Describing LiveCode

[Kay C Lan]

Richmond,

My advise is similar to Peter, William and Jacque's, but more blunt!

First ask how many of these parents know how to set up a Facebook page,
send a Tweet, interact with Instagram, send a message on SnapChat, change
the ringtone on their phone on a per individual basis and even block
certain incoming phone calls based on who it is and what the time is. When
their eye's glaze over and it's clear that the vast majority of them don't
use social media or bother with these features on the smart phone then
point out that their children do. Make it quite clear that the parents are
dinosaurs and their ideas of what programming is about is way out dated and
leading their children to coding extinction*. Let them know that their
children a growing up in a rapidly changing technology environment and need
a technology/programming language that is equally as rapid at keeping pace
with this change.

Ask their parents if their children are like them, do they have boundless
patience, do they sit down with an Airfix model and spend hours and hours
meticulously preparing the parts so they fit perfectly. Appropriate parts
are painted in several coats over several days because each coat is allowed
to dry fully before the next is applied. Then the parts are carefully glued
together and then finally finished off with the last coats of paint and the
application of transfers. OR, do their children prefer to play 1st person
shootem-ups and are easily bored if anything takes longer than about 2 min
13 sec? Ask the parents how long it took them to write their first 'real'
program (Hello World doesn't count).

LiveCode is a Rapid Development program highly suited to today's
environment not only allowing the rapid development of applications but
also keeping pace with the ever changing platform/capabilities now and in
the future.

Tried to find that video of Kevin writing an app in a couple of minutes -
it picked the Lucky Door prize winner. But I couldn't find it on the
website.

As for why learn LiveCode now when their children are going to learn a real
programming language later on, this is a completely fallacious in that
assumes that their children have any interest at all in programming. On the
other side of the coin is the possibility that they might in fact be
learning LiveCode in the future: https://livecode.com/gracemount
-high-school/

* Note the inference that classic languages are perceived by students as
boring and can do more to turn students off.

As you are in Scotland it should also be pointed out that the Scottish
Schools using a product from a Scotland based company should be something
your parents should be wholeheartedly supporting.

What is true is that if their children are going to develop any kind of
interest in programming, and go on to desire to pursue a coding profession,
then having learnt LC isn't going to be a detriment, the principles learnt
will stand them in good stead should they decide to try C#, C++, C or even
go on an archaeological dig and try FORTRAN or Assembly.

So, for those few children (not the parents) who actually do have a real
desire to learn coding, then LC will kindle that fire; anything else will
be like throwing logs on the smouldering embers and do nothing but smother
the fire.

Definitely visit the LiveCode stories pages (
https://livecode.com/livecode-stories/
) and along with the Landsat story, pick a few more. There seem to be a few
educational orientated ones that support the notion that LC with kindle the
fire.