[Trac #1053] OLPC needs a usable GUI (i.e. not Sugar)

[Bipin Gautam]

> P.S. You are also welcome to put your UI of choice on the system in any
> case; this is an open platform.
>
dear friend,
the discussion isnt about personal choice. The discussion is about do
we have a better alternate that can be integrated by default in XO?


>Conventional desktops are fully usable by kids only after they are able to
>read decently well (at least in my experience).  This should  hardly be
>surprising, as they were designed for adult developed world office
>workers.
>

yes. true!
so with XO with browser, word processor, chat etc. I thought XO is
suppose to be a "STUDY TOOL" right?

 In my country, kids in grade 6 or earlier (10~11 year old) would
learn to code in GW-BASIC, learn MSWORD and learn some basic skills of
computers, as well as solve problems of algebra and geometry. Once
they learn they wont have same problem. And after they LEARN what is
the flexible choice? Other GUI managers or the one currently with XO?

>Having dialog boxes of text they can't read pop up in windows that get
>lost *really* sucks, when you are a parent (or kid).  So Sugar is getting
>to a position where in fact for young children, once we have the
>performance nailed, I think it will be much better for those kids,
>particularly on our relatively physically small screen.

OLPC can still choose a desktop (slightly locked by default, but that
can be unlocked) with ICONS and pictures (minus pop-ups and text) in
desktop.

Unlike any new skills children will have to LEARN to use stuffs.  we
should assume children will grow and learn new skills faster.

We should also ask questions to ourselves is XO designed to be a STUDY
TOOL or a PLAYING-TOOL for children. If its a study tool.... we should
expect children to read and write with the help of it. And for
reading, writing, editing, browsing, connecting and coleraborating
everyone will go through facing pop-up and texts online or offline.

kids arent sooooo amature as a older parent would really think they
are ;) really.....
---
check this news: According to Nielsen/Net Ratings Inc., an Internet
research company, the number of online users in the 2-to-11 age group
rose 19 percent to 15.1 million in December 2006, from 12.6 million in
December 2002.
---
and XO will be in implimentation phase by late 2008 and the number is growing.

Also note the fact those "15.1 million" children used the same desktop
managers ( so be it windows, KDE/GNOME, or MAC) and went through the
learning phase of pop-up and message dialog to be online.

 See it isnt THAT hard for many as we'd assume it would be... or is it?

-bipin