[HN Gopher] Scratch in the Browser
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Scratch in the Browser
Author : andsoitis
Score : 57 points
Date : 2023-12-27 14:47 UTC (8 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (squeak.js.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (squeak.js.org)
| janwillemb wrote:
| Isn't scratch always in the browser? I'm confused.
| Turing_Machine wrote:
| No, when Scratch first came out it was a stand-alone Squeak
| Smalltalk image that you ran locally. There was a Java-based
| online viewer, but no editor.
|
| Then it moved to a Flash version. If I remember right, this was
| at least somewhat motivated by vendors dropping Java support in
| the browser. Of course, at almost the same time the Flash
| version came out, vendors started dropping support for _that_.
|
| The current one is written in JavaScript, I believe. Edit: it's
| still running Squeak, but using a JavaScript Squeak
| interpreter. See the top-level site for the given link.
| Wowfunhappy wrote:
| To be clear, the current version of Scratch (version 3) is
| written in Javascript and other web technologies.
|
| TFA isn't the current version of Scratch. It's Scratch 1.4--
| which was written in Smalltalk--running in a browser via
| Squeak.
|
| If you've used modern Scratch, it's interesting to see what
| has changed (and what hasn't).
| Turing_Machine wrote:
| Ah, thanks. I must've missed a version or two somewhere
| along the way.
| jecel wrote:
| There was a Squeak web browser plugin early on so you could
| run Etoys or Scratch that way. Unfortunately they found out
| that schools had a very short list of browser plugins they
| allowed on their computers. Flash was included, Squeak was
| not. They failed to change that after years of trying.
|
| This motivated the MIT guys to port Scratch to Flash (very
| bad timing) and the ex Squeak guys to focus on Javascript
| (Lively Kernel and other projects).
| subtra3t wrote:
| This is a very early version of scratch that was written in
| smalltalk. The current version is written in JS (desktop app is
| electron based)
| VonGuard wrote:
| The exciting thing here is that this runs on Squeak in
| JavaScript. Squeak is a modern Smalltalk, and now it can
| obviously be run on top of JavaScript. That's dynamic languages
| all the way down!
| layer8 wrote:
| JavaScript is usually implemented in a statically-typed
| language like C++, so not all the way down.
| skulk wrote:
| The nostalgia is overwhelming. This (Scratch 1.4) is where I
| learned how to write and read computer programs. In a way, this
| environment is my home.
|
| Unfortunately, keyboard input doesn't seem to work. Try making a
| [Forever if <Key Space Pressed> [Say "hello"]]
|
| script and it doesn't seem to react to space key presses. (Chrome
| browser on Linux)
| pzel_ wrote:
| Also see Snap!, a fork of scratch3 (the js-only version, not the
| squeakvm-in-the-browser versrion from TFA).
| https://snap.berkeley.edu/
|
| Snap! is made by folks previously involved in Berkeley Logo, and
| has a lot of "missing pieces" that make organizing programs
| easier: lambdas, cc, and binding functions to definitions (aka
| build-your-own-blocks).
| CDSlice wrote:
| It actually isn't a fork of Scratch3 but was started way back
| in Scratch1.4 as a JS implementation using Morphic which was
| inspired by Squeak. It is really good software and IMO is
| better than Scratch since it provides the tools to scale up
| from the toy programs Scratch is optimized for.
| schappim wrote:
| For those keen on exploring visual programming with children, I
| recommend visiting the following websites: -
| MakeCode for micro:bit [1] - MakeCode Arcade[2]
| [1] https://makecode.microbit.org [2]
| https://arcade.makecode.com
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