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== About Sugar ==
 
  
Sugar is a desktop environment that is an alternative to the ones typically used in Microsoft Windows, Apple's OS X, or GNU/Linux operating systems. It is conceived as a platform upon which children "learn through doing" with Sugar [[Activities]]. The platform provides mechanisms for [[Collaboration|collaboration]], [[Activities/Portfolio|reflection]], and [[View Source|exploration]]. Sugar Activities cover a broad range of applications: browsing, drawing, composing, writing, programming, etc.
 
 
The Sugar desktop has multiple full-screen views: a Home view from which Activities are launched; a Neighborhood view where learners can connect to each other through a [[olpc:Community Jabber Servers | Jabber network]]; a Journal view, which can be used as a ''lab notebook''; and the Activity view, where Sugar Activities are run.
 
 
Sugar Activities have no Save menu: everything is saved automatically. Sugar support self discovery: while the interface uses very little text, additional information is revealed when the user hovers over icons.
 
 
Sugar is Free Software. It is developed in [[wikipedia:Python_%28programming_language%29|Python]] and runs on a [[wikipedia:Linux|GNU/Linux]] [[wikipedia:Kernel_%28computer_science%29|Kernel]], originally from the [http://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora Project], and now from a [[Supported systems|variety]] of GNU/Linux distributions.
 
 
For an overview of the technical components composing a Sugar system see the [[Sugar System Stack]].
 
 
==Getting Sugar==
 
===Sugar on a Stick===
 
Sugar on a Stick is the easiest way to get Sugar. The [[Sugar on a Stick | introductory page]] provides details of the process, which is also summarized below.
 
 
'''Note:''' If this is going to be your first attempt at running Sugar, you may take the advice "buy rather than build". For purchase information for Sugar pre-installed on a bootable USB flash drive, see [[Sugar Creation Kit#Commercial source of SoaS-loaded media]].
 
 
But please do not be discouraged from building Sugar on a Stick yourself. It was the first bootable flash drive I had ever made and worked on the second attempt.
 
 
If you are a Windows user with no Linux experience, you'll find that creating a Sugar on a Stick is no more complicated than making a purchase on Ebay! Have a look at the Fedora program you will use: https://fedorahosted.org/liveusb-creator/
 
 
'''Hardware requirements'''
 
 
Before you download, you need to know if you will use the 64Bit version. If your computer says on the box or documentation that it is 64Bit, you may use the 64bit download version of Sugar called  "x86_64". I think it is safe to say that PCs above Pentium 2 (commenced production end 1995) and meeting the specification below should run the "i686" version.
 
 
You will need to ensure the computer you plan to use is capable of booting from USB.
 
:On older machines you will probably need to make a change in the BIOS (see your computer's hardware documentation). Change ''Boot Order'', so that ''Boot from USB'' comes before ''Boot from Hard Drive''. Many newer computers detect the USB device as a hard drive, see http://www.pendrivelinux.com/usb-bios-boot-options/
 
 
From http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora we see these minimum requirements for the current distribution, Fedora 16.
 
:A 400MHz or faster processor
 
:At least 768 MB memory (RAM), 1 GB recommended for best performance.
 
 
The minimum size of your USB flash drive is 2GB.
 
 
'''Ready to Download'''
 
 
If you are happy you have covered the above, you are ready to install Sugar on a flash drive, referring to '''[[Downloads]]'''
 
 
'''Boot'''
 
If all has worked, you will shutdown your PC. With the newly written USB stick in a USB port, restart the PC.
 
 
==== Please Explore Sugar and take it out into your community ====
 
 
There are two further pages in the Getting Started set.
 
: Once you boot your new stick, [[Getting Started/Explore]]
 
::If you can take Sugar out into your school or community, [[Getting Started/Presentation]]
 
 
 
==== I need more information ====
 
 
The [[Sugar on a Stick]] project currently comprises 75 pages or sub-pages. It is most unlikely that I have achieved an accurate precis!
 
 
You might chose to read [[Sugar on a Stick/Pineapple]], [[LiveOS image]],
 
 
[[Sugar on a Stick/Installation]], [[Sugar on a Stick/Boot]],
 
 
[[Sugar_on_a_Stick/Mac]], [[Sugar_on_a_Stick/Windows]]
 
 
and [http://download.sugarlabs.org/soas/docs/creation-kit/ Sugar-on-a-Stick Creation Guide].
 
 
=== Alternatives ===
 
:Alternate: Boot from burned CD and enter "liveinst" in root terminal of sugar
 
::This starts the fedora anaconda installer and you can select your 4 GB or larger USB; or your Hard Disk; as the media to install to.
 
::(this is a real installation) not a compressed file system with a persistence file)
 
 
===Linux Distributions supporting Sugar===
 
A list here
 
:[[Community/Distributions]] ALL
 
:[[Sugar_Creation_Kit#Community_Distributions]] With Good Support
 
 
==Release notes==
 
 
Release notes for '''Sugar {{Current Stable Release}}''' are available [[{{Current Stable Release}}/Notes|here]].
 
 
{{Template:Platform Cycle Linkbar}}
 
 
 
==Other resources==
 
 
There is an introductory overview of The Sugar Learning Platform at http://www.sugarlabs.org/. You can also reach this site from the navigation bar along the top of this page, by clicking the tab labeled "web" at the far left hand end.
 
 
Notice this set of pages also includes a sitemap.
 
 
This project, [[Sugar Creation Kit]] provides Sugar resources on a DVD, useful where there is limited internet access.
 
:[[Sugar_Creation_Kit#ON-LINE_VERSION | Part Two]] is the on-line version.
 
::This can be used to customize your own Sugar Creation Kit DVD's contents:
 
::[[Sugar_Creation_Kit#References|How to make your own custom Sugar-Creation_Kit.iso file]]
 
:[[Sck/ASLOxo | ASLOxo]] is a DVD .iso full of activities in .xo form for drag drop install to sugar
 
 
 
 
[[Category:Help]]
 
[[Category:HowTo]]
 
[[Category:Getting started]]
 

Latest revision as of 05:43, 7 July 2012