Primary Level Educational version

[richmond62]

I intend to use Tom's OXT Lite as my starter.

I plan to remove all references to widgets.

I plan to develop my own 'Tools' stack that will over ride the standard Tools stack.

I will NOT develop a no-code version.

I will develop a version that sits mid-way between the no-code HyperStudio 5 and LiveCode 9.6.3.

To that end my 'Tools' stack will contain a significantly reduced number of objects: each one leading the end-user to a series of
decision-tree palettes based on [but not directly copied from] at least some of Hyperstudios' help palettes.
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[richmond62]

These images have been pulled from this: https://rogerwagner.com/hs/HyperStudio% ... uction.pdf
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[richmond62]

Having taught LC for 12 Summers to 9-12 year olds, and several undergraduates studying foreign languages, while it is relatively easy to get them up to some sort of speed in a classroom setting,the standard LC/OXT IDE does not lend itself to self-study for this type of pupil/student.

Having looked at and played with HyperStudio 5 it is clear to me that its hand-holding 'Inspector screens' will probably help self-study, the lack of follow-on into 'proper' computer programming means that as a tool to teach children computer programming it isn't really very useful.

So, by leveraging HyperStudio type 'Inspector screens' [palettes] on a simplified front-end of OXT I hope to combine the benefits of HyperStudio and OXT into a powerful tool to introduce young learners to xTalk programming, and the general principles of programming that can result in a robust set of transferrable skills.

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At any stage in the process of developing an OXT stack the end-user will have the option to switch in-and-out of a more standard GUI, allowing autodidacts and teachers to decide when individuals are ready to tackles things at 'the next level'.
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[richmond62]

https://rogerwagner.com/hs/HyperStudio% ... uction.pdf contains references to many, many more palettes, and my difficulty will be to decide how far to go in this respect BEFORE allowing an end-user "into the guts of the machine".

I hope, shortly, to have a prototype version to fling around for feedback.

[richmond62]

Of course HyperStudio has been sitting around for at least 10 years with no further development, and I really wonder whether MacKiev will bother to make a 64-bit Mac version (but I have no idea whether it is still being used anywhere, and whether anyone is buying it now).

Its dependency on Quicktime will also begin to tell in due course.

AND, since Roger Wagner has hived Hyperstudio off to the programmers in Ukraine:

https://www.mackiev.com/hyperstudio/hs_features.html

Various 'blips' have crept into their website which will discourage some people:

"Automatic Attributions
HyperStudio automatically notes the URL where content came from, with space for you to add additional ments."

emphasis is mine.

[tperry2x]

Not to wee on your bonfire here, but I wonder how much of this could simply be a floating stack.

By all means, I feel the same about "widgets". In fact, I've also hidden them as default. Particularly in view of most of them being what I'd describe as in a broken state on Linux.

I was only wondering that perhaps these hand-holding guides, although a great idea, could simply be a stack set to "cannot modify" and set as a floating dialog which guides the user in a similar way as shown in your Hyperstudio screenshots?

That way, it's not fork-specific. It could be added as a sample stack to anyone's fork of OpenXTalk (or whatever it would be called)

[richmond62]

Well, I had thought of those palettes as all being substacks of my substitute Tools stack.

It could be coloured yellow: 'wee' colour.

[richmond62]

Sometime, probably come July, I shall get hold of a load of young, unsuspecting victims and see if they can get anywhere with my interface:

at which time, I suspect, I'll have to rethink the whole thing.

'Defocussed' groups.

[richmond62]

That way, it's not fork-specific. It could be added as a sample stack to anyone's fork of OpenXTalk (or whatever it would be called)

Of course nobody needs to get 'forked off' about that:

1. I will fork my own manure with my alternative Tools stack there as default.

1.1.The reason for this is because I want to 'cripple' the menus quite considerably so children do not get distracted by them.

2. I will make my alternative Tools stack available as a 'free floating' thing to anyone who wants it.

[richmond62]

Thankfully, in November, I get seriously long "lunch breaks" [anywhere between 4 - 6 hours].
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These are just 'dead' palettes at present (no scripts to make them work).

The Brushed Metal is taken from a free internet image as want that to be consistent across platforms.

[richmond62]

BUT . . . how can I get a stack so that when it opens it opens as a Palette?

Ouch: back to the Fuffuffuff:
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[richmond62]

Who would have thought that the styles (standard) of the plain button and the blue button would be the same:
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[richmond62]

Cranking away . . .

The Educational Group on Facebook has gone "all quiet" recently: mainly, if one wants to be nasty (which I do) because they are passive types of people who sit around and wait instead of doing something proactive.
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Ouch, I forgot about colour overlays:
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Aaaah: much better.

[richmond62]

And so it goes, and so it goes:
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[richmond62]

Things have slowed down as I have got distracted by theming, but I am progressing:
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[richmond62]

Throttling the visibility of the standard palettes:
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Not complete by a long way, but here's what has been done so far if you really want to ruin your Christmas.

[richmond62]

I would suppose that on opening the 'newTools' stack the standard menu bar and the Tools palette should become invisible.

Unfortunately I have yet to work out how to obfuscate the Mac Menu bar . . . and wonder whether that is necessary (even if only for the simple reason that it is highly unlikely that any school children will use the stack on Mac).

Thoughts. please.

[OpenXTalkPaul]

how to obfuscate the Mac Menu bar . . .
Thoughts. please.

?

Code: Select all

hide menubar

[richmond62]

Just so.

And move the 'newTools' stack top and left.

[richmond62]

Minimise newTools: useful so that intermediate users can have access to it if they suddenly get panicky with the 'standard' IDE:
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