Sugar Labs/Current Events

What's new

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, blogged at walterbender.org, and archived here.) If you would like to contribute, please send email to walter at sugarlabs.org by the weekend. (Also visit planet.sugarlabs.org.)

Sugar Digest

1. Sugar Labs has been given 8 slots for student interns for Google Summer of Code. This means we'll be able to cover a lot of ground this summer: we have some very strong proposals and a great mentoring team. The next step is for the mentors and the sugar-devel team to narrow the applicants down to a short list. Many thanks to everyone who has lent a hand so far and to Google for giving us this opportunity.

2. The sugar-devel team has been really busy pushing new features for the next release and doing a general clean up of the code base. It is remarkable the current pace of activity, especially around the efforts to make HTML5/Javascript a first-class approach to Sugar activity development. You can follow the work on the devel list or by reviewing (and submitting) patches on github.

3. I've been trying to contribute to the overall Sugar effort, but I tend to get distracted by Turtle Blocks (AKA Turtle Art). When I was visiting RIT a few weeks back, I was inspired to enhance the debugging features of Turtle Blocks. I came up with a simple way to introduce the concept of break-points to the code. I had already introduced blocks to "hide" and "show" the program as it executes. And through the "rabbit" and "snail" buttons, the user can control the speed of program execution. What I did was to combine these two concepts. By introducing a "hide" block into your code, the code executes at full speed. Introducing a "show" block causes the program to run slowly and display the status of all of its "variables" as it runs. A subtle change, but what it allows one to do is to surround code you want to debug with a "show" and "hide" blocks. Small blocks of code can be examined while the larger program runs at full speed. Really helpful for debugging complex projects.

4. I am also working on another new feature, this one at the request of the teachers who have been using Butia in Uruguay. The idea is to be able to save a stack of blocks for reuse in multiple projects (instances). The way to do that currently is to open a project, copy the stack to the clipboard, and then paste it into a new project -- too clumsy to be used on a regular basis. The new feature allows users to save a stack to a custom palette. This palette is loaded with each instance of Turtle, so it means the stacks are available as if they were extensions of Turtle itself. It makes it even easier for end-user customization.

In the community

5. We'll be celebrating International Turtle Art Day (Día Mundial de TortugArte) in October. Our objectives are to:

• Promote the use of Turtle Art
• Share and promote best practices
• Celebrate projects for children and teachers

Details on how you can participate will be made available soon.

6. How embarrassing.

Tech Talk

7. Laura Vargas reports that Hexoquinasa v0.9 (BETA2) has been released and is in the hands of the Ministry of Education of Perú, where it will undergo testing.

8. Daniel Narveaz reports that "the initial bits of the HTML activities work has landed. It should now be relatively easy to start writing an activity."

(1) You will need the latest Sugar development environment.

(2) Then open a shell and move to the source directory:

make shell
cd source

(3) Create an activity based on a template:

volo create my-activity ./sugar-html-template

(4) Install the activity for development as usual:

cd my-activity
python setup.py dev

(5) To interact with the platform you will need to add the sugar-core-html library to your activity:

volo add -f ../sugar-html-core/

Sugar Labs

Visit our planet for more updates about Sugar and Sugar deployments.

Community News archive

An archive of this digest is available.

Planet

The Sugar Labs Planet is found here.

Sugar in the news

{ |- |align=right valign=top|12 Jul 2013||RIT – ‘Sky Time’ video game selected for White House Champions of Change event July 23 |- |align=right valign=top|28 Apr 2013||BBC Mundo – Los programadores adolescentes premiados por Google |- |align=right valign=top|07 Feb 2013||el Neuvo Herald – Joven uruguayo brilla como programador y es distinguido por Google |- |align=right valign=top|06 Feb 2013||el Observador – Joven uruguayo gana la competencia Google Code (Also see GCI press interviews) |- |align=right valign=top|07 Sep 2012||NDTV – One Laptop Per Child initiative a hit in rural India |- |align=right valign=top|08 Jul 2012||Estado de S. Paulo – Para educar |- |align=right valign=top|24 Apr 2012||Pacific Standard – OLPC Redux |- |align=right valign=top|12 Apr 2012||Huffington Post – Hult Global Case Challenge: One Laptop Per Child |- |align=right valign=top|30 Mar 2012||newswise – “Sugar on a Stick” Helps Kids Learn How to Learn |- |align=right valign=top|11 Jan 2012||Boston Herald – One Laptop Per Child screening $100 tablet |- |align=right valign=top|10 Jan 2012||ars technica – Crank, bicycle, and waterwheel: hands-on with the OLPC XO 3.0 tablet |- |align=right valign=top|08 Jan 2012||The Verge – OLPC XO 3.0 tablet preview: impressions, video, and pictures |- |align=right valign=top|07 Jan 2012||The Verge – OLPC XO 3.0 tablet: an 8-inch tablet for $100, with Android and Sugar options for the children |- |align=right valign=top|23 Dec 2011||Miller-McCune – One Laptop Per Child Redux |- |align=right valign=top|18 Oct 2011||BDU – Robotics in Uruguay (video) |- |align=right valign=top|11 Aug 2011||Berlin.de – Gewinner des Berliner Landeswettbewerbs zu Open Source stehen fest |- |align=right valign=top|25 Jul 2011||CCC Classic – Garmin-sugarlabs development cycling team at Crit starting line |- |align=right valign=top|25 Jul 2011||CCC Classic – Garmin-sugarlabs development cycling team after Crit |- |align=right valign=top|13 Apr 2011||framablog – L'expérience Sugar Labs préfigure-t-elle une révolution éducative du XXIe siècle? |- |align=right valign=top|05 Apr 2011||Businesswire – The Government of Peru Expands the One Laptop Per Child Program with Local Manufacturing |- |align=right valign=top|31 Jan 2011||Sundance – A Day in the Life – Peru |- |align=right valign=top|01 Dec 2010||velonation – Sugar Labs to back Garmin-Cervelo’s development team in unique arrangement |- |align=right valign=top|28 Oct 2010||UCR – Nuevas tecnologías deben estar al alcance de todos los niños y niñas |- |align=right valign=top|05 Oct 2010||xconomy – One Ecosystem per Child |- |align=right valign=top|08 Sep 2010||FLOSS Weekly – Sugar Labs |- |align=right valign=top|09 Aug 2010||ABC digital – Indicadores constatan el impacto positivo en el aprendizaje de niños |- |align=right valign=top|23 Jun 2010||ABC digital – Xo para todas las escuelas de Caacupé |- |align=right valign=top|21 Jun 2010||La Nacion – “Buscamos que los niños no solo usen softwares, sino que puedan crear uno” |- |align=right valign=top|20 Jun 2010||UltimaHora.com – La laptop une a padres, alumnos y docentes |- |align=right valign=top|15 Jun 2010||The H – OLPC XO-1.5 software updated |- |align=right valign=top|10 Jun 2010||engadget – Sugar on a Stick hits 3.0, teaches us about a new kind of fruit |- |align=right valign=top|27 May 2010||Pro Linux DE – Sugar on a Stick v3 freigegeben (German) |- |align=right valign=top|27 May 2010||NY Times – One Laptop Per Child Project Works With Marvell to Produce a $100 Tablet |- |align=right valign=top|27 May 2010||PC World – OLPC Rules out Windows for XO-3 |- |align=right valign=top|03 May 2010||WXXI: Mixed Media – Interview with Walter Bender (audio) |- |align=right valign=top|03 May 2010||Linux Magazine – OLPC Computers for Palestinian Refugee Children |- |align=right valign=top|14 Apr 2010||National Science Foundation – XO Laptops Inspire Learning In Birmingham, Alabama (video) |-

|align=right valign=top|02 Apr 2010||

Dailymotion – Un jour... à Paris... ensembles pour OLPC et Sugar... (video)

|- |align=right valign=top|15 Mar 2010||nbc13.com – Birmingham City students opt to spend spring break in class, XO computer camps (video) |- |align=right valign=top|18 Feb 2010||LWN – Karma targets easier creation of educational software |- |align=right valign=top|05 Feb 2010||iprofesional – La PC barata de Negroponte desembarca en la Argentina para pelear contra Intel |- |align=right valign=top|14 Jan 2010||AALF – Open Systems for Broader Change |- |align=right valign=top|03 Jan 2010||Educacion 2.0 – PLAN CEIBAL, El Libro |- |align=right valign=top|14 Dec 2009||xconomy – Sugar gets sweeter |- |align-right valign=top|10 Dec 2009||ars technica – Sugar software environment gets sweeter with version 2 |- |align=right valign=top|09 Dec 2009||Wired – New Sugar on a Stick Brings Much Needed Improvements |- |align=right valign=top|08 Dec 2009||engadget – Sugar on a Stick OS goes to 2.0, gets Blueberry coating and creamy Fedora 12 center (video) |- |align=right valign=top|07 Dec 2009||Teleread.org – Sugar on a Stick: What it means for e-books and education |- |align=right valign=top|27 Nov 2009||CNET Japan – 「コードを見せて、もっと良くなるよ」と言える子どもが生まれる--Sugar Labsが描く未来 |- |align=right valign=top|16 Nov 2009||zanichelli – software libero a scuola |- |align=right valign=top|12 Nov 2009||opensuse.org – openSUSE 11.2 Released |- |align=right valign=top|07 Nov 2009||My Broadband News – Mandriva 2010 packs a punch [and Sugar] |- |align=right valign=top|06 Nov 2009||GhanaWeb – Open education and an IT-enabled economic growth in Ghana: Musings of a dutiful citizen |- |align=right valign=top|26 Oct 2009||Linux Magazine ES – Software Libre como apoyo al aprendizaje |- |align=right valign=top|09 Oct 2009||interdisciplines – OLPC and Sugar: mobility through the community |- |align=right valign=top|08 Oct 2009||IBM developerWorks – 10 important Linux developments everyone should know about |- |align=right valign=top|01 Oct 2009||OLPC France – Interview Walter Bender au SugarCamp |- |align=right valign=top|25 Sep 2009||The Inquirer – One Laptop per Child marches on |- |align=right valign=top|18 Sep 2009||Groklaw – The Role of Free Software in Education |- |align=right valign=top|18 Sep 2009||Reuters – Sugar Labs and Free Software Foundation Celebrate Software Freedom Day |- |align=right valign=top|17 Sep 2009||ICTDev.org – Dream Again with One Laptop per Child |- |align=right valign=top|26 Aug 2009||Latinux – Azúcar en una memoria USB |- |align=right valign=top|03 Aug 2009||Wired: Geek Dad – Inventing a New Paradigm: SugarLabs and the Sugar UI |- |align=right valign=top|30 Jul 2009||Zanichelli – Sugar on a Stick: imparare insieme |- |align=right valign=top|23 Jul 2009||Everything USB – RecycleUSB.com - Donate your Flash Drives for a Good Cause |- |align=right valign=top|22 Jul 2009||OLPC France – Sugar : mauvaise presse et mise au point |- |align=right valign=top|13 Jul 2009||Spiegel Online – Das zuckersüße Leichtbau-Linux |- |align=right valign=top|07 Jul 2009||ComputerWorldUK – Gran Canaria Desktop Summit: a Study in Contrasts |- |align=right valign=top|06 Jul 2009||Windows Forest – USB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 |- |align=right valign=top|02 Jul 2009||Howard County Library – Sugar on a Stick |- |align=right valign=top|27 Jun 2009||Deutschlandfunk – Süßes für die Kleinen: Sugar ist Linux speziell für Kinder (in Deutsch) |- |align=right valign=top|26 Jun 2009||EduTech – Sugar on a stick, and other delectables (praise for the lowly USB drive) |- |align=right valign=top|26 Jun 2009||ars technica – Sugar on a Stick brings sweet taste of Linux to classrooms |- |align=right valign=top|24 Jun 2009||BBC – OLPC software to power aging PCs |- |align=right valign=top|24 Jun 2009||Technology Review – $100 Laptop Becomes a $5 PC |- |align=right valign=top|15 Jun 2009||TechSavvyKids – Episode 10 FOSSVT: Sugar on a Stick (audio) |- |align=right valign=top|10 Jun 2009||LWN.net – Sugar moves from the shadow of OLPC |- |align=right valign=top|27 May 2009||LWN.net – Activities and the move to context-oriented desktops (subscriber link) |- |align=right valign=top|27 May 2009||Business Wire – Dailymotion Launches Support for Open Video Formats and Video HTML Tag |- |align=right valign=top|01 May 2009||Guysoft – Nokia N810 Running OLPC Sugar |- |align=right valign=top|29 Apr 2009||El Mercurio – Así se vivió la fiesta del software libre |- |align=right valign=top|27 Apr 2009||ostatic – Sugar on a Stick: Good for Kids' Minds (and School Budgets) |- |align=right valign=top|25 Apr 2009||Free Software Magazine – The Bittersweet Facts about OLPC and Sugar |- |align=right valign=top|24 Apr 2009||ars technica – First taste: Sugar on a Stick learning platform |- |align=right valign=top|22 Apr 2009||Betanews – Beta of Live USB Sugar OS opens |- |align=right valign=top|27 Mar 2009||Mass High Tech – Google promotes summer open-source internships |- |align=right valign=top|18 Mar 2009||Metropolis – A Good Argument |- |align=right valign=top|16 Mar 2009||Laptop Magazine – Sugar Labs’ New Version of Sugar Learning Platform Is Netbook and PC Ready |- |align=right valign=top|16 Mar 2009||Market Watch – Sugar Labs Nonprofit Announces New Version of Sugar Learning Platform for Children, Runs on Netbooks and PCs |- |align=right valign=top|14 Feb 2009||OLPC Learning Club – DC – Learning Learning on a Stick |- |align=right valign=top|05 Feb 2009||xconomy – Sugar Beyond the XO Laptop: Walter Bender on OLPC, Sucrose 0.84, and “Sugar on a Stick” |- |align=right valign=top|26 Jan 2009||Linus Magazine – Sugar Defies OLPC Cutbacks |- |align=right valign=top|19 Jan 2009||Feeding the Penguins – The status of Sugar, post-OLPC |- |align=right valign=top|16 Jan 2009||OLPC News – Sugar on Acer Aspire One & Thin Client via LTSP |- |align=right valign=top|12 Jan 2009||Bill Kerr – thoughts about olpc cutbacks |- |align=right valign=top|07 Jan 2009||ars technica – OLPC downsizes half of its staff, cuts Sugar development |- |align=right valign=top|06 Jan 2009||OLPC News – An Inside Look at how Microsoft got XP on the XO |- |align=right valign=top|30 Dec 2008||OLPC News – Sugar Labs Status at Six Months |- |align=right valign=top|22 Dec 2008||The GNOME Project – Sugar Labs, the nonprofit behind the OLPC software, is joining the GNOME Foundation |- |align=right valign=top|16 Dec 2008||Feeding the Penguins – Sugar git repository change |- |align=right valign=top|14 Dec 2008||NPR – Laptop Deal Links Rural Peru To Opportunity, Risk (Part 2) |- |align=right valign=top|13 Dec 2008||NPR – Laptops May Change The Way Rural Peru Learns (Part 1) |- |align=right valign=top|09 Dec 2008||SFC – Sugar Labs joins Conservancy |- |align=right valign=top|31 Oct 2008||Linux Devices – An OLPC dilemma: Linux or Windows? |- |align=right valign=top|10 Oct 2008||Feeding the Penguin – Sugar on Ubuntu |- |align=right valign=top|21 Sep 2008||Groklaw – Interview with Walter Bender of Sugar Labs |- |align=right valign=top|17 Sep 2008||Bill Kerr – Sugar Labs |- |align=right valign=top|16 Sep 2008||Open Source – Sugar everywhere |- |align=right valign=top|28 Aug 2008||OLPC News – An answer to Walter Bender's question 22 |- |align=right valign=top|20 Aug 2008||OLPC News – Sugarize it: Intel Classmate 2 |- |align=right valign=top|08 Aug 2008||Investor's Business Daily – 'Learning' Vs. Laptop Was Issue |- |align=right valign=top|06 Aug 2008||OLPC News – Twenty-three Questions on Technology and Education |- |align=right valign=top|18 Jul 2008||Bill Kerr – evaluating Sugar in the developed world |- |align=right valign=top|28 Jun 2008||OLPC News – A Cutting Edge Sugar User Interface Demo |- |align=right valign=top|18 Jun 2008||PC World – OLPC Spin-off Developing UI for Intel's Classmate PC |- |align=right valign=top|17 Jun 2008||Datamation – If Business Succeeds with GNU/Linux, Why Not OLPC? |- |align=right valign=top|11 Jun 2008||LinuxInsider – The Sweetness of Collaborative Learning |- |align=right valign=top|06 Jun 2008||Bill Kerr – untangling Free, Sugar, and Constructionism |- |align=right valign=top|06 Jun 2008||Open Education – Walter Bender Discusses Sugar Labs Foundation |- |align=right valign=top|06 Jun 2008||BusinessWeek – OLPC: The Educational Philosophy Controversy |- |align=right valign=top|05 Jun 2008||Code Culture – The Distraction Machine |- |align=right valign=top|05 Jun 2008||BusinessWeek – OLPC: The Open-Source Controversy |- |align=right valign=top|27 May 2008||The New York Times – Why Walter Bender Left One Laptop Per Child |- |align=right valign=top|26 May 2008||ars technica – OLPC software maker splits from X0 hardware, goes solo |- |align=right valign=top|22 May 2008||BetaNews – Linux start-up Sugar Labs in informal talks with four laptop makers |- |align=right valign=top|16 May 2008||OSTATIC – OLPC's Open Source Sugar Platform Aims for New Hardware |- |align=right valign=top|16 May 2008||PCWorld – Bender Forms Group to Promote OLPC's Sugar UI |- |align=right valign=top|16 May 2008||MHT – Bender jumps from OLPC, founds Sugar Labs |- |align=right valign=top|16 May 2008||News.com – Sugar Labs will make OLPC interface available for Eee PC, others |- |align=right valign=top|16 May 2008||Feeding the Peguins – The future of Sugar |- |align=right valign=top|16 May 2008||Sugar list – A few thoughts on SugarLabs |- |align=right valign=top|16 May 2008||xconomy – Bender Creates Sugar Labs—New Foundation to Adapt OLPC’s Laptop Interface for Other Machines |- |align=right valign=top|16 May 2008||BBC – '$100 laptop' platform moves on |- |align=right valign=top|15 May 2008||OLPC wiki – Dual-boot XO Claim: OLPC will not work to port Sugar to Windows. |- |align=right valign=top|16 May 2008||Softpedia – Bender Launches Sugar Labs for Better Development of OLPC's Sugar UI |}

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