<div dir="ltr">Since a lot is being read and written about I'd also like to throw this in...<div><br></div><div><a href="https://sugardextrose.org/projects/xsce/wiki/primary_considerations">https://sugardextrose.org/projects/xsce/wiki/primary_considerations</a><br>
</div><div><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Dec 3, 2013 at 10:46 AM, James Cameron <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:quozl@laptop.org" target="_blank">quozl@laptop.org</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><div class="im">On Mon, Dec 02, 2013 at 09:42:46AM -0500, George Hunt wrote:<br>
> This is a branch off of the thread "Does XSCE need a new home?", and<br>
> stimulated by James Cameron's comments quoted where in part:<br>
><br>
> > I also disagree with the implication that the tablet is any more<br>
> > proprietary than the laptop. The mix of intellectual property is<br>
> > certainly different, but the opportunity for use is also<br>
> > different. Therefore the products shouldn't be compared at an<br>
> > intellectual property licensing level.<br>
> ><br>
> > What is very different is that the laptop was ground-breaking<br>
> > original technology, and the tablet is buy-in technology. This<br>
> > cascades into completely different community involvement models.<br>
> ><br>
> > (I don't yet see how XSCE can benefit a tablet deployment, nobody<br>
> > appears to have enumerated that.)<br>
<br>
</div>I note this has become the subject of this thread ... but then you<br>
went on to say:<br>
<div class="im"><br>
> At the SF summit, last month, Rodrigo demonstrated sugar running on<br>
> a google Nexus tablet. This was achieved by running the python/sugar<br>
> mega-package on top of the Ubuntu touch distribution.<br>
><br>
> Is the Nexus the right hardware platform long term? Well, it's<br>
> bootloader is unlocked! And here, in my opinion, is where the<br>
> licensing becomes an issue.<br>
<br>
</div>You lost me at this point, although I did go back and read the rest<br>
later. The digression did not address the question.<br>
<br>
> [...]<br>
<div class="im">><br>
> I believe a tablet should be thought of as part of a learning<br>
> technology system, which also includes a laptop, and a school<br>
> server. The tablet is more appropriate for younger grades, and I<br>
> believe will always a more cost effective solution. Touch<br>
> keyboarding, an essential skill for upward mobility, can come with<br>
> the addition of a bluetooth keyboard, or in upper grades, a<br>
> laptop.<br>
<br>
</div>True, but not really relevant to the subject of the thread; how can<br>
XSCE benefit a tablet deployment?<br>
<div class="im"><br>
> The school server is essential for both of these client interfaces<br>
> to manage media storage, limit pornography, collect usage<br>
> statistics, etc.<br>
<br>
</div>Well, I don't see it as essential. I see it as helpful, and<br>
potentially useful. XSCE is a niche product; the niche being schools<br>
with no support from a large scalable ICT team provided by central<br>
governance.<br>
<br>
(Schools with such support will find it difficult to adopt XSCE,<br>
because centralised ICT tends to resist shadow ICT).<br>
<br>
So I tried to answer the question myself.<br>
<br>
For the research, I used the summary feature list here:<br>
<a href="http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XS_Community_Edition#Our_Product" target="_blank">http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XS_Community_Edition#Our_Product</a><br>
<br>
And the planned feature list for XSCE 0.5 here:<br>
<a href="http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XS_Community_Edition/0.5/Project_Specifications" target="_blank">http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XS_Community_Edition/0.5/Project_Specifications</a><br>
<br>
And the planned feature list for XSCE 0.6 here:<br>
<a href="http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XS_Community_Edition/Features" target="_blank">http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XS_Community_Edition/Features</a><br>
<br>
How can XSCE benefit a tablet deployment?<br>
<br>
1. it can be an advanced home router; probably you mean the core<br>
services, like DHCP, BIND, and Jabber.<br>
<br>
2. it can be an internet gateway; probably you mean the core service<br>
iptables, the extended services proxy server, web cache, and content<br>
filtering,<br>
<br>
3. it can hold content, (a cache); probably you mean extended<br>
services such as web server, course manaement system, backup, book<br>
server, offline content,<br>
<br>
4. it can hold software updates, (a cache); probably you mean<br>
activity update, olpc-update, and customisation stick.<br>
<br>
Now, a tablet learner can benefit from these things to varying<br>
degrees;<br>
<br>
- DHCP, helpful, if the wireless routers don't do it,<br>
<br>
- BIND, helpful for finding local resources, but not essential,<br>
<br>
- Jabber, not useful,<br>
<br>
- iptables, helpful, if only because the server is to be positioned in<br>
the exit path to the internet,<br>
<br>
- proxy server and web cache, potentially helpful, if a tablet can be<br>
properly configured to use it,<br>
<br>
- content filtering, as above,<br>
<br>
- content caching, useful,<br>
<br>
- software updates, not useful, unless tablet specific updates are<br>
made available.<br>
<br>
Where is the documentation for how to use an XO laptop with XSCE? A<br>
teacher must have this. Such documentation may be a basis for writing<br>
documentation on how to use a tablet with XSCE.<br>
<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>I don't think any of the above points answer "how is it useful to a *tablet* deployment". Were you trying to answer how is it useful to a "generic computing machine" deployment?</div>
<div><br></div><div>What, in your mind, are the characteristics of a *tablet* deployment? A list of assumptions you make might be useful. Perhaps even a real world example or two to take this further.</div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
p.s. note how the future features in 0.5 included MediaWiki and a<br>
Restore service, which are not listed in 0.6. Why is that?<br>
<span class=""><font color="#888888"><br></font></span></blockquote><div><br></div><div>P.S. FWIW, looking at something's usefulness from purely technical viewpoints like the ones above might not be the best way to answer "how can it benefit a student's learning potential or a teacher's teaching potential". (though I agree it digresses from the point of this thread)</div>
<div><br></div><div>-Anish</div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><span class=""><font color="#888888">
--<br>
James Cameron<br>
<a href="http://quozl.linux.org.au/" target="_blank">http://quozl.linux.org.au/</a><br>
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