Sneaky LEGO characters

[richmond62]

And here he is, hiding in full sight:
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firstRunImage.PNG (61.19 KiB) Viewed 6901 times

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/Contents/Tools/Toolset/palettes/start center/images . . .

[richmond62]

Obviously LC-LEGO man has to go . . .
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[richmond62]

Of course, being a raving ego-maniac, self-promoter, and all the rest of it:
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Richmond.png (33.25 KiB) Viewed 6898 times

[tperry2x]

You could also change the C:\ prompt on the mug to -- or // to reflect xtalk rather than a windows prompt.

[richmond62]

Ach, well, personally I think the whole LEGO thing in this context is a bit "off": surely if we
want to talk about LEGO we should look at SCRATCH and ENTRY?
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Using a LEGO analogy with xTalk is all wrong.

After all, you can fool around with LEGO as much as you like [and, as I am only 61, I still do from time to time], and you can learn certain things: but in terms of becoming a building engineer, no way.

My view of SCRATCH and ENTRY is rather the same: you may pick up a few programming concepts (such as, don't put the cart before the horse), but in terms of transferrable skills, not very much at all.

[richmond62]

If there has to be some [frankly unnecessary] image in the Start center, wouldn't something like a pack of cards be better?
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[richmond62]

I see that in OXT Lite 0.92 the Start Center is 'really sexy':
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Screenshot 2023-10-30 at 23.43.17.png (123.97 KiB) Viewed 6890 times

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In fact it is 'so' sexy that it should either:

1. Be removed as an option in the Preferences.

or

2. Used to some purpose.

I understand that Paul, in his version, envisages it as being something like the old HyperCard home stack, or the HyperStudio 5 starter stack.
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Screenshot 2023-10-30 at 23.48.21.png (868.51 KiB) Viewed 6889 times

[tperry2x]

Ah, yes - I just mentioned about that here
https://www.openxtalk.org/forum/viewtop ... 4284#p4284

It's blank as I had nothing to put on it. Feel free to come up with a new one. I just cleared the stuff off mentioning buying Livecode as it was not relevant anymore.

Or you can just turn it off in the preferences:

Screenshot_2023-10-30_22-25-12.png (60.56 KiB) Viewed 6882 times

It'll also show the registration stack if you see my post above, for new users who haven't opened OXT / LC before. That's hard-coded into the engine unfortunately, but can be solved by copying the firstrun file to the right location.

[richmond62]

For a learner's/kids' version I would use the Start Center in a very similar way to the Start Center in HyperStudio 5.

I would have a number of cards with sections dealing with different problems to do with

Programming,

Logic,

Animation,

and so on.

[tperry2x]

I wonder if one cannot have code in the Home stack/file to block that opening at all, or, at least, making it vanish as soon as it opens?

I think Paul looked into this, and found what order things were called upon. It's called even before the home stack, so if the first run file doesn't exist, there's nothing you can change in the home stack to prevent it showing. This is why my shell script installer on Linux makes a blank firstrun file.

[richmond62]

I see that THIS is still present:
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I assume [???] that this will popup after the reg. stack in a new installation . . . obviously it has to be changed, or vanish completely.

/Contents/Tools/Toolset/palettes/welcome/ . . .
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The left-hand button is a 'dead duck' and simple makes the Welcome stack disappear, but with the right-hand button we get this:
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Screenshot 2023-10-31 at 18.55.50.png (785.95 KiB) Viewed 6867 times

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That turquoise LC icons has to GO for a start.

Clicking on it makes the Welcome stack disappear, and that is all.

I am sorry, I did warn you, when we schoolmasters get going, we really get going:
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[richmond62]

I see that you have left my "half-cock job" with the Preferences stack in a "semi-erectile state":
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Screenshot 2023-10-31 at 19.01.06.png (594.83 KiB) Viewed 6866 times

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Which is NOT good.

[tperry2x]

Um, nope. That's not my build.
Mine does not look anything like that.

Apart from whatever colour scheme that is, you've also lost the reset preferences button too.
Should look like this

Screenshot_2023-10-31_17-30-37.png (43.57 KiB) Viewed 6865 times

[richmond62]

Oh, large piles of brown and smelly stuff, where on earth did I download that one from [and it is the one I have been tweaking these last few days]?

Please humour silly, old Uncle Richmond and lob me (again, again, again) a direct link to your latest and greatest.

[tperry2x]

No problem:

Download links remain the same as in previous versions
Mac: https://www.tsites.co.uk/sites/openxtal ... .9-osx.dmg
Linux: https://www.tsites.co.uk/sites/openxtal ... 9-linux.7z
Windows: https://www.tsites.co.uk/sites/openxtal ... 0.9-win.7z

Install videos and screenshots also at:
https://www.tsites.co.uk/sites/openxtalk/changes/

[richmond62]

Well, that's bloody queer as I swear that's where I got the version with my 'Jacob and his Technicolor Preferences Stack' from.

Aaaaah, well. I'll have to implement my 'reductions' again.

That one was called '0.92' as is the one I have just downloaded from your link . . .

. . . which is playing silly buggers again:-
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Screenshot 2023-10-31 at 20.17.39.png (121.07 KiB) Viewed 6855 times

[tperry2x]

Are you sure that's the right one, as mic reported that ran with absolutely no issues whatsoever.

Just sums up why I'm sticking to Linux for the foreseeable future.
I think the builds are approaching a level where I can't do a lot more without changes to the engine, or solving fundamentally broken things like the player object in Linux, the browser object on Linux. The appearance theme in Mac Os, and the Windows version not supporting dark appearance title bars properly (or naively in LC/OXT).

This is why it's feels a little 'janky' in places, like the community version was left in an unfinished state by livecode. Which essentially seems to be the case.

At least having all the options on the tools palette working, would at least be closer to a version 1.0 release. I don't believe it's yet worthy of that version number, maybe version 0.93, as it's not a fully working version at the moment.

[richmond62]

I am, but I'll download from your link again, and try again (MacOS 12) . . .

https://www.tsites.co.uk/sites/openxtal ... .9-osx.dmg

No: sorry to say, I have just had the same result.
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[tperry2x]

Well, that message is gatekeeper getting in the way. You need to allow apps downloaded from anywhere, then right click and choose open.
A restart after you change that setting wouldn't go amiss either.

Of course, you shouldn't have to jump through all those hoops, but that's why I'm fed up with the Mac and getting more so. I found Catalina to be far more reliable so have reverted my test machine back to that. Because the old addage "It just works" is at least still true there. Even if it is considered out of date now.

[tperry2x]

Haha why does that picture make me think it's a cartoon of Boris Johnson at school.