I will say that I am not a typical student (I’m not a student of UNL at all) – I use Linux at home, I try new applications on a very regular basis, I am committed to open source and open standards. I have talked to several students, though, and I am a student myself, and currently have the joy of having to use web based Outlook for my student email through Missouri-Columbia.

The first thing that immediately came to mind after I watched both presentations was: Google looks easy, Microsoft looks hard. I wish I had attended the tech meetings for the two companies, maybe then I could get a better idea of how easy or hard integration would be. Just as far as usability goes, though, Microsoft Live looks complex, has lots of options, and generally suffers from the same kind of feature bloat we have come to expect from Microsoft products. This could be a good thing, if you are a long time Microsoft user. You already know where things are and what features to look for. But if you are not a Microsoft user, this can be very annoying. Google, on the other hand, looked clean with a few well chosen features.

Both services offer POP/IMAP email access- so if you don’t want to use the web email interface, you don’t have to. That said, I can’t ignore my preference for Gmail. The email threading feature alone has made the switch to Gmail absolutely worth it. The Microsoft interface is very nice looking, but looked slow and clunky and, of course, the “premium” version only works with Internet Explorer. If you use any other browser, you get a stripped down “lite” version. It is true that Gmail, too, has a stripped down HTML version, but I can get to both Gmail versions from most of my browsers.

Both services offer 24×7 tech support. Both services offer no advertising to current students. It was my understanding that alumni get advertising. Google mentioned faculty and staff frequently, and it was clear that they would love to take over all the campus’s email. Microsoft spoke a lot about integrating with our existing faculty and staff email and calendaring service (Lotus Notes), although he did make a couple of overtures to the fact that he’d love to switch us to Outlook. The Microsoft guy, of course, talked a lot about exchange and how standard it is and how well it works with existing systems.

In fact, the main thing Microsoft has going for it at this point is that it can integrate rather well with existing email applications. Microsoft email can tap into the existing global address books and provide student address books to the traditional email. From a tech point, this could be a deal breaker, I’m not sure. I think most students won’t have a problem with quickly looking for a faculty member’s email address on www.unl.edu, but faculty members are quite used to being able to access student email addresses from inside the email client.

Google, on the other hand, has collaborative features going for it. Microsoft offers collaboration via Microsoft Office Live – which requires students use Microsoft Office if they want to edit online documents. According to the Microsoft guy, Office Live documents are versioned every 12 hours or when you tell them to, rather than every time you make an edit like in Google Docs. The sharing features are just clunky in Office Live, especially compared to Google Docs’ simple interface. Google just wins in the matter of collaboration, hands down. Teachers should never have to tell students to go out and by Word to effectively collaborate.

Google talked a lot about outsourcing IT, while Microsoft talked about integrating IT into existing structures. I got the impression that the Microsoft way might mean more job security for IT employees, which is probably not accidental: IT’s perceptions of a product play heavily into these decisions, and if they say no a project is out. Google said IT people would be freed to work on more innovative technology uses, which sounds good in theory.

One thing that definitely left an impression on me (and this is where my biases come into play) is that the Google guy talked a lot about open standards and working across platforms – he always said Mac, PC and Linux. Most people just pretend no one uses Linux. Microsoft, on the other hand, treated non-Microsoft users as second class and almost non-existent. At one point, someone asked what the Microsoft solution would be like for Linux users, and the Microsoft presenter said (not quoting because I don’t have an exact quote) well, Linux users are mostly desktop client email users anyways, and they can still access the lite version of the web mail, which will probably be fine for them. He then went on to generalize about Mac users and how they need a very simple user experience, because they aren’t very technical. I found this funny since most of the more techie people I know use macs, but I digress. Another person asked if the Microsoft Office Live collaboration features would work with the Mac version of Office, and the presenter didn’t know.

<rant>
It also became painfully clear that Microsoft expects others to do the R&D to make their web mail platform browser agnostic. The Microsoft presenter mentioned several times that they were working with the Firefox people to get them to change Firefox so the Microsoft web mail would work. They said they’re working with “our friends in Cupertino” to make Safari work better, but that Apple was not as cooperative. This really bugged me- it’s the web application developer’s job to make the site work for the browser, not the other way around. He also said Safari doesn’t use javascript, which of course isn’t true.
</rant>

OK, now that have that out of my system…

One thing I did like about Microsoft’s presentation is that the presenter said that some schools have chosen to use both Google and Microsoft systems. Google didn’t mention this.

A few other small differences

Google

• Lets you brand with the university icon.
• Provides a start page (iGoogle, pretty much).
• Is working with open source course management systems like Sakai and Moodle
• Will let pretty much anyone associated with the university get a branded email, including parents of students, etc., though only current students and staff will get ad free interfaces.
• Went over privacy policy fairly well – “we do not claim ownership of your data.”

Microsoft

• Also talked about a service called “Skydrive” – basically an online thumbdrive. 1 gig for now, more later.
• Seemed to think everyone uses MSN messenger. (?)
• Did live demo of products, which Google didn’t do.
• IT has more control- can go in and trace emails, see if one was sent, etc. Not sure if they can do this with Google- but would they want to?
• Microsoft’s calendar will support iCal format.

What I want

I’m still not 100% sure on the idea of student email outsourcing, but from a pricing standpoint, it makes so much sense that it is probably inevitable. I do love the Google suite of products, and I really like that they play a little nicer with different OS’s, so I hope they either choose Google or leave the choice up to the students. I have a hunch most students will choose Google, but maybe not- in any case, it should be the student’s choice. In my ideal world, the student would be able to get a free for life POP/IMAP address that could be used with any email program and was not tied to an outside service, but I suppose I’m just dreaming on that front, huh?

Then there are the applications I can’t quite seem to ditch completely, at home and work: Acrobat, for PDF creation and tweakage; Photoshop, for batch processing and the occasional thing GIMP doesn’t do; Windows Movie Maker for occasional simple movie editing, and a few other bits and pieces. Then there’s the fact that I can’t watch ABC.com TV shows or download MP3 albums from Amazon.com without Windows or a Mac.

What frustrates me is that some of this is because I’m just used to doing things a certain way, and some is because stupid content providers unnecessarily lock me out of using Linux and/ or open source applications. Little is actually because there is a problem with the open source solution (though sometimes it is- the lack of an open source video editor that is really truly simple is a constant annoyance.)

Sometimes, when I’m knee deep in trying to find a command line solution for breaking my xorg.conf file (AGAIN) I wonder why exactly I torture myself this way. I do look longingly at all the pretty shiny Macs I see at conventions- I loved my iMac and almost never had problems with it (until the monitor died that is. Now it makes a decent cat bed.) It’s easy for me to think my life would be so much easier if I just had a Mac, but the truth is, it wouldn’t. I would not want to give up the Linux only programs I have come to know and love, so I would then be using three operating systems instead of two. (Yeah, I know about parallels. I wouldn’t mind trying it if I can afford a Mac someday.)

The truth is, frustrating as it is for me, I like pushing my computers and seeing what they can do. I like fiddling with settings and plugins, and there’s no better system to do that on than Linux. I also like fiddling with the constellation of ever changing devices in my house and finding new ways I cam make them talk to and work with each other.

I also really like knowing that I created something entirely with open source tools, because it demonstrates what I already know: Open source can be used for most everyday tasks. I’ve seen presentations on open source where the slides were designed in keynote. Truth is, open source applications won’t get better unless people actually use them, and give feedback, and file bug reports at least occasionally. No one wants to work on software that no one will use- so if I want open source software to get better, I have to use open source.

The good news is, the software is getting better. I can’t count the number of times I’ve spent hours trying to fix a broken display or trying to solve an audio problem to find the solution weeks or months later, either wrapped up in a nice little GUI program or at the least detailed instructions even a command line newb like me can follow. Ubuntu’s 6 month release cycles mean that every 6 months, they add features that make something that was hard for me easy.

A lot of people avoid open source because they see it as unnecessarily hard- and I can’t say that I haven’t had experiences that prove that point. BUT, I have also found some open source programs that are delightful to use (Inkscape comes to mind, as does AbiWord, and out of the box Ubuntu.) If you believe in the open source movement at all, if you think it has potential, if the idea of community supported and built software is appealing, you have to use the software – at least occasionally.

One of the easy ways to start is to try portableapps.com – all open source programs, all packaged so you can run them even if you don’t have permissions to install software. These don’t have to be installed on a USB drive- you can install them right to your desktop, C drive, or anywhere else you want. You can also request a free Ubuntu Live CD- it’ll take a while to get to you, but it’s a low effort way to try out Linux without changing anything on your current system. For those more adventurous, you might try installing Edubuntu on an older machine for a child. Libraries can start small by setting up just one public terminal with some flavor of Linux and open source applications- perhaps gOS would be a friendly start.

I suppose this is a call to action of sorts. Give open source a chance- you may find something you like.

I tried to use Ubuntu to present, but had trouble connecting to the projector- which means I had to cut an entire section of the presentation – the part where I am actually demoing Sugar. I need to get better at being prepared for these snafus and acting on them quickly. Also, I need to get a firmer handle on how to use Ubuntu to project.

My thanks goes out to everyone that attended! I am told a video of the presentation will be up sometime.

We have been using the same tired old metaphors for computers for a long time. I look at my computer with its desktop metaphor (clean at work, cluttered at home, as in real life) and think there’s got to something better. Recently, there have been advances to file management- much of it online. Take Flickr for example. Flickr automatically stores all your files in a big, long, chronological list. You can then organize your files in many ways- you can associate words with them (tagging) put them into sets, or, if you pay for the pro account, put the sets into collections. One photo can be several places- in a few sets, tagged with a bunch of words. This makes it easier to find. There’s no reason that our computers can’t work the same way. Why should I have to think of where to put my document when I stop working? Why do I have to remember to save? Why do I have to decide if this file should go in this or that folder- when it could just as easily go in both? The more I become accustomed to organizing files online, the more I have come to hate the artificial limitations placed on my by my computer- and that goes for all the operating systems.

OLPC with old iMac keyboard hooked up

One of the things I love about Sugar (the XO laptop’s OS) is that the programmers rethought the entire process of using the computer. Ever since windows were introduced, they have been incorporated in most every OS – but are they useful? Did anyone ever stop to ponder whether they work more productively with windows?  Now, we’re so used to tabs in web browsers and multiple windows open that we can’t even imagine just looking at one website at a time – or maybe that’s just me. Sugar eliminates most of the distractions that make it so hard for me to get anything done on my computer. No endless ways to customize the desktop, no way to arrange and re-arrange menus, no folder structure to clean up and rearrange- just my files and my programs. I am finding that when I want to write, I want to use the OLPC – because I know that I’m less likely to be distracted on there than on my “real” computer(s). I am especially starting to love the journal – that’s Sugar’s file management program – and the fact that the computer automatically saves my work for me.

So when I hear complaints that the OLPC isn’t any good because it doesn’t manage files like a traditional computer, I have to laugh. Similarly, when I hear people complain because it doesn’t play YouTube videos, I giggle a little. It’s not that there’s nothing educational on YouTube, but I’d say I have used the site more to avoid learning things. I think the developers have done a wonderful job on the XO and on Sugar. Like others, I think Sugar, especially, has huge potential for learning. I would love to see sugar pre-bundled as an alternate login for Edubuntu. I see endless ideas for the XO popping up, like Jovi’s idea of getting a Hypercard like program to run on the XO. I’m so excited abotu the project, and can’t wait to see what’s next.

Tomorrow (January 23) I am giving a brown bag at my work about Zotero and RefWorks. I’m comparing the two citation management systems, and trying to make a case for supporting both. Full slides and notes will be up tomorrow.

In comparing the two products, I could think of many reasons why one might choose to use one over the other- a graduating student might not want to pay the $100/year fee, a mobile student might want something that he or she can access from many different computers without having to carry around a key drive. I hope that my presentation is balanced, even through I prefer Zotero.

If anyone (in Lincoln) would like to see this, it’s in Love Library, LIR room, 11:30 AM.

One Laptop Per Child: Laptops designed for learning

Next Friday, February 1st I will present on the One Laptop Per Child project, the XO laptop, and especially the operating system Sugar. The more I use Sugar, the more I like it- so much that I decided not to try to install Xubuntu on the XO after all.

Here’s the official description:

The One Laptop Per Child (http://laptop.org) project’s goal is “To provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves.” To that end, the XO laptop is a machine created explicitly for children and learning. Karin Dalziel will demo the XO laptop, give a tour of the operating system, called “Sugar,” and explain how features of the laptop are custom made for education.

This is at the Nebraska Library Commission, Friday, February 1, at 12:00 noon.

If you are going to go to the 2nd presentation (and don’t work at the Commission) let me know.

I added a step 4 to go with step three, so that I could use use a Creative Commons licensed photo. The previous directions just pulled from Flickr’s “interesting” page, of which very few are CC licensed.

1. The first article title on the Wikipedia Random Articles page is the name of your band.
2. The last four words of the very last quotation on the Random Quotations page is the title of your album.
3. Use the random word generator to generate a word.
4. Use the word to search FlickrStorm (creative commons licensed photos) and the third picture will be your album cover. Or just choose any image.
5. Use your graphics program of choice to throw them together, and post the result.

Article Title: The World Famous Pontani Sisters
Random Quotation: The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. – Bertrand Russell
Random word: Tread
Image: Tired Cone by Travis Gray

Software & Hardware: Wacom Bamboo Tablet, ArtRage 2 (Through Wine), Gimp, Inkscape, Ubuntu 7.10

If you wanna do it, consider yourself tagged. Be sure to let me know in comments!

First, I am so very happy with the purchase. It is, indeed, a machine for children. It’s small, it’s fun, and, most importantly, the programs encourage creativity over productivity. This is the single biggest advantage of the OLPC. There are a limited number of programs, to be sure, but the programs play together very well, and make me want to make things just for fun.

One of my favorite features of the OLPC is the built in camera and photo/video taking software. You can turn the computer into a photo booth contraption, which is quite fun (and something I know I would have LOVED as a kid.) The camera is not very high quality (the recordings are no better than most cell phone cameras, the photos are 640×480.) but it looks pretty good on the XO screen, which, for most kids, is all that’s important.

When you take a picture, it’s automatically logged in the “journal” – the combo file system and system activity log. The journal is a hard concept to wrap your head around at first. Instead of saving files to a hard drive in a particular folder, everything is saved chronologically. You then have the option to go in and tag the photos to organize them, add a description, etc. You files are searchable through the journal interface, so finding something is a matter of either remembering a keyword, when it was done, etc. Since everything is logged, parents can easily check on what a kid has been doing.

I didn’t like the journal system of saving files at first. It’s just so different from the way I am used to dealing with files on a computer- but really, it’s much like the way I save, say, blog posts or Flickr photos. Now that I have used the system a big more, I like it a lot. The file system is built into the computer, so when I go to upload a picture to Flickr, I’m presented with the journal interface to find the file, not the place where the file actually is on the computer. Incidentally, uploading to Flickr takes a very long time – mostly because it takes forever for the journal/finder/exploreish interface to come up. I’m hoping someone will hack the system to either add a quick Flickr upload feature or make it possible to upload to Flickr straight from the record (photobooth) program.

There is a terminal program, so one can still navigate to files (via command line) and copy them elsewhere. I have not delved into command line much- I know how to bring up the terminal through the applications, and how to switch the computer to text only , but then I’m asked for an admin name and password, which I don’t have. I’m wondering if I missed the login name and password somewhere?

The other thing I really like about the interface is how sharing between applications is built in. You can take a picture and send it to another program, or use the journal to open up a documents from one application in another application. I think the collaborative features across the mesh network will be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to try out the collaborative features with other OLPC owners (right now, I know of my mom and my co-worker. If there are others, let me know!)

A few other random observations and thoughts:

The touchpad works pretty well- better than a lot of laptops I have had, actually. I don’t know what’s up with the two areas to the right and left of the touchpad, though. I read that they were supposed to be a stylus sensitive area, but there’s no stylus, and nothing I have works on it.

Although the touchpad is good, in some programs it is a little laggy, most noticeably in the drawing program. this makes it near impossible to draw anything, which is a shame. I’m sort of hoping that either a future generation will have a touch screen (it seems a natural fit) or that they come out with a drawing device. I see tremendous creative possibility here, but it’s a little stilted right now.

The python program Pippy looks like a lot of fun, but isn’t really all that useful for learning python without another source- unless I’m missing something. It would be great if they could get a combo textbook/programming environment like Hackety Hack on the OLPC. I think Pippy will be a very nice place for me to teach myself programming, though.

The word processing program underlines misspelled words, but I can’t find a way to replace the word with the correct one. This may be a feature, though. For me, having spellcheck always available as a kid probably would have made me an even worse speller than I already am.

The keyboard is tiny. I can actually type fairly quick on it – but I have small hands and I can’t type that fast anyway. You can hook up a USB keyboard and it works just fine. Hooking up a mouse works too. I really like the springy feel of the keys.

The black and white feature is OK. It really is beautiful and clear, but the contrast just isn’t that good. I think the device has tremendous potential as an e-book reader, though. I hope that the screen technology gets even better (though I am quite pleased with it as is.)

Networking is a little spotty. The machine will always pick up the unsecured networks around us, but I have only been able to pick up our in house (secured) network once. The other times it just hasn’t shown up. When I did connect via our network, the web experience was pretty zippy.

Design video from karindalziel on Vimeo.

If you link over to the vimeo page, on the bottom right, you can download the full size Windows Media version. Feel free to do with it as you will.

I am a little ambivalent about this project. I think the concept was good, but I feel I could have illustrated my points more clearly.

I used CamStudio and I may have used recordMyDesktop to record the screen. I used Inkscape for the design of the flier, and Windows Movie Maker to put it all together. I also used Power Point for the slides (I just got Office 2007 and wanted to play) but I could have used Open Office Impress just as easily.

I started out trying to do this entirely with open source software, but settled for free (as in free beer) software. Video editing, unfortunately, still has a ways to go. But it is getting better- I have no doubt that soon I’ll be able to ditch Windows Movie Maker as well.

I couldn’t help it.

(citation generated with Zotero, using the new ability to capture citation information from Flickr.)