Re: SEUL: If you need an help

[Lorenzo De Tomasi <deto@working.it>]

> I know you didn't talk specifically about website
> design, but it might be worthwhile to discuss it.  Should such a
> discussion take place here, or on seul-pub-www?

I wouldn't like to project the interaction of a web site... I do it everyday.
If I would like to give you some of my time is to make new experiences. To project
the interaction design for an OS or for a program...
I don't have linux on my mac and I'm not going to install it... but I would like
to help the growing of this OS.
You have to project the interface before starting programming. :)

> Since our focus is on education, we're
> especially interested in easy user interfaces that would be suitable for
> younger children.

This is an example of what I mean with new experience :)
If there is some professor with something interesting to teach I would be glad to
help him, where I can :)
Waiting for some proposals :)

Another idea is a sort of ICQ + database projected for schools and universities
(but maybe also workers), so everyone can talk with his schoolmates in the world
and find useful resources as public books, exercises, etc...

>  I've been pushing the idea of expandable UIs for
> standard programs like the GIMP or AbiWord (those are just examples)
> that could present simple, easy to use interfaces to younger children.
> These interfaces could gradually be enriched as the users become more
> proficient in using the programs, until they were using the full power
> of the program.  The idea was to not have some crippled or simplified
> children's wordprocessor or graphics program, but to have the children
> work from the start with some subset of the capabilities of real
> programs.  Of course, the idea that we would only need to develop
> alternate UIs and not the full programs has some appeal too.

good :)

> We have also discussed the need on Linux for a non-serious-programmer
> authoring tool that would give similar functionality to HyperStudio
> (that's the authoring tool that most US educators are familiar with).

mmmmh... very complex... and long term :(

> We've had some discussions about MetaCard with one of the principals
> there (It looks quite useful to me.  It's not Open Source, which
> bothered some of our members, but their licensing programs for
> educational institutions seemed quite reasonable), we've contacted the
> Boxer folks about developing a Linux port (they're interested, but don't
> have the resources to do it themselves at the moment), and we've
> contacted the Squeak people about their system.  Squeak is a development
> of SmallTalk.  One of their stated goals is to have a user interface to
> Squeak that is useable for everyone from young children to professional
> programmers.  That sounds much like our expandable UI concept.  One of
> our members, Ray Olszewski, will be meeting with the Squeak development
> team in late November to discuss how seul-edu and Squeak can work
> together to further each group's goals.  I'm sure we could use some more
> insight into UIs before that meeting occurs.  I've tried to get a
> discussion going over on the seul-edu mailing list, but without much
> success.  Please consider joining that mailing list by filling out the
> small form at <http://www.seul.org/edu/> and then contributing to the
> discussion.
>
> We haven't done much if anything about the expandable UI concept due to
> having too many ideas and not enough coders, but if you find it
> interesting we'll be happy to talk about setting up some
> proof-of-concept test using whatever program seems easiest to put an
> alternate UI on.
>
> --
> Doug Loss                 The difference between the right word and
> Data Network Coordinator  the almost right word is the difference
> Bloomsburg University     between lightning and a lightning bug.
> dloss@bloomu.edu                Mark Twain