The One Laptop Per Child operating system is now available for free downloading for "any" PC or Netbook, according to its maker.
The XO-1 user interface
(Credit: Sugar Labs)Sugar Labs, responsible for building the low-cost device's XO-1 operating system, released it online last week for loading onto any USB flash drive greater than 1GB.
Called "Sugar on a Stick v1," Sugar Labs hopes it will help spread the use of the OS in classrooms, without the need for the OLPC machine.
An IDC analyst said earlier this year that the OS would be one of the OLPC's more attractive aspects that vendors would be interested in copying for the Netbook market.
It is based on the Fedora Linux kernel and can be booted from the USB stick without needing to be installed over the hard drive's existing OS.
According to Sugar Labs, its OS is used by almost a million students ages 5 to 12 in some 40 countries. Its social-oriented interface recognizes other Sugar-based PCs around it and interacts with them without the need for Internet connection.
Sugar Labs was spun off a year ago after Walter Bender, now its executive director, left the OLPC initiative to start the nonprofit spinoff.
Victoria Ho of ZDNet Asia reported from London.
The inventor of the Sugar user interface used in the One Laptop Per Child's XO says his company is developing a version for Intel's own low-cost laptop.
(Credit:
Intel)
Walter Bender said in an interview Thursday with PC World that "a community volunteer is working with Intel on Sugar for the Classmate PC. Sugar Labs helped to expedite the relationship."
Bender is the inventor of the kid-friendly interface, which sits on top of a computer's operating system. His company, Sugar Labs, was spun off from OLPC in May. At the time of the announcement, Bender said Sugar Labs was already talking about sharing the UI with at least four other low-cost laptop makers, including Asus.
He described OLPC as the "primary, but not exclusive, downstream project" for Sugar Labs, and confirmed that the two companies continue to work together on further development of the UI.
That Intel will be working tangentially with OLPC again is notable. The chipmaker left its position as board member of OLPC in January, citing "fundamental differences" between the two companies' visions for low-cost computing. Previous to that, OLPC's founder Nicholas Negroponte had asked Intel to stop selling their Classmate PC platform because it was interfering with sales of the XO. Unsurprisingly, Intel declined his request.
The broad influence of the One Laptop Per Child initiative continues to expand its sphere.
(Credit:
OLPC)
Not long ago it was unclear whether the PC--originally conceived as a $100 laptop for children in developing countries--would ever become a reality after a long series of delays. Now the XO laptop seems on the verge of becoming a hot item, and all the research that went into it is leading down divergent paths.
Case in point: Walter Bender, who just left the OLPC initiative to start up its open-source software spinoff, is reportedly in "informal discussions" to get its Linux operating system on low-cost laptops made by four manufacturers. The nonprofit spinoff, Sugar Laboratories, is having discussions with Pixel Qi and is interesting in pursuing a relationship with Intel, Bender told BetaNews. No other companies were named, though he mentioned Asus on Sugar Labs' Web site last week.
It's only the latest permutation in a long-running saga that has seen infighting, resignations, and other controversy since the project's inception. Last month OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte said the XO might switch from Linux to Windows XP, but that change remains to be seen. Stay tuned.
The chairman and founder of the One Laptop Per Child initiative said in an interview Tuesday that the XO laptop may switch from using Linux to eventually running Windows XP, according to several reports.
Windows XP could soon be available on the XO.
(Credit: OLPC)In an interview with the Associated Press following the departure of the OLPC project's president, Nicholas Negroponte said the open-source Sugar software, developed expressly for the XO, could run on top of XP. Negroponte cited weaknesses in the XO's current open-source operating system (right now the XO can't support the latest versions of Flash animation) as well as the Linux community itself (for being too "fundamentalist") as the reasons for a possible future shift.
He said the laptop's open-source software had actually scared away potential adopters.
An XP-only version of the XO could come soon enough. In December Microsoft said it would begin running limited tests in January to see if the operating system would be a good fit for the low-cost device. At the time, Microsoft said it could have XP running on the XO by the second half of the year.
Confirmation
Thank you for participating in Give One Get One. Your donation will bring education and enlightenment to children of the developing world, and, in recognition of your gift, you will be receiving an XO laptop for the child in your life as well. If you have any questions or problems, please contact One Laptop Per Child at service@laptopgiving.org. Should your employer wish to match your donation, we are a 501(c)(3) organization and our EIN# is 20-5471780. Thanks again, and welcome to the One Laptop Per Child community!
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(Credit:
Crave Asia)
Sony's biotech battery has a sweet tooth. It sups on glucose for energy (much like some of us) converting the sugar within beverages such as fruit juice and even Pocari Sweat into electricity.
A four-cell array is reportedly capable of generating up to 50mW of power, enough for small devices at the moment. For a glimpse into the future of alternative power cells, check out the video of the battery seen powering a desk fan and speakers attached to a Walkman, after being juiced up on a sugar solution.
The Bio Battery imitates real life by using enzymes to break down the glucose to generate electricity. Because it's made of a vegetable-based plastic, the worst that could happen to it are--eek--ants. A blessing given Sony's rather unfortunate notebook battery recall of last year.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Spluch)
In addition to the stereotypical diet of Red Bull and Cheetos, geeks have become known increasingly for having a collective sweet tooth: Specifically, this has often taken the form of gadget cakes. And now it's become clear that the phenomenon is an international one.
GeekSugar has come across some edible mobile phones from China, which are actually moon cakes--a traditional treat served for the fall Moon Festival.
It's interesting to note that these phone cakes are of a variety from Finland-based Nokia, one of the few handset makers not based in Asia. (This, by the way, is the most fitting item we've ever seen for a site called GeekSugar.)
(Credit:
GeekSugar)
The Transformers blockbuster has been a classic example of profiting from media obsession: Once a trend catches fire, there's just no stopping it. And the latest merchandizing spinoff--jewelry--just proves the point even more.
But if anything can trump the resurgence of "Optimus Prime," it's that icon of all icons, the iPhone. And in true Apple fashion, we would never expect something so cheesy as a mini-joystick pendant. GeekSugar, therefore, has come up with an elegant concept that we think would make even Steve Jobs crane his black turtleneck for a second look: Tiffany-made "iGems." Brilliant.
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