Difference between revisions of "Getting Started"

Revision as of 04:36, 4 December 2011

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HowTo [ID# 72176]

About Sugar

Sugar is a desktop environment that is an alternative to the ones typically used in Microsoft Windows, Apple's OS X or other GNU/Linux operating systems. It is conceived as a platform upon which children learn with Sugar Activities. The platform provides mechanisms for collaboration, reflection, and 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 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. 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 Python and runs on a GNU/Linux Kernel, originally from the Fedora Project, and now from a variety of GNU/Linux distributions.

For an overview of the 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 introductory page provides details of the process, which is also summarized below.

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 Sugar-on-a-Stick Creation Guide.

Release notes

Release notes for Sugar 0.112 are available here.

Sugar platform release version cycle: | 0.82 | 0.84 | 0.86 | 0.88 | 0.90 | 0.92 | 0.94 | 0.96 | 0.98 | 0.100 | 0.102 | 0.104 | 0.106 | 0.108 | 0.110 | 0.112 |

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.

Part Two is the on-line version.

This can be used to customize your own Sugar Creation Kit DVD's contents:

How to make your own custom Sugar-Creation_Kit.iso file

ASLOxo is a DVD .iso full of activities in .xo form for drag drop install to sugar

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 ==Getting Sugar==
-For installing Sugar on your computer or a flash drive, see [[Downloads]]. For purchase information for Sugar pre-installed on a bootable USB flash drive, see [[Sugar on a Stick]].
+===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.
-For more technical information, please see the [[Supported systems]] page for a list of the different ways that Sugar may be run on a computer.
+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/
-==Getting started==
+'''Hardware requirements'''
-====The Sugar Learners' manual====
-{{FlossmanualBlock}}
-{{:Tutorials}}
-===Connecting to the Internet===
+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.
-Connecting to the Internet is something that somewhat falls between the cracks of Sugar and the computer it's running on.
+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/
-On the XO laptop, there are three ways to connect to the Internet:
+From http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora we see these minimum requirements for the current distribution, Fedora 16.
-*Wireless access point (Wi-Fi hotspot);
+:A 400MHz or faster processor
-*“School Server” mesh network; or
+:At least 768 MB memory (RAM), 1 GB recommended for best performance.
-*“simple” mesh network, which lets you collaborate directly with other XOs running Sugar.
-From a conventional laptop running Sugar, connecting through an access point works. (Mesh support is becoming available on more machines.) Depending upon which [[olpc:Community Jabber Servers|Jabber server]] you are connected to, you'll see different collections of "neighbors" in the Neighborhood View.
+The minimum size of your USB flash drive is 2GB.
-Read the [[Documentation Team/User Manual/Connecting to the Internet|Connecting to the Internet page]] for detailed instructions.
+'''Ready to Download'''
-===Release notes===
+If you are happy you have covered the above, you are ready to install Sugar on a flash drive, referring to '''[[Downloads]]'''
-* Release notes for '''Sugar {{Current Stable Release}}''' are available [[{{Current Stable Release}}/Notes|here]].
+'''Boot'''
-See [[Development Team#Release Notes| Development Team Release Notes]] for other releases.
-[[Category:General public]]
-[[Category:Documentation]]
-===Other resources===
+If all has worked, you will shutdown your PC. With the newly written USB stick in a USB port, restart the PC.
-Other resources are listed on the [[Deployment Team/Resources]] page.
+==== 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].
+==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]]