Sugar Labs/Current Events

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This page is updated each week (usually on Monday morning) with notes from the Sugar Labs community. (The digest is also sent to the community-news at sugarlabs.org list and blogged at walterbender.org.) If you would like to contribute, please send email to walter at sugarlabs.org by the weekend. (Also visit planet.sugarlabs.org.)

Sugar Digest

"He was guided by what he saw rather than what he wanted to believe." – Vernor Vinge

1. While I am not chasing down Turtle Art bugs, I am catching up with my summer reading. The quote from A Fire in the Deep seems a nice summary of the discussion about teaching physics on the IAEP list. It is worthwhile reading the whole thread.

2. Some other summer reading includes a short article on behavioral economics published by the [http:neweconomics.org New Economics Foundation] that discusses some principles of behavior that we may want to consider as we consider how to maximize the impact of our efforts as a community. (I am unaware of any serious study of Free Software by behavioral economists. This particular summary is more useful in regard to understanding the motivation of teachers whom we'd like to consider adopting Sugar and perhaps become more observant about what they are doing with the platform in their classrooms.

I am thinking about each of their principles as a vehicle for asking questions that I am hoping community members may be able to discuss.

  • "Other people’s behavior matters."
This would suggest that we need to expose teachers to Sugar best practices that they can then emulate. Can we identify the "mavens", "connectors", and "salespeople" in our target communities? What resources can we apply to influence their adoption of Sugar? For example, I am working with a small school district in the Boston metropolitan area that other, larger districts follow closely. If we can have an influence with a "maven" district, we may get broad leverage. It also suggests that we need to be vigilant as a community to make sure that our examples for emulation are pedagogically sound.
  • "Habits are important."
This would suggest that we raise awareness about some of the habits that are part and parcel with the status quo. What incentives can we provide that would encourage change? What actions can we take to sustain and reenforce changes in behavior?
  • "People are motivated to ‘do the right thing’."
We need to engage teachers in a discussion about what is "the right thing" and remind them that the right thing is often hard work: "Sire, there is no Royal Road to Geometry" – Euclid.
  • "People’s self-expectations influence how they behave: they want their actions to be in line with their values and their commitments."
This is a tough one for us, because much of what we are doing is not in line with expectations. However, as long as we are on a sound footing in terms of values, we are in a position of influence.
  • "People are loss-averse and hang on to what they consider ‘theirs’."
Sugar need not be an either-or proposition. (Sugar on a Stick means there is nothing to give up in taking up Sugar.) And as Minsky has pointed out, until you understand something from more than one way, you don't understand it. Sugar can offer another perspective on their status quo.
  • "People are bad at computation when making decisions."
Further, they are often intimidated by the prospects of learning new things (until they are actually doing it). "Immediate losses are stronger incentives than long-term rewards." This would imply that we really need to keep the "pain" associated with getting started to an absolute minimum.
  • "People need to feel involved and effective to make a change."
We have a community with a potential for great discourse that welcomes contributions. This is one of our real strengths."

Help wanted

3. Last week's discussion about feedback led to the suggestion that I highlight feedback from the field in the Sugar Digest. Please send me reports that I can include each week.

In the community

4. There has been a lot of activity on our "community-powered" support portal. The interface is a bit clumsy, but much more friendly to non-developers than the [dev.sugarlabs.org trac] system. Check it out. (Dennis Daniels has been including links to screen casts with most of his posts.)

tech talk

5. In the run up to string freeze for Release 0.86, Simon Schampijer led a triage session (See Milestone 0.86).

6. Tom Gilliard (satellit) continues to experiment with alternative formats for Sugar LiveUSB images (See [1]).

Sugar Labs

7. Gary Martin has generated a SOM from the past week of discussion on the IAEP mailing list (Please see SOM).

Just for fun

Another quote from A Fire Upon the Deep: "Finally they pulled the big, floppy ears simultaneously: the dataset popped open." Sounds like he was describing an OLPC XO-1.

Community News archive

An archive of this digest is available.

Planet

The Sugar Labs Planet is found here.

Sugar in the news

26 Aug 2009 LatinuxAzúcar en una memoria USB
03 Aug 2009 Wired: Geek DadInventing a New Paradigm: SugarLabs and the Sugar UI
23 Jul 2009 Everything USBRecycleUSB.com - Donate your Flash Drives for a Good Cause
22 Jul 2009 OLPC FranceSugar : mauvaise presse et mise au point
13 Jul 2009 Spiegel OnlineDas zuckersüße Leichtbau-Linux
07 Jul 2009 ComputerWorldUKGran Canaria Desktop Summit: a Study in Contrasts
06 Jul 2009 Windows ForestUSBメモリなどから“OLPC”用のOSを利用できる「Sugar on a Stick」が無償公開
02 Jul 2009 Howard County LibrarySugar on a Stick
27 Jun 2009 DeutschlandfunkSüßes für die Kleinen: Sugar ist Linux speziell für Kinder (in Deutsch)
26 Jun 2009 EduTechSugar on a stick, and other delectables (praise for the lowly USB drive)
26 Jun 2009 Ars TechnicaSugar on a Stick brings sweet taste of Linux to classrooms
24 Jun 2009 BBCOLPC software to power aging PCs
24 Jun 2009 Technology Review$100 Laptop Becomes a $5 PC
15 Jun 2009 TechSavvyKidsEpisode 10 FOSSVT: Sugar on a Stick (audio)
10 Jun 2009 LWN.netSugar moves from the shadow of OLPC
27 May 2009 LWN.netActivities and the move to context-oriented desktops (subscriber link)
27 May 2009 Business WireDailymotion Launches Support for Open Video Formats and Video HTML Tag
01 May 2009 GuysoftNokia N810 Running OLPC Sugar
29 Apr 2009 El MercurioAsí se vivió la fiesta del software libre
27 Apr 2009 ostaticSugar on a Stick: Good for Kids' Minds (and School Budgets)
25 Apr 2009 Free Software MagazineThe Bittersweet Facts about OLPC and Sugar
24 Apr 2009 Ars TechnicaFirst taste: Sugar on a Stick learning platform
22 Apr 2009 BetanewsBeta of Live USB Sugar OS opens
27 Mar 2009 Mass High TechGoogle promotes summer open-source internships
18 Mar 2009 MetropolisA Good Argument
16 Mar 2009 Laptop MagazineSugar Labs’ New Version of Sugar Learning Platform Is Netbook and PC Ready
16 Mar 2009 Market WatchSugar Labs Nonprofit Announces New Version of Sugar Learning Platform for Children, Runs on Netbooks and PCs
14 Feb 2009 OLPC Learning Club – DCLearning Learning on a Stick
05 Feb 2009 xconomySugar Beyond the XO Laptop: Walter Bender on OLPC, Sucrose 0.84, and “Sugar on a Stick”
26 Jan 2009 Linus MagazineSugar Defies OLPC Cutbacks
19 Jan 2009 Feeding the PenguinsThe status of Sugar, post-OLPC
16 Jan 2009 OLPC NewsSugar on Acer Aspire One & Thin Client via LTSP
12 Jan 2009 Bill Kerrthoughts about olpc cutbacks
07 Jan 2009 Ars TechnicaOLPC downsizes half of its staff, cuts Sugar development
06 Jan 2009 OLPC NewsAn Inside Look at how Microsoft got XP on the XO
30 Dec 2008 OLPC NewsSugar Labs Status at Six Months
22 Dec 2008 The GNOME ProjectSugar Labs, the nonprofit behind the OLPC software, is joining the GNOME Foundation
16 Dec 2008 Feeding the PenguinsSugar git repository change
14 Dec 2008 NPRLaptop Deal Links Rural Peru To Opportunity, Risk (Part 2)
13 Dec 2008 NPRLaptops May Change The Way Rural Peru Learns (Part 1)
09 Dec 2008 SFCSugar Labs joins Conservancy
31 Oct 2008 Linux DevicesAn OLPC dilemma: Linux or Windows?
10 Oct 2008 Feeding the PenguinSugar on Ubuntu
21 Sep 2008 GroklawInterview with Walter Bender of Sugar Labs
17 Sep 2008 Bill KerrSugar Labs
16 Sep 2008 Open SourceSugar everywhere
28 Aug 2008 OLPC NewsAn answer to Walter Bender's question 22
20 Aug 2008 OLPC NewsSugarize it: Intel Classmate 2
08 Aug 2008 Investor's Business Daily'Learning' Vs. Laptop Was Issue
06 Aug 2008 OLPC NewsTwenty-three Questions on Technology and Education
18 Jul 2008 Bill Kerrevaluating Sugar in the developed world
28 Jun 2008 OLPC NewsA Cutting Edge Sugar User Interface Demo
18 Jun 2008 PC WorldOLPC Spin-off Developing UI for Intel's Classmate PC
17 Jun 2008 DatamationIf Business Succeeds with GNU/Linux, Why Not OLPC?
11 Jun 2008 LinuxInsiderThe Sweetness of Collaborative Learning
06 Jun 2008 Bill Kerruntangling Free, Sugar, and Constructionism
06 Jun 2008 Open EducationWalter Bender Discusses Sugar Labs Foundation
06 Jun 2008 BusinessWeekOLPC: The Educational Philosophy Controversy
05 Jun 2008 Code CultureThe Distraction Machine
05 Jun 2008 BusinessWeekOLPC: The Open-Source Controversy
27 May 2008 The New York TimesWhy Walter Bender Left One Laptop Per Child
26 May 2008 Ars TechnicaOLPC software maker splits from X0 hardware, goes solo
22 May 2008 BetaNewsLinux start-up Sugar Labs in informal talks with four laptop makers
16 May 2008 OSTATICOLPC's Open Source Sugar Platform Aims for New Hardware
16 May 2008 PCWorldBender Forms Group to Promote OLPC's Sugar UI
16 May 2008 MHTBender jumps from OLPC, founds Sugar Labs
16 May 2008 News.comSugar Labs will make OLPC interface available for Eee PC, others
16 May 2008 Feeding the PeguinsThe future of Sugar
16 May 2008 Sugar listA few thoughts on SugarLabs
16 May 2008 xconomyBender Creates Sugar Labs—New Foundation to Adapt OLPC’s Laptop Interface for Other Machines
16 May 2008 BBC'$100 laptop' platform moves on
15 May 2008 OLPC wikiDual-boot XO Claim: OLPC will not work to port Sugar to Windows.
16 May 2008 SoftpediaBender Launches Sugar Labs for Better Development of OLPC's Sugar UI

Press releases

See our Press Page