[09:06] <huats> morning
[19:58] <highvoltage> * Edubuntu Meeting in 2 minutes
[20:00] <highvoltage> right! who's here?
[20:00] <alkisg> o/
[20:00]  * Lns raises hand
[20:01] <highvoltage> I meant to send a mail to the mailing list about this meeting, I suck with stuff like that, will sned out a reminder for next week
[20:02] <highvoltage> Let's start with technical, as usual :)
[20:03] <highvoltage> mhall119: did you perhaps have some more time to look at the qimo gnome config?
[20:04] <highvoltage> ok he did say he'll be in and out
[20:04]  * dinda raises hand while holding a sandwich in the other
[20:04] <highvoltage> alpha3 is due tomorrow: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MaverickReleaseSchedule
[20:04] <highvoltage> we currently have a broken image but it should be fixed tomorrow morning, if anyone has some time to test that would be great!
[20:05] <highvoltage> dinda: glad you're here!
[20:05]  * inetpro observing
[20:06] <highvoltage> eek, my web browser always chooses the best time to freeze up :)
[20:06] <highvoltage> dinda: have you seen Gnome Nanny before?
[20:06] <dinda> highvoltage: nope, it sounds familiar though
[20:06] <dinda> I was just at Moodle Moot and some of the teachers were asking about such tools
[20:07] <highvoltage> dinda: I was about to paste you some screenshots and was going to ask you if you ever get requests for that :)
[20:07] <dinda> highvoltage: I talked to Martin dougiamas about Moodle and the state of our packaging. . .
[20:08] <highvoltage> yay chromium is alive again
[20:08] <dinda> highvoltage: I have heard requests from both parents and teachers
[20:08] <highvoltage> dinda: http://www.tectonic.co.za/2010/06/gnome-nanny/
[20:08] <dinda> highvoltage: school administrators as well
[20:08] <highvoltage> it allows limiting time using the computer, web browser, mail and instant messenger, and you can also do content filtering
[20:09] <dinda> highvoltage: the debate goes back and forth between just teaching 'smart' browsing and using a guardian program
[20:09] <highvoltage> looks nice for both small school and home setups
[20:09] <highvoltage> dinda: *nod* I can see valid arguements on both sides
[20:09] <alkisg> The only drawback I've heard about nanny was that its icon was too childish :D
[20:09] <dinda> it can't hurt to offer it to those who want it
[20:09] <highvoltage> dinda: I guess no one would find offense if we actually include something like that in edubuntu, right?
[20:10] <highvoltage> alkisg: heh, interesting :)
[20:10] <highvoltage> dinda: sorry, you were saying about moodle packaging?
[20:10] <Lns> I remember trying to install it once and failing :/
[20:10] <dgroos> I have a need to be able to manage which web addresses are accessible on the fly.
[20:10] <dgroos> is there something like that?
[20:11] <dinda> highvoltage: We were trying to figure out the status of the maintainer
[20:11] <highvoltage> dgroos: I poked around in nanny, and you can do that there from what I can tell
[20:11] <dinda> it's in universe and catalyst.nz is the maintainer
[20:11] <Lns> Yeah, i think that was before it was in a ppa
[20:11] <dinda> Martin told us he's moving the whole project over to Git. . . .
[20:11] <dgroos> highvoltage: wow--that is really handy as a way of limiting choices in a productive sense.
[20:11] <dinda> and let the flames begin. . . .
[20:12] <highvoltage> which flames would that be? git vs bzr/lp? :)
[20:12] <dinda> so he would prefer for folks to pull out of CVS and then Git when moved instead of repository
[20:12] <highvoltage> ah
[20:12] <dinda> yeah the whole git bzr/lp thing :)
[20:12] <renglaji> has anyone ever considered including School Tool http://www.schooltool.org/?
[20:13] <renglaji> sorry http://www.schooltool.org/
[20:13] <highvoltage> renglaji: we did actually include schooltool in initial edubuntu releases
[20:13] <dinda> so trying to see if there is a better way/method rather than us also hosting in universe??  i'm not sure on all of this
[20:13] <renglaji> highvoltage: but it didn't have a great reception?
[20:13] <highvoltage> renglaji: but the dependencies for it (mostly zope related) were in bad shape so it couldn't be included in the Ubuntu archives anymore
[20:13] <dinda> renglaji: someone asked me about schooltool yesterday
[20:13] <renglaji> highvoltage: I see. Thanks
[20:14] <highvoltage> renglaji: there's some good active work going into fixing that, there's now a dedicated zope maintainer, so schooltool might still make it in the archives for maverick
[20:14] <dinda> highvotalge: so I guess one, I'm curious to see if anyone might be interested in taking over the Moodle packaging
[20:14] <highvoltage> for maverick+1 we might be able to look at a school server bundle again that includes that and moodle and other useful web stuff
[20:15] <dinda> and 2 - see if we can coordinate better with Moodle and git
[20:15] <dinda> highvoltage: ok , sounds like a blueprint might be worth writing up
[20:15] <highvoltage> dinda: *nod* I just don't have an easy answer there unfortunately
[20:16] <highvoltage> dinda: yep, a blueprint might be a good way to get some good feedback/ideas
[20:16] <dinda> highvoltage: yeah me either, though Martin does promise more regular release cycles once 2.0 is out
[20:16] <dgroos> Looking at Gnome Nanny doesn't work on the fly nor can one manage groups--a basic need of classroom teachers. :(
[20:16] <dinda> so at least it "should" be a 6 month cycle starting soon
[20:16] <highvoltage> dgroos: pity
[20:16] <Lns> developers, developers, developers! =p
[20:17] <highvoltage> dgroos: so it's really more for very small classrooms or home use
[20:17] <dgroos> Yes, looks esp. for homes.
[20:19] <highvoltage> I just have one other item I need to update on, the ubiquity plugins have made some slight more progress (for configuring additional desktops and ltsp from within ubiquity), it should be in the system (although not quite functional) next week
[20:19] <highvoltage> I'll poke everyone for testing :)
[20:19] <highvoltage> I'm not sure if I've showed it in the previous meeting but the desktop chooser will look something like this: http://people.ubuntu.com/~jonathan/files/maverick/ubiquity-plugins/screenshots/desktop-env.png
[20:20] <dinda> that is Schweet!
[20:20] <highvoltage> :)
[20:20] <dinda> I haven't kept up with the sugar folks lately but curious to see how it's going over there
[20:21] <highvoltage> dinda: would be nice if you could keep us updated if you follow them, I must admit it's hard for me sometimes to keep up with what everyone is doing
[20:21]  * alkisg thinks the desktop chooser is cool!
[20:22] <dinda> highvoltage: me too!  and now hearing from NCOSE - Natl Center for Open source in Education
[20:22] <highvoltage> the new ltsp configuration from ubiquity should also be nicer than any previous setup we've had to do
[20:23] <dinda> the conference I was just at had Dell pushing LTSP, well their version built on the dell cloud
[20:23] <dinda> so not LTSP but VMware/Cisco  KACE solution
[20:23] <highvoltage> yeah
[20:23] <dinda> folks in the audience told them about LTSP
[20:24] <dinda> and one guy even invited them to his school to see his LTSP and Ubuntu lab!
[20:24] <highvoltage> nice :)
[20:24] <dinda> it made my day :)
[20:24] <uros1> Greetings from Belgrade Serbia to all. if it`s possible I have small info for Edubuntu people, I'll wait for the end of the meeting
[20:24] <highvoltage> that's why I want to get our website sorted out, to showcase those kind of schools
[20:25] <highvoltage> just waiting for a request to the sysadmins to fix permissions
[20:26] <dinda> oh if I might also mention some feedback to report from a FLOSSInclude project?
[20:26] <highvoltage> I guess that's basically it from me :)
[20:26] <highvoltage> dinda: yes please!
[20:27] <dinda> http://www.flossinclude.org/
[20:27] <dinda> We're in the final stages of writing up our case study reports
[20:27] <dinda> some great info there from all over the world on pilots to use FLOSS in education
[20:28] <dinda> the results were many things we already knew;  policy and politics not technology were the barriers
[20:28] <dinda> the good news is that the word open source is now considered mainstream if you will
[20:28] <pleia2> cool, I'd love to contribute to that once we've got our schools out here in cali documented
[20:29] <highvoltage> nice, we should link to that
[20:29] <dinda> it's no longer a hindrance to sys admins and others who fear security issues or not being able to find support
[20:29] <highvoltage> pleia2: that would be fantastic
[20:29] <dinda> so while still much work to be done, the future looks bright
[20:30] <dinda> edubuntu has a good name out there, thanks to you folks :)
[20:30] <highvoltage> yep, since the last year or so I've heard about ubuntu/free software/etc just about everywhere. overhear people talking about it at the gym, supermarkets, etc.
[20:30] <uros1> If it`s possible I have small info for Edubuntu people...
[20:30] <highvoltage> it wasn't like that 10 or even 5 years ago :)
[20:31] <dinda> i'm done
[20:31] <highvoltage> dinda: *nod* we need to make it live up to its name though :)
[20:31] <renglaji> dinda: I am in the process of researching the possibility of starting an Ubuntu/Edubuntu lab at a small school on the Tibetan plateau, do you know if FLOSSInclude will be soliciting another round of grant proposals?
[20:31] <mhall119> highvoltage: sorry I'm late
[20:31] <dinda> renglaji: great question!
[20:31] <highvoltage> mhall119: np!
[20:31] <mhall119> highvoltage: can we hit on qimo-gnome at the end of the meeting?
[20:31] <dinda> renglaji: we are looking at ways to collaborate once the initial grant ends in a few months
[20:32] <dgroos> uros1: speak!
[20:32] <uros1> ok tnx
[20:32] <uros1> Several team members expressed interest in supporting schools in two  Belgrade Municipalities (Vracar and Rakovica) where elementary schools  students use Edubuntu based programs. We plan to set up the  infrastructure to help them coordinate and improve skills, both of  teachers and students. We have the opportunity to participate in program  as a official software support.
[20:32] <dinda> renglaji: email me and I can put you touch with others  dinda  AT ubuntu.com
[20:32] <highvoltage> mhall119: I think we're pretty much there, but if you need to dissappear for a bit, I'll still be here when you get back
[20:32] <mhall119> highvoltage: cool
[20:32] <renglaji> dinda: Great! Thanks for the information.
[20:32] <uros1> Facts: Rakovica municipality – 1104 computers in 14 schools Vracar municipality – 1417 computers in 11 schools Edubuntu 9.04. - 100% localized
[20:32] <mhall119> so, looking into gconf, I have 2 options for qimo-session-gnome
[20:33] <uros1> We plan to upgrade computers to Edubuntu 10.04 LTS in October; for that purpose, LoCo members are translating additional applications.
[20:33] <mhall119> #1 is to have the qimo session keep an entirely different gconf database, for every app that uses gconf
[20:33] <dinda> uros1: wow, that is awesome
[20:33] <highvoltage> uros1: wow!
[20:33] <dgroos> uros1: cool--how long have you been setting this up?
[20:33] <mhall119> #2 is to have the qimo session set it's configs as uneditable and mandatory, this would only affect settings Qimo needs, but the user wouldn't be able to chose those settings
[20:33] <uros1> here is media coverage is on serbian, but several photos are there
[20:33] <uros1> http://www.sk.rs/2009/11/skak01.html
[20:33] <mhall119> I'm learning towards options #2
[20:33] <highvoltage> uros1: would we able to do an interview with you at some point?
[20:34] <uros1> yes and full feedback from Serbian LoCo is on the way
[20:34] <highvoltage> uros1: yay!
[20:34] <uros1> :)
[20:35] <dgroos> I'd be interested in learning how you are encouraging teachers to use them--too bad I can't do Serbian!
[20:35] <uros1> its easy,edubuntu is free...
[20:36] <highvoltage> mhall119: ok, I'll try to find some time to also look at the gconf part. it does sound kind of clunky to work with
[20:36] <dinda> uros1: I started creating some training materials for edubuntu 10.04, anyone is welcome to translate them
[20:36] <uros1> where_
[20:36] <mhall119> not really, I just have to set an ENV variable when GDM is starting the qimo session
[20:36] <uros1> sorry wrong layout where?
[20:36] <mhall119> which I already do for the Xfce session
[20:36] <dgroos> I mean, what ways are they instructionally integrated into the classroom?
[20:37] <dinda> http://learn.ufbt.net/
[20:37] <highvoltage> mhall119: yeah but the the seperate gconf database thing kind of irks me :)
[20:37] <dinda> uros1: those were on 9.10 but I'm planning to update to 10.04 soon
[20:37] <mhall119> highvoltage: which is why I'm leaning towards #2, non-changeable settings for the qimo-only settings
[20:37] <highvoltage> dinda: do you have a link to that? someone asked me for some training material just yesterday and I coulnd't remember where it was
[20:38] <dinda> highvoltage: http://learn.ufbt.net/
[20:38] <dinda> for basic Ubuntu stuff i'd point them to the Getting Started with Ubuntu manual project
[20:41] <uros1> ah, phone... sorry, well Serbian team have translated Ubuntu manual and LoCo directory, we plan to print them in hardcopy for all users
[20:42] <highvoltage> I wonder if UCLP would be a good place to consolidate some of the documentation efforts
[20:42] <uros1> we run up in government program of free educational books, and waiting for result
[20:43] <uros1> with good chance
[20:44] <highvoltage> uros1: it would be nice if you could keep in touch and let us know how that goes
[20:44] <highvoltage> uros1: we usually hang out on #edubuntu and mostly get together once a week on irc in this channel (every wednesday this time)
[20:45] <highvoltage> I badly want to see more teachers getting involved and communicating with each other, but for that we need more people like you involved :)
[20:45] <uros1> ok no problemo urosldp at gmail.com is email
[20:46] <highvoltage> thanks
[20:46] <uros1> tnx to all for greta work
[20:46] <highvoltage> mhall119:
[20:46] <highvoltage> oops,
[20:47] <highvoltage> mhall119: I'll poke you again a bit later about the gnome bits :)
[20:47] <dgroos> uros1: to you, too.
[20:47] <highvoltage> other than that, our next meeting is on 11 August at 19:00 UTC in this channel as usual
[20:48] <highvoltage> would be nice to get some good momentum going again so please write it down somewhere :)
[20:49] <mhall119> highvoltage: ok
[20:49] <highvoltage> and if anyone wants to add something to the agenda, it's up https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Edubuntu/Meetings/Agenda
[20:50] <highvoltage> meeting adjourned, find us in #edubuntu for any further questions :)
[20:50] <highvoltage> *GONG*
[20:50] <alkisg> Thanks highvoltage
[20:50] <dgroos> highvoltage: occasional chatting about it would be a useful strategy as well. goals, needs, etc--getting those out in public.  I'll try to hang a bit more on the irc though I'm out and about these days a good bit.
[20:51] <highvoltage> dgroos: thanks :)