[olpc-help] unsubscribe

[bluerover94-olpc at yahoo.com]

please remove me from this list. the web removal does
not work. - thank you
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> Today's Topics:
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>    1. Re:  Various thoughts (Andrew)
>    2. Re:  Various thoughts (Michael Stone)
> 
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>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:26:36 -0400
> From: Andrew <andrew2006 at flight.us>
> Subject: Re: [olpc-help] Various thoughts
> To: <community-support at lists.laptop.org>
> Message-ID:
>
<6808300.3788751206851196618.JavaMail.servlet at perfora>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> >Andrew,
> >
> >First, thanks very much for contacting us with your
> questions. I don't
> >yet have a very good sense of what your end goals
> are (or of what your
> >mental picture of how the laptops will be used is)
> so I need to ask you
> >some dumb questions now in order to be able to
> better help you in the
> >future.
> 
> at this early stage we can only state our goals in
> broad, general terms; simply to further and
> facilitate our existing educational mission for
> South Carolina public schools (in this case, grades
> K-5).  However, we do recognize the need to start
> concretizing the day-to-day integration of the
> laptops into the lesson plans (i.e., we do not yet
> have the latter). To devise the plans we first need
> to know all our technical options, limitations, and
> pitfalls to avoid.
> 
> That said, there are additional benefits that go
> beyond the explicitly stated curriculum - such as
> the child's sense of ownership of sophisticated
> technology, the hands-on experience and the
> cognitive confidence that comes therewith. A window
> to the vast virtual world and invitation to do broad
> exploration, over and beyond the stated curriculum.
> Encyclopedic reference.  The mesh network's
> collaborative potential is VERY promising as well -
> it could take us to realms of more effective
> pedagogy, if applied smartly (and that's a big IF)
> 
> >> 1) root passwords. 
> >
> >What are you trying to protect by setting a
> password?
> 
> Well, first, it seems highly unconventional to have
> linux systems with null root passwords. It was my
> own first (and perhaps knee-jerk) reaction to raise
> the concern what appeared to me as a "security hole"
> here.
> 
> I understand that ssh-ing has been disabled for both
> users "root" and "olpc".  
> 
> But couldn't there be unwanted intrusions still?
> Statistically speaking, given the number of units in
> circulation, there will be several linux-savvy
> adults with access to a school-program XO, and, of
> those, perhaps a few might be compelled to make
> unwanted modifications. (I am just theorizing.)
> 
> And what about the possibility that the child
> inadvertently hoses the system, deleting
> system-critical files, or deleting good data (as
> root)?
> 
> >Who is supposed to know the password?
> 
> I suppose, any of the adults involved in the
> process, who are willing to do maintenance/updates
> should be able to have root access (after being
> trained, of course).
> 
> What if we wanted to allow the XO-owning children to
> access the internet via ANY public access point -
> that would mean we could not implement dansguardian
> or the like. Nor would we be able to filter internet
> content on the child's local system (if they had
> root access they can remove and local filtering).
> Believe me, once they realize their content is being
> filtered, a lot of them WILL begin to explore ways
> to defeat the filter, and many of those will quickly
> understand the meaning and (high) value of being
> root.
> 
> (Can you not see angry parents contacting the
> administration about their children loading
> inappropriate content onto the XO's?)
> 
> >When do you want to set the passwords? (or reset
> them?)
> 
> Prior to handing them out to the pupils, i suppose.
> 
> >> I have never heard of such a thing. Can a script
> (run with run
> >> privileges, i suppose), automatically (re)set the
> root password?
> >
> >Certainly.
> 
> >> Ideally... (unique password for each unit):
> >Please explain why this would be your ideal
> situation.
> 
> Security. Supposing, somehow, a pupil learns the
> root password for his or someone else's XO.  If
> every XO has the same root password, the entire
> batch is instantly compromised.
> 
> >> 2) I have set up a DHCP server & internet gateway
> that works. However,
> >> when the XOs boot, they do not automatically try
> to obtain an IP
> >> address from the 172.18.0.1 ("school server").  
> >
> >What build are you running?
> 
> The two sample units one of my colleagues purchased
> during last Christmas' purchasing window are both
> Build 656 
> 
> >> 5) Is it possible to use an external midi input
> device with the TamTam
> >> activity, to record the midi tracks? (a normal
> Midi keyboard)
> >
> >The CSound hackers definitely use midi keyboards
> with their software.
> >TamTam is based on top of CSound so even if TamTam
> doesn't support midi
> >keyboards today, it can probably be made to do so
> for a reasonable
> >expenditure of effort.
> 
> thanks. Will explore. 
> If anyone else is curious: so far i /have/ played a
> midi file using aplaymidi and a usb-midi device,
> with no additional driver or application
> installations.
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:11:23 -0400
> From: Michael Stone <michael at laptop.org>
> Subject: Re: [olpc-help] Various thoughts
> To: OLPC Community Support
> <community-support at lists.laptop.org>
> Message-ID:
> <20080330141121.GA24510 at teach.media.mit.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> Andrew,
> 
> Thanks very much for the first round of answers to
> my questions. Please
> don't take it amiss that I've replied with more
> questions probing at
> your assumptions; I ask simply because it's
> necessary to do so in order
> to understand your goals and your concerns both
> precisely and accurately
> enough to be able to fully assist you.
> 
> Michael
> 
> 
> 
> On Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 12:26:36AM -0400, Andrew
> wrote:
> 
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