Getting Started: Difference between revisions

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|collaboration]], [[Activities/Portfolio|reflection]], and [[View Source|exploration]]. Sugar Activities cover a broad range of applications: browsing, drawing, composing, writing, programming, etc. See this [http://www.sugarlabs.org/index.php?template=gallery&page=gallery gallery of screenshots].

This section aims to be an introductory walkthrough of some of the methods of installing Sugar covered on the pages [[Sugar on a Stick/Installation]] and [[Supported systems]].

 

Before you download, you need to know if you can use the 64-bit version. If your computer says on the box or documentation that it is 64-bit, you may use the 64-bit download version of Sugar called  "x86_64". If you have an Intel MacIntosh, you will need the 64-bit x86_64 version.  It is fairly safe to say that PCs above Pentium 2 (commenced production end 1995) and meeting the specification below can run the "i686" version. Sticks made with the "i686" version may be more transferrable between different PCs.

Fedora developers reported these minimum requirements for the Fedora 17 distributions.

: A 400 MHz or faster processor

: At least 512 MB memory (RAM), 1 GB recommended for best performance.

However by Fedora 19 specifications have risen ( http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora/19/html/Release_Notes/sect-Release_Notes-Welcome_to_Fedora_.html#hardware_overview ) to:

These higher specifications are probably not critical to Sugar on a Stick made by the Fedora Live USB Creator method. However the LiveCD may not boot on a PC with RAM lower than 768 MB, you may encounter an automated check which  causes the boot to abort if insufficient memory is found. [[Sugar_on_a_Stick/Boot#Low_Memory.2C_RAM.2C_Hardware | Sugar on a Stick/Boot #Troubleshooting #Low Memory, RAM, Hardware]] describes a workaround.

Lower memory machines may work, the XO-1 runs with 256 MB, but running Sugar from a USB stick in a PC, (x86), environment with 256 MB RAM will be sub-optimal.

You will need to ensure the computer you plan to use is capable of booting from CD or 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 CD'' or ''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/

For SoaS the recommended minimum size of your USB flash drive is 2 GB, although a 1 GB drive will also work.

Many computers have built in software which will convert and copy, "burn", an .iso image to a blank CD. Windows 7 contains a built-in Disk Image Burner http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsexperience/archive/2009/04/13/burn-iso-images-natively-in-windows-7.aspx or use a free utility, like [http://www.imgburn.com/ ImgBurn].

====Use Fedora Live USB Creator====

The page [[Sugar on a Stick/Installation]] describes a number of methods of installing Sugar on a Stick. Here we walk through the first and most simple method.

Have a look at the Fedora program you will use: https://fedorahosted.org/liveusb-creator/

If you are happy you have covered the above, you are ready to follow the instructions on [[Sugar on a Stick/Installation]]

If all has worked, you will shutdown your PC. With the newly written USB stick in a USB port, restart the PC. See [[Sugar on a Stick/Boot]] for extra information.

This method is covered in this screenshot tutorial: [[Tutorials/Installation/Create a SoaS v7 Live USB in Windows]] and in this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieIj4aECk88 video] of an earlier version of this process.

==== livecd-iso-to-disk ====

 

This is the second method described on the page [[Sugar on a Stick/Installation#with Microsoft Windows]]

This is a robust method of making a Sugar on a Stick because you are making your LiveUSB from within Sugar, with a LiveCD you have already tested, and all tools are already on the CD.

You do not have to be a paid up member of the Windows community. If you already run a Linux distribution, but are not sure to what extent it supports Sugar, the ''livecd-iso-to-disk'' tool will work on any PC which will launch the LiveCD.

You may need to spend a bit of time to become familiar with the Sugar environment using your LiveCD, see [[Getting Started/Explore]]. You need to become familiar with the Terminal Activity and how to gain administrative permissions, that is become root. The Help Activity has a chapter on the Terminal.

For futher background reading, this paragraph from the Fedora wiki describes the ''livecd-iso-to-disk'' tools in some detail. http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_create_and_use_Live_USB#Command_line_method:_Using_the_livecd-iso-to-disk_tool_.28Fedora_only.29

For expert users, from a running LiveCD, Ctrl+Alt+F2 takes you to a console which could be used to run ''livecd-iso-to-disk''.

To proceed with ''livecd-iso-to-disk'', full instructions are here, [[Sugar on a Stick/Installation#with Microsoft Windows]], in Method 2, Burn a CD-ROM disc, boot from it, then run the script, livecd-iso-to-disk

 

 

The advantage of a Virtual Machine (VM) is that, with the full VM documentation provided online, you follow that documentation to install the VM on your PC or Mac. VirtualBox^® is a suitable choice of VM for a first attempt, see their website: https://www.virtualbox.org/

 

As ever, download the Sugar on a Stick .iso from [[Sugar on a Stick/Downloads]]

 

 

All VMs have excellent documentation on how to boot an .iso and again it is covered on this page [[Sugar on a Stick/Installation#SoaS on VirtualBox]] and the method to make a Sugar on a Stick from your VM, is covered here [[Sugar on a Stick/Installation#with Microsoft Windows]] in Method 3, Launch a virtual machine with the Sugar on a Stick .iso file, then run the script, livecd-iso-to-disk

===Sugar on Fedora===

If you have, [http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora or create,] a computer running the Fedora operating system, Sugar can be installed and launched as described [[Fedora#Sugar Learning Environment |here.]]

For help, see [[Find help]].

The Sugar Labs wiki is a collaboration site for [[Sugar Labs]] teams, the [[Sugar on a Stick]] project alone comprises over 75 pages or sub-pages. For additional information, you might look at [[Sugar on a Stick/Project sitemap]]

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 end.

Notice this set of pages also includes an overview sitemap.