When I think of Open Source, I generally think of adults who contribute to communities to build and modify software that anyone can use.  It has never really triggered the thought of kids, classrooms or education, though… until now.

Sugar Labs, a company founded by the former software president of the One Laptop Per Child project, has released a product called Sugar on a Stick.  It’s a "Linux-based learning environment" that boots from a USB drive and is designed for children’s ease of use.  All a child has to do is plug in the USB drive to any computer, boot it, and they’ll be working in the same computing environment they’re used to with all their own files. 

What does this mean?  It means that a child can go to school, work on classwork, homework, notes, etc, with the ability to complete those same exact tasks in any location.  It meants that parents will no longer be tasked with buying expensive software. It means that school systems can use older, slower computer systems and can upgrade less, which frees up money for other initiatives.  It means that same student could come to the library and work in the computing environment that they’re used to.  It means that libraries like Howard County, who are partners in education with the local school systems, could potentially further integrate and provide seamless interaction from school to the library.

It means that more resources will be available to more children.

Learn more about the role free and open source software will play in educational institutions, including libraries and schools, for years to come by reading about Sugar-on-a-Stick

Sounds delicious, no?

Photo courtesy of miss_curse_10        

Taking a page from our successful Highly Recommended blog, Open Source is heading down a new path with an updated name - Open Source: Collaborative Suggestions. The very heart of open source is about collaboration, participation, and giving back to the open source community.  We feel this new name reflects those values.

Just as Highly Recommended suggests books, music, movies, and events to our customers, Open Source: Collaborative Suggestions will highlight interesting people in the open source community, materials in our collection about open source, and open source web sites. We will encourage our readers to interact and collaborate with us.

We hope the new path will produce value for the community by generating conversation, educating those who maybe unfamiliar with open source, connecting people with resources, and encouraging folks to try open source products.