Sugar on a Stick v3 Mirabelle released

At last week's LinuxTag conference in Berlin, Sugar Labs, the organisation behind the One Laptop Per Child's XO laptop software, released Sugar on a Stick version 3.0, also known as "Mirabelle". Sugar on a Stick is a version of the free open source Sugar Learning Platform that can be installed on a bootable USB flash drive to run on a conventional desktop, notebook or netbook computer.

The latest Mirabelle release of the child-friendly operating system, now an official Fedora Spin, includes the latest 0.88 version of Sugar, which features support for 3G connections, increased accessibility and better Activity Portal integration. According to the developers, Sugar on a Stick v3 now has a smaller Activity section than its previous releases because they "realised we'll never be able to create an Activity selection suitable for all deployments". The development team have decided instead to support a core set of basic Activities in the default image, allowing users to create their own customised Activity selection.

The organisation has also released its Sugar Creation Kit, a downloadable DVD image that includes Mirabelle, a library of Sugar Activities and documentation. Discussing the new Creation Kit, Sugar Labs contributor Thomas Gilliard said, "The Sugar Creation Kit turns any PC into a Sugar on a Stick generating station. Tools and documentation are gathered on one disk; busy teachers don't have to hunt down anything. This makes it possible to work via 'sneaker net' and in a classroom behind a firewall."

More details about the Sugar on a Stick release can be found on the Mirabelle wiki and in the Sugar 0.88 release notes. Sugar on a Stick v3 is available to download from the Fedora Project spins web site. Sugar on a Stick is released under version 2 of the GNU General Public License (GPLv2).

See also:

• Sugar Labs Announces New Version of Sugar on a Stick, Educational Software for Children, press release from Sugar Labs.
• Sugar on a Stick v2 - a.k.a. Blueberry - released, a report from The H.
• Sugar on a Stick 1.0 released, a report from The H.

(crve)