- Image via http://wiki.laptop.org
As my son’s interest in computing grows, so do his requests for new applications and functions. Although Sugar, the default desktop environment for the OLPC, is great both in its design and function – the time required to customize .xo activities for Gabriel soon became a near impossible task.
After some digging I found a great project that tailors Ubuntu 8.10 for the OLPC. All you need is:
* an OLPC developer key ( just need to request one via the OLPC browser activity )
* the .bz2 archive of the customized Ubuntu files ( .torrent of file found here )
* a 2 GB USB key
* a 2 GB SD Card
A group of fantastic folks put some great work into this port and it works like a charm. They have outlined the installation and technical docs at the project wiki. If you have an OLPC kicking around gathering dust, this will inject some new fun and life into the machine. Once installed, you can use the Synaptic package manager to easily install new apps.
I installed Pidgin ( multi client IM app ) so my son and I can IM over GTalk and also installed Ekiga so we can make video conference calls. Both of these apps worked flawlessly with the integrated OLPC hardware.
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Image via infomo@flickr
By far the coolest new functionality now present in my son’s OLPC is its new function as eComic Reader. With some keybinding tweaks to open source app Comix, the OLPC now functions as a very slick Comic reader. The keybindings in Comix 4 allow Gabriel to use the gamepad buttons on the sides of the OLPC screen to ‘turn the pages’ without using the keyboard – so he can use it as a full screen eBook reader. For the uninitiated, digital comics are basically high res scans of book pages that are sequenced & archived in .cbr and .cbz files. The Comix reader will index imported files and allows users to tag and organize their comic collections. There are scores of fantastic sites that offer .cbr and .cbz files for download – among my favorites is the Comic Books Archive which offers up scores of Golden Age classics.