Scratch

sparks wrote:

bigreader wrote:

INTERVIEW TIME!!!


1. Are there any major changes... other than new blocks and a new category?
yes, the variables have been reordered, you can create new variables in the code, and the variable dropdown in variable blocks is a text box so that currently non-existent variable names can be typed in. We also (will) have the ability to type into watchers. Furthermore, we have included a news feature that pops up when you start Panther and tells you what's going on.

2. What will you do for security? The [open URL] block has been pointed out for danger when it has been suggested before, and the File blocks also pose some hazards.
we do not have an open URL block for those exact reasons. our "URL" block reads the HTTP code from a webpage and reports it, it does not open a browser. We also have very unsubtle warning messages for all I/O features in Panther. To stop files in the computer being damaged by the "clear" and "write to" file blocks, we are going to cordon the file address path off so you can only edit files in a specially created folder in the Panther folder. This "sandboxing" technique will eliminate the risks posed by these blocks.

3. How many of the features do you think should be in future versions of Scratch?
We understand that many of our new features are for slightly advanced users, and for that reason, I think the file blocks as well as the new, more intergratable but harder to use variable types would not be adopted by Scratch, but we do think that providing more keys for the "key [space] pressed" block and hat as we have done would be much appreciated. I think many of the artists and fractural drawing Scratchers would love to see the new "colors" category too, as so much can be achieved with them, as well as our webcam integration blocks.

4. Is Panther recommended for the same age group as Scratch?
No, Scratch is aimed at young people from 10 up, and surveys show that the vast majority of Scratchers are aged 10-13. Panther is not exactly aimed at an age group because we believe that age isn't really a definition of programming ability when you look at the current scratch community. Instead we simply aim to provide more functionality and integratability for Scratchers who feel they are ready for a small step higher, regardless of age.

5. Will the sharing feature be up and running with the release of Panther, or is that coming later?
The sharing feature will hopefully be a way to entice users to continue to program with Panther, we think that one of the main reasons Scratch is so popular, and other mods have nowhere near as many users is that people cannot share their projects. We will probably release Panther 1.0 without the sharing site, simply because the site is going to take a while and people want us to "release it already!". The next update should hopefully come with sharing options to our site, as well as the distant, only lightly thought about at the moment by us option to convert to "EXE" projects.

6. Will new blocks have help screens, like the currently existing ones? BYOB, Streak, and other mods have no new screens, but is this due to a lack of a way to add new ones in?
We haven't given that much thought yet, but it is a very good idea. We shall have to look into it, though you could argue that since Panther is aimed at people familiar with scratch, and capable of learning through experimentation, the help options are not really necessary. As it is, we are releasing Panther 1.0 with a German translation for all the blocks and hopefully the new menus too as I come from Switzerland. Other translations could be supplied by the community if they wanted.

7. Will any existing blocks be removed?
as far as I'm aware, the only block we are removing is the "size" blocks, as we have replaced them with individual blocks for vertical and horizontal stretching. The block may not be removed though, we are still deciding.

8. Will the release be open source? If not, will the source code be released?
The first release will definitely not be open source, as there are a lot of forum topics currently ripping code from mods and distributing them without credit (something that will be a violation of Panther's terms of service.) and we have already had a few pieces of code taken from us and redistributed without credit. It does not feel nice, to not have our hard work acknowledged. Future releases of Panther will likely be open source if the current ripping "craze" dies down, as we still support Scratch's views on sharing, we want people to be able to learn from our changes in Panther, not steal them.

9. Will there continue to be updates with bug fixes and new blocks, like Scratch?
Of course, we plan to update regularly, and fix as many of the reported glitches as possible. Thanks to our new news feature, a box that pops up when you start Panther, people will know what's going on with us, including links to pages where glitches can be reported, and notifications when new versions are released.

10. Is there a definitive date of the public release? If so, when?
Sadly, I have no idea when it will be released. We are just fixing the last few problems at the moment, so it shouldn't be long.

I hope this answers all your questions, you can visit our site at pantherprogramming.weebly.com (direct link to site)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!          I can't wait until the release of Panther!!!

Haha, I guess you distribute it to collecters in the future when we're all famouse    (don't release them till we make Panther open-source though, those versions have the dev menu)

Here's an update about our block quality options. We have the standard scratch blocks, but we also have high quality, and low quality for slow computers and large projects.

that's how I first spotted it

woot!!!!

sparks wrote:

Here's an update about our block quality options. We have the standard scratch blocks, but we also have high quality, and low quality for slow computers and large projects.
http://www.weebly.com/uploads/4/0/7/6/4 … 97.jpg?626

I can't really see that, because it is a jpg and that format makes the file a bit odd...

You mean PNG.

but yes, PNG would be a good one to change it too, it's just not the one I was on about.

er.... thank you for that wholly constructive comment... the joke nearly killed my by the way O_o

What about .pan? That might be ok? But you can still use already used file extensions. Smallbasic uses the same file extension as scratch. (.sb)

what's .sb short for anyway? scratch binary file?

probably

do we even know how to change the output file type?