Activities/Inform7/Proposal

The Blog

1. Project Title & Shipment Detail
Name of Project: (WEB-PUBLISHED)
Interactive Fiction Interactive Developer (Inform7 IDE port to sugar)
IF game engine (Parchment virtual machine in webkit activity)
Shipping Address You've Verified:
Included in emailed proposal #103204
Number of Laptops (or other hardware) You Request to Borrow:
1
Loan Length—How Many Months:
7

2. Team Participants
Name(s) & Contact Info: (include all email addresses & phone numbers)
Teams of more than 1 person are not required, but favored!
MP
SW
Employer and/or School:
Student at University of Mass Amherst
Past Experience/Qualifications:
I've worked with SW
Avid interactive fiction fan
linux experience (bash, install, package management)
competency with GNU make tools

3. Objectives Project Objectives: (WEB-PUBLISHED)
Concrete proposals with defined, measurable outcomes are much more likely to result in a laptop than "it would be cool to play with these and demo them".

-Package the Inform 7 IDE for the Sugar learning environment
+I7 is an easy way of learning basic programming ideas
+I7 is also creative writing that takes advantage of interacting with a laptop
+plenty of source available for examples
+easy to learn

-setup interactive fiction VM (make an Interactive Fiction Play activity)
+addition of 'easy to use' games
+numerous existing games

Package french and spanish localizations
//Work with the makers of the Spanish and French languge extension modules to make them contained by default in the package

4. Plan of Action
Plan and Procedure for Achieving the Stated Objectives:

modify the I7 IDE for usage on the XO (create and IF Create activity)
-packaged into activity format
-take advantage of the Journal

create an IF Play activity
-should use existing VM's (Quixe, Parchment)
-should integrate into journal
-package a set of games to go with it

5. Needs
Why is this project needed?
provide a new realm of game playing / game creation that fits well on an XO machine
provide a tool for interactive storytelling and creative writing

Locally?
In the greater OLPC/Sugar community?
Help introduce more people to an easy to use 'language' for making games
distribute a natual language programming environment that has spanish and french translations
-> better idea::: games help promote interaction with a machine increasing users ability to use the machine (think teaching mouse usage skills with solitaire :: fun trick that works)
we don't need to sell games, the people you're pitching already know that
Outside the community?
Promote the IF community
Why can't this project be done in emulation using non-XO machines?
testing font rendering on pixel Qi screens
viability on actual processing hardware
using the Inform7 IDE and making sure the UI conforms to the XO's dimensions and grayscale modes
(also making sure it doesnt outdo the processing hardware for longer stories)
Why are you requesting the number of machines you are asking for?
one per person actively working on to have access to a physical XO
Will you consider (1) salvaged/rebuilt or (2) damaged XO Laptops?
1) yes
2) yes, but a functioning XO would be preferred

6. Sharing Deliverables
Project URL—where you'll Blog specific ongoing progress:
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Activities/Inform7
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Talk:Activities/Inform7
Please web-publish this entire completed proposal, removing any sections affecting your personal privacy. Ask if you want help -- communicating with our OLPC/Sugar global community is core! How will you convey tentative ideas & results back to the OLPC/Sugar community, prior to completion? Via IRC and announcements to mailing lists
How will the final fruits of your labor be distributed to children or community members worldwide?
Sugar Activities
Repository hosted on git.sugarlabs.org/PROJECTNAME
Will your work have any possible application or use outside our community?
We would love to extend the existing gnome-inform7 translations (already using .po files)
If yes, how will these people be reached?
contact the IF community that it's been ported for use on XO via mailing lists, IFmud and the cambridge IF meetup
Have you investigated working with nearby XO Lending Libraries or Project Groups?
none in sturbridge/amherst area(?)

7. Quality/Mentoring
Would your Project benefit from Support, Documentation and/or Testing people?
Yes, but only once it has been built and package.
Teachers' input into Usability?
Yes, and on how to best integrate the activity into classrooms
How will you promote your work?
Via mailing lists
Can we help you with an experienced mentor from the OLPC/Sugar community? (WEB-PUBLISHED)
If YES: specify the kind of Ongoing Mentoring that will benefit you most.
If NO: specify who will help you share your progress, creations & results.
SW

8. Timeline (Start to Finish)
Please include a Proposed timeline for your Project life-cycle: (this can be in the form of Month 1, Month 2, etc rather than specific dates)
Include a couple milestones, even if tentative.
Timeline:
Month 1:
build Inform IDE
Begin work on Sugar oriented VM

Month 2
Have rudimentary VM built (prototype)
Further work on IDE

Month 5:
Have beta of VM/IDE completed

Month 6:
test test test the IDE and VM

Month 7:
Create basic documentation
Create VM/IDE packages with inbuilt game collection ready to ship

Specify how you prefer to communicate your ongoing progress and obstacles!
[X] I agree to pass on the laptop(s) to a local OLPC group or other interested contributors in case I do not have need for the laptop(s) anymore or in case my project progress stalls.