapy to many non-speaking or emerging english. The children are very low on the economic scale and do not have access to the same computer resources that other children maydo have.

I would like to know how I could offer this to our therapists to use with the children in need and then to enable us to somehow give them to the children who are in desperate need right in this country.

My Company is called InSpeech, Inc.

There are parents who would like to volunteer in some way. I know that you have opportunities to do so and could you provide an opportunity that could be geared to the children at hand. We work in Arizona. The demographics make many parts of it like a third world company. These children need help and resources like what you have corrected.

The webcam would make it possible to help children throughout the world who need to speak english. Our therapists could work with them.

Leslie Londer MS-CCC-SLP CEO/Founder InSpeech, Inc. 1520-885-9567 or cell 520-603-1050 lesliel@inspeech.net

Available to travel to project target countries

Please contact me if you are looking for a talented Instructor Volunteer willing to travel to remote communities where OLPC is targeting insertion.

glennrobins@optonline.com

Power source in other countries

So great we get an AC Adapter but what does the kid in Kenya get? How will they power their laptop?

See the Battery and power page for a discussion of alternate power sources for the laptops. —Joe 12:15, 14 November 2007 (EST)

The kids in Kenya will get a power source that works for them. This is figured out during deployment planning. We have far more choices in this than with previous laptop designs. --Quozl 22:29, 15 November 2007 (EST)

Windows on the XO?

I just saw an interview on 11/14/2007 of Mr. Nicholas Negroponte on CNN just before noon EST. While the information I've found here says Windows will not be available on the XO, it was clearly stated in the interview that the XO DOES run Windows? Which information is true? Will it run MS Windwos, or will it run Windows apps like Word and Excel? My mom is severely computer challenged and I had hopes that getting one for her through the Get 1 GIve 1 program would enable her to do email and the internet.

Technically both are true. Microsoft is reportedly working on a version of Windows XP for the XO, so "the XO runs Windows". But the XO is not shipping with Windows and Microsoft is not yet distributing their version of Windows for the XO, so "Windows is not available". Because of this, we have no idea whether it is capable of running Word or Excel or any other Windows software in particular. The XOs ship with a web browsing activity based on FireFox, so they can e-mail (via webmail like Google) and browse the internet. —Joe 13:43, 14 November 2007 (EST)

Havw a educationnaly challenged grandson in Cassablanca Moracco. Will this laptop work in Moracco, Northwest Africa?

As a Canadian,Will i get canadian tax deduction and is the one year internet acces is offer in canada as well as in the u.s.?

I 'd be happy to contribute as my Americain friends may do but i would like to meke sure that as a canadian i will get the same "threatment.Alain ,surrey,Brtithish Columbia,Canada.November 14 2007

NetJet and other USB add ons

I ordered one of these computers throught the G1/G1 deal (which is awesome btw) for my son... for Christmas I bought him a Internet Game Controller (NetJet) which uses a USB connection to connect to their secure website in order to play online games, there is no software to download. MY question is, will it work on the XO? The NetJet packaging specifically says its will not work on a MAC, and its preference is Windows... but would it still work through Linux?

thanks much, keep up the great work :)

gina.

Sorry, from what I see online, it looks like the NetJet system is a Windows-only affair. (And even if Windows were available for the XO, it's unlikely that the XO would satisfy the other product requirements, like processor speed or 3D-accelerated graphics.) —Joe 18:17, 14 November 2007 (EST)

Internet

Is it possible to use the laptop at times without being hooked up to the internet? Can you access software that is included or that has been downloaded while not on the internet?

Yes, and yes. I've done it frequently, in the Australian outback, in locations that have no internet service. Applications (we call them activities) that require sharing as part of their design won't work unless there is another XO nearby or an internet connection is available. --Quozl 22:32, 15 November 2007 (EST)

camera

does it have a camara

Yes. Hardware specification has more details. The included software can take pictures, record video for a short time, and play both back. The results can be shared. Other activities have been tried, such as time lapse photography. I've done motion detection photography on a birds nest using additional software that isn't in the current build. See MotionDetection --Quozl 22:37, 15 November 2007 (EST)

more clarification for question 11.71 Kabul, Afghanistan

You say that a server comes with bulk orders of computers. I doubt the four computers that I have ordered and will be sendng to a tent school in Kabul qualify as a bulk order. Is it true there will be no server supplied with my order?

Correct. School servers are supplied with the mass deployments only. They are not available separately. It is possible to convert 1 laptop into a low-powered school server for a small school; there is a page somewhere on the wiki which explains how. (currently a rather technical procedure)

The school does not have internet access. Do the laptops have a component that would give them access to wireless internet if it is available somewhere in Kabul? 24.110.145.202 23:17, 15 November 2007 (EST)

The laptops can be used with a wireless internet service apart from that provided by the school server. --Quozl 22:45, 15 November 2007 (EST)

Someone who answers questions on your phone lines thought that if wireless access were availabe within ten miles of the computer perhaps it could be accessed. Any truth to that or should I assume that there will be no internet access for these computers in this location?

Ten miles does not sound impossible, though it would be unusual without some form of antenna system. Half a mile would be safer. --Quozl 22:45, 15 November 2007 (EST)

It depends on the amount of obstructions and radio noise. Forests and cities are bad. Going over an unpopulated valley is good. Level farmland falls somewhere in between. 24.110.145.202 23:17, 15 November 2007 (EST)

My teacher friends in Kabul have said there are many other lessons to be taught with the computer and internet is not necessarily important for them. Would you say that is a true assumption?

Yes. I've placed kids in front of these units without internet, and there is a lot to keep them entertained and learning, even without a teacher present. Add a teacher, and even more learning can happen. --Quozl 22:45, 15 November 2007 (EST)

You mentioned Pashtun and Farsi as languages these students may speak, can they get those on the laptop?

It is intended that students and teachers can help translate. Thus, if it doesn't immediately work, it can be fixed. 24.110.145.202 23:17, 15 November 2007 (EST)

warranty, virus, downloads, support

I have a few questions about the XO that were either not clearly answered or addressed on the site.

I noticed that the warranty is only for 30 days.

1)Is there an extended warranty plan available for purchase on these units?

No. See paragraphs below. --Quozl 21:48, 17 November 2007 (EST)

2)In the event that the computer malfunctions after the 30 days, where can the computer be repaired?

Nowhere at this time. See paragraphs below. --Quozl 21:48, 17 November 2007 (EST)

2)What type of virus, spyware, or other computer protection software is available?

None at this time, since the operating system has been designed to be resistant to such attacks, but third party or open source software may become available later. --Quozl 21:48, 17 November 2007 (EST)

3)Can you download software such as MS Suite, or Norton Anti Virus, or games.

MS Suite, no, but check with the software manufacturer. Norton Anti Virus, no, but check with the software manufacturer. Games, yes, there are games being written and released regularly. The architecture is open, and new game developers are welcomed. --Quozl 21:48, 17 November 2007 (EST)

4)What type of customer support is available?

Fee based service. See paragraph below. --Quozl 21:48, 17 November 2007 (EST)

Thank you

Your questions are quite important, but they show a misunderstanding of what we are trying to achieve. Please read the following paragraph from our terms and conditions. If what we are offering is not for you, don't buy a laptop from us. --Quozl 21:48, 17 November 2007 (EST)

Neither OLPC Foundation nor One Laptop per Child, Inc. has service facilities, a help desk or maintenance personnel in the United States or Canada. Although we believe you will love your XO laptop, you should understand that it is not a commercially available product and, if you want help using it, you will have to seek it from friends, family, and bloggers. One goal of the G1G1 initiative is to create an informal network of XO laptop users in the developed world, who will provide feedback about the utility of the XO laptop as an educational tool for children, participate in the worldwide effort to create open-source educational applications for the XO laptop, and serve as a resource for those in the developing world who seek to optimize the value of the XO laptop as an educational tool. A fee based tech support service will be available to all who desire it. We urge participants in the G1G1 initiative to think of themselves as members of an international educational movement rather than as “customers.”

Give One, Get One Implementation Questions

[side note: I've cut and pasted these questions from http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Talk:Give1Get1#What_do_I_get.3F ; I posted them there a couple of days ago, but that doesn't seem to be a part of the wiki that's reviewed very often. --Hex]

G1G1 Volume

How many G1G1 laptops have been ordered so far? How many firm country orders do you have as of today?

Shipping Costs

G1G1 started today. Folks who used Pay Pal online were charged $24 shipping; folks who called weren't told about shipping costs. What's really happening?

Both phone orders and on-line orders are charged for shipping.

Phone Order Processing

Have any phone orders been processed yet? Were they charged shipping?

They should have been charged for shipping.

Well, yes, they should have been. But have they been? On another website at least one external G1G1 participant who made phone orders on Monday, 11/12 still had no charges posted to their credit card accounts by Thursday am 11/15. So we haven't gotten actual confirmation that phone orders actually have been charged, only that they ought to have been. And as of mid-week the folks taking phone orders were still not mentioning shipping costs. Walter, I have a suggestion for you: make a call to the 800 number yourself, and walk through the whole process, to check for yourself what info is being given to the great unwashed... [-from Hexagonal, who first posted these questions. I've been unregistered, posting from IP 66.32.143.216; I've just created an account as "Hexagonal."]

Estimated G1G1 Shipping Date

When will the G1G1 units start to ship? Will the unresolved bugs tracked by the developers that are flagged with the "Update.1" milestone be addressed in the G1G1 units? According to http://dev.laptop.org/roadmap code freeze for Update.1 occurred on 11/1/07, and changes made through Update.1 will be included in XO's made for G1G1 deployment. And this milestone currently has a date of 12/1/07. So I assume that bug fixes to the system will continue to occur until 11/30/07, and Quanta will install code that includes everything flagged Update.1 that the developers can fix. So I assume actual final assembly of XO's intended for US/Canadian G1G1 delivery will start sometime AFTER 12/1/07. Can someone who's actually involved in all this let us know what's going on?

Subsequent Updates

Will G1G1 owners be able to download system and application updates online from a central OLPC website? Or will we download updates to a USB flash drive on our "big" computer, and then boot our XO from that, which seems to be the way updates are being distributed to beta testers currently? As new activities are added to XO systems, will G1G1 owners be able to download and install those activities?

Availability of Spare Batteries and Other Accessories

Will G1G1 Participants be able to buy spare batteries? Will we be able to buy any other accessories? How soon? How much will batteries cost?

Exterior XO Logo Colors

Will the colors of the XO Logo on the case exterior vary at random? Will two G1G1 laptops shipped to the same address have different colors?

There are 400 different color combinations; they are chosen at random so there is a high probability that two G1G1 laptops shipped to the same address will have different colors.

Sim City

Will Sim City be on the G1G1 North American XO's?

I don't know if SimCity will be shipped on the machines, but note that it's very easy to install via an internet connection (or so I've found in an emulator): Just open the XO's Web activity, navigate to the SimCity page on this wiki, then click on the SimCity-1.xo link; the activity downloads and installs automatically. —Joe 15:39, 17 November 2007 (EST)

Thanks! [-from Hexagonal, the fellow who posted this question]

T-Mobile

If we've ordered more than one XO through G1G1, will we be able to use one of the free T-Mobile hotspot credits for a year, then use the other one the year after that? Or does T-Mobile's gift have a cut-off date? (They're welcome to structure it any way they want; I appreciate their support. I'm just curious.)

Child security

Is my child secure with the XO? I am concerned about the connectivity or community feature and the ability to somehow use the XO and its features to target children nearby since the community feature provides the ability to see who is nearby, and these computers are targeted for children specifically.

You are right to be concerned, and we take this issue very seriously. Anything that increases the reach of a child also increases the reach of attackers ... a laptop, the internet, a cell phone, a walkie-talkie, an ordinary house telephone and the front door. There has to be a balance though, protecting a child from all these would not prepare them for adulthood. The following paragraph from our terms and conditions is our answer. Does it help you? --Quozl 22:15, 17 November 2007 (EST)

10. The XO laptop is designed for easy-to-use wireless connection by children to the Internet and other networks. Internet access must be purchased separately through an independent Internet Service Provider (ISP). In selecting an ISP, you should remember that, in addition to the many wonderful sites and educational resources on the Internet and World Wide Web, there are places where you wouldn’t want your child to go and people you wouldn’t want your child to meet. That’s why many ISPs offer “filters” that assist you in monitoring and/or controlling your child’s Internet access. So your child can have a safe and healthful experience, OLPC FOUNDATION RECOMMENDS THAT YOU USE AN APPROPRIATE INTERNET FILTER, REMAIN INVOLVED IN YOUR CHILD’S USE OF THE INTERNET AND, OF COURSE, STAY ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION.

What % of donations go to cover administrative cost?

When I donate $200 what portion gets to the child and what portion goes to cover administrative cost.

Distribution

When countries request computers, what insures that these countries will actually distribute these to their needy children (as opposed to say "special interest groups")?

User Friendly software - boot process

I would like to re-install the software (from scratch) but I have been bouncing allover...

It is hard to make a valid point when we, the enthusiastic about it have serious limitations to learn about the device itself...

Any ideas or help how to re-install the OS?

Developers should be referring to the Autoreinstallation page in the wiki. The production laptop will have an auto-installer.

Class project

im doing a class project and what are some of the feachers on the computer???

The Hardware and Software pages have information on the laptop's features. —Joe 14:58, 17 November 2007 (EST)

Is there an adequate criterion for deciding whether Sugar is "user friendly"?

Dear OLPC,

Like everybody else, I am really thrilled to see how far OLPC has come toward having an impact on real children's lives.

Let me pose a question, however. In past generations, "development" was flawed in delivering more technology transfer than it did transparency or usability. My perception is that OLPC needs to dedicate more resources to bringing laptop users an experience that will aid them in making sense of how a laptop actually works, and how one might make use of the device's extensibility.

I am to understand that there are, in essence, the usual "help" scripts built into Sugar -- some that describe the applications, and others that show one how the laptop does what it does. Nevertheless, it has taken me 20 minutes with this Wiki site just to decide that there is little additional information about the help functionality in Sugar, and then to find a place to ask the question, "Where do I find out more about these features?" Right here we have the first and most formidable barrier to any child's quest to learn about computing and electronic devices -- our cypher-like info glut, with no key to unlock its secrets.

It would make a tremendous amount of sense to put as much effort as you have into this Wiki into a parallel effort to design an online "learning community" for the kids who are going to be the device's wireless users. Without it, kids will be confined to thinking about the inner workings of computing technology as though it were just another "magic" technology delivered from afar, that is totally out of reach of their communities.

There are a few counterarguments to this line of questioning that need to be rebutted.

One is that most of the users won't be in range of WiFi anyway, so any proposed online hub for XO / Sugar users would be moot, and wouldn't be worth the investment. The answer is right here, underneath the hood: The XO has wireless. Anyone who is at all curious about XO will look for the opportunity to get on the web and find out more about the device.

The second counterargument is that a curious child has plenty of opportunities to find answers online to her questions. Oh yes? Where, in fact, shall they turn? To THIS Wiki? To the "activities download" page? To magazine articles about Fedora Core 7? None of those materials is likely to be at all informative to the child whose curiosity is piqued by the XO in her hands. In fact, these materials are likely to turn her off to investigating the very questions she's burning to ask -- in the very same way that functional adults in the West have been turned off by the Linux developer scene because of its cryptic terminology (grub grep gimp gnu....) This has become such a familiar litany that most folks in the open source community just tune such criticism out. But give it some thought again, in light of the very different social and technological goals that OLPC has: This entire endeavor is geared not toward bringing a useful "tool" to the "user" in a generic sense, but toward educating kids of all ages, all around the world, who all share the same burden of dealing with poverty and scarcity in their communities.

In rolling out a new generation of their OSes, both Apple and MS take enormous pains -- far more than the open source community does -- to actually informing the public about how they can get the most out of their OS. PR of this sort boosts profits in unacceptable ways, but along the way will also generate an intuitive understanding of an OS's functionality -- that a black box alone will not.

In the case of the XO, what is needed above all is an equivalent commitment to "open source for kids." If this simple point makes sense, then the investment MIT and OLPC need to make should be instantly clear: We need a global, multilingual homepage for Sugar, geared to teaching kids at various stages of their education exactly how their OS and their laptop work, under the hood, and what other kids using Sugar are discovering through it. This is a big ticket item, if one considers the amount of person-hours and server bandwidth that are required to make it pedagogically sound. Nevertheless, I think groups like MIT & Fedora should be ready to pony up for this project. Heaven knows, even adults would want to know how this or that technology actually functions. I imagine a whole world of questions a hub for Sugar should address, from the mundane to the profound.

How would I get started ... in Python?

... In building a Linux system?

... In assembling a motherboard?

... In bringing wireless into my own community?

... In building a webpage for my community?

... In getting a computer built that could ship to hundreds of thousands of people exactly like me around the world?

... In bringing other solar or human-powered innovations to my community?

... In getting people organized to find solutions to these kinds of problems?

... And is anyone else out there around my age also trying to figure these things out?

This is a discussion that could unfold over time, but I urge you to take it up as soon as possible. We are handing people a powerful tool. But accessibility -- and open source -- are about much more important questions. How do we make sure these kids know all that they can do with this tool?

Kindest regards and best wishes to the whole OLPC community.

M.E.S.

P.S.: A minor asisde. I also hope that there is something like an automatic OS update process established for Sugar users. Families and educators should not have to go hunting far and wide for updates to Sugar or for fixes to problems.

Volunteer developers

Is there a process where firms with appropriately skilled staff (related to the needs of the project) could help by providing volunteer resources (possibly on a global scale) to OLPC?

Yes, contact us. For skills relating to teaching content, see Educators. For skills relating to software or hardware development, see Developers program. --Quozl 22:32, 17 November 2007 (EST)

Printer?

I have just ordered my Laptop (give one-get one) and I was wondering if there is anyway to hook up a printer to it? fcp40@aol.com

We've not yet exposed a printer interface in the UI. Most network printers and many USB printers should work with the XO, but we haven't had the time to qualify these solutions yet. Perhaps someone in the community can get started on this in parallel with our efforts. (We made our display of very high quality in part to reduce the need for printing.)

Sell 3 Give 1 to OLPC

I read that Quanta may start selling $200 laptops in 2008. Mr. Michael Wang - Quanta's President - said the low-cost machines would not remain limited to developing markets. “There are a lot of poor people in developed countries, too.” he said. Will Quanta help OLPC with an initiative like G1 G1? For example Sell 3 Give 1 to OLPC? Why not? I'm sure they will sell a lot of these laptops at that price in developed countries. M.Mancuso/Italy

Maintenance and Training

No matter how robust and stable the XO laptop is, it is a computer, it is software that crashes and hardware that breaks. A computer is a tool and you often compare it to a pencil that every student should have... meanwhile it is a complex device that not everyone is able to maintain and fix.

What happens when the laptop crashes ? What happens when a part breaks ?

What is the plan in terms of maintaining and fixing all these laptops ? What is the plan to support the countries where IT is new, hence where qualified human resources is very rare or inexistent ?

This planning is unique to each deployment, but from the perspective of the XO hardware design, it is simpler and more straightforward than many potential designs, it has been tested for disassembly and reassembly using an ordinary screwdriver and a pair of kids under the age of ten, and cheap enough that replacement of a whole unit is practical. IT is not new to every country, there is always a core capability, which can be used if it has to be. Training can be delivered to in-country people that are critical to the long-term success of the deployment. Software and hardware maintenance is usually multi-tiered these days, so a continuous triage process is involved. In the meanwhile, the kids can revert to pencil, if they can find paper. --Quozl 06:10, 19 November 2007 (EST)

What's the best shorthand way to refer to XO's being sent to least developed countries as distinguished from XO's being sent to North American G1G1 participants? "G1G1 XO's" and "In-Country XO's"? "Donor XO's" and "LDC XO's"? (I don't really care what the terms are, but if there's a convention already established within the OLPC Command Headquarters I'll be happy to use it.)

I'm interested because I think that there is already an established distinction between the two -- LDC XO's will have Bitfrost security installed, and will need to be unlocked at their destination (by the school servers I guess), and Donor XO's won't have Bitfrost.

Will there be any other operating system or activity differences between the Donor XO's and the world's?

If G1G1 units won't be expected to ever connect to a school server, will that have any implications for how they are maintained that won't apply to LDC XO's? If so, would it be possible for a home user in North America to configure a standard desktop to perform some of the services for his XO that school servers will do around the world? I'm thinking up backup and software updating in particular.

Finally, I've learned from this wiki that there are two types of batteries that will be XO original equipment. Which type is better suited for use in North America? Is that the type that will be sent to Give One, Get One participants?

Differences between G1G1 XO's and the XO's that will be sent to Least Developed Countries

What's the best shorthand way to refer to XO's being sent to least developed countries as distinguished from XO's being sent to North American G1G1 participants? "G1G1 XO's" and "In-Country XO's"? "Donor XO's" and "LDC XO's"? (I don't really care what the terms are, but if there's a convention already established within the Secret OLPC Command Headquarters I'll be happy to use it.)

I'm interested because I as I understand it that there is already an established distinction between the two -- LDC XO's will have Bitfrost security installed, and will need to be unlocked at their destination (by the school servers I guess), and Donor XO's won't have Bitfrost.

Will there be any other operating system or activity differences between the Donor XO's and the world's?

If G1G1 units won't be expected to ever connect to a school server, will that have any implications for how they are maintained that won't apply to LDC XO's? If so, would it be possible for a home user in North America to configure a standard desktop to perform some of the services for his XO that school servers will do around the world? I'm thinking of backup and software updating in particular.

Will we in fact need developer keys for our G1G1's if we really want to tweak them? Is it expected that the ordinary G1G1 participant will be needing that level of control? If not, are developer keys trackable and discoverable for the subset of G1G1 participants who might really want to go to the extra effort?

Finally, I've learned from this wiki that there are two types of batteries that will be XO original equipment. Which type is better suited for use in North America? Is that the type that will be sent to Give One, Get One participants?

G1G1 User Manual

Will the XO's shipped to North American Give One, Get One participants include a user manual? If not, how about posting a pdf manual at a dedicated web page?

Hey there's an idea -- the fractured, open nature of this wiki is too loose for G1G1 folks to be able to find the info they need. Can OLPC establish a new website specifically for those of us who are getting a G1G1 laptop sometime in the next few weeks? It could house the downloadable manual, firmware updates, and a set of downloadable activities that are known to work well (with off-site links to more buggy activities for those of us who like to test and tinker).