Scratch

Thanks for taking the time to write about this. Samsung has a commercial license to use the Scratch code. This is an entirely different license from the Scratch source code license. Samsung arranged this license in advance and they are using the Scratch code in complete compliance with their license. Under this license, Samsung is NOT required to share the source code, and they are allowed to use it in a commercial application.

Thanks again for mentioning this.

Wow. I just took a look at their site, which wins for most verb-subject agreement problems per square inch...

I do like the general idea, though. It would be cool to be able to make a quick program on your blackberry and send it around.

On another topic, Andres, didn't I hear that there was some form of scratch for second life in progress?

Jens wrote:

Very interesting!

I just registered, downloaded and hacked into it

... hacked into it? that doesnt sound good... lol

Yeah, it would really be neat if you cold program on your cell phone. As far as I understand Samsung, Softboard is basically just a java player for their customized Scratch variant.

jens wrote:

and hacked into it

okay now it just souds weird

Jens wrote:

Very interesting! ...I love the idea, however, to quickly develop mobile apps (but I believed MIT would do this themselves).

Softboard is great and works on my Nokia 3600 slide so not just samsung phones. It is a cut down version of scratch with only keys 0-9 for example (although it does add call a number from the phone). They create a JAR file on the website which you copy as an application onto the mobile. Is there a way to modify a normal scratch application and add scratchapplet.jar to it to run on a phone ? Anyone got a normal scratch application to run on a mobile ?

JSO wrote:

But the final Jar tkaes up way to much space and memory

Yeah.... the software is a little rough and has not been touched since 2007. There is a lot missing possibly because of the limitations on the phone but still I am impressed.

My first application compacted to 80KB and runs absolutely fine on a nokia slide 3600. There is a lot cut out of the system - no pen up or pen down for example. I am not sure why they chopped stuff out but if a phone can run java then surely it can run most of the scratch functionality and you should need just to limit the keypresses and maybe mp3 files - everything else might run after all.

Shame that they do not seem to be updating the software. Maybe if we all used the site a little more and gave them some praise it woould be better.... maybe MIT should write a version for mobiles (just change screen size and chop out the keypresses ?).... or maybe someone can work out how to get a proper scratch file running on a mobile.

I got some projects developped for softboard to work on a nokia 3600 slide:

- ballgame (77kb, by redware): works
- highway chase (62Kb, by JSO): almost works (the cars keep flickering up/down)
- pong 4 (51Kb, by JSO): works
- rescue rel (92Kb, by ju3310): doesn't work (out of memory)
- tetris (74Kb, by s_federici): doesn't work (out of memory, but it contains "illegal" blocks imported from Scratch 1.3)

So it would seem that the main problem is the memory. But then I uploaded to the nokia 3600 some heavier projects (not developed with softboard):

- Super Mario Planet (306kb): works
- Attack Chopter (104Kb): works

Any idea of what is the problem with softboard? Or any suggestion about a mobile phone (maybe by samsung    ) that would allow all projects developed with softboard  to run without problems?

Thanks