[IAEP] [sugar] OLPC's bizarre behaviors

[Steve Holton]

On Fri, May 23, 2008 at 10:18 AM, Alex Belits <abelits at belits.com> wrote:
> Then the announcement should be:
>
> 1. Primarily to developers, in a much less pompous form, and without
> "artwork".
>
> 2. Be in the form of "Next device within two years timeframe will likely
> have a large, possibly dual, multitouch touchscreen and a keyboard may be
> implemented in the same way (with or without touchscreen underneath, and
> with or without key mechanism on top)".

You missed a step. ;-)

The 'what it will be' statement is usually derived from (and guided
by) the 'what it must be' statement.
Step 1 (the 'what it must be')  is the list of Requirements.

>From the requirements we can dual track derive the possible
implementations which will meat those requirements and the set of
tests to ensure the requirements are met.  Without the requirements as
a guide, we get the wild (and distracting) speculation, the missteps,
deficient features, etc.

>From the requirements we can ask questions like:
- Is this feature (a touch screen, for example) a requirement?
- What other features are dependent on this feature?
- If we decide to remove this requirement, of change fundamental
intervaces or attributes, who will need to be notified?
- What other features is this feature dependent upon?

> That would clearly communicate the tasks (touchscreen-friendliness of UI,
> inclusion of latest development in input technology), avoid miscommunicating
> commitment to all details of a particular announced CG drawing (dual screen?
> lack of keyboard? no camera? particular size? those are likely to change
> before the final product), and show commitment to using pieces of existing
> technology.
>
> I am surprised how things that can be done in a clear, productive and
> inoffensive way end up being showcases of miscommunication, cause all kinds
> of hurt feelings, and actual information has to be derived through
> over-analysis and guesswork.

Or, to sum it up, is it required to be an education project, or is it
required to be a laptop project?

-- 
Steve Holton
sph0lt0n at gmail.com