squeakland September 2007

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20 participants
25 discussions

Re: [Squeakland] Importing wav files
by bradallenfuller＠yahoo.com 22 Sep '07

22 Sep '07

----- Original Message ---- Wrom: GJSNBOHMKHJYFMYXOEAIJJPHSCRTNHGSWZIDREXCAXZOW To: Squeakland list <squeakland(a)squeakland.org> Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 10:32:14 AM Subject: Re: [Squeakland] Importing wav files >> and just drag and drop supported ? >Yes. We should add some visual representation for a dropped sound >file, which supports play back. Like a very simple sound tile with >just the name on it and a tiny play button. I think that would be >preferable to opening a WaveEditor (even if that was fixed), although >we might do this as a quick fix. It is definitely preferable as the default with just a simple playback button with the name of the file (a simple timeline would be good to see: http://bradfuller.com/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28&Item… for an example) In Squeak 3.8, dropping an mp3/wav on the desktop results in a SoundPlayer morph. But, in 3.9 a file dialog pops up when dropping an mp3/wav. Not that this is a squeakland issues, I just thought I'd bring it up and wish that the drag/drop externally worked in 3.9/3.10

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[ANN] SuperSwiki2 September update
by Masashi UMEZAWA 21 Sep '07

21 Sep '07

Hi all, I have updated SuperSwiki2. http://swikis.ddo.jp/SuperSwiki2/3 This is a little improved version from the demonstrated one in SqueakFest 2007. But I recommend to update it. New features: - Auto select default language by seeing "accept-language" of Web Browser - "Search the SuperSwiki" support from legacy (normal) SqueakPlugin - Spanish-Mexico translation support (Thanks Octavio for sending me a new trans file) - All-in-one pack now runs on Intel Mac! (it was shame) (etc...) You can see a sample site here: (in Japanese) http://squeakland.jp/super2 Platform Independent Downloads: http://swikis.ddo.jp/SuperSwiki2/19 Windows installer: http://swikis.ddo.jp/SuperSwiki2/18 CD (Memory stick) bootable ISO image: http://swikis.ddo.jp/SuperSwiki2/24 Enjoy! -- [:masashi | ^umezawa]

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Etoys beginner questions
by Luke Gorrie 18 Sep '07

18 Sep '07

Howdy! I've recently arrived in Kathmandu to help some people (http://nepal.ole.org/) with a project to introduce computers into public schools in Nepal in cooperation with the government. The first job is to computerise some maths exercises from a textbook and we're looking at Etoys as a practical (and perhaps subversive) way to implement this. I'm writing to say hello and see if anyone has tips to share. I hope this initial project isn't too unrevolutionary for the list :-) The main thing that I'm wondering is whether someone has already built Etoys like the ones we have in mind: "Connect the dots to make the picture", "How many are two apples and three oranges", "What's the next shape in the sequence: ABCAB", or something else to drill these basic concepts (counting, summing small numbers, etc). I'm a beginner with Etoys but I've found it pretty easy to make a couple of simple prototypes (based on a recent XO image) which I've posted here: http://fresh.homeunix.net/~luke/misc/etoys/ (project files and screenshots). 'XO Adding' is my exercise book for "Add these two quantities" and Shapes is my "what's the next shape in this sequence" exercise. I would appreciate pointers to similar projects or tips for polishing these projects! I also included my favourite "here's something you can do with Etoys from scratch" demo, based on a project that I found on squeakland.org originally, called Ball. The idea is: draw a hill with Paint and make a circle "roll along" it, initially in a manner so unrealistic that it *demands* that you improve it, and then with progressively fancier scripts (doing e.g. acceleration from gravity). There're a couple of features that I haven't been able to figure out how to express: 1. In Shapes I'd like to play a sound when the correct shape is dropped into the answer box. I know how to (re)play the sound all the time while the answer is correct, but not how to play it once on the discrete event of the right answer being given. 2. In Ball the 'bouncing' script doesn't work. I'm testing for impact with the ground using 'Ball's color sees Ground's color' and making the 'bounce' with 'speed := speed * -0.2'. But this doesn't work right since if the ball is falling fast it may go a few pixels into the ground and the first step in the upwards bounces might not get it clear (in which case it will "impact" again on the next step). I would like a logical 'and' in the Test box so that impact only happens when the ball is touching the grand -and- speed > 0. Tips welcome! I hope I haven't been too unclear. I'm trying a lot of ideas and learning more Etoys each day but even so I don't want to do it in isolation in case I miss some important stuff :-) Cheers! -Luke

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[BUG]BroomMorph broken
by Karl 11 Sep '07

11 Sep '07

I just tried to use the broom morph to move stuff on the screen but it gave a walkback. OLPC image latest. Karl

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pen trail as object (in OLPC)
by Randy Heiland 11 Sep '07

11 Sep '07

I was revisiting this issue - wanting to have my drawn pen trail become an object, and I dug up this post: http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.smalltalk.squeak.squeakland/869 Are these directions still basically true for the OLPC etoys, i.e. do I need to resort to writing a textual script? thanks, Randy

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Re: [Squeakland] Principles behind EToys
by subbukk 11 Sep '07

11 Sep '07

On Monday 10 September 2007 10:44 pm, Alan Kay wrote: > Actually ... Etoys wasn't a "temporary hack" or else it wouldn't work > so smoothly with so many users around the world. It was a model built > on top of Squeak with a plan to make a more comprehensive version of > the model also serve as the base after a few years experience. The > few years have stretched into 10 years .... I didn't use hack in a pejorative sense but in the sense of a clever piece of coding by an individual (or small team). Apologies if it gave a different impression. The player, costume, tiles, viewers are really neat ideas. The category idea seemed incomplete. Some of the controls (e.g. fills, paint controls) came across as expedients. Pen, canvas and color swatch, being such fundamental and powerful graphical entities, could have been surfaced directly in object catalog. Whether such omissions were by design or due to lack of time/funding wasn't clear to me. But then opinions don't need funding :-). On the whole, Etoys is an exciting experiment. It brings back fun into programming. Regards .. Subbu

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Re: [Squeakland] Principles behind EToys
by subbukk 10 Sep '07

10 Sep '07

On Monday 10 September 2007 7:44 pm, Alan Kay wrote: > Have you seen: > > http://www.vpri.org/pdf/NSF_prop_RN-2006-002.pdf > > and some of the other writings about this? > http://www.vpri.org/html/writings.htm Yes (though not the recent ones). I am glad that you got funds to pursue it further. I believe we are still pretty early in the computing curve so audacious goals :-) do have a role to play. I do believe that smallness is a hallmark of elegance so the search is in the right direction. > Etoys is a "demo that wouldn't die". We have tried many experiments > in it besides making an environment for children. You will see in the > docs above how some of these can be extended in a new from scratch > system that will be much more comprehensive. Often, temporary hacks outlive well-designed stuff :-). I suppose for those who have been involved in EToys from the beginning, the difference between principles and hacks :-) would seem very obvious. From Self to Morphic to Etoys some nice ideas seem to have slipped between the cracks. Glad to hear that such ideas are still in the works. > The tradeoffs between a universal object with total polymorphism and > complete extensions are interesting (especially given that most > computer people are very bad at designing extensions). We are still > thinking about what the first level of this will be like. Extensions are indeed a hard part. Good to hear that your team is engaged on it. I will catch up with the new papers and see if they bridge my understanding, Thanks .. Subbu

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2n Call for Papers - C5
by Serge Stinckwich 10 Sep '07

10 Sep '07

Hi all, just a reminder. The submission deadline for C5 (see below) is at the end of the month. This is a good opportunity to talk about EToys, Squeak, Croquet or something related in France ;-) Best regards, -- oooo Dr. Serge Stinckwich OOOOOOOO Université de Caen>CNRS UMR 6072>GREYC>MAD OOESUGOO oooooo Smalltalkers do: [:it | All with: Class, (And love: it)] \ / ## ---- CALL FOR PAPERS The Sixth International Conference on Creating, Connecting and Collaborating through Computing (C5 2008) January 14-16, 2008, Poitiers, France http://www.cm.is.ritsumei.ac.jp/c5-08/ Oraganized by Kyoto University Global COE (Centers of Excellence) Program: Informatics Education and Research Center for Knowledge-Circulating Society European Smalltalk User Group Espace Mende`s France Viewpoints Research Institute Impara SCOPE Computers, networks, and other forms of technology are now pervasive in our information-based society. However, most users still function as passive consumers of technology. To evolve into a true knowledge society, it is critical that we transform computer-based human activities to engage users in the active process of creating, connecting, and collaborating together. The C5 conference is for researchers, technology developers, educators, and technology users who are concerned about developing and enabling human-oriented creation, connection, and collaboration processes. C5 is an international forum for presenting ongoing work as well as new work currently under development and for discussing future needs and directions in creative computing and multimedia authoring environments. We welcome equally the submission of technical papers and practitioner/experience reports for paper presentations. In addition, we are adding a workshop track for the third day of the conference and are soliciting proposals for interactive workshops. For the first time hosted in Europe, this conference builds on the successes and high standards held by previous C5 conferences : 2003-2005, 2007 in Kyoto (Japan), 2006 in Berkeley (USA). TOPICS OF INTEREST Topics of interest include but not limited to - Development and applications of collaboration tools and environments - User collaboration using 3D, multimedia, and animation objects - Technologies for creating educational environments - Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) - Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), distributed work, and virtual teaming - Hybrid technology activities, such as scientific experiments, instrumentation, robots, and game playing - Development of applications/content for non traditional learning environments, e.g. mentoring, peer-to-peer, "teacherless" environments (in developing countries), low cost and sustainable technologies, e.g., $100 laptop - Applications and tools for education from K-12 through higher education, system design by children, digital library and search environment for children PAPER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES C5 2008 invites submissions of long papers in the following categories: - Theoretical papers - Case studies, experiments reports - 'Bringing theory into practice or practice into theory' papers focus on building a bridge between practices and theories in the field of C5. Full papers must report original work that has not been previously published. Papers must present reports of significant work in research, development and applications with regards to one or more of the conference topics of interest. All submissions will be reviewed by a distinguished international program committee. A full paper with 8 page limit formatted in two columns and 10 point font should be submitted by the paper submission deadline. The papers are reviewed by the program comittee and authors will be notified about acceptance. Accepted authors have to submit a camera ready version of the full paper with 8 page limit by the camera-ready copy deadline. Papers should follow the formatting instructions provided by 8.5" x 11", Two-Column Format of "IEEE Computer Society Press - Proceedings Author Guidelines" (please refer to INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS in Conference Publishing Service). Submitted papers and camera-ready papers should be sent electronically through our online submission site (will be available soon). The PDF, Postscript and MS-WORD formats are acceptable. PUBLICATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS Preliminary version of the proceedings will be distributed during the conference. The formal version of the proceedings will be published by the IEEE Computer Society and sent to authors after the conference. For each accepted paper, at least one of the authors needs to attend the conference and give presentation, otherwise the paper will not be included in the formal proceedings. IMPORTANT DATES Full paper submission: September 30, 2007 Notification of acceptance: November 15, 2007 Full paper camera-ready copies: December 15, 2007 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Honorary Co-Chairs Alan Kay, Viewpoints Research Institute, USA Makoto Nagao, National Diet Library, Japan Advisory Chairs Kim Rose, Viewpoints Research Institute, USA Katsumi Tanaka, Kyoto University, Japan Conference Co-Chairs Benay Dara-Abrams, DALaboratories, USA Serge Stinckwich, GREYC, Universite' de Caen/CNRS, France Program Co-Chairs Rieko Kadobayashi, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan Hajime Kita, Kyoto University, Japan Rick McGeer, Hewlett-Packard Company, USA Local Arrangement Chairs Thierry Pasquier, Espace Mendes France, France Jean-Francois Cerisier, University of Poitiers, France Samuel Besson, Espace Mendes France, France Publicity and Publication Chair Hideyuki Takada, Ritsumeikan University, Japan Financial Chair Samuel Besson, Espace Mendes France, France

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Principles behind EToys
by subbukk 10 Sep '07

10 Sep '07

Hi, Are there any papers or documents that describe the principles behind Etoys along the style of John Maloney's article on Morphic[1]? I am trying to understand the (conceptual) difference between a Menu and Viewer in an object's halo. They both offer a collection of controls to act on an object, change its properties and so on. The Viewer offers a richer way (e.g. phrase tiles) to deal with the properties, so it could be extended to handle all operations in the Menu halo. Do we really need the Menu? Are categories hard-wired by design? If users could define their own category (or move variables and scripts into existing/newly defined category) then variables (e.g. area) could be moved into an existing (e.g. geometry) or new category. Generic categories like "scripting" or "variables" will not be necessary. TIA .. Subbu [1] http://stephane.ducasse.free.fr/FreeBooks/CollectiveNBlueBook/morphic.final…

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DrGeo as a part bins
by Hilaire Fernandes 10 Sep '07

10 Sep '07

Hello, I have redesigned the Dr. GeoII[1] user interface to make it looks like a Morph component. It is more in the Squeak Morph constructivist philosophy approach (see screenshot). Now you can create an interactive geometry canvas (a PasteUpMorph exactly) from the PartBins ([Alt]+O). From the halo menu or the canvas menu you access two submenus, one to select a construction tool, the other one to get buttons you can plug any where you want. These changes mean you can take a DrGeo canvas and plug it in a BookMorph page, then take some construction buttons you want the kids to use and plug them in the page book as well. Well the usual stuff you expect with Squeak. Sorry the menu are still only in French, but you know that English and French vocabulary are very close, don't you? Fetch the latest source from http://www.squeaksource.com/DrGeoII.html. It should work with 3.8, 3.9 and SqueakLand. It will be great if someone could produce a screencast. Really designing stuff with Squeak is of great pleasure! Hilaire [1] Dr. GeoII is an interactive geometry tool for Squeak

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squeakland September 2007