Sugar Network/Concept

This page is a guide to basic Sugar Network concepts. See also introduction page and technical implementation pages.

Summary

This initiative is tailored by the following decisions:

• There is a real need to support off-line environments;
• The list of provided services should cover the full circle of collaboration behavior for students and teachers;
• Not trying to reinvent the Internet by duplicating all services available there making them off-line;
• The list of provided services should be thought out so that the Sugar Network is equally useful operating on-line;
• Stimulate a "doing" workflow.

Overview

The Sugar Network is all about:

• Players,
• play different Roles,
• interacting with Resources,
• to accomplish their Needs,
• being changed, Resources broadcast Events,
• the regular Players' behaviour might be described by the Workflows.

Needs

The needs that Sugar Network is trying to solve. They might be explained by the following selection from the Fundamental human needs:

Identity

Each player should be able to create and manage a unique identity in the network. Every interaction of the player with the network should be accounted on the player's metrics, as eventually this may be part of the player dashboard. Each player may have an individual reputation, according to other players ratings made to his contributions.

Understanding

A player should be able to view all objects and apply the optional filters including the resource type, the Network Zoom level, tags or the associated player/team. In this preview, we may be able to offer basic statistics of the object in order to give analytical perspective to the selection. The player should be able to select the object in order to participate in a deeper level where he should be able to explore the associated resources. As a player, I might receive events from the objects I'm subscribed to as well as personal events like invitations made by other players.

Participation

Any player might be able to comment any object, rate any contribution, edit any wiki, create any issue, attach any object to any gallery, become a follower of any object.

Creation

Any player might be able to create a new project by defining a name, the type of project and the project objective(s). A project creator may be able to invite other players to follow/contribute to his project.

Players

These are real people that take part in the Sugar Network.

Attributes:

• nickname,
• Sugar colors.

Actions:

• Send private message.

Reputation

Any particular Resource, i.e., contributions of some Players, might be voted by another Players. The Reputation of particular Player depends on how other Players appreciate him.

Statistics

Basing on Events, it is possible to measure particular Player's behaviour. It might be useful, e.g., for researchers.

Resources

The whole experience within the Sugar Network is about Player's interaction with resources. The major resource is Projects that contain all other resources:

• Feedback related:
  • Questions,
  • Ideas,
  • Problems,
• Wiki,
• Gallery,
• Development related:
  • Releases,
  • Objectives.

When it is possible, Resources support the history. Resources can't be physically removed, only stated as removed and hidden from the default observing.

Network Zoom

A basic conception that should allow the Sugar Network to better scale depending of Player's purpose. The Network Zoom levels are similar to The Shell Zoom levels (only the first three levels) and describe exactly the current zooming level of Sugar Network from an observer point of view. There are three Network Zoom levels:

• Worldwide, the whole Network;
• Neighborhood, accessible only if observer connected not to global server, e.g., to the one localed in school;
• Private, observer himself.

The whole Projects are associated with particular Zoom level, i.e., can be visible only on this particular level and all levels below. This level is also applying to all Project's resources.

Projects

The composite Resource that is a container for the rest types of Resources. Projects might be created with highlighting some particular type of Resources. It might be useful to, e.g., simplify usage when it will be possible to activate particular sub-Resource directly from the Browser.

Attributes:

• Type:
  • General;
  • Activity, Sources is the default Resource when activating this Resource mean launching this activity;
  • Wiki, Wiki is the default Resource;
  • Gallery, Gallery is the default Resource;
  • Support, Objectives is the default Resource.
• Network Zoom level:
  • Worldwide;
  • Neighbourhood;
  • Private.

Actions:

• Create new Project;
• Change Zoom level attributes;
• Owner of project (initially, creator) can add/remove another Players from owners list;
• Discuss the Project;
• Vote for the Project;
• Delete Project;

If related Resource creator is a team member, he can choose himself of the team as a Resource creator. If creator is a team, all votes for this Resource will go to the Project instead of a Player who created this resource.

Questions

General question about the Project. The users friendly interface to ask questions regarding current Project. The workflow is much simpler in comparing with regular bugs trackers, just ask your question and wait for answers.

The rest of non-developers needs are covered by Ideas and Problems. The developers needs are covered by the Objectives and its advanced view in particular.

Attributes:

• Title, one line;
• Description, multi-lined text;
• A list of solutions provided by any Players.

Actions:

• Create a Question;
• Discuss the Question;
• Vote for the Question;
• Create a Solution;
• Discuss a Solutoin;
• Vote for a single Solution;
• Vote given by Question creator means an answer for the Question.

Ideas

Any ideas regarding the Project. The users friendly interface to propose your idea to the current Project developers. The workflow is much simpler in comparing with regular bugs trackers, just offer you suggestion, look how other people will rate it and wait for the implementation.

The rest of non-developers needs are covered by Questions and Problems. The developers needs are covered by the Objectives and its advanced view in particular.

Attributes:

• Title, one line;
• Description, multi-lined text;
• A list of solutions provided by any Players.

Actions:

• Create an Idea;
• Discuss the Idea;
• Vote for the Idea;
• Create a Solution;
• Discuss a Solutoin;
• Vote for Solutions;
• Project team member attaches one of Objectives to one of Solutions, the Idea's status becomes the same as Objective's.

Problems

Report about a problem that was met using this Project. The users friendly interface to complain about an error Player met working with the Project. The workflow is much simpler in comparing with regular bugs trackers, just complain and wait for fixing.

The rest of non-developers needs are covered by Questions and Ideas. The developers needs are covered by the Objectives and its advanced view in particular.

Attributes:

• Title, one line;
• Description, multi-lined text;
• A list of solutions provided by any Players.

Actions:

• Create a Problem;
• Discuss the Problem;
• Vote for the Problem;
• Create Solution;
• Discuss a Solutoin;
• Attach one of Releases as a Solution;
• Vote for a single Solution;
• Vote given by Problem creator means a fix for the Problem.

Wiki

A collection of Wiki pages that use MediaWiki markup language, wikitext. Pages might be represented by a tree of pages. There is all time the root page. The idea to have a root page is to let it possible to merge these wiki pages to the standalone MediaWiki server.

Attributes:

• Title, one line.

Actions:

• Create new Wiki page in hierarchy of pages;
• Upload arbitrary file to place a link on it on Wiki pages.
• Discuss the Wiki;
• Vote for the Wiki;

Todo:

• Modify existing page;
• View the history of modifying.

Gallery

A collection of activity objects of types depended on Project type. This is exactly the gallery to share your creatures. Using the Browser it will be possible to explore Gallery entities directly on the top level.

Attributes:

• Title, one line;
• Description, multi-lined text.

Actions:

• Create new Exhibit.
• Discuss the Exhibit;
• Vote the Exhibit;

Todo:

• Simplify creating new Exhibit having a UI way to fast share just created activity object, e.g., from in Naming alert or from Journal.

Releases

For software Projects, this Resource is about released versions of this Project software. This is exactly what Player can execute. There might be several versions with different stability levels. By default, Players execute only recent stable version, but it is possible to choose any version.

Attributes:

• Version number;
• Release date;
• Stability level.

Actions:

• Project owners can create new Version;
• Launch.
• Discuss the Release;
• Vote for the Release;

Todo:

• Support Experiments workflow when people can make a copy of existing Project and start experimenting with the code and use on regular basis, e.g., share with the rest of Sugar Network.
• Convenient method to attach log reports with errors to the particular Release, e.g., "Share the log" button on activity fail dialog.

Objectives

These are the exactly objectives that Project is trying to achieve. This type of Resources has two faces:

• The view for Players that are not the part of Project implementers, they see this Resource as a list of, e.g., features that project is trying to provide;
• The full functional project management interface for people who are owners of the Project and take care of implementation.

Attributes:

• Title, one line;
• Description, multi-lined text.

Actions:

• Create by Project owners;
• Discuss the Objective;
• Vote for the Objective;

TODO:

• Project management functionality.

Comments

All kinds of resources might be commented by any users. The Sugar Network does not provide any restrictions or permissions, the model is leaving responsibility to a viewer.

Events

If some Resource has been changed, e.g., as a result of Player interacting, Resource sends global notifications. These notification might be seen while investigating this particular object or by Following this Resource. In the last case, events will go to followers' queue of global events.

Events might be personal, e.g., personal invitations or personal messages.

Roles

These are roles, not the definition of particular people. Each person can play different roles in different time.

Workflows

These are kinds of workflows that Roles can take part in. The particular activity might involve several Players and several Roles.

Issues

A need for general help from the local community supporters.

• You need to be a part of a community with local support, thus, you will have the default place to complain, the Home Project;
• Go to Browser and click Home Project button;
• In the Project View, describe your problem in Problem entry widget as full as possible;
• The supporters will be notified and and will reply with request for further information or with an answer;
• On the Network screen, you will be notified about gotten reply.

Something goes wrong with the system and it is not clear where the problem is.

• You need to be a part of a community with local support, thus, you will have the default place to complain, the Home Project;
• Since there is no any ideas what the place in the system is affected, thus, no way to decide what project to choose to complain, go to Browser and click Home Project button;
• In the Project View, describe your problem in Problem entry widget as full as possible;
• The supporters will be notified and and will reply with request for further information or with an answer;
• On the Network screen, you will be notified about gotten reply.

Something goes wrong with the system and it is possible to specify the place where it happens.

• Go to the Browser and try to find the Project that is associated with problem place; use Tags and full text search; after finding, click its Home button;
• In the Project View, describe your problem in Problem entry widget as full as possible;
• Any Project Contributor can reply with request for further information or with an answer;
• On the Network screen, you will be notified about gotten reply.

Sugar activity fails to start or fails on exit.

• The activity fail dialog should have a complain field, describe your problem in there as full as possible;
• Any Activity Project Contributor can reply with request for further information or with an answer;
• On the Network screen, you will be notified about gotten reply.

Content

Sharing arbitrary education related media content.

• Teacher (or any other Player) creates new (or reuse existing) Wiki Project;
• Set appropriate, to the purpose, Tags and Project description;
• Create initial Wiki page, populate it and attach media content;
• Students, using Tags and full-text search, explore the Project in the Browser;
• Being in the Browser, activate the found Project and being moved to the Wiki page.

Sharing Activity object.

• In after-creation dialog, there should be a button to share newly created object with the Network;
• Journal should have a way to share any object by one click.

Sugar activities

Fast launch of an activity.

• Go to the Browser and explore the activity you want to start, maybe using the Activity Tag or full-text search;
• Click found entity.

Launch particular activity version, e.g., to help with testing non-stable version or fallback to previous one because the recent doesn't work for you.

• Go to the Browser and explore the activity you want to start, maybe using the Activity Tag or full-text search;
• Click Home button for found entity;
• You should find the list of Releases with the recent stable Release chosen, select any version you want;
• Click the Launch button, or run it from the Browser, to run newly selected Release.

Teaching

TODO

Developing

Fork me.

• Go to the Browser and explore the activity you want to start, maybe using the Activity Tag or full-text search;
• Click Home button for found entity;
• TODO

Users Interface

From users point of view, The Sugar Network is represented by several kinds views:

Player's page

• Global events queue;
• Personal events queue;
• Send personal events;

Browser

• Will be useful to a special state of the Browser to let people see a summary, hints, etc.
• Switch between Network Zoom levels, e.g., similar to Shell's Zoom levels;
• Expose additional metadata about currently selected item;
• Home/default project, might be useful to, e.g., having default support project for this deployment to point any questions there.

Project view

• The top of participants
• View for particular Project resource, Wiki, Tracker, Gallery, etc.
• (?) Having fast widget to start typing new Question/Idea/Problem

Resource view

• The top of participants
• See the full history of resource changes (no need all time have history like Wiki pages have);
• Follow/NotFollow the Resource changes;
• Send personal invitation events to Players to make them Followers of this Resource;
• Two audience view for Objectives Resource;

Comments view

• Restrict comments by Player's rating;

Todo

• Support translation workflow for Projects, it might be different workflow, e.g., for Wikis, and Sugar Activities;
• Class type for projects to support regular class behaviour from teachers' pov.
• Support coding workflow for projects.

Getting involved

• Submit your bug report or feature request.
• Browse our implementation discussions, and post your feedback. (You should join this discussion list in order to avoid having your messages postponed for moderation.)

References

• Stack Exchange family of Q&A websites.
• Get Satisfaction technical support platform.
• IdeaTorrent.