2 ms·
> When you pick a Help path, there is a hyperlink "Guide" to return at the top but I think you need a really obvious Help navigation thing with buttons. You cli
by James-Livesey 5y ago
> When you pick a Help path, there is a hyperlink "Guide" to return at the top but I think you need a really obvious Help navigation thing with buttons. You click a big coloured button to pick a Help path so a button should return you to the start. To be fair once you get it, the return links are tiny and unobtrusive.
Yeah, I do agree that some of the navigation can be quite confusing! As you say, I might add buttons to go to the guide's root or to close the guide and get back to coding.
> If Help could be popped out into a new tab/window then that would make multi-screen use work well.
That's not a bad idea! I might even add a print button so you can browse the guide old-school style!
> BASIC is a bit odd nowadays but it is all starting to come back. The "I've never" guide could do with how to delete a line (type the number and hit enter)
That's some good advice, too. I did mention it in the Scratch/Python howto, but it's definitely a good idea to introduce that one to new coders, too! Having done a bit of UX testing (AKA letting my friends who've never used BASIC before use atto), there have been moments where they have wondered things such as, "why does it go 10, 20, 30...?" and "how do I delete a line?".
> Great job.
Thanks for your compliments and feedback!
> (I still have my original C-64. It now has a USB interface!)
Very nice! I've got an old Amstrad CPC 464 lying around somewhere. Hours of fun (especially with loading times), and we've got a whole tub of cassettes with games/programs which may or may not still work!
---
PS. Fun fact — the caret changes colour depending on the context. It's pink when you're editing your program, and it's blue when your atto program's asking for input!
- gerdesj 5y agoYou have a working Amstrad? I worry for your sanity mate - Ok you didn't mention "working", so I hope it is sleeping with the Old Ones in a safe place and can't do any harm. The BASIC line numbering thing is really odd these days and it may be time to consider putting BASIC to bed. There are several other interpreted languages these days that do a far better job of doing the programming thing for newcomers. Given how fast machines are these days, the gap between compiled and interpreted (etc) is quite small for trivial programs/apps. You say caret, I say cursor! I've also just noticed your spelling of colour and that probably explains the ill advised Amstrad confession. I'm based in Somerset.
- James-Livesey 5y agoIt's all working! Well, apart from the reset button for the cassette tape's counter, but that's what inevitably happens with mechanical parts after time. It's true that BASIC is aging, however, as we've seen on this HN thread, people do enjoy the nostalgia and it's a great way to introduce newcomers to what it was like in the early days of computing! Yup, I do say 'cursor'! But I'm British, hence the spelling of colour. I did take extra care to avoid ambiguous command naming in atto by having `bg` and `fg` instead of a `colour` command.