Well, after almost a month, my ooBug arrived today. I opened the
package and removed the packing slip which reads:

1 ooBug ooBug Education Robot with booklet

No booklet. In fact, no documentation of any sort. So I go to
http://www.ooBug.com
. They are still saying that they are working on their web site. I
click on the link to the OOBug Yahoo group. I look in the files
section hoping to find some documentation. Under files there is a
folder for the ooBug Users Manual. I open it to find ... it is empty.

Well, there is the BioLab installer. That folder is not empty. I am
hoping that somewhere in there I will find something that tells me how
to assemble the ooBug.

I try to install the software. Seems it has no extension so Windows
doesn't know what to do with it. I add ".exe" to the end of the file
name and now windows can install it. The readme file tells me not to
use the tutorials as it will crash BioLab. Great.

I get BioLab running and try to use the "Browse Directory" under
"File" in an attempt to find a program to load. That doesn't work. I
try File>Open and manage to find a program to load. I load the line
follower program.

I start poking around at the objects. Just for grins I right-click on
an object and then select "Help Page". I get the error message:

Help File: "ovar.htm" not found.
Please update help files.

I try this for several objects and get the same message for every one.
Only the file name changes.

So, let's recap ...

1. It takes a month to get the ooBug to me even though the web site
says it is in stock. Even the packing slip says 9/11/2008. Maybe UPS
misdelivered it. Hmm, looking back on the UPS tracking I see that they
picked up the package on 9/29. I wonder what happened to it from 9/11
to 9/29?

2. The packing list says ooBug and manual. No manual.

3. The web site is down.

4. The Yahoo Group has a manual in its file section ... uh ... no it
doesn't.

5. I do manage to download and install the software ... after I rename
the installer so it will run. No docs for the objects.

6. I give up.

This is a joke. You know, even when I have done one-off quick-n-dirty
projects for people I have done a better job than this.

And to think I was considering replacing all our Parallax Scribblers
and BoeBots with ooBugs. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

--

Brian Lloyd Granite Bay Montessori
brian AT gbmontessori DOT com 9330 Sierra College Blvd.
+1.916.367.2131 (voice) Roseville, CA 95661, USA
http://www.gbmontessori.com