Walter Bender

I was at OLPC for several years and now I am a volunteer on the project. My home page can be found here: [1]

Email: walter AT sugarlabs DOT org

Regarding the Sugar Labs Oversight Board

While it has been my goal to help get Sugar Labs to a point of self-sustainability, I don't think we are yet at that point. My goals for 2010 are to focus on fund-raising and further refining the organizational and governance models.

A bit about me and my role in Sugar Labs: I was part of the Sugar team at One Laptop per Child that left to found Sugar Labs in March of 2008. I have worn a few different hats within the organization: activity developer, occasional contributor to Sugar core, member of the deployment team, the marketing team, and the activity team. I was a lead author of the FLOSS Manual on Sugar. I am presently the executive director of Sugar Labs. I also represent Sugar on the GNOME technical advisory board and the Squeakland board. I have been a GSOC mentor and am participating in several pilot deployment projects of Sugar on a Stick.

Libre Planet talk

To do

  • get Frame test set up in Peru/Uruguay/Paraguay</srike>
  • New Activity templates
Much of the information that is consistent across activities can be held in activities.s.o. (dfarning 22:28, 16 June 2008 (UTC))
  • Follow-up with Linux Foundation
  • Draft membership agreement for Sugar Labs
  • rebase Turtle Art on SVG
  • ask SFC for pointers to lawyers in SA
  • start writing NSF/USAID proposal
  • local-labs proposals
  • NSF Creativity grant
  • Babson brief
  • Watertown follow-up
  • Curriculum guides from GPA programs

Done

Recent writing about Sugar and learning

(I also blog the weekly Sugar Digest.)

The slides from a talk I gave about Sugar at the Women2Woman conference are here and here.

Sandbox

User:Walter/Get Sugar

Home View

A new, tighter spiral for the Home View:

 

class MyLayout(RingLayout):

   """Spiral layout based on Archimedean spiral: r = a + b*theta."""
   __gtype_name__ = 'MyLayout'
   icon_name = 'view-mylayout'
   """Name of icon used in home view dropdown palette."""
   profile_key = 'my-layout'
   """String used in profile to represent this view."""
   def __init__(self):
       RingLayout.__init__(self)
       self.my_radius = _MINIMUM_RADIUS
       self.my_orientation = math.pi
   def _calculate_radius_and_icon_size(self, children_count):
       """Stub out this method; not used in `My Layout`."""
       return _MINIMUM_RADIUS, style.STANDARD_ICON_SIZE
   def _calculate_position(self, radius, icon_size, index, children_count):
       """ Increment the radius as you go """
       if index == 0:
           self.my_radius = _MINIMUM_RADIUS
           self.my_orientation = math.pi
       x, y = self._calculate_xy()
       # add some buffering around the icon
       self._calculate_new_radius_orientation(icon_size + 10)
       width, height = self.box.get_allocation()
       return int(x) + (width - icon_size) / 2, \
           int(y) + (height - icon_size - (style.GRID_CELL_SIZE / 2) ) / 2
   def _calculate_xy(self):
       """ Convert r, o to x, y """
       return -math.sin(self.my_orientation) * self.my_radius, \
           math.cos(self.my_orientation) * self.my_radius
   def _calculate_new_radius_orientation(self, icon_size):
       """ Based upon current radius, calculate new increments """
       circumference = self.my_radius * 2 * math.pi
       n = circumference / icon_size
       self.my_orientation += 2 * math.pi / n
       self.my_radius += float(icon_size) / n

This version inherits from RandomLayout and lets you rearrange the icons.

class MyLayout(RandomLayout):

   """Spiral layout based on Archimedean spiral: r = a + b*theta."""
   __gtype_name__ = 'MyLayout'
   icon_name = 'view-mylayout'
   """Name of icon used in home view dropdown palette."""
   profile_key = 'my-layout'
   """String used in profile to represent this view."""
   def __init__(self):
       RandomLayout.__init__(self)
       self.my_radius = _MINIMUM_RADIUS
       self.my_orientation = math.pi
   def _calculate_radius_and_icon_size(self, children_count):
       """Stub out this method; not used in `My Layout`."""
       return _MINIMUM_RADIUS, style.STANDARD_ICON_SIZE
   def _calculate_position(self, icon_size):
       """ Increment the radius as you go """
       x, y = self._calculate_xy()
       # add some buffering around the icon
       self._calculate_new_radius_orientation(icon_size + 10)
       width, height = self.box.get_allocation()
       return int(x) + (width - icon_size) / 2, \
           int(y) + (height - icon_size - (style.GRID_CELL_SIZE / 2) ) / 2
   def _calculate_xy(self):
       """ Convert r, o to x, y """
       return -math.sin(self.my_orientation) * self.my_radius, \
           math.cos(self.my_orientation) * self.my_radius
   def _calculate_new_radius_orientation(self, icon_size):
       """ Based upon current radius, calculate new increments """
       circumference = self.my_radius * 2 * math.pi
       n = circumference / icon_size
       self.my_orientation += 2 * math.pi / n
       self.my_radius += float(icon_size) / n
   def append(self, icon, locked=False):
       """ Instead of assigning the position based on a hash, use spiral """
       FavoritesLayout.append(self, icon, locked)
       min_width_, child_width = icon.get_width_request()
       min_height_, child_height = icon.get_height_request(child_width)
       min_width_, width = self.box.get_width_request()
       min_height_, height = self.box.get_height_request(width)
       if icon in self.fixed_positions:
           x, y = self.fixed_positions[icon]
           x = min(x, width - child_width)
           y = min(y, height - child_height)
       else:
           x, y = self._calculate_position(child_width)
       if x is None or y is None:
           self._grid.add(icon,
                          child_width / _CELL_SIZE, child_height / _CELL_SIZE)
       else:
           self._grid.add(icon,
                          child_width / _CELL_SIZE, child_height / _CELL_SIZE,
                          x / _CELL_SIZE, y / _CELL_SIZE)

Keyboards

I used to design the keyboards for OLPC. I am doing one for them for a 'high-school' version of the XO-1.5. Here is a first pass:

 
es
 
us

Misc.

 
Spiral Home View
 
Fermat Spiral
 
Modifying TurtleArt

Floss Manual

<img src="bookstore.gif"/> <style>

@import url("http://en.flossmanuals.net/bookstore/bookstore.css");

</style>

<script src="http://en.flossmanuals.net/bookstore/bookstore.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
 FM.init({"paging":true,"preferred":["OLPC LAPTOP USERS GUIDE","SUGAR USERS GUIDE"]});
</script>

Portfolio

I am making a "TurtleArt: inspired portfolio tool. See TAPortfolio for more details.

 
first sketch of the portfolio tool
 
another sketch of the portfolio tool
 
almost to Version 1.0
 
clap to advance to next slide
 
type to advance to next slide

I added a "view source" for Turtle Art that exports Logo.

 
a Turtle Art project
 
the UCB Logo version

Some procedures for setting up the palette and the shade functionality:

to tasetpalette :i :r :g :b :myshade
make "s ((:myshade - 50) / 50)
ifelse lessp :s 0 [
make "s (1 + (:s *0.8))
make "r (:r * :s) 
make "g (:g * :s) 
make "b (:b * :s)
] [
make "s (:s * 0.9)
make "r (:r + ((100-:r) * :s)) 
make "g (:g + ((100-:g) * :s)) 
make "b (:b + ((100-:b) * :s))
]
setpalette :i (list :r :g :b)
end
to rgb :myi :mycolors :myshade
make "myr first :mycolors
make "mycolors butfirst :mycolors
make "myg first :mycolors
make "mycolors butfirst :mycolors
make "myb first :mycolors
make "mycolors butfirst :mycolors
tasetpalette :myi :myr :myg :myb :myshade
output :mycolors
end
to processcolor :mycolors :myshade
if emptyp :mycolors [stop]
make "i :i + 1
processcolor (rgb :i :mycolors :myshade) :myshade
end
to tasetshade :shade
make "myshade modulo :shade 200
if greaterp :myshade 99 [make "myshade (199-:myshade)]
make "i 7
make "mycolors :colors 
processcolor :mycolors :myshade
end
to tasetpencolor :c
make "color modulo round :c 100
setpencolor :color + 8
end
make "colors [
100 0 0 100 5 0 100 10 0 100 15 0 100 20 0 100 25 0 100 30 0 100 35 0 100 40 0 100 45 0 
100 50 0 100 55 0 100 60 0 100 65 0 100 70 0 100 75 0 100 80 0 100 85 0 100 90 0 100 95 0 
100 100 0 90 100 0 80 100 0 70 100 0 60 100 0 50 100 0 40 100 0 30 100 0 20 100 0 10 100 0 
0 100 0 0 100 5 0 100 10 0 100 15 0 100 20 0 100 25 0 100 30 0 100 35 0 100 40 0 100 45 
0 100 50 0 100 55 0 100 60 0 100 65 0 100 70 0 100 75 0 100 80 0 100 85 0 100 90 0 100 95 
0 100 100 0 95 100 0 90 100 0 85 100 0 80 100 0 75 100 0 70 100 0 65 100 0 60 100 0 55 100 
0 50 100 0 45 100 0 40 100 0 35 100 0 30 100 0 25 100 0 20 100 0 15 100 0 10 100 0 5 100 
0 0 100 5 0 100 10 0 100 15 0 100 20 0 100 25 0 100 30 0 100 35 0 100 40 0 100 45 0 100 
50 0 100 55 0 100 60 0 100 65 0 100 70 0 100 75 0 100 80 0 100 85 0 100 90 0 100 95 0 100 
100 0 100 100 0 90 100 0 80 100 0 70 100 0 60 100 0 50 100 0 40 100 0 30 100 0 20 100 0 10]
make "shade 50
tasetshade :shade
to tasetbackground :color :shade
tasetshade :shade
setbackground :color + 8
end

The project:

to ta
clearscreen tasetbackground 21 100 setpensize 25.0 make "box1 0.0 
repeat 300.0 [ tasetpencolor xcor / 6.0 tasetshade heading forward :box1 right 91.0 make "box1 :box1 + 1.0 ] 
end
ta

Turtle Art variables

Following the lead of Luis Michelena, I've added named blocks and stacks. I plan to add push and pop next, which should greatly expand the range of possible constructions.

 
to square
 
reworking the graphics

Turtle Art push and pop

While it is not the intent that Turtle Art be a full implementation of Logo, but there has been some discussion on teh Sur list about adding some capability for passing arguments to stacks. (and to support recursion). I have added a FILO and push and pop blocks to enable this functionality. I am looking for feedback. regarding this choice.

HBS-style analysis

  • our points of difference
  • our points of parity
  • their points of difference