On 6/30/07, Ivan Krstić <krstic@solarsail.hcs.harvard.edu> wrote:
On Jun 29, 2007, at 6:29 PM, kirby urner wrote:
One way around this shortcoming of Sugar's is to suggest that once kids are mature enough to eyeball the kind of convoluted source code
Yes, and we tend to think that's not the right way.
I'm interested to learn more about what the right way might be. Will the source code for Sugar itself be exposed? Or are we talking about an immersive environment where some kinds of code are designated "safe" for playful experimentation? I'm presuming we need the effects of these changes in real time, with no stopping to reload or recompile something? Python's usual design time versus runtime modalities would become more blurred?
Is there a reason you think you can't happily run a normal editor, compiler and shell on an XO? You seem to be strangely conflating software that's shipped with the XO by default with both its hardware and the limits of purposes for which it can be used.
I'm just trying to get a handle on what's being anticipated in these words I didn't write:
context-sensitive spirit of "view source" into all Activities is another area where we lag. Bolstering these efforts is second only to stabilizing the current system. We look forward to the possibility of Guido van Rossum, Python's creator, leading these efforts in the fall.
You likely have a far clearer idea, given your closeness to the project. I'm just an interested party. Clearly someone thinks it's a high priority to develop source viewing features that don't currently exist on the XO -- source viewing features adult laptops don't have. I was thinking maybe instead of overhauling Python, just wait until they're old enough to use Python in the usual way. Kirby
-- Ivan Krstić <krstic@solarsail.hcs.harvard.edu> | GPG: 0x147C722D