On Tue, Dec 27, 2016 at 8:52 AM, Adam Holt <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks Terry Gillett for accentuating this central point that I'd failed > to highlight -- now added to http://wiki.laptop.org/go/ > Browser_improvements : > > "*Perhaps Most Important: can we communicate concisely/explicitly best > browser & video "what works" guidelines, so that hard-working free content > aggregators/publishers (many of whom volunteers) understand their tight > packaging requirements across old Androids, old XO's, etc? Hence greatly > enhancing the XO's practical purposes during its remaining years~"* >
James Cameron's recommendations (that I'd missed earlier, on the "discussion" page) added too: "It may be more effective to agree on a single representative test video which is transcoded into different picture sizes, frame rates, codecs, bit rates, codecs, container formats, and delivery network protocols. A smart proxy may be imagined that will transcode on the fly." Thanks all for keeping the browser longevity/appropriateness recommendations coming! To help as many deployments/communities as we can~ On Sat, Dec 24, 2016 at 10:47 AM, Adam Holt <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Thanks Tony for your voluminous and very thoughtful experiences below! >> >> I'm pretty swamped with holiday prep over the coming 48 hours, but is >> there a good time I can call you in the coming 7-10 days? >> >> I don't want to miss (or misrepresent) anybody's hard-fought "fieldback" >> / usability testing lessons, recommendations & opinions @ >> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Browser_improvements >> >> >> On Sat, Dec 24, 2016 at 2:04 AM, Tony Anderson <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Hi, Adam >>> >>> I hope the scope of this discussion is Sugar, not just the Browse >>> activity. >>> >>> First, the performance of the various models of the XO has not changed >>> and will never change. >>> >>> Second, the last major change to the Browse activity was the move from >>> Hulahop to Webkit. My guess is that the problems reported have nothing to >>> do with Browse (or Firefox or ....). I suspect that the problems have to do >>> with the burden on the server and the network. >>> >>> Three, solving performance problems depends on measurement, not >>> speculation. Through its history, Sugar developers (XO and XS) have >>> not measured anything in the real environment (a classroom of 40 XOs >>> collaborating or using a server). While XSCE incorporates Munin, I have >>> not seen any reports of the Munin measurements of an XSCE server in a >>> classroom of XOs. At the Malaysia summit it took about 30 mins to establish >>> by actual use that an access point was limited to 15 connections. >>> >>> Four, in my experience when there is a hiccup on an XO, the problem >>> needs investigation. The Log activity is frequently a good tool. Since >>> Sugar and its activities are written in Python and the source code is >>> immediately available, it is possible to add print statements as needed to >>> determine where the problem is. Python includes a simple means to measure >>> time elapsed between two points in code to find badly written loops, etc. >>> >>> Over the years, I have developed a 'customize' script to add needed >>> features to Sugar. I view this as comparable to what a person installing >>> Fedora or Ubuntu does to configure the system for their use. While Sugar >>> developers seem to consider such changes as blasphemy, the standard >>> distributions encourage this. >>> The Sugar developers have implemented the third different configuration >>> utility: gsettings replacing GConf and the configure file Howeve, in line >>> with their religion, the developers retain control by providing the user >>> with access only to selected settings made visible through 'mysettngs'. >>> >>> The XOs in Rwanda are locked so these changes must be made post-install, >>> so the devlopers suggestions to make a Sugar build locally is irrelevant. >>> >>> The xo-custom script is executed after the XO is flashed by: >>> >>> cd /run/media/olpc/xo1 >>> bash xo-custom >>> >>> where the usb stick label identifies the target XO model, in this case >>> the XO-1. There are five models: XO-1, XO-1.5, XO-1.75, XO-4, XO-1SD. >>> A current project is to create a single stick that can be used with any >>> model. This project also intends to provide a Sugar activity custom-1.xo. >>> The goal is that the user can flash any model from the same stick and >>> then can install the custom script by: >>> >>> cd /run/media/olpc/xomaster >>> sugar-install-bundle custom-1.xo >>> >>> This has the advantage that the customization script can be run by >>> launching the custom activity (and erasing it upon completion). Meanwhile >>> the stick can be used to flash another XO. In a classroom with mixed >>> models, the same stick can be used. >>> >>> The customize script currently does the following: >>> >>> 1. Install miscellaneous modules; zip, path.py, pexpect, ftp. Probably >>> only pexpect is needed since path.py can be included in the activies that >>> use it. Sugar now inlcudes zip. For sending files to the server, scp is >>> used instead of ftp. >>> >>> 2. Remove ~/.ssh/known_hosts to prevent problems in registering the >>> server. >>> >>> 3. Customize Sugar >>> a. Change corner detection in frame to 0 (never). The goal is to >>> require the frame to be opened by the frame key and not by cursor position. >>> b. Implement a default where activities launched from the Home View >>> start new. Resuming activities can only be done from the Journal. >>> c. Change activity.py in >>> /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/sugar/activity/ >>> and in /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/sugar3/activity to correct an >>> error >>> in the Journal where a resumed activity can not be saved under a >>> new name without losing the original. The modified version with 0.110 will >>> also >>> provide Utkarsh Tiwari's code to provide a requirement that >>> user's give saved files a name (comparable to changing 'untitled' in >>> Office). This change >>> was not implemented in 0.110 because of quirky reasoning by the >>> Sugar developers. It also will provide similar ability to give a screen >>> shot a name >>> without having to switch to the Journal. >>> >>> 4. Update sugar-launch and sugar-install-bundle. These changes were >>> needed because of problems which probably now have been fixed. >>> >>> 5. Update SimpleHTTPServer.py to add some needed mime_types such as mp3, >>> mp4, and so on. >>> >>> 6. Provide custom index.html in /home/olpc/.library_pages. The standard >>> screen is nearly useless for an XO not connected to the internet. The >>> custom screen identifies the school or institution at the top and >>> provides direct links to the school server (This may the intent of the >>> 'captive portal' in xsce). >>> I suspect many users are not aware that the opening page in browse >>> is file:///home/olpc/library_pages/index.html). >>> >>> 7. Add and remove Sugar activities to achieve a standard set. It is very >>> difficult for teachers to deal with an assignment to use a specific >>> activity such as >>> Memorize only to find it is not installed on one or more XOs in >>> the class. >>> Currently, the script replaces Browse (installing a version >>> with the jsfiddle feature and causing certain mime_types to be downloaded >>> and not displayed >>> online( The current fashion in browsers is for the browser >>> to attempt to display any mime_type it knows - this is not helpful for XOs >>> where the object >>> needs to be displayed away from the server. I can't imagine >>> a school where students are given class time to read War and Peace). So, >>> for example, >>> pdfs, txt, mp3 (with one exception), mp4, epub, webm files >>> are downloaded to the Journal for offline access by Read or the Jukebox. >>> Recent versions of >>> Sugar have included documents in the Home View along with >>> Sugar activities. Another example of the quirky thinking of the developers. >>> First, the >>> library_page already includes documents stored locally. >>> However, documents in the Home View and in Browse require space on local >>> storage even >>> though only a few users may ever need access to them. With a >>> schoolserver, these documents can be located there and downloaded to the >>> Journal as needed. The script will be modified so that a >>> deployment can decide which of these to keep and which to omit. The script >>> adds the Quiz activity, and >>> replaces the Jukebox activity. The Jukebox activity is >>> retro-fitted version 26, the last version that supported gstreamer 0.1. The >>> scripts enabling playing of mp3, mp4, etc. work only with 0.1 >>> due to undocumented changes in the design of 1.0. Supposedly deprecation >>> means that the new version >>> provides all of the capabilities of the original and is >>> better. Clearly this is in the eye of the beholder. >>> >>> 8. Install needed Gnome programs as Sugar activities. >>> Currently the script installs Gcompris which includes installing >>> GCompris as a gnome application and then installing gcompris-7.xo. It also >>> intstalls the Zim >>> Desktop Wiki. The install takes two steps, install Zim as a >>> gnome application and then install the zim-7.xo Sugar activity. >>> >>> 9. Install flash support. >>> >>> 10. Install media support for mp3, mp4, webm, and m4a. >>> >>> 11. Install Libre Office as a gnome application (only on XOs with at >>> least 4GB storage). >>> >>> Tony >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On 12/23/2016 10:19 PM, Adam Holt wrote: >>> >>> On Fri, Dec 23, 2016 at 3:09 PM, George Hunt <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> pursuant to our discussion this morning, chrome on older 32 bit >>>> machines running linux will not be supported after March 2017. >>>> >>>> http://www.pcworld.com/article/3010404/browsers/googles-kill >>>> ing-chrome-support-for-32-bit-linux-ubuntu-1204-and-debian-7.html >>>> >>> >>> Fascinating if unfortunate that Google wants old hardware to just >>> magically disappear, among the global poor. >>> >>> another vote for firefox >>>> >>> >>> Noted. >>> >>> I will continue to write up the best suggestions from all @ >>> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Browser_improvements (please write your >>> suggestions directly there as well, if you so choose!) >>> >>> -- >>> Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ http://unleashkids.org ! >>> >>> -- >>> Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ http://unleashkids.org ! >>> >>> -- >>> Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ http://unleashkids.org ! >>> >>>
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