Re: [debian-jr] Restructuring package listings around debtags
On Tue, Feb 07, 2006 at 09:14:52AM -0400, Ben Armstrong wrote:
> $ apt-cache show junior-art |grep Depends
> Depends: gimp, tuxpaint, xpaint
>
> 7. It could be argued that gimp should be junior::extra, not core, and
> xpaint might even be removed altogether. Do kids still use this? My
> kids always reach for tuxpaint.
I'm not too familiar with xpaint, but it's arguable that something like
it is needed _along with_ Tux Paint (and as an alternate to The GIMP).
Tux Paint has no facilities for cropping/resizing images to fitting into
emails or on webpages, nor a particularly easy way to get existing images
in and out of the program.
For for the very youngest, Tux Paint is about all they need.
As kids get older and start playing with graphics for icons, web pages,
their own games ;^), etc., they'll need something more flexible (when it
comes to actually manipulating the _files_, if not the content of the image.)
This is what most people use GIMP or Krita for, but those are arguably
"adult- and late-teen-only" applications, due to their complex interface.
So something in between seems in order.
<snip>
> $ apt-cache show junior-games-sim |grep Depends
> Depends: freeciv, lincity
>
> 9. None of our kids have shown an interest in these. I'd like to hear
> from others about how well their kids take to these games.
I know FreeCiv is generally a popular game, though I dunno how it holds up
to kids' attention spans. (I've not really ever played it, either.)
My guess is that it should stick around in 'junior', if the target audience
of junior includes older kids. :)
> $ apt-cache show junior-games-text |grep Depends
> Depends: bsdgames, moon-buggy | moon-buggy-esd, nettoe, zivot
I'm curious in what way moon-buggy is a text game. The interface is ASCII,
but for some reason I imagined text games to be non-action ones.
(More like Zork & HHGTTG.)
Where is the ASCII interface to Nethack in all this? :)
> $ apt-cache show junior-programming |grep Depends
> Depends: ucblogo, python2.3, python2.3-doc, python-tk, python-mode,
> idle, drscheme
>
> 10. I have always had a hard time with this particular metapackage. It
> seems to me that programming will not appeal to any more than a select
> few children, and then the choice of language is going to be largely a
> matter of taste, depending on who is doing the teaching. With the
> exception of ucblogo, which is specifically geared towards kids, I don't
> think any of these belong in Debian Jr. The other day on irc, someone
> brought to my attention a promising package in this category for which I
> have not yet seen an ITP: http://littlewizard.sourceforge.net/.
FWIW, when I asked numerous mailing lists "what's a good language to
teach a 10yo kid?", 99% responded Python. 1% responded Squeak.
--
-bill! Tux Paint 2006 wall calendar,
bill@newbreedsoftware.com CDROM, bumper sticker & apparel
http://www.newbreedsoftware.com/ http://www.cafepress.com/newbreedsw
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