XO (aka "OLPC") - getting started

I haven't had as much time as I expected to explore the wonders of the XO, but I'm starting to work on it. The first challenge is to ignore everything that you learned in order to function with MS Windows, Apple, and commercial Unix systems. Also - it helps to pretend that you're 9 years old. "What would a 9-year old do in this situation ?" is a very helpful mantra.

Internet Connectivity
The first thing I noticed is that the XO, as shipped, does not handle WPA network encryption. Since we all have (at least) WPA encryption, this is a pain in the neck. According to the FAQ at the official OLPC web site, WPA encryption will be supported by the end of December 2007. You will probably have to load the patch to another PC, and make the transfer via a USB-access device (flash memory, etc.).

In the meantime, the Support FAQ page http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Support_FAQ#Connectivity_and_the_Internet

lists several work-arounds:

• Using your (initially) free T-Mobile hot spot account (requires that you hike over to a T-Mobile hot spot location, but that should we easy with this ulta-portable XO). Support for this approach starts on this page: http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/pin.php



• Getting right into the Linux roots of the XO and manually setting up WPA access. Support for this approach starts here: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/WPA_Manual_Setting



• Avoid wireless entirely: get a USB-to-Ethernet cable. Although, I'm not sure how that will help you connect to your DSL or cable modem.

Since I want to make the XO connect to my home network, I'm going for the WPA Manual Setting. The directions were simple: the hard part was guessing which WPA version I have - the directions indicate "guess 1; if that doesn't work, try 2".

Results: I did everything, and it all looked fine. As promised, my home network showed in the XO "neighborhood" without a lock symbol (indicating that a password wasn't needed). However, I had to go through the process twice: one with WPA version 1 and once with WPA version 2. Both times, it still asked for the network password.....It's still not working - it asks for a password for the AP..... According to some responses on the wiki, I may need to update the firmware on the DSL modem. Not a pleasant task, but I'll try that next....