Allan Fields wrote:
Hi,
Yes it arrived. I was quite happy to open up my OLPC. I want to
thank all those who put the effort in. While I am currently a bit
short on cash, this little laptop was with-in budget, as it turns out
that's what Visa is for. Now let me see if I have any money left for
rent.. hmm..
I have to say I am quite pleased with the hardware for the price
however I have a few notes:
Features:
1. Connectivity: Tested wireless connectivity: the neighborhood
view works well to locate access points
*There is no ethernet port, but then one could be added by
using a USB ethernet adapter
* With such an easy to navigate network browser, it is simple
to use (but note bug below)
2. Durability: It with-stands the cold weather test, though the
directions warn not to drop or submerge in a pool of water such as
puddles, toilets, ponds or deep swimming pools. I am sure the handle
has sufficient grip, right? I used it while walking down the street
and also indoors on the Sofa;
3. Accessibility: The display is great. The keyboard works fine,
however:
* At first there where a few keys that I had to find the
meaning for (there was no printed documentation, though it proved
intuitive anyway)
* Tested ebook mode, one issue - navigation is difficult
- How to remap the keycodes for the lcd panel buttons? (I
asked on IRC, and looked at the keymap files, but am open to suggestions)
4. Power: Battery charge and discharge, so far works as expected,
the lifetime was reasonable on the go, we shall see how long term is
[[ This handy little laptop is a convenient distraction to take my
mind of the stress of what I view as potential attempts on my life,
which is really upsetting for a peace loving, technical consultant to
have to handle. If you all have a beef with me, send an email, I'm
just trying to make a living in high-tech. Try using less forceful
means of getting your messages across or you all might get a knock at
your doors.
I don't take such things lightly, and neither do the authorities.
I've already contacted the federal authorities and I am sure adequate
evidence will prove or disprove the guilt of all those involved. I
myself am personally insulted that my life has been put in such
disregard, no matter what you think of me professionally or
personally, that's no excuse.
I don't care what you think of yourselves: self-styled vigilantly
hipsters, gangsters or mafia.. if you have some plan on my life, I am
assured, you the would-be assassin will loose the bet, because you
would be violating against Cross, Crown and Country. ]]
Bugs (as of yet unreported, ideas?):
1. Browser crashes are not uncommon;
2. Sometimes sugar crashes unexpectedly;
3. Navigation is a bit problematic, how-to file browse/open the
saved files in Sugar directly?
* I installed Opera as suggested at:
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Opera .. this works but it sometimes refuses
to refresh when switching between tasks.
4. Keyboard:
* The keyboard a few times stuck such that the key didn't
release, though that is a minor issue and simply repressing/depressing
the keypad seems to work
* Keys tend to have an issue with Meta keys getting stuck or
something causing random key sequences instead of proper behavior
(Alt-Tab instead of Tab and Ctrl-a vs. a?),
5. The network browser when clicking on an access point, sometimes
doesn't respond, until clicking multiple times, perhaps this is
specific to the access point I'm using and connection issues?
6. Cannot get MP3s to play, the mp3s on a memory stick show up but
can't find an application to support
-- Installing xmms works but still doesn't play mp3s due to
licensing
Notes:
1. Had to enable some more repositories, I just copied over
yum.repos.d from another machine
2. 4GB SD memory shows up fine, automounts as expected, same for
USB key stick -- you can easily access these in /media
Future/Ideas:
1. Has no touch screen (not to complain, but this could be
viewed as problematic)
-- One idea is mounting an pliable external touchscreen as
discussed on #olpc, these are available and a driver could be hacked
up to make this workable.. or I could just wait for OLPC to integrate
this feature into the laptop
2. Outfit with minimal X-Window environment for office tasks
3. External VGA/video over USB for projector hook-ups?
4. Outfit as a network analyzer w/ external USB ethernet
5. Camera server/remote monitoring
Thanks,
Allan Fields <afields [ at ] ncf [ dot ] ca>
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Allan:
Interesting synopsis on the OLPC. It seems to be exactly what it was
supposed to be.
I've bought a couple of the eeepc boxes for similar duties. I have to
say I'm really impressed so far. I've got Beryl working and performance
on the box is far better than I expected. It does have the built in
Ethernet and external VGA, so it may be an easier platform to work with.
I've intended to buy an OLPC if for nothing more than to support the
concept.
Much more interesting report on your .... people problems. I'm out of
it as far as this kind of thing goes - living and working in the burbs
and not attending the meetings I'm not aware of any of this. What's
going on? Are OCLUG people involved?
Cheers,
Bill Strosberg