VirtualBox
With VirtualBox® one can run Sugar on Microsoft Windows, Intel-based Apple Macintosh, or GNU/Linux host computers from within a virtual machine window.
See this VirtualBox overview. VirtualBox is a large software installation with many features and operating system options. A User Manual and other documentation is available online. Those who have not used VirtualBox before, might find it more easy to understand and install than expected.
VirtualBox Downloads: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
(See VirtualBox/Technical for some collected details.)
The following instructions are intended for those Learners interested in using VirtualBox to run Sugar. The process is not fully mature as the technology is evolving both in the VirtualBox and operating system software.
- Online IRC support is available from http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/IRC
- Various VirtualBox experiments may be found on the discussion page.
Sugar disc images
Sugar on a Stick
Below are instructions for running a copy of Sugar on a Stick, available from this Fedora download site, in a VirtualBox window.
See VirtualBox/Preparing a disk image for instructions on building a VirtualBox virtual machine disk from an .iso disk image.
Prebuilt virtual machines that may be run in VirtualBox are available here: Emulator image files#VirtualBox.
Ubuntu Sugar
See Ubuntu for an installer for use with VirtualBox to set up a virtual machine running Ubuntu with Sugar preloaded.
Install VirtualBox
on Mac OS X
Follow the instructions on the VirtualBox Downloads page for Mac OS X.
on Microsoft Windows
- Download from http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads.
on GNU/Linux
Use the VirtualBox packages available in your GNU/Linux distribution. For example, on Ubuntu, it is available in Ubuntu Software Centre.
Or, use the most recent packages from VirtualBox, see Linux Downloads.
Also, see Talk:VirtualBox page for experimental installation variations.
Setup a Virtual Machine for Sugar on a Stick
Notice: Prebuilt VirtualBox 4.1 Appliances are available. Just click "import" on one of the .vmdk or .ovf files.
- One may also use these instructions, VirtualBox/Preparing a disk image, to prepare one's own.
- In VirtualBox click New
- Click Next
- Enter a name "Sugar"
- Operating System: choose Linux
- Version: choose Fedora
- Click Next
- For memory leave 256 MB
- Click Next
- Virtual Hard Disk click Existing
- Click the little folder to the right of the selection box
- A new window pops up
- Click Add button in the toolbar
- Browse to the location where you extracted the .vdi disk image
- Click Open
- Click Select
- Click Next
- Click Finish
- Select Sugar on the left
- Click Start in the toolbar
- After a minute or two you should see the Sugar screen asking for you name
- Enter your name
- Click Done at the bottom of the window. You might have to scroll.
- From now on you can start VirtualBox and start the "Sugar" virtual machine
Setup a Virtual Machine for Ubuntu Sugar
Use Ubuntu Software Centre to install the virtualbox-guest-utils package, so that your virtual machine display can be resized to fit your computer.
Issues
- Activating the Frame might be a little difficult. The lower 2 corners are easiest and you may want to configure edge activation in the My Settings > Frame panel. With VirtualBox Guest Additions installed (see here), only the bottom edge and corners are available for Frame activation.
- On Mac keyboards, you might wish to change the Virtual Box default key for switching the Sugar cursor to the normal one, as the default key (control right arrow on Mac keyboards) is trapped by Sugar. (Windows and Linux keyboards use Right Ctrl.) You may do this change in File/settings of the Virtual Box menu.
Resources
- http://www.virtualbox.org/
- OLPC:VirtualBox
- How To Install Virtualbox Guest Additions in Fedora Guest (Based on Fedora 8)
- install the virtualbox guest additions
- on Debian, Ubuntu, or derived distributions
sudo apt install virtualbox-guest-utils