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> Scratch Desktop on Linux is currently not supported. We are working with partners and the open-source community to determine if there is a way we can support

by hjek 8y ago

> Scratch Desktop on Linux is currently not supported. We are working with partners and the open-source community to determine if there is a way we can support Linux in the future. Stay tuned! Apparently from version 3.0 Scratch is proprietary and doesn't run offline on free operating systems[0]. That's just sad. There are some good ideas in Scratch, but I think Snap![1] is the better one to use: It's free, and you can create your own (recursive) blocks[2]. [0]: https://scratch.mit.edu/download https://scratch.mit.edu/download [1]: https://snap.berkeley.edu/ https://snap.berkeley.edu/ [2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXN81Hsj_A4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXN81Hsj_A4

hguhghuff 8y ago
They’re crazy if it’s not open source.
- Tempest1981 8y ago
  It's here: https://github.com/LLK/ https://github.com/LLK/ The license appears to be: BSD 3-Clause "New" or "Revised" License
Tempest1981 8y ago
Most people use the web version, in Chrome/Firefox/Edge. They do also have a desktop version (PC, Mac) for those without Internet access. But the strength of Scratch is the online sharing and community.
reitzensteinm 8y ago
How many more kids would learn to code with an offline Linux desktop version, given that a superior version also runs in the browser? Compare that to internationalization, which they support out of the box with 40 languages, and which countless projects ignore. What features should they have sacrificed for the port? Sound and music? Lego mindstorms integration? I don't think it's sad that the offline version doesn't run on Linux. It sounds to me like they know their target market and are prioritizing their engineering effort quite well.
- vanderZwan 8y ago
  To be honest, if it runs in the browser then it should not be that difficult to make a portable off-line version that launches a server that lets you open stuff through localhost.
- hjek 8y ago
  Snap is written in JavaScript. Even if there's no internet in the classroom, it's easy to set up an ad-hoc wifi and a web server to make Snap available on any wifi-capable device with a web browser.
Dumbdo 8y ago
Where do you get the information from that it is proprietary? As far as I see it it's licensed under BSD3-Clause [0] which is a OSS license, despite being more permissive. [0]: https://github.com/LLK/scratch-gui https://github.com/LLK/scratch-gui
- hjek 8y ago
  On the Scratch download site, which I quoted, I could only see binary downloads and the information that "Scratch Desktop on Linux is currently not supported." That made me assume that it was proprietary, but I'm very happy to be proven wrong about this. Furthermore it looks like unlike 2.0, Scratch no longer depends on the proprietary Adobe Air component, so if that is the case, it's a big improvement! It would be less confusing if they'd replace "Linux is currently not supported" with a link to their repository on Github. I might contact them about that. Can't wait to try it out! Does anyone know whether Scratch 3 supports recursion like Snap! does?
- e12e 8y ago
  Thank you for that. Is that link (to github) discoverable any way from the scratch site? Last time I looked, I didn't manage to find it anywhere...
fsloth 8y ago
I disagree that lack of Linux support is sad. Linux has a tiny a market share in desktops. Hence the number of potential users who would be blocked by this is tiny. Hence there is very little loss. Thanks for the Snap reference! I wasn't aware of it and agree that it appears very appealing.
- st6296 8y ago
  What I like about Snap! is BYOB - the offline editor. Our family travels and is occasionally without Internet access for up to a week, but with BYOB I can continue my 8-year-olds coding challenges without interruption. (There was a Linux version, but last I checked the download and support links were broken. I emailed the site maintainer but have received no response.)

by hjek 8y ago

hguhghuff 8y ago

They’re crazy if it’s not open source.

Tempest1981 8y ago
It's here: https://github.com/LLK/ https://github.com/LLK/ The license appears to be: BSD 3-Clause "New" or "Revised" License

Tempest1981 8y ago

Most people use the web version, in Chrome/Firefox/Edge. They do also have a desktop version (PC, Mac) for those without Internet access. But the strength of Scratch is the online sharing and community.

reitzensteinm 8y ago

How many more kids would learn to code with an offline Linux desktop version, given that a superior version also runs in the browser? Compare that to internationalization, which they support out of the box with 40 languages, and which countless projects ignore. What features should they have sacrificed for the port? Sound and music? Lego mindstorms integration? I don't think it's sad that the offline version doesn't run on Linux. It sounds to me like they know their target market and are prioritizing their engineering effort quite well.

vanderZwan 8y ago
To be honest, if it runs in the browser then it should not be that difficult to make a portable off-line version that launches a server that lets you open stuff through localhost.
hjek 8y ago
Snap is written in JavaScript. Even if there's no internet in the classroom, it's easy to set up an ad-hoc wifi and a web server to make Snap available on any wifi-capable device with a web browser.

Dumbdo 8y ago

Where do you get the information from that it is proprietary? As far as I see it it's licensed under BSD3-Clause [0] which is a OSS license, despite being more permissive. [0]: https://github.com/LLK/scratch-gui https://github.com/LLK/scratch-gui

hjek 8y ago
On the Scratch download site, which I quoted, I could only see binary downloads and the information that "Scratch Desktop on Linux is currently not supported." That made me assume that it was proprietary, but I'm very happy to be proven wrong about this. Furthermore it looks like unlike 2.0, Scratch no longer depends on the proprietary Adobe Air component, so if that is the case, it's a big improvement! It would be less confusing if they'd replace "Linux is currently not supported" with a link to their repository on Github. I might contact them about that. Can't wait to try it out! Does anyone know whether Scratch 3 supports recursion like Snap! does?
e12e 8y ago
Thank you for that. Is that link (to github) discoverable any way from the scratch site? Last time I looked, I didn't manage to find it anywhere...

fsloth 8y ago

I disagree that lack of Linux support is sad. Linux has a tiny a market share in desktops. Hence the number of potential users who would be blocked by this is tiny. Hence there is very little loss. Thanks for the Snap reference! I wasn't aware of it and agree that it appears very appealing.

st6296 8y ago
What I like about Snap! is BYOB - the offline editor. Our family travels and is occasionally without Internet access for up to a week, but with BYOB I can continue my 8-year-olds coding challenges without interruption. (There was a Linux version, but last I checked the download and support links were broken. I emailed the site maintainer but have received no response.)