MIT App Inventor Back Online 55
mikejuk writes "If you have been missing App Inventor, you'll be relieved to learn that it is now available again — albeit still in beta. After two months, MIT has managed to open the beta program and users can once again create App Inventor Android programs. However, you still need a Google ID to sign in, and among the known issues is the problem that MIT App Inventor cannot load projects that are as large as those supported by the Google version. It also reports that some projects have loaded with missing blocks. While the world seems to be intent on making a fuss about the educational impact of cheap hardware like Raspberry Pi, really valuable tools that could produce a new generation of programmers such as App Inventor don't seem to get the headlines or the concern due when they go missing for months."
Re:Why Google cancels all their projects (Score:3, Interesting)
On top of paying revenue share to competing browsers, they are also paying shareware authors and OEM's to bundle Chrome with their apps and PC's. A quite adwarey and shady tactic.
How is that shady, it's not hidden or hard to remove (al a Norton). In fact I bought a new Asus laptop, it came with Google Chrome pre-installed and I'm certain I'm not the only one who's glad I had a browser other then Internet Exploiter.
Also, how is Chrome adware? You're really grasping at straws here.
A new generation of programmers? (Score:3, Interesting)
"really valuable tools that could produce a new generation of programmers such as App Inventor"
Ah, Really?
Could someone please point me at the important differences in App Inventor that makes it special
and at all innovative?
Something a "new generation of programmers" are going to take hold of and will somehow make them
better, stronger, faster (queue super slow motion running..) programmers?
Sounds like someone is missing their favourit pointy-clicky "programming" but really is there something
here of importance?
There are plenty of accessible, entry level "introduction to programs" type systems around...
I would certainly say Raspberry Pi will do more for REAL programming for than App Inventor ever could,
as it gives people a very real system, at a "toy" price.. That is a game changer (of course there are other
similar projects, but this one looks like it will be ACCESSIBLE, which makes a big difference).
App Inventor is not BAD of course, but certainly not a critical path to anywhere.