Personalizing Sugar

You can customize Sugar to meet your needs.  You can change options such as:

• the color of your XO icon
• your nickname
• the language used in the interface
• the power-saving features
  

The Sugar Control Panel is the place to configure your system. 

Note: Many of the changes described in this chapter require that you restart Sugar (ctrl+alt+erase) for them to take effect.

Opening the Sugar Control Panel

Hover over the XO icon in the center of the Home View and a menu appears. Select Control Panel.

 

Main Panel

The Main Panel has eight categories of options.

You can use the text box at the top of the window to search the available options. Options that don't match the search text are dimmed.

You accept changes made on the category panels by clicking the "OK" button in the top right corner. Clicking the "Cancel" button discards the changes and returns you to the main panel.

You can quit the control panel by clicking the "X" in the top right corner of the panel.

About Me

Note: If you make changes on this panel, you must restart Sugar (ctrl+alt+erase) for them to take effect. Caution: You may lose any work you have open.

Name

You can change your user name in this box.  The user name appears when you start Sugar.

Color

Click the XO icon to cycle through the colors for it. These colors show up in the Neighborhood View, Group View, Home View, on your Frame and when sharing with other Sugar users. There are almost 400 different color combinations available, which consist of a combination of six base-colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) used as stroke-color and fill-color and three shades (light, medium, dark).

Please see wiki.laptop.org/images/0/05/Buddy-Icon-Color-Matrix.pdf  for an overview of all the available color combinations.

About my XO

Identity

Some computers, such as the XO laptop, report the serial number here.  You might need the serial number for repair service or to request a developer key.

Software

Here you can see which software and firmware version is currently installed on your system.

Date & Time

Note: If you make changes on this panel, you must restart Sugar (ctrl+alt+erase) for them to take effect. Caution: You may lose any work you have open.

You can set your time zone in multiple ways:

• Select a location such as Europe/Vienna.
• Enter an offset to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), for example: GMT+2 

Frame

Note: If you make changes on this panel, you must restart Sugar (ctrl+alt+erase) for them to take effect. Caution: You may lose any work you have open.

 

Activation Delay

You can change the delay for activating the Frame. You can set the delay separately for the corners and edges.

• "instantaneous" means that the Frame appears immediately when you move the pointer to that position (corner or edge).
• "never" means that moving the pointer to that position never activates the Frame.
• Values in the middle of the range indicate what fraction of a second the pointer must remain in the position before the Frame activates. The range is from 0.001 to 0.999 seconds.
  

In the default configuration the Frame is instantly shown when the pointer is moved into one of the corners of the screen. 

Language

Note: If you make changes on this panel, you must restart Sugar (ctrl+alt+erase) for them to take effect. Caution: You may lose any work you have open.

You can select your system's default language. Even though your language might be included in the list, the translation might not be complete or available.

 

Network

Wireless

This checkbox allows you to turn the system's wireless radio on or off.  For example, if you use the system on an airplane, you must turn the radio off.

Mesh

Note: If you make changes to this setting, you must restart Sugar (ctrl+alt+erase) for them to take effect. Caution: You may lose any work you have open.

Here you can enter the name of a collaboration server based on jabber. This lets you to share Activities with other people connected to the same server, even when they're located half-way around the world.

Please note that some local OLPC user clubs and universities run their own collaboration server so it is worth checking wiki.laptop.org for relevant information.

Power 

You can configure the power-saving features of your system.

Please note that these settings are always used, even when the computer is plugged into a power outlet.

Click the check boxes to enable or disable the following options.

Automatic power management

This mode dims the brightness of the display and turns off the CPU after one minute when there is no input via the touchpad or keyboard and no Activities that make heavy use of the CPU.

Extreme power management (disables wireless radio, increases battery life)

Enabling this mode turns off your wireless radio.  This significantly increases your system's battery life. Enabling this option turns off the two LEDs on the left side of the laptop. You won't be able to see any other networks or XOs on your Neighborhood View. Enable this mode for maximum battery life.

Software updates

You can select, install, and update Activities on your system.

Checking for updates

If your system is connected to the Internet, it tries to fetch a list of all the available Activities.

If your system isn't connected, the message "Could not access the network to check for updates" appears. 

 

Selecting updates

The panel shows a list of new or updated Activities that are available. The overview also contains information about the Activity's version and size. An Activity is selected if its check box contains a check mark.

1. Select the Activities that you want to install on your system, and clear the checkboxes for the ones you don't want to install.
2. Click "Install selected". 
   

Modifying Activity groups

You can click on Modify activity groups to enter alternative activity groups.

Downloading updates

A status view informs you of the download and installation progress.  

Software is up-to-date

If all your Activities are up-to-date, you see the following message.

 

Home View

Use the Home View to begin new Activities.

Note: When you have clicked on an Activity's icon, please wait for that Activity to start.  If you get impatient and happen to click again on the Activity's icon, you may end up with that Activity being started twice.

When you click an Activity's icon, you see a start-up view while that Activity initializes.  Once the Activity is running, you are placed into its Activity View.  If the Activity fails to start, you are instead returned to the Home View.

To get to the Home View, click the Home icon on the Frame or press the F3 key.

The Home View has several modes.  Each mode has a different arrangement of Activities:

• Your favorite Activities in a ring (Ring mode)
• Your installed Activities in a list (List view)
• Your favorite Activities arranged freeform (Freeform mode)

Favorites View

1. Search box

Use the search box to find Activities.  Note: If in List view you see fewer Activities than expected, you may need to click the small X at the right end of the search box to undo an unintended search request.

2. View modes

Click an icon to switch to a different view.  Hover over the Favorites icon to see a menu that  lets you pick Ring mode or Freeform mode.

3. Activity icon

Click an Activity icon to launch that Activity (which causes it to appear on the Frame). Only Activities that have been "starred" as favorites appear in this view. (Please see the List View below for more details.) 

4. XO icon

Hover the pointer over the "XO" in the center of the Home View to bring up a menu and to access the Sugar Control Panel. (Please see the chapter on Customizing Sugar.)

5. Active-Activity icon

The icon of the currently active Activity appears under the XO icon.

List View

Use the List view to manage all of your Activities and to choose which Activity icons appear on the Favorites view.

1. Activity entry

Each entry in the list has:

• a star, which is colored for favorite Activities, which appear in Ring mode or Freeform mode. Click a star to color or clear it.
• an icon
• a title
• a version number
• how long ago it was installed

2. Icon

Click the icon to launch the Activity.  Caution: By clicking Erase in the icon's hover menu, you can uninstall that Activity from your system.

3. Version number

Lets you compare your version against an availability list such as wiki.laptop.org/go/Activities  to see if it is up to date.

4. Scroll bar

The Activity list may extend beyond the screen. Use the scroll bar to move through the list.

Favorites View in Freeform Mode

The Freeform mode of the Home View works the same as the Ring mode, but the icons are arranged arbitrarily instead of in a circle. You can drag the icons in this View to visually group them in a way that makes sense to you.

XO Menu

Use the hover menu that appears over the XO icon to access the Sugar Control Panel and to shutdown or restart the computer.

Neighborhood View

You can use the Neighborhood View to connect to the Internet and to collaborate with others.

To see the Neighborhood View, click the Neighborhood icon on the Frame. You can also use the Neighborhood button for this purpose if your keyboard has one, or press the F1 key.

1. Search menu

You can find find people, Activities, or access points using the search menu.

2. Shared Activities

You can join an Activity by clicking the Activity's icon. Shared Activities appear as icons in the Neighborhood View.

3. XO icon

Other Sugar users appear in the Neighborhood View. By hovering over an XO icon, you can discover the nickname of that person and can add them as a friend or invite them to join you in a shared Activity.

4. Mesh icon

A mesh icon lets you connect to a school server or other computers on a mesh (802.11s) network.  The OLPC XO has three mesh network channels. By clicking a mesh icon you join that particular mesh network, and disconnect from an access point network. The other XO icons shown change according to who is on that network.

5. Access point

WiFi hot spots (Internet access points) appear as circles in the Neighborhood view. If you hover over a circle, the name of the access point (the ESSID it broadcasts) appears.

• To connect to a hot spot, click the circle. If the circle shows a lock symbol, expect to be prompted to enter a key or password. The inside of the circle blinks while your system tries to connect. Once connected, the icon is surrounded by parentheses. An icon for the connection appears at the bottom right of the Frame. By clicking an access point icon you are indicating that you do not want to collaborate through a mesh network – which other XO icons are shown may change accordingly.
  
• To disconnect, hover over the circle, and choose Disconnect on the menu.  Or hover over the icon in the Frame, and choose Disconnect on the menu. 

Once a connection is made, the icon changes.

Group View

The Group View shows you your friends. (XO icons that are dimmed represent friends who are currently offline.)

To show the Group View, click the Group icon on the Frame or press the F2 key.

Adding a friend

You add friends to the Group View from the Neighborhood View.

When you hover over an XO icon, the Make friend menu option appears. Click this option to add that person as a friend.

Your new friend's icon then appears in the Group View.

Removing a friend

You can remove a friend from the Group View using the hover menu. Click Remove friend. That person's icon disappears from the Group View.

Inviting a friend

From the hover menu, you can also invite friends to join your current Actvity. There is more information about invitations and sharing in the Collaborating chapter.

What Is an Activity?

Sugar applications are called "Activities". Activities include an application as well as sharing and collaboration capabilities, a built-in interface to the Journal, and other features such as the clipboard.

The Journal Activity is pre-installed. Other Activities can be distributed as part of an Activity Pack. There are many, many others you can install yourself.

Activities you have specified as favorites appear as a ring of icons around the XO icon in the center of the Home View. All the Activities you have installed are shown in the List mode of the Home View.

Some Activities allow Sugar users to work and learn cooperatively. For example, Write allows several users to collaboratively create a document. Read allows several users to read the same document or a teacher to share a book with an entire classroom. Memorize allows a group of users to play a game together.

Another class of Activities allow users to write software. A variety of computer languages such as Logo, SmallTalk, CSound, and Python are supported within the TurtleArt, Etoys, TamTam, and Pippy Activities.

Launching Activities

You can launch an Activity in four different ways:

• Click the Activity icon in the Home View.
• Resume an Activity from the Journal View.
  
• Join a shared Activity from the Neighborhood View.
• Accept an invitation by clicking the invitation icon on the Frame.

When you launch an Activity, its icon flashes in the middle of the screen while the Activity loads.

Launching from the Ring view

Click the icon or click an option on the hover menu.

Launching from the List view

Click the icon or click an option on the hover menu.

Resuming from the Journal

Click the icon or click Resume on the hover menu.

Joining a shared Activity

Click the icon or click an option on the hover menu.

Joining an Activity by accepting an invitation

Click Join in the hover menu on the Frame.

Backing Up

When working on Sugar Activities it's a good idea to have a second copy of your work. You can use an external storage device to back up your work on Sugar, creating a second copy that you can take to another computer.

If you have a School Server, you can back up your work to the server. If you want your work later, you copy the contents from the School Server back onto your computer.

External storage devices

If you want a second copy of your files, you can store them on external storage media such as an SD card or USB storage device. To copy files to an external device, follow these steps. 

1. Launch the Journal Activity, either by pressing the magnifying glass icon key or by going to
   the Home view and clicking the Journal icon at the bottom of the Home circle.
   
2. Insert an SD card or a USB device into the computer.
   The Journal shows an icon in a bottom bar when you put in external storage media.
   
   
   
   
3. Click to select a file, then drag the file to the SD or USB icon in the bottom bar.
   
4. When you are done using the SD card or USB device, right-click on the icon and choose Unmount.
   
   
5. Now you can remove the external media either by removing the USB device or pressing to "spring" the SD card out of its slot.
   

Terminal Activity

You can look at an SD card or USB file names with the Terminal Activity.

1. Start the Terminal Activity.
2. Find the name of the external media device, which is in the /media directory. For example, type:
   df
3. You see the name of your SD card or USB stick in the row with /media/ before it. You need that name to find the files with the next command.
   
4. Use the change directory command (cd) to switch your location to the storage media and press enter.
   cd /media/5962-0A03
   
5. Next, use the list command (ls) to list all the files on the storage media and press enter.
   ls
   
   
   
   All your file names are listed with the ls command.

Backing up using a school server

You register your computer with a school server by clicking the XO icon in the Home view and choosing Register, then choosing Restart. Once your computer is registered, a backup job that runs once a day collects the activities in your Journal and stores them on a separate server computer known as the School Server.

If you think you have lost something, or you want to go back to a certain date and time, ask your teacher for the name of your School Server.

1. Launch the Browse Activity.
2. Enter the web address of the School Server followed by /ds-restore, such as http://myschoolserver/ds-restore.
3. In the listing of daily backup dates, click a date listing.
4. In the listing of the documents available for that date, click a document.
   
5. Depending on the type of document, it launches either in the Read Activity or in the Browse Activity. Sugar automatically stores it locally once it is launched.

Activity Structure

You create a new Sugar Activity by placing the source code, images, and other files into a directory tree. Keeping the files related to the activity in one place makes it easy to package and distribute your activity.

In this chapter you can see how Activities are built. The file structure for the Helloworld activity that we create in this chapter is listed below.

Helloworld.activity
|-- MANIFEST
|-- activity                                       # Contains information Sugar needs to run this Activity
|   |-- activity-helloworld.svg
|   `-- activity.info
|-- helloworld.py                               # Driving source file from which the Activity runs!
|-- icons                                           # Store icons/images used in your Activity here
|   |-- edit-custom.svg
|   |-- next-page.svg
|   |-- ok-button.svg
|   `-- prev-page.svg
|-- locale                                           # For Activity localization
|   `-- es
|       |-- LC_MESSAGES
|       |   |-- es.mo
|       |   `-- org.laptop.HelloworldActivity.mo
|       `-- activity.linfo
|-- po                                                 # For Activity localization
|   |-- Helloworld.pot
|   |-- POTFILES.in
|   `-- es.po
`-- setup.py

Creating an Activity

Step 1: Designing an Activity

Anytime you want to build something, you must architect it. Building code is much like building a structure. The way you design your code may depend on the intricacies of Sugar.

For our example, we create an activity that displays the message "Hello World". Below is a mockup of roughly what our activity window looks like on the screen when it's running:

Step 2: Creating the directory structure

First, create the base directory that contains your activity's contents. Then create the "Helloworld.activity" directory. Create the "activity" directory within that. The activity directory contains two files:

1. An image file in ".svg" format that contains the icon for your activity. Sugar uses this image to allow users to launch your activity by clicking on it.
   
2. The activity.info file, which tells sugar what the name of your activity is and how to run it.
   

Below is the activity.info file created for our Helloworld activity:

[Activity]
name = Helloworld
service_name = org.laptop.HelloworldActivity
class = helloworld.Helloworld
icon = activity-helloworld
activity_version = 1
show_launcher = yes  

The first line of the file should always read [Activity]. The next two lines identify the activity:  name=Helloworld, service_name=org.laptop.HelloworldActivity.  The "class = helloworld.Helloworld" line tells Sugar that the initial startup class is Helloworld in helloworld.py. The activity tree, printed earlier, lists the helloworld.py file. Within this file, we define a class called Helloworld.

The next line specifies the activity's icon. This is the name of the .svg file you also saved in the Helloworld.Activity/activity/ directory. For help creating icons, see http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Making_Sugar_Icons. The show_launcher option ensures that Sugar displays your activity icon so that users can launch your activity in the main Sugar window. 

You can specify other options in activity.info to control how the activity interacts with Sugar. For a complete listing, see chapter 3 of the Sugar Activity Handbook online at http://www.olpcaustria.org/mediawiki/upload/a/a1/Handbook_200805.pdf.

After you have created your activity.info file, you should include a MANIFEST file describing the contents, and a setup.py file in your activity directory. These files are fairly generic. You can copy them from another activity and make modifications. For the localization directories, you should look at some existing references for making your activity usable in multiple languages:

• http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Internationalization_in_Sugar
• http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Python_i18n
  

Finally include the images and icons that you plan to use in the the Icons directory. The example tree shows a few icons that could be used in the Activity.

Step 3: Writing the code for Your Activity

Below is helloworld.py source code that implements our Activity.

from gettext import gettext as _
import logging
_logger = logging.getLogger('helloworld-activity')

import pygtk
pygtk.require('2.0')
import gtk
from sugar.activity import activity

class Helloworld(activity.Activity):

    #### Method: __init__, initialize this Helloworld instance
    def __init__(self, handle):
         activity.Activity.__init__(self, handle)

        #Create the main toolbox for this activity and
        #rely on _createToolBox() to populate with any
        #additional toolbars that may be needed.
        tlbx = activity.ActivityToolbox(self)
        self.set_toolbox(tlbx)

        main_canvas = gtk.HBox()
            

        #Create a "Hello World" Label and add it to the UI
        hello_label = gtk.Label("Hello World!")
        main_canvas.pack_start(hello_label)

        self.set_canvas(main_canvas)
        self.show_all()

def main():
    win = gtk.Window(gtk.WINDOW_TOPLEVEL)
    t = Helloworld(win)
    gtk.main()
    return 0

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()
  

Copy the activity directory tree to /home/olpc/Activities and restart Sugar (Control-Alt-Erase) to have Sugar recognize It. The Activity can be launched from the Home View. Activities can be edited in place, but after making changes you want to restart Sugar before launching the Activity. Any text output, like error messages, can be viewed with the Log activity.

When you launch the Helloworld activity, you see a new window:

The toolbar is created by the activity.ActivityToolbox object and the set_toolbox function call. The ActivityToolbox is a standard toolbox that includes a toolbar with controls for closing the activity, sharing it with other users and saving the activity to the journal.  For more information on creating and extending toolbars, see the Sugar Almanac online at http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Sugar.graphics.toolbox. 

Packaging and Sharing Your Activities

After implementing and testing your Activity, package it in a zip file with a ".xo" extension. For our example, we create a "Helloworld.xo" file that contains the entire contents of Helloworld.Activity. This packaged file can then be shared with others.

The easiest way to share a package is to publish it on OLPC's Activities page. Navigate to http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Activities  and you find many activities. With a wiki login, you can upload your Activity package, then link to it from the Activities page. You can also download and install existing Activities.

Resources to Help You Build Cooler Activities

Now you know what is needed to create a successful and engaging Activity. Hopefully, your next Activity does more than just say "Hello World". Among the issues and ideas you may want to consider when designing your activity are:

• What Activity state do I want to store so that users can resume work at different times? How can I use the Sugar Datastore to save state?
• How can I integrate cool technologies like GStreamer (for audio and video) or Pango (for customized fonts) into my Activity?
• Will users be able to share in an activity over the mesh network? If so, how will they interact and what data will need to be shared?
• How can I get my Activities to interact with different pieces of hardware on my laptop?

There are many resources out there to help you implement Activities around the ideas above. Some recommended references are:

• The Sugar Almanac - http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Sugar_Almanac
• OLPC Austria's Activity Handbook - http://www.olpcaustria.org/mediawiki/index.php/Activity_handbook
• API Reference - http://wiki.laptop.org/go/API_Reference#Sugar_Specs

Running GNU/Linux applications

To install GNU/Linux applications on your computer running Sugar, you will need to be familiar with using GNU/Linux text-mode commands. (Please refer to the chapter describing the Terminal Activity for more information about the GNU/Linux shell.)

Caveats:

• Sugar has security restrictions which may prevent some GNU/Linux applications from running.  The Terminal Activity has additional privileges, therefore GNU/Linux applications are often run from the command line in the Terminal Activity.
• Sugar uses a simplified window manager.  Applications that need full-featured X Windows System support may not function, or may act in unexpected ways.
  
• For many GNU/Linux applications, the installation process will try to insert programs or data into protected system areas. You will have to have "root user" privilege to be able to install these applications.
  
• Applications are packaged differently for different GNU/Linux distributions, You'll need to use the version of the application that matches your distribution. OLPC-XO users should look for applications that are available as a Fedora .rpm package. Debian (and Ubuntu) users should look for .deb packages.

Installing Fedora packages

If the application is available as a Fedora .rpm package:

While connected to the Internet, use "yum install package-name".  Yum is a package manager, which automatically fetches a package plus additional resources needed by that package.

An example of the install command as entered by the user:

bash-3.2# yum install gqview

This results in the following  output (some lines deleted for brevity):

Resolving Dependencies

--> Running transaction check
---> Package gqview.i386 0:2.0.4-6 set to be updated
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

Dependencies Resolved

==============================================
 Package                 Arch       Version          Repository        Size
==============================================
Installing:
 gqview                  i386       2.0.4-6          olpc_development  870 k

Transaction Summary
==============================================
Install      1 Package(s)
Update       0 Package(s)
Remove       0 Package(s)

Total download size: 870 k
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
(1/1): gqview-2.0.4-6.i386.rpm  | 870 kB  00:03
Running rpm_check_debug
Running Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
  Installing     : gqview               [1/1]

Installed: gqview.i386 0:2.0.4-6
Complete!
bash-3.2# 

You should consider whether the size of what yum wants to fetch would use up too much of the storage space on your computer. Before downloading, yum asks for permission – if you do not like the total impact of what you asked for - tell yum "no".

If you later decide that you do not want a yum-installed package on your system, use "yum erase package-name" to remove it from your computer.  Doing this will not remove any additional resources that were fetched when that package was installed.

If the application is available as a non-Fedora .rpm package:

The same discussion as for Fedora packages applies, except that you will be using "rpm -ivh package-name" to install. Rpm is a simple package manager – it tells you if dependencies are missing, but you yourself will have to download them.

If the application is available in .xo bundle format:

If the Application was packaged into an .xo format bundle, install it the same as you would a Sugar Activity. If you want to learn more about installing an Activity, go search for that topic.

If the application package does not use .rpm or .xo format:

Follow the directions that came with the package. Since you are not using a package manager, it is your responsibility to check that the resources needed by that application are available at your computer.

You can run the Linux command "ldd" against each executable binary installed for that application.  This gives an overview of whether some system services that the application relies upon are missing.  If so, it is up to you to locate and install the necessary software.

The following example shows that the libXp dependency required by the nview application is not currently provided on this Sugar system.

bash-3.2# ldd /usr/local/bin/nview
        linux-gate.so.1 =>  (0xb7fa8000)
        libXt.so.6 => /usr/lib/libXt.so.6 (0xb7f46000)
        libX11.so.6 => /usr/lib/libX11.so.6 (0xb7e45000)
        libXext.so.6 => /usr/lib/libXext.so.6 (0xb7e35000)
        libXp.so.6 => not found
        libstdc++.so.6 => /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6 (0xb7d3d000)
        libm.so.6 => /lib/libm.so.6 (0xb7d14000)
        libgcc_s.so.1 => /lib/libgcc_s.so.1 (0xb7d05000)
        libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0xb7b9c000)
        libSM.so.6 => /usr/lib/libSM.so.6 (0xb7b94000)
        libICE.so.6 => /usr/lib/libICE.so.6 (0xb7b7a000)
        libxcb-xlib.so.0 => /usr/lib/libxcb-xlib.so.0 (0xb7b78000)
        libxcb.so.1 => /usr/lib/libxcb.so.1 (0xb7b5c000)
        libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0xb7b56000)
        libXau.so.6 => /usr/lib/libXau.so.6 (0xb7b53000)
        /lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0xb7fa9000)
        libuuid.so.1 => /lib/libuuid.so.1 (0xb7b4f000)
        libXdmcp.so.6 => /usr/lib/libXdmcp.so.6 (0xb7b49000)

The user then might (on a Fedora system) enter

bash-3.2# yum provides */libXp.so.*
libXp-1.0.0-11.fc9.i386 : X.Org X11 libXp runtime library
Matched from:
Filename    : /usr/lib/libXp.so.6.2.0
Filename    : /usr/lib/libXp.so.6

which would tell him that he needs to install the libXp package to satisfy the missing dependency.

Debian (and Ubuntu)

The instructions are identical to those for a Fedora system, except you will be using "apt-get -i package-name" to install for .deb packages.

Special run-time needs

GNU/Linux applications often need to be configured.  The application may provide a panel for you to enter values.  Be sure that any locations thus specified are correct for where things actually are on your computer.

Many applications call upon general-purpose "library modules" to provide services for their own executables.  An application package may supply some "library modules" if it is unlikely the base system would already have those.

Rarely, a package might place "library modules" somewhere not normally accessed by the system. The application might have to be launched with a special-purpose script, which indicates where the needed "library modules" are located.

Running GNU/Linux applications from the X Activity

The X Activity launches an X Window System environment from which you can run standard Linux applications. This is particularly useful for applications that open multiple windows, such as Skype.

 

Gnumeric running from within the X Activity

Sugarizing GNU/Linux applications

A standard GNU/Linux application does not appear on your Home View. However, if you "Sugarize" the application, then it appears on your Home View and you can launch it by clicking its icon.

Caveat: Sugar Activities have less privilege than the Terminal Activity. Therefore, Sugarized applications have more restrictions on where they can store data than applications launched from Terminal. If a GNU/Linux application cannot meet these restrictions, it will have to be modified before it could be considered suitable for Sugarization.

Sugarize an application by constructing a wrapper:

The wrapper needs to appear the same to Sugar as a native Activity.  See http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Activity_bundles for a description of what an Activity must provide to Sugar.

A wrapper often depends upon a specialized "library module", which transforms the Linux-format requests issued by the application into Sugar-format requests and vice versa. (A Sugar community member has released a general-purpose version of this module.  Get it from http://www.catmoran.com/olpc/libsugarize.so.)

This community member has in addition released a Sugarization script that can be used to install the wrapper. Get it from //http://www.catmoran.com/olpc/sug. A good description of how to use this script appears in http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=1555.0. (Keep in mind that this description applies to the way Sugar screens looked in 2007.)

Examples of files created for the wrapper:

Here is an example of a shell script which, together with the specialized "library module", forms the "active" part of a wrapper that can be used to launch Opera from the Home View screen:  

#!/bin/sh
while [ -n "$2" ] ; do
      case "$1" in
          -b | --bundle-id)     export SUGAR_BUNDLE_ID="$2" ;;
          -a | --activity-id)   export SUGAR_ACTIVITY_ID="$2" ;;
          -o | --object-id)     export SUGAR_OBJECT_ID="$2" ;;
          -u | --uri)           export SUGAR_URI="$2" ;;
          *) echo unknown argument $1 $2 ;;
      esac
      shift;shift
done
export LD_PRELOAD="$SUGAR_BUNDLE_PATH/lib/libsugarize.so"
export NET_WM_NAME="Opera"
exec opera -notrayicon -personaldir $SUGAR_ACTIVITY_ROOT/data &

Actually, the "active" part of the wrapper can take many forms. For instance, some applications have been Sugarized by compiling special programs to provide the wrapper function. Here is a python script which forms the "active" part of the first wrapper made to launch Opera from the Home View screen:

import logging
from sugar.activity import activity

import sys, os
import gtk

class OperaActivity(activity.Activity):

    def __init__(self,handle):
        activity.Activity.__init__(self,handle)

        self.set_title('Opera Activity')

        os.system('opera -notrayicon -personaldir $SUGAR_ACTIVITY_ROOT/data &')

Linux applications that run in Sugar

• Adobe Reader
• FBReader
• Firefox
• GQview
• Mplayer
• Opera
• RealPlayer
• Skype 
• Gnumeric
  

You can install Wine (a compatability layer that allows Windows programs to be run in Linux) in order to run commercial applications such as the SeaClear boat navigation system on a Sugar system. (Wine itself has been turned into a Sugar Activity.)

Modifying Sugar

Sugar is meant to be changed by you. Sugar is written in Python, an interpreted programming language, so that you can access the underlying code to see how things work. You can customize the Sugar platform however you like. In the spirit of free and open-source software, we hope that you share your improvements with the Sugar community.

In this chapter, we walk you through an example of changing Sugar:

• changing the Home View from a circle to a spiral
• changing your XO icon
  

Our hope is that you go beyond this example; learning something in the process.

Other things you might want to try include:

• changing the home page of the Browse Activity
• changing the start-up animation
• "reskinning" Sugar

Changing the Home View

Revealing hidden views

The Home View defaults to a circular ring of Activity icons, but other patterns are available. There are preprogrammed patterns in Sugar and you can create your own.

1. You need to familiarize yourself with the Terminal Activity before you begin. Please refer to the chapter on the Terminal Activity for details on the GNU/Linux shell.

2. Open the Terminal Activity.

3. Since the Sugar source code is in a protected part of the system, you'll need to get a "root shell" in order to make changes. Type this command and press enter:

su -l

Note: This is a lower case L (an l), not a one (1).

4. The Home View code is in /usr/share/sugar/shell/view/Home. Type this command and press enter:

cd /usr/share/sugar/shell/view/home

5. It is always a good idea to make a backup copy of your code before making changes. Type this command and press enter:

cp favoritesview.py favoritesview.py.bak

6. Use vi (or your favorite text editor) to open favoritesview.py. Type this command and press enter:

vi favoritesview.py

Tip: Some basic commands for using the vi editor:

i (enter insert mode)

esc (exit insert mode)

:w (write/save your changes)

:q (quit vi)

7. You want to uncomment the code that unlocks the preprogrammed patterns by removing the # symbol (lines beginning with # are comments in Python).

Before:

_LAYOUT_MAP = {RING_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.RingLayout,
               #BOX_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.BoxLayout,
               #TRIANGLE_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.TriangleLayout,
               #SUNFLOWER_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.SunflowerLayout,
               RANDOM_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.RandomLayout}

After:

_LAYOUT_MAP = {RING_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.RingLayout,
               BOX_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.BoxLayout,
               TRIANGLE_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.TriangleLayout,
               SUNFLOWER_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.SunflowerLayout,
               RANDOM_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.RandomLayout}

8. Restart Sugar (by pressing ctrl + alt + erase). You can enjoy three new layouts for your Sugar Activity icons. (Tip of the hat to C. Scott Ananian for programming the "hidden" views.)

Creating a new view

You can also create your own view. Circles, squares, and triangles are nice, but a spiral is fun. In this example, we add some new code to two files: favoritesview.py and favoriteslayout.py.

The equation for an Archimedean spiral is

r = a + bθ

where r is the radius or distance from the center; a is the minimum (starting) radius of the spiral; and bθ is the increase of radius based on the increase in the angle of rotation.

1. Open the Terminal Activity. 

2. Again, you'll need to get a "root shell" in order to make changes. Type this command and press enter:

su -l

3. Go to /usr/share/sugar/shell/view/Home. Type this command and press enter:

cd /usr/share/sugar/shell/view/home

4. It is always a good idea to make a backup copy of your code before making changes. Type this command and press enter:

cp favoritesview.py favoritesview.py.bak
cp favoriteslayout.py favoriteslayout.py.bak

5. Use vi (or your favorite text editor) to open favoriteslayout.py. Type this command and press enter:

vi favoriteslayout.py

6. Add a new method at the end of the file:

class MyLayout(RingLayout):
    """Spiral layout based on Archimedean spiral: r = a + b*theta."""

    __gtype_name__ = 'MyLayout'

    icon_name = 'view-mylayout'
    """Name of icon used in home view dropdown palette."""

    profile_key = 'my-layout'
    """String used in profile to represent this view."""

    def __init__(self):
        RingLayout.__init__(self)

    def _calculate_radius_and_icon_size(self, children_count):
        """Stub out this method; not used in `My Layout`."""
        return None, style.STANDARD_ICON_SIZE

    def _calculate_position(self, radius, icon_size, index, children_count):
        """ Increment the radius as you go; decrease the angle of rotation
        as the radius increases to keep the distance between icons constant."""
        width, height = self.box.get_allocation()
        # angle decreases as the radius increases
        angle = index * (2 * math.pi / (12.0 + index / 6.0)) - math.pi / 2
        # radius is proportional to index/children_count
        myminimum = _MINIMUM_RADIUS * .67
        newradius = ((_MAXIMUM_RADIUS - myminimum) * (index * 1.1) / children_count) + myminimum
        x = newradius * math.cos(angle) + (width - icon_size) / 2
        y = newradius * math.sin(angle) + (height - icon_size - style.GRID_CELL_SIZE) / 2
        return x, y

7. Use vi (or your favorite text editor) to open favoritesview.py. Type this command and press enter:

vi favoritesview.py

8. Add your new layout by modifying these two lines:

RING_LAYOUT, BOX_LAYOUT, TRIANGLE_LAYOUT, SUNFLOWER_LAYOUT, MY_LAYOUT, RANDOM_LAYOUT = \
             xrange(6)

_LAYOUT_MAP = {RING_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.RingLayout,
               BOX_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.BoxLayout,
               TRIANGLE_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.TriangleLayout,
               SUNFLOWER_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.SunflowerLayout,
               MY_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.MyLayout,
               RANDOM_LAYOUT: favoriteslayout.RandomLayout}

9. You will need an icon for your new layout. You can copy an existing icon:

cd /usr/share/icons/sugar/scalable/action
cp view-radial.svg view-mylayout.svg

Or you can modify the icon by following the discussion of Sugar icons in the section below.

10. Restart Sugar (by pressing ctrl + alt + erase).

Tip: If something goes wrong, which invariably it will, you can switch to one of the other Home Views, go back into the Terminal Activity and debug your code. If for some reason you even cannot launch the Terminal Activity, open the console by typing ctrl + alt + f1. From the console, you can restore your backup files (created in Step 4 above).

cd /usr/share/sugar/shell/view/home
cp favoritesview.py.bak favoritesview.py
cp favoriteslayout.py.bak favoriteslayout.py

Here's an example of the new spiral layout for your Home View.

 

The modified files are found here:

sugarlabs.org/go/User:Walter/favoriteslayout.py

sugarlabs.org/go/User:Walter/favoritesview.py

The icon used in the above example is found here:

sugarlabs.org/go/User:Walter/View-mylayout.svg

Changing your XO icon

Your XO icon is stored as a scalable vector graphics (SVG) file. By modifying this file, you can change the appearance of your XO icon.

About SVG

SVG is a language for describing two-dimensional graphics and graphical applications in XML. The SVG format allows Sugar to dynamically scale and color icons without any degradation in quality. The World-wide Web consortium (W3C) has an over of SVG at www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/About.

There is a tutorial on preparing SVG files for Sugar at wiki.laptop.org/go/Making_SVG_Icons_for_Sugar.

You can edit SVG files using a variety of available tools, including www.inkscape.org/. (See The Inkscape Manual for details on how to use Inkscape).

Creating a simple icon by hand

Sugar defines the standard width and height of an icon canvas to be 55 pixels. The recommended width and height of the graphics is 45 pixels.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <!DOCTYPE svg PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD SVG 1.1//EN" "http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/1.1/DTD/svg11.dtd">
 <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="55" height="55">
     <rect x="5" y="5" width="45" height="45" stroke="#666666" fill="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="3.5"/>
 </svg>

The icon defined above is a simple square.

Defining entities

Sugar uses "entities" in order to dynamically change icon colors.

• add the entity declaration block inside the DOCTYPE.
• replace all occurrences of colors within the body of the SVG.

Entity references begin with an ampersand (&) and end with a semi-colon (;), the entity name is in the middle (e.g., "&stroke_color;").

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <!DOCTYPE svg PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD SVG 1.1//EN"
     "http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/1.1/DTD/svg11.dtd" [
     <!ENTITY stroke_color "#666666">
     <!ENTITY fill_color "#FFFFFF">
 ]>
 <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="55" height="55">
     <rect x="5" y="5" width="45" height="45" stroke="&stroke_color;"
         fill="&fill_color;" stroke-width="3.5"/>
 </svg>

Your SVG icon is now Sugar-enabled.

Replacing the XO icon in the Home View

Follow these steps to replace the XO icon on your Home View with your own creation:

1. Make a Sugar-enabled icon as per the instructions above.
2. Name your file "my-xo.svg" and copy it onto a USB storage device.
3. Start the Terminal Activity and enter these commands:

   su -l
   
   cp /media/*/my-xo.svg /usr/share/icons/sugar/scalable/device/
   

4. Use vi (or your favorite text editor) to open /usr/share/sugar/shell/view/home/MyIcon.py.

   vi /usr/share/sugar/shell/view/home/MyIcon.py
   

5. Change the icon_name to "my-xo".

   class MyIcon(CanvasIcon):
       def __init__(self, size):
           CanvasIcon.__init__(self, size=size,
                               icon_name='my-xo',
                               xo_color=profile.get_color())
   

6. Restart Sugar (by pressing ctrl + alt + erase).

Your icon appears in the center of the Home View instead of the standard XO icon.

Replacing the XO icon everywhere

In the previous section, we replaced the XO icon on the Home View. If you would like to replace it everywhere, you need to make one additional change.

Sugar looks for the XO icon in the file stored here:

/usr/share/icons/sugar/scalable/device/computer-xo.svg

Follow these steps to replace the XO icon with your own creation:

1. Make a Sugar-enabled icon as per the instructions above.
2. Name your file "computer-xo.svg" and copy it onto a USB storage device.
3. Start the Terminal Activity and enter these commands:

   su -l
   
   cp /usr/share/icons/sugar/scalable/device/computer-xo.svg
   /usr/share/icons/sugar/scalable/device/computer-xo.svg.bak
   
   cp /media/*/computer-xo.svg
   /usr/share/icons/sugar/scalable/device/computer-xo.svg
   

4. Restart Sugar by pressing ctrl + alt + erase.

Note to parents and teachers

Sugar is designed to be modified by the user. Rather than build a "hardened" but brittle and opaque platform, Sugar is easy to change—but also easy to recover in case you make a mistake. Sugar takes computing "beyond black boxes". Look inside, make changes, and learn through debugging. You may find it frustrating at first, but you will be amply rewarded for your efforts as you learn to master the machine, rather than have it master you. Try it, you'll like it.

Troubleshooting Guide

This chapter offers a guide for finding solutions when you have problems with Sugar.

Getting Started

Where do I get support?

Both Sugar Labs and OLPC have support communities that can help you. They have written documentation such as this manual. They also offer live chat support, interactive web forums, and regional user groups. Please refer to http://wiki.laptop.org and http://wiki.sugarlabs.org for further information.

Can I print from the XO laptop?

Currently there is no printer support in the Sugar user interface.

How do I access a GNU/Linux command prompt?

Please refer to the chapter on the Terminal Activity.

What does "Register" (in the Home View hover menu) do?

"Register" is for children that are connecting to School Server. It serves no function outside of that context. Please see the School Identity Manager page in the OLPC wiki for further explanation.

Why is there no windowing system?

The Sugar user interface sits on top of the X Window System. Sugar uses a zoom metaphor instead of an overlapping windows metaphor so the presence of the windowing system is less apparent.

How do I learn the XO Sugar Environment?

Sugar differs from traditional PCs and Macs. We hope you not only "learn by doing", but also seek others to collaborate with you in the learning process. You can find an in-person local user group by searching online, or find an online community to help you learn.

How do I change my nickname? my XO's colors?

You can change your nickname and colors from the Sugar Control Panel found on the hover menu on the Home View when viewing the ring view.

How do I set the date and time on my laptop?

You can set the date and time as follows:

1. Connect to the Internet.
2. Start the Terminal Activity.
   
3. Start a "root" process by typing:

   su -l
   

4. At the command prompt, enter the following commands:

   /usr/sbin/ntpdate time.nist.gov
   /usr/sbin/hwclock --systohc
   

5. In response to the ntpdate command, if it successfully contacts this US government official time server, the system outputs a line displaying the correct date and time.

How do I  set the timezone on my laptop?

You can set the timezone using the Sugar Control Panel.

What are the functions of all the keys on the keyboard?

• F1 Neighborhood View
• F2 Group view
• F3 Home View
• F4 Activity View
• Shift-Alt-F Toggle Frame visibility
  
• Alt-Tab cycles forward through running Activities
• Shift-Alt-Tab cycles backward through running Activities
• Ctrl-Tilde cycles forward through running instances of the current Activity
• Shift-Ctrl-Tilde cycles backward through running instances of the current Activity
• Ctrl-c Copy to clipboard
  
• Ctrl-v Paste from clipboard
  
• Ctrl-x Cut (and copy to clipboard)
  
• Ctrl-a Select all (current input/dialog/text box)
  
• Ctrl-q Quit Activity
  
• Ctrl-Esc Quit Activity
  
• Alt-Enter Toggle full-screen mode
  
• Alt-Space Toggle tray visibility
  
• Ctrl-u View source in Browse Activity (opens copy of source in Write Activity)
  
• Fn-Space View source (system wide, although not enabled in all applications yet)
  
• Ctrl-Alt-Erase Restart Sugar
  
• Alt-1 Screen capture; saved to Journal as a PNG file named "Screenshot"
  
• Ctrl-Alt-F1 Open Console 1
• Ctrl-Alt-F2 Open Console 2
  
• Ctrl-Alt-F3 Open X Windows

The OLPC-XO keyboard has a number of keys dedicated to the Sugar interface. Please see  http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Keyboard_Shortcuts for details. 

Internet, Connectivity, Email, Chat

How can I access the Internet?

Our Connectivity Quick Start Guide answers most questions about Internet Connectivity.

What if I cannot get online?

Do you have wireless Internet/WiFi nearby?

Is your WiFi access point locked? If yes, you must have the password in order to connect.

Have you connected to your WiFi access point?

You can go to the Neighborhood View and click the circle that represents your WiFi access point.  The name of an access point appears when you hover over a circle. After you click the circle, its center should blink. When you are connected, the center blinking stops and a circle icon for the connection appears in Frame bottom right. If your access point is locked, you are prompted to insert a key.  Select the proper key format for your access point from the pull-down menu.  You can confirm that you are connected by hovering over the network status circle in the Home View.  Please see the chapter on Connecting.

How do I disable wireless when flying?

To disable wireless when flying, refer to the Network panel in the Sugar Control Panel and clear the Radio checkbox under Wireless.

What is a mesh network?

A mesh network allows nearby laptops to talk to one another directly (wirelessly) without the need for a traditional Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Is there an email program?

There is not a native email client for Sugar. You can use the Gmail Activity to access your email, if you have a @gmail.com account; or you can simply use Browse to access most web-based email programs.

Can I install other software, such as Flash, Java, AIM, MSN Messenger, or Skype?

Please refer to the chapter on Installing GNU/Linux applications.

File Access

How do I save my work?

Your work is automatically saved in the Journal.

How can I backup my work?

You can backup your work onto a USB storage device. When you insert a USB storage device, it is automatically mounted and appears as an icon in the Journal (at the bottom of the screen). You can drag and drop Journal entries onto the icon to transfer them to the USB device. When you are finished, use the hover menu to unmount the device.

How can I add new programs and content to the laptop?

OLPC maintains an Activities page with links to many additional programs. You can install new programs directly from the web browser. Activities are "bundled" in files with a .xo suffix. Clicking a bundle causes it to download from the Internet into the Journal. Launching the bundled Activity from the Journal installs it in the List View of the Home View. Similarly, you can download content, such as PDF or DOC files, videos, and music into the Journal.

You can also install software and content from a USB storage device from within the Journal.

Finally, you can install software and content from the Terminal Activity, which gives you access to the Linux command shell.

How do I load a file on the disk into the Browse Activity?

Open the Browse Activity. In a window in the middle of the top of the Browse Activity page you see the words OLPC Library. Click that and you see the url: file:///home/olpc/.library_pages/search/bundle__index.html in the window and the contents of the file: .library_pages/search/bundle_index.html are loaded in the browser. If you replace that filename in the window with the name of the file you want to load, and have it display, let us say: file:///home/olpc/upload-file.html and press enter, the file upload-file.html is loaded from your home directory into the Browse Activity.

How do I save or retrieve files from a USB drive or SD (Secure Digital) card?

Please see the complete instructions for using a USB storage device (sometimes known as a flash drive or USB key or USB stick).

How do I delete a file?

Go to the Journal, which you can access from the Frame. Click the notebook icon to open the Journal. Find the file to be deleted by scrolling up and down the list. Open the detail view for the entry by clicking the name of the file. From within the detail view, press the "minus" button at the top of the screen to delete the entry.

Activities

How do I close an Activity (program)?

Most Activities have an "Activity" tab with a close button found at the top-right of the display; select the Activity tab and click the close button to close the Activity. For most Activities, the keyboard shortcuts ctrl + q or ctrl + esc can also close the Activity. Alternatively, on the Frame, hover the pointer over the Activity icon to bring up a menu; click "Stop" to end the Activity.

How do I download and run Activities (programs)?

There are many Activities the community has developed for download. From the Browser Activity on the XO laptop, go to Activities and click an .xo file you find there.  This downloads and installs the Activity to your laptop. When it is finished installing, click OK. Press the Home key (fifth key from the upper left) to see the Home View. Click the List View icon in the upper right of the Home View to see all the Activities. Scroll the list down if necessary until you see the icon for the Activity you just installed. Click the Activity's icon to start it.

All Activities on the laptop have been developed in the open-source community by volunteers. OLPC encourages all laptop owners to contribute to this effort.

How do I use a camera?

A camera can be used with the Record Activity.

How do I take a screenshot?

Press alt + 1 (hit the 1 key while holding down the alt key at the same time). Go to the Journal. The screenshot should be the first item in the Journal. You can then copy the screenshot to the clipboard and open it with the Browse, Paint, or Etoys Activity, or drag it on to an inserted USB memory stick for transporting it to another computer. This quick screenshot hack also makes it easier to capture and upload multiple screenshots to a web server.

Read: How do I read PDF files?

Click on a PDF file to automatically launch the Read Activity, either through the web browser (Browse Activity) or from a USB storage device (Journal Activity).

Browse: How do I bookmark a website and browse it later?

Click the star in the upper-right corner to bookmark the website. The website is saved in the Journal Activity for future use.

Browse: How can I protect my children from objectionable content?

The best thing you can do to keep your children safe is to participate in their education. For example, explain to them the kinds of threats they may encounter online and appropriate behavior, don't give out personal information such as an address, phone number, or other personally identifying information over the Internet.

There are possible third-party solutions, such as http://DansGuardian.org available.

Activity Development

How do I begin to write programs for the XO laptop?

You can find information on how to create your own programs for the XO at Getting started programming, and look for details at http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Developers. For those already familiar with both Linux and Python, the Activity tutorial is a step-by-step guide to building a Sugar Activity.

How do I report a bug?

We are very interested in bug reports. Please report bugs by sending email to help at laptop.org. Developers, please continue to file bugs in our tracking system.

We are also interested in your suggestions for enhancement to our system.

Community input and collaboration is vital to the success of OLPC. Thank you for your participation.

Glossary

Access point (AP)

A device that connects wireless devices together to form a network. Usually connects to a wired network and relays data between wireless devices and wired devices. Several APs can link together to form a larger network.

Active kill

A mechanism  for remotely shutting down a laptop that has been reported stolen when the laptop connects to the Internet.

Activation

In order to use your laptop for the first time (or after a "reflash" of the operating system), it must be unlocked by an activation key.

Activation key

Key that unlocks an XO laptop.

Activity

An application that has an icon in the taskbar, for example, Write, Record, Browse; Activities engage you in taking a picture, reading a book, creating a page, annotating a page, animating a drawing, making sounds and music, measuring and sensing, sharing your favorites, inviting your friends, surfing on the web, and many, many other things. Has a .xo suffix

Activity view

A view used by the current Activity that is running on the laptop.

BitFrost

The OLPC security platform.

Build

A version of the operating system, designated by category and number; for example, Ship.2-656; Update.1-698; Joyride-1792.

Click

The action of positioning the pointer over an object such as a menu item or icon and then pressing and releasing a "mouse" button. To "left click", you click with the left-hand mouse button. To "right click", you click with the right-hand mouse button.

Content

The books, music, movies, photographs, drawings, and other objects that are created on the laptop or downloaded to the laptop. Stored in an .xol file.

Datastore

Component that manages the access to the data displayed in the Journal; these data are stored in individual files; an index that contains the metadata and speeds up searches.

Developer key

If the boot firmware sees a developer key, it makes the XO laptop work just like any ordinary PC-style laptop, in the sense that it will let you interrupt the boot process and enter commands; and it will try to boot and run any program you supply to it, no matter whether the OLPC organization has tested or signed it. (The laptop also works this way if its firmware security is disabled.)

Double click

Click two times in rapid succession. In many graphical user interfaces, double click is used as a different gesture than two separate single clicks. Sugar does not use double clicks.

Drag and drop

The combination of dragging an object and then dropping onto a region of the screen. To drag an object: (1) position the pointer over the object; (2) press and hold the mouse button; and (3) move the pointer without releasing the mouse button. To drop an object, release the mouse button. In Sugar, drag and drop is used to copy items from the clipboard into an Activity.

Email list

A collection of email addresses—an efficient way to send email to a group of people who share an interest.

Firmware, Wireless

The wireless firmware is software that controls the operation of the wireless radio. It is downloaded into the wireless radio by the operating system.

Firmware, System

The system firmware is made up of two parts: The EC and OFW. The first part is the software that runs the embedded controller (EC). The EC handles the processing of the keyboard, touchpad, game buttons, power button, and charging the battery. The second part is OpenFirmware (OFW). OFW is responsible for initializing the hardware and booting the operating system. OFW also handles boot security so that it will only load "official" OLPC operating systems.

Frame

The Frame, which can appear in any view, holds system status (battery, speaker, network), a clipboard, the list of open Activities, navigation controls, and list of "buddies" (collaborators).

Group view

A view of your friends with whom you are working on shared projects.

Home view

View of installed Activities from which you launch them—the Home view is the starting view on the laptop.

Hover over

To move the pointer over something on the screen (such as an icon) and leave it there for a moment. Often, hovering over an object's icon activates a menu of options for that object.

Infrastructure mode

Network connectivity through a WiFi access point, for example, 802.11b.

Internet Relay Chat

IRC/chat is real-time text chat used by the development and technical support communities (and hopefully the learning community as well).

Jabber

A protocol that the laptop uses for collaboration.

Journal

Activity where you can see your previous work. You can also resume the work done at those Activities.

Jumpdrive

A small, external storage device that plugs into one of the USB ports on a computer. They can store between 16MB (enough to hold several music files) up to 4GB (enough to hold several high quality full-length movie files) and a wide range in between. Jump drives are easily purchased at any electronics store starting as low as $5 to $10.

Key generation

Process of generating both activation and developer keys.

Lease

When a laptop is activated, the activation has an expiration date. The period between activation and expiration is the lease period. The lease period is determined during the key-generation process; the laptop can be reactivated after the lease has expired.

Library

Content that is created on the laptop is accessed through the Journal; preloaded content is stored in a library and is accessed through the Browse Activity.

Malware

Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. Linux is relatively robust in light of malware and Rainbow provides additional protections above and beyond the standard Linux defaults.

Memory stick

See: Jumpdrive

Mesh Channel

The laptops use three channels for communication: 1, 6, and 11; in simple mesh mode, the laptops can only see other laptops on the same channel; in a School Server mesh, laptops on all channels are visible.

Mesh Network

A wireless mesh network is a communications network made up of radio nodes in which nodes can forward information on behalf of each other so that even nodes that are not in direct radio contact can communicate via nodes that are between them. The collective coverage area of the radio nodes working as a single network becomes a mesh cloud.

Mesh Mode

Network connectivity through a mesh network, for example, 802.11.

Mesh Portal Point

A mesh node that serves as a gateway (portal) to a network external to the mesh.

Mouse button

Originally  referring to a button on a computer mouse, the term is now used to refer to a button on any pointing device, such as a touchpad or pointing stick.

NAND Flash

Internal storage in some laptops, including the OLPC XO. 

Neighborhood View

A view of who is on the network with you and what Activities and content are being shared.

Operating system

(OS) - The low-level system that manages the various files, processes, etc. needed to operate the laptop; the OS used by the XO laptop is the RedHat Fedora distribution of Linux.

Palette

A black box that appears when the mouse hovers over an object; a palette can contain the name of the control, some details about it or some related actions.

Passive kill

Currently unsupported, this is a mechanism that uses the lease mechanism to require laptops to periodically ask for a renewed activation. Without the renewal, the lease will expire and the laptop will be locked.

PO file

A file containing the instance of translated strings for a single language based upon a POT file.

Pootle

A server that is used to store and manage translation templates and files.

POT file

The master translation template for a project.

Power adapter            

Each laptop comes with a power adapter to allow it to be plugged into a power socket.

Presence

A discovery service for finding other laptops on the network.

Rainbow

Rainbow implements the isolation shell implicitly described in the Bitfrost security specification. This means that it isolates Activities (and eventually system services) that it is asked to run from one another and the rest of the system.

Reflash

The process by which a fresh build is installed in the laptop; reflashing overwrites all files, including files in the Journal and /home/olpc. And so, it should be done with caution.

Request Tracker (RT)

Web site: http://rt.laptop.org/ This is a Support ticket tracking system. Read: http://bestpractical.com/rt/ for more information.

Resume

To return to a normal state of operation after suspending.

Rollover

See: Hover over

School server mesh mode

A mesh network that is mediated by a School Server.

SD card

Secure Digital (SD) is a flash (non-volatile) memory card format used in portable devices, including digital cameras, handheld computers, PDAs, and mobile phones. SD card capacities range from 8 MB to 32 GB.

Signed/unsigned builds

OLPC produces both "signed" and "unsigned" builds of the operating system. Signed builds are release builds that have undergone QA testing. Unsigned builds are development builds, which are used for testing new features and bug fixes. You cannot run an unsigned build in your laptop unless you have either a developer key or security has been turned off (as in the case of the G1G1 laptops).

Simple mesh mode

A mesh network that is running between laptops without a School Server.

Single click

Click one time. In many graphical user interfaces, multiple clicks are used as a different gesture than single clicks. Sugar does not use multiple clicks.

Sugar UI

The Sugar user interface.  It consists of four views, the Frame, and the Journal.

Suspend

To cause a computer go into a standby state in order to save power.

Thumb drive

See: Jumpdrive

Toolbar

A user-interface element that can contain several buttons, text entry fields, drop-down menus, and other elements, that is usually contained in a toolbox; common examples of toolbars include: Activity, View, and Edit.

Toolbox

A user-interface element that appears in the top part of most Activities and contains one or more toolbars.

Tubes

A protocol for passing data between computers.

Update/olpc-update

The process by which incremental changes to system software are installed. 

USB drive/USB stick/USB storage device

See: Jumpdrive

View

Instead of a desktop, Sugar maintains four views: Neighborhood, Group (Buddy), Home, and Activity.

Virus

A computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user, a type of malware.

Wiki

A collaborative website that allows for community contributions and editing, for example, http://wiki.laptop.org and http://wiki.sugarlabs.org.

XO-1

A low-cost, power-efficient, durable laptop computer designed for education in developing countries by One Laptop per Child. The XO-1 features mesh networking and a dual-mode, low power, sunlight readable display.

XS school server

An XS or school server extends the amount of  storage available to children.  It also serves as a local library and a mesh portal to the Internet.

Credits and License

All chapters copyright of the authors (see below). Unless otherwise stated all chapters in this manual licensed with GNU General Public License version 2

This documentation is free documentation; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This documentation is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this documentation; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.

Authors

ACTIVITY VIEW
© adam hyde 2008
Modifications:
David Cramer 2008
David Farning 2008
Janis Grinbergs 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

BACKING UP
© Anne Gentle 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
David Farning 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

BEYOND ACTIVITIES
© Anne Gentle 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

COLLABORATING
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

CONNECTING
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Cramer 2008
David Farning 2008
Janis Grinbergs 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

CONSERVING DISKSPACE
© Anne Gentle 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
David Farning 2008

---

CREATING ACTIVITIES
© Faisal Anwar 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
Douglas Ridgway 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

CREDITS
© adam hyde 2006, 2007, 2008

---

EXITING ACTIVITIES
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Janis Grinbergs 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

ACTIVITY SAMPLER
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

GLOSSARY
© David Farning 2006, 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2006, 2007, 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Seth Woodworth 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

GROUP VIEW
© adam hyde 2008
Modifications:
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Morgan Collett 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

HOME VIEW
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Janis Grinbergs 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

GETTING SUGAR
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
Luke Faraone 2008
Morgan Collett 2008
TWikiGuest 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Yama Ploskonka 2008

---

INSTALLING ACTIVITIES
© Aaron Konstam 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Morgan Collett 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

ABOUT THE USER INTERFACE
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Brian Jordan 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Rob Mason 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

WHAT IS SUGAR
© Walter Bender 2006, 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2006, 2007, 2008
David Farning 2008
Emily Kaplan 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Luke Faraone 2008
Rita Freudenberg 2008
Rob Mason 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

LAUNCHING ACTIVITIES
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008

---

MODIFYING SUGAR
© Brian Jordan 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

NEIGHBOURHOOD VIEW
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Janis Grinbergs 2008
Morgan Collett 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

OVERVIEW
© Faisal Anwar 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
TWikiGuest 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

PERSONALISING SUGAR
© Christoph Derndorfer 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
Brian Jordan 2008
Charles McCarthy 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

GNU/LINUX APPLICATIONS
© Janis Grinbergs 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
Luke Faraone 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

SWITCHING ACTIVITIES
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

THE FRAME
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Janis Grinbergs 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

THE JOURNAL
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Cramer 2008
David Farning 2008
Janet Swisher 2008
Janis Grinbergs 2008
TWikiGuest 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

TROUBLESHOOTING
© Walter Bender 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
Janis Grinbergs 2008
Rob Mason 2008
Sandy Culver 2008
Tom Boyle 2008

---

UPDATING
© Anne Gentle 2008
Modifications:
adam hyde 2008
Brian Jordan 2008
David Farning 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

WHAT IS AN ACTIVITY
© adam hyde 2008
Modifications:
Aaron Konstam 2008
Anne Gentle 2008
David Farning 2008
Janis Grinbergs 2008
Tom Boyle 2008
Walter Bender 2008

---

 

_{Free manuals for free software}

 

 

General Public License

Version 2, June 1991

Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA

Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

Preamble

The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Lesser General Public License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.

When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.

To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.

For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.

We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and (2) offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy, distribute and/or modify the software.

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The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification follow.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

0. This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed under the terms of this General Public License. The "Program", below, refers to any such program or work, and a "work based on the Program" means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language. (Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in the term "modification".) Each licensee is addressed as "you".

Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the Program (independent of having been made by running the Program). Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.

1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program.

You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.

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These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it.

Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest your rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or collective works based on the Program.

In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under the scope of this License.

3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following:

a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,

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This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to be a consequence of the rest of this License.

8. If the distribution and/or use of the Program is restricted in certain countries either by patents or by copyrighted interfaces, the original copyright holder who places the Program under this License may add an explicit geographical distribution limitation excluding those countries, so that distribution is permitted only in or among countries not thus excluded. In such case, this License incorporates the limitation as if written in the body of this License.

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NO WARRANTY

11. BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

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END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS