Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 19 May 2008 12:59
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
Walter Bender says he’s “helping to launch Sugar Labs”, and will work closely with the developers and community members from around the world who have played the lead roles in the development of the Sugar user interface (UI).
The press release notes Bender’s impressive previous roles, which not only include the presidency of the OLPC organisation, but his executive directorship and founding member status of the Media Lab at MIT.
In addition, Bender has “participated in much of the pioneering research in the field of electronic publishing and personalised, interactive multimedia.”
Bender says that: “This is a very exciting time in the development of software for children’s education. In the first generation of the Sugar UI, the free and open-source community has demonstrated an exceptional ability to create a platform that enables children to explore the world, share their discoveries and express themselves. As a separate foundation, we will be able to advance Sugar’s development even further and make it available on multiple distributions and hardware platforms.”
The press release emphasises the importance of “promoting learning”, possibly to rub it in the face of the ‘new’ OLPC organisation, after Negroponte’s determination to focus on Windows XP, in an attempt to make the OLPC more saleable to all those third world countries.
The release states: “In order to provide a rich learning experience to as many of the world’s children as possible, it is critical to not just provide computers to children, but to ensure that the software that runs on the computers maximizes the potential for engaging in activities that promote learning: exploration, expression, and collaboration.”
Then, in what appears to be yet another dig at OLPC and Windows XP, the release notes that: “By being independent of any specific hardware platform and by remaining dedicated to the principles of free and open-source software, Sugar Labs ensures that others can develop diverse interfaces and applications from which governments and schools can choose.”
Focusing on its independence, Sugar Labs says this “ensures that the community can continue the development of a highly innovative interface that is already engaging children in learning in more than two-dozen countries worldwide” – and not have the rugged pulled out from underneath them when an organisation’s front man decides to change sides mid-stream.
So, who are the other people behind the project? Please read onto page 3.
