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OLPC Operating System Available to Download

Posted by Zonk on from the make-your-own-one-laptop dept.

ThePopeLayton writes "Engadget is reporting that the operating system made specifically for the OLPC project is now available for download. 'Apparently, the Linux-based Sugar OS from the One Laptop Per Child project is now available via a bootable LiveCD ISO, and according to user reports, works quite well aside from the lack of WiFi capability on a certain MacBook.'"

13 of 65 comments (clear)

  1. Vista by Taimat · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah! Another choice for me to choose what I going to replace vista with!

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  2. Wgetting right now... by dbitch · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I actually want to try this. I'm interested in the OLPC project and I hope they release a laptop in the US for sale, because I'd buy one in an instant. It's cheap, lightweight, and I don't demand much from a computer, so the low performance isn't an issue with me.

  3. The Sugar UI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think I also saw a vmware image of the OLPC OS floating around a while back. But anyway, for those of you who haven't had a chance to explore the Sugar UI, it's a pretty different model that totally shitcans the "desktop" model for more of a community model, where one performs "activities" rather than run "applications". Worth taking a look at just to see another approach to how computers can be used from a user experience perspective.

  4. Very nice. Need supported hardware list by Animats · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Is there a supported hardware list? On what hardware does WiFi work?

  5. OLPC Distro by Nova1313 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Another OLPC distro is also available from the makers of the pepperpad. You can find it at pepper.com. They claim it may even be quicker then the perl based interface on the official OLPC desktop.

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    1. Re:OLPC Distro by dmbasso · · Score: 4, Informative

      You mean, Python based official OLPC desktop.

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  6. Re:cool by Mabonus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, the entire OS is designed for kids to be able to learn and explore on, so it shouldn't be hard for any geek to find something to have fun with on it.

    As far as the security, please please break it and tell them what's up. I went to a talk by the project lead recently, and the impression I got is that they could really use more eyes on the project, especially on security. Once you distribute millions of an identical OS to people with low computer literacy in an environment where they may not have access to the latest patches the potential for mischief goes through the roof, so it's very important that everyone goes over the security BEFORE it goes into production. break it!

  7. Re:Finally, low-end distro? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    same time anything else in OpenBSD happens: when Theo is goddamn good and ready, and then someone else writes it.

  8. Re:Finally, low-end distro? by Doctor-Optimal · · Score: 3, Funny

    MMM > MMX The rounding error claims one more victim...

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  9. Just like Microsoft BOB! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not to sound like a troll, but "activity" vs "application" has raged for years.

    The problem with the "activity" metaphor is that it's restrictive: you can perform the activitites we've thought of in advance and presented to you. People don't use computers that way, even first-timers or little kids. And the UI programmers never really put together a comprehensive list of activities. No matter how much beta testing, they always leave something out.

    Computer UIs and tool sets are the original mashups--I pull out and use tools in different combinations to get tasks done that I think up on the spot. The "real life" metaphor works this way. My kitchen isn't a set of tasks, it's a set of tools. Ditto my closet, my garage, etc.

    People get frustrated with the "activity" metaphor quickly. It's not even a useful introductory tool because it wears thin too fast.

    Sugar looks cool. But like Bob or the Harmony Remote control's interface, it looks like what a computer scientist thinks looks good to a simpleton user. Nobody ever asks the computer scientist if he thinks he'd be a better computer scientist today if he'd started out on something like that.

    1. Re:Just like Microsoft BOB! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      And the UI programmers never really put together a comprehensive list of activities. No matter how much beta testing, they always leave something out.
      That's not as much of a problem with the OLPC. One of the activities is the Develop activity, which lets you make new activities that do whatever you want.

      There's not much difference between "activities" and traditional "applications" here: Sugar activities get full control of the screen and they are the "thing" that gets shared between users in the multi-user environment. Otherwise, it's just a word choice to get the developers to concentrate more on what the user is doing than what they are doing it with.

  10. Heads Up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you're going to download it, get the latest version instead.

    The lazy 'article' is just a link to an already out-of-date Endgadget post. Thank ThePopeLayton and Zonk for schilling instead of informing, and then climb the dirtree to find the latest.

    http://olpc.download.redhat.com/olpc/streams/sdk/

    see also
    http://olpc.download.redhat.com/olpc/

  11. Re:Finally, low-end distro? by e9th · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wow. Funny. Insightful. Troll. All in one.