[sugar] notes from the field - Mongolia

[Mikus Grinbergs]

> Tagging isn't as much of an issue as being able to save files
> to a USB key easily.

I'm trying to think of why a kid would want to save files to a USB 
key.  Normally, except for off-loading objects to a school 
repository (a process about which I know nothing), 'files' would be 
kept at the XO itself, and not on removable storage devices.

  -  If the purpose is to later load the objects from the USB key to 
an XO, I believe the mechanism is supposed to be 'drag-and-drop'. 
[I'm not a Journal user myself, so I don't have much experience.] 
In the source XO, have Journal show the XO datastore content, and 
drag the appropriate Journal entry to the USB-icon at the bottom 
edge of the Journal screen.  In the destination XO, have Journal 
show the content of the USB key, and drag the appropriate entry to 
the XO-Journal-icon at the bottom left of the Journal screen.

  -  If the purpose is to create something like an installation USB 
key, that will usually be done with CLI commands, and will require 
additional skills.

  -  If the purpose is to transfer, via USB, an XO datastore item 
(e.g., file) to a non-Sugar system, I don't know whether that is 
currently supported by Sugar.  Some Sugar users may have developed 
manual procedures or helper scripts to perform this task - I'm not 
able to provide citations to help you.


I think that "objects" (e.g., 'files') ought to be transported 
between systems via network connections, rather than via USB 
"sneakernet".

I myself have settled upon the CLI command 'rsync' to transfer 
non-datastore files to another XO, and upon 'ftp' to transfer 
non-datastore files to a non-Sugar system.  [People have told me 
there are other facilities available besides 'ftp' - but that is 
what I am familiar with, and have long been using for all the 
systems on my home LAN.]

mikus