Scratch

What is the procedure to translate the reference manual?

Is it possible to add me to the BYOB-alpha mailing list? My address is [e-mail removed by moderator]

Thanks!

[Moderator Edit: For safety reasons, posting e-mails on the Scratch Forums is discouraged. Please refrain from posting e-mail addresses in the forums. Scratch On!].

Last edited by cheddargirl (2010-10-06 19:19:19)

MMSequeira wrote:

Hi!

After a few days using BYOB (I used it today for the first time in class!), I got a few ideas of simple improvements. Here they are:

* Allow internationalization of the comments' text and of custom block label segments. This would be a big step towards making BYOB projects truly internationalized.
yes, this would be nice.

* Allow comments inside custom blocks. They would be very useful in code given to the students for study, improvement or refactoring.
I've wanted this for a while!

* Allow drag and drop between different BYOB instances. Often I find myself with two BYOB environments open and wanting to copy blocks or scripts between them.
already possible

* Allow custom blocks to store free blocks, since they are useful during development. During development it is usual (for me, at least) to build parts of the scripts or of commands which are not yet integrated into the block script. It would be nice if they were stored from editing session to editing session.
like allowing un-connected blocks in the block editor? That would be very nice.

* Add default value to boolean inputs. Is just feels strange that you cannot do it. Maybe with lists also.
you could initialize them with your default value at the beginning of your method

* Add tooltips to the debug dialog buttons. It is not very clear what the do.
you'll get used to it.

* Add some way to select a bunch of blocks (maybe using shift-drag to draw a rectangle around the blocks). This would make it much easier to rearrange your script area, especially when you have a lot of free blocks floating around for testing purposes.
I can't even tell you how many times I've wanted this.

* Add an apply button to the block editor so that you may try the block without exiting the editor just to open it again. This would be great. Today, in class, I slowly developed a bunch of block to get the students started. This process is often incremental. It would be very nice if you could test the blocks without closing the editor.
good idea! It would make debugging a lot easier.

Do you think these suggestions make any sense?

Thanks!

Manuel

"MMSequeira wrote:

After a few days using BYOB (I used it today for the first time in class!), I got a few ideas of simple improvements. Here they are:"

Be patient. If I am beginning to learn portuguese language, I'll not ask (to whom ?) to change its grammar/vocabulary because I'm not comfortable with its difficulties ( ah these awful verbs conjugaisons !! ) compared to the english language.

To give you just one example :  when you want to create a new function, start by using the Script area + the block (very useful) SCRIPT VARIABLES. Only at the end of the necessary test period, start using the block editor, adapting accordingly the variables status. Much more efficient that opening/closing at length the Block Editor !

This link gives many Byob examples written within only one trimester :

http://www.xleroy.net/ByobTuto/thumbnails.htm


You will see that after some weeks using Byob its "productivity" (what horrible word!) is extremely high (what for ?)

legomany3448 wrote:

You know, MMSequeira, a facebook page for Scratch might be useful, but I'm not quite so sure about BYOB...

It would be so nice to be able to to mention BYOB in Facebook posts using the @BYOB shortcut... :-) It would also help to spread the word about BYOB and how amazing it is.

MMSequeira wrote:

Is it possible to add me to the BYOB-alpha mailing list?

- done! - thanks for joining, Manuel!

cheddargirl wrote:

[Moderator Edit: For safety reasons, posting e-mails on the Scratch Forums is discouraged. Please refrain from posting e-mail addresses in the forums. Scratch On!].

Really, this guy is a university professor :-)

I don't mean to provoke a senseless debate, but I fail to get those "safety reasons". What exactly is the danger we're trying to avoid by editing out voluntarily offered e-mail addresses (and please don't mention child molestors)? Personally I believe that having a real identiy including a real name and an (even physical) adress is just about the safest you can get. People are going to think twice about posting disrespectful messages if everybody can see who they are. It's Anonymity that encourages indecency.

(just my 2c)

MMSequeira wrote:

What is the procedure to translate the reference manual?

There's a (sorry) Word version of the manual at http://byob.berkeley.edu/BYOBManual.docx.  By all means make translations!  That'd be awesome.

Allow internationalization of the comments' text and of custom block label segments.

Are you asking for automatic translations of the comments?  Or just for a way for users to make their own translations and attach them to the original comment?  Either way, my first reaction is that the ratio of implementation difficulty to usefulness is pretty high, so it probably won't happen soon -- but you never know, sometimes Jens gets inspired to produce miracles.

Allow comments inside custom blocks.

Yeah!  I'm surprised this isn't there already, but I agree that it would be terrific and straightforward.

Allow custom blocks to store free blocks.

Absolutely!  I've wanted this forever.  And SET blocks floating in the Block Editor should have the block's local variables in the pulldown list.

Add default value to boolean inputs.

Quite a while back, nXIII suggested that the default value text entry be replaced by an Any-type slot into which anything could be dragged or typed as appropriate, and we agreed in principle, but it's still on the to-do list.  We'll get there eventually.

Add tooltips to the debug dialog buttons.

That would be a great interim measure.  The whole debug feature was a last-minute addition before the 3.0 release and we both agree that the UI could be improved in many ways.

Add some way to select a bunch of blocks (maybe using shift-drag to draw a rectangle around the blocks).

Yes, I think Scratch users as well as BYOB users would find that useful!  Personally I don't like the draw-a-rectangle approach if you have scripts arranged in two dimensions in the scripting area, as people often do.  I'd rather the range be restricted to connected blocks in one script.

But we'd have to plan out what it means to "select" blocks; so far there's no way to select even a single block, let alone a range of blocks.  How would the selection be indicated visually, etc.

Add an apply button to the block editor so that you may try the block without exiting the editor just to open it again.

Great idea!

Is there a Facebook page for BYOB? I can create one, if you think it would be useful.

Personally I hate Facebook; it's a privacy nightmare.  I'm never going to be a Facebook user.  So, suit yourself I guess, but I much prefer this forum as a way to communicate with us.  I know, this makes me seem quaint and Neanderthalish. 

Jens wrote:

What exactly is the danger we're trying to avoid by editing out voluntarily offered e-mail addresses?

My impression is that the Scratch Team feel that the web site has to be like Caesar's wife: not just safe, but seeming safe even to the most paranoid parent.  And it's hard to build nuances into rules, so the rules appropriate for 8-year-olds apply to everyone.  (Who knows, maybe Manuel is really a very precocious 8-year-old pretending to be a university professor!    )

Anyway, world, if you follow the link from my name on the BYOB web page it'll take you to my personal web page, which has my email address on it. 

bharvey wrote:

MMSequeira wrote:

What is the procedure to translate the reference manual?

There's a (sorry) Word version of the manual at http://byob.berkeley.edu/BYOBManual.docx.  By all means make translations!  That'd be awesome.

I will do it. It will take some time, though. :-)

Allow internationalization of the comments' text and of custom block label segments.

Are you asking for automatic translations of the comments?  Or just for a way for users to make their own translations and attach them to the original comment?  Either way, my first reaction is that the ratio of implementation difficulty to usefulness is pretty high, so it probably won't happen soon -- but you never know, sometimes Jens gets inspired to produce miracles.

No, not automatic! My idea was that while editing a comment or the label segments of a block, one might add a new version of the text in one of the available languages. The comments with text in multiple languages would show in the language of the Scratch settings. If unavailable, it would revert to English. Otherwise, well, maybe the first available language. This way projects used to demonstrate certain features of BYOB, say, to accompany a tutorial, would be displayed in the language of the user. Since BYOB is designed (I gather) to reduce as much as possible the obstacles in the way of learning how to program, this would be a great feature. But I can imagine implementing this is not a straightforward task.

By the way, is it better to discuss this type of ideas here, at the forum, or to create enhancement requests in Bugzilla?

Is there a Facebook page for BYOB? I can create one, if you think it would be useful.

Personally I hate Facebook; it's a privacy nightmare.  I'm never going to be a Facebook user.  So, suit yourself I guess, but I much prefer this forum as a way to communicate with us.  I know, this makes me seem quaint and Neanderthalish. 

I think I'll do it! The idea is not to use it as a forum. Just to make BYOB visible there.

MMSequeira wrote:

By the way, is it better to discuss this type of ideas here, at the forum, or to create enhancement requests in Bugzilla?

If it's a specific idea ready for implementation, Bugzilla.  If you want to provoke a discussion about the details of a vague idea, here or byob-alpha.  Thanks again!

Jens wrote:

fullmoon wrote:

@Jens

I saw on your Twitter page you were having trouble adjusting to writing "this" instead of "self". What are you up to? 

Hi, fullmoon, I'm exploring a bunch of programming languages, including Java and JavaScript which both have "this". BUT I'm currently not "up to" anything specific for dire lack of time besides my very demanding paid work and trying to keep up with supporting the current version of BYOB. I'd really love to port my implementation of Morphic in Python and PyGame to JavaScript and Canvas at some time (in fact, I can hardly wait to do it), but alas, I'm snowed under at the moment, probably at least for the rest of this year 

Haha, okay. Morphic for Javascript canvas sounds very interesting, even though I don't know much about either.

Hey, did I mention that I love your ScratchResources client? It's awesome!

Thanks!

shadow_7283 wrote:

I'm pretty sure you already know my email address.

Umm, I know an email address for you, about which you said at the time

I'll never read ... from it.

I added it, and you should have an email saying so, but if you wanted a different one you'll have to be more specific. 

P.S.  Sigh, I hate trying to think like a security researcher, but:  Since you do know my email address, you don't have to confirm or deny in public the spamworthiness of the address I have.

Last edited by bharvey (2010-10-09 02:18:21)