Xedubuntu

Summary

Xubuntu Edubuntu Ubuntu (Xedubuntu) is a version of Ubuntu that brings the lean operating environment of XFCE to the learning ehancements and manageability of Edubuntu.

Rationale

It's unfair to precondition students to a single operating environment, especially when XFCE offers such a compelling performance advantage.

Use cases

Xedubuntu aims to cover the the substantial amount of Educational users that don't need the entire Gnome stack.

The following use cases can be considered:

  • Students in a school in Alambama where they are upgrading from a woody disk and don't want to download all of the desp for gnome over their dial-up modem.
  • Really smart students who are more productive in XFCE instead of Gnome
  • Maybe some dumb kids whose teacher doesn't like Gnome, but instead prefers XFCE.

Scope

The Xedubuntu meta package will include all educational applications that depend on GTK but not on Gnome. It will also install moon buggy.

Design

Xedubuntu should be intentionally based on XFCE and Xubuntu to provide a low-footprint but still highly usable environment. Many learning tasks are very memory intensive; the desktop environment will not be used much, and so should be kept out of the way. Something like Fluxbox would be smaller, but both more of a shock for new users and more packages to maintain.

A minimal XFCE desktop should be installed with another seed. This can be shared and used by Xubuntu and Xedubuntu.

Xedubuntu should not depend on the XFCE environment if ubuntu-desktop or kubuntu-desktop; these already bring a desktop environment, and installing Xedubuntu on a system including these already would indicate that the user is simply adding Xedubuntu software rather than creating a Xedubuntu-focused installation.

Xedubuntu should bring a basic text editor, Web browser, and instant messaging client. These tools are useful for students posting on forums and coordinating remotely over AIM, YIM, MSNIM, or ICQ. A text editor is a basic must-have. Xedubuntu will include a first-start wizard to manage the default text-editor using the alternatives system. Xedubuntu will conflict with Firefox and require epiphany. The first start wizard will also pop up a message asking the user if they wish to add Ice Weeasle to their sources.list.

Implementation

Implementation is straight forward.

  • Xedubuntu artwork
  • Create a Xedubuntu metapackage
  • Establish xedubuntu and xedubuntu-devel mailing lists
  • Can we get a Xedubuntu wiki?
  • logbot needs to join #xedubuntu
  • changes to build scripts to build dailys of Xedubuntu, Xedubuntu live and Xedubuntu alternate installs
  • coordinate with mubuntu to see if there is enough interest to justify a Xedubuntumuntu.

Code

None.

Data preservation and migration

Not applicable here.

Outstanding issues

None.

BoF agenda and discussion

  • We need like a Xedubuntu art team, it would be ideal if Canonical could sponsor this and contract the project out.
  • A number of key programs need to be rewritten to remove Gnome deps.

CategorySpec

Xedubuntu (last edited 2008-08-06 16:14:50 by localhost)