Alice: Programming for a New Generation

[HostingReviews1]

Thanks for creating such an amazing & innovative teaching tool

[muhammadzahmad]

this is so interesting...

[HydraGoesPro]

This is the DUMBEST thing. I mean really? ALICE is like an awful video game, but that is somehow going to appeal people into becoming a CS major? This is the crap that makes me NOT want to be a CS major. All the points presented by these carnegie mellon morons go both ways. It's useless and a waste of time.

[katheryncruz24]

brilliant.

[agapitoflores001]

Alice is one of the most spectacular animation breakthrough.

[MrJjjakey]

If you want my complaints with it, it's too simple. And limits the user to the possibilities present. You can't make a basic RPG game with Alice, you can with almost any other language.

[MrJjjakey]

I have to program in this language for High School Introduction to Programming. This language is the worst thing I've ever seen.

[silver6162]

CS1 students average a C grade wth Alice a B grade... Basically this is just boosting grades by just giving it for free. Let's take out all the complexity of programming and instead of having a few excellent programmers, let's have thousands of really mediocre ones. (They all do the same right?)

[loofemmaps]

unfortunately i have to learn this crap for my bachelors :(

[loofemmaps]

my cat could do better graphics

[loofemmaps]

man, the graphics are so crap!

[LrisD9020]

@loofemmaps so, are you able to make the graphics better?

[thrivingsmiles]

"The Last Lecture" brought me here (:

[runningchic5170]

I took my first CS class in high school and we worked with Alice for a month before working with Java. I am now a CS Major at Mesa State College(Junior). If it wasn't for me learning on Alice i don't think that i would now be a CS major. Alice made it fun to program. And it being fun and and easy to use was what made me love programing.

[magnusn12]

@runningchic5170 do you think i could manage to learn how to program and then move onto objective c? im only 16 but i really want to learn it.

[runningchic5170]

@magnusn12 Once you learn how to program in any language, it is not that hard to learn another language. I suggest learning C++ or Java and getting a good understanding of it before learning Objective C. I knew C++ and Java before i messed with Objective C, but Objective C is still weird to me. I have not done too much with Objective C. Why do you want to learn Objective C?

[myzt1qu3]

RIP randy pausch...

[Synergy9k]

Ugh. This is somewhat of an insult to programming.

Alice's purpose, as far as I know, is to teach fundamentals. It does an "okay" job of this. As a side-effect, however, it not only teaches kids that programming is always object-oriented, but that it's also always sequential. Alice does a good job of making anything more complicated than a linear sequence a convoluted mess to make.

Plus, the newbies who think they're actually programming can get rather annoying.

[MrVisualGuy]

Wow, I am 10-years old and I learned this stuff a long time ago!

[lilwarthog]

But the true and only way to learn coding is not using alice. I started coding at 11. Changing values in games making me have abilitys others dont have because I coded. And the true and only way is to find someone willing to help, like videos, or anything or forums. Thats the best way. But always study the code. Dont become lazy.

[chardsnake]

i took a programming course in school. it sucks. i dont think it accurately portrays programming.

[jmm1233]

not bad for the younger kids , but there is nothing more empowering then getting into the assembly code and learnning an actual language , C++ is still more suited for actual study then faking it

[RevisedTV]

Were using this in computer science class, right now im installing the beta version:)

[psphackingtutorials]

Alice: Teaching students what programming is not.

[chocobosROK]

props to the creators of Alice! Can't forget them!

[ithfp]

Thanks for creating such an amazing & innovative teaching tool to get folks of all ages into the exciting and challenging field of computer programing! Wish you continued success!!

[figgleworksstudios]

HOw do u implement the video

[Cowsnipe]

While drag and drop seems like an easy way to get people interested in programming, I can tell you that if my introductory course was replaced with this I would loose all faith in my studies...

I really cannot understand why people are afraid of the console prompt and some lines of text. You will gradually be taught how to read/write code in a class, so why freak out so easily? (Although I easily understand why when I see the debugging sessions some people need)

[warlocks40]

Would your opinion change if you were ten years old and trying to grasp the concepts of computer programming. Or if you were out of school and trying to self teach basics?. I believe this is a visual concept for learning without the often intimidating command line. I have found this as a very interesting teaching tool that has very much interested my children and drawn there attention. Try teaching a 10 year old the command line approach.

[MustNotRead]

@warlocks40

i fear drag and drop programming paradigms will not be targeted purly at 10 year olds for much longer. Computer Science is seeing an alarming drop in undergraduates and institutions are currently scrambling for ideas on how to make CS more "attractive" to an increasingly dumbed-down population who do not enjoy learning anything remotely "difficult" or technical (such as C++/Assembly and those pesky inconvenient binary calculations and such).

quite tragic.

[MustNotRead]

@warlocks40

i fear drag and drop programming paradigms will not be targeted purely at 10 year olds for much longer. Computer Science is seeing an alarming drop in undergraduates and institutions are currently scrambling for ideas on how to make CS more "attractive" to an increasingly dumbed-down population who do not enjoy learning anything remotely "difficult" or technical (such as C or Assembly and those pesky inconvenient binary calculations and such).

quite tragic.

[tekhiun]

I agree, i started "proramming" , by reading the help file of a program called mirc that has a bulti in scripting language. I was about 12 at the time and it wasnt really that hard, just get somekind of reference guide to the language , read some examples and try stuff out. Thats how i learned java c and c++. On the other hand tools like alice would allow people with learning disabilities to get into the field (not that everyone that uses it has disabilities =P ).

[MustNotRead]

@tekhiun

the problem is, the nation's entire up and coming generation has a disability. it's called dumbness and dumb people cannot cope with a proper Computer Science syllabus. this is what Alice is for, to help future retarded undergraduates and maintain enough interest in the subject to keep Uni professors in work.

[tekhiun]

@MustNotRead probably, there is already a lot of people with the idea "don't mind the effectiveness of the code, computers these days are fast enough" sigh. However I don't think that the word is dumb, but laziness to think. The main problem is that the culture we live in uses the philosophy "less thinking = good"

[DoubleX31]

@Cowsnipe The people that want to learn through "drag and drop" instead of actually writing the code, are the same type of people that see it as a fad. Yay, you got 10% more people interested in CS! They'll get bored of it and move on a few weeks later. These people don't really want to learn programming, they just seem "Alice" as a game.

[icepackz]

I recommend using Alice if you are new to 3D programming. Use it to get a jist of how a 3D programming environment works. But in actuality, it is a lot of coding to do what they are doing in this. To make an object move it takes a lot of coding. It's a good start but if you are interested in game design and Alice is the only program you use, you wont get anywhere. Most games these days involve Java or C++. Other things are masm32.

[stasak47]

I think it maybe discouraging in the long run. Once spoiled with drag-n-drop interface and absence of coding, CS students might get scared when they see how much coding it takes to even make an object move across the screen. Or realize that their 15min project in Alice = hours and hours of work in a real compiler/3D editor/photoshop.

[BuckeyeSparky]

It doesnt matter if he cant spell college he still won

[baffsmedia]

Alice is amazing! I've been playing around on it, and if i can do, then anyone can do! It's free to download, too. Fore more info, you can search for "alice programming" on the squidoo website

[RagnaMix]

I cant download 2.2 because the page is offline i think.

[9c2008m5]

iam 13 and i made a game out of this its no slow or anythign controls are simple it was hard but in the end i won 2nd place in the collage level compation of this i say again COLLAGE LEVEL i beat about 20 other COLLAGE kids ^_^ i made the graphics so good some guys there offered me a collage class to make movies. I CANT WAIT!!!!!

[RosettaStonedX]

Wow, a 13-year old who can't spell 'college' beat a bunch of actual college students?

[llamadood88]

And yet, you can't spell college.

[1joel8]

your 13 and cant spell college nice....

[vonfeldt7]

do u no y u beat all of da collage kids? Because they don't give a shit about Alice, just like the real world doesn't give a shit about Alice. Have you ever heard of anything that matters made via Alice? Nope, you sure haven't.

Good try though, kiddo.

[piergiuz]

r.i.p. randy :(

[Toshified]

Alice is horrible program because I tried it. its boring.

[greatpapercraft2008]

how dare you! the guy who made this just died! and it wasn't made for us anyways! what a disrespectfull thing to say!

[SpeeBeta1]

it's amazing! its a great step up for people who are beginners to Computer Programming. it might seem boring to you but to many people its like "I just made some 3D thing move on the screen and i programmed it by myself" :) , its amazing to those kids, and schools are starting to adapt it now, luckily for me, they have just brought Alice to my High School and has been in other colleges\ grade schools! so obviously its working and to some not boring, i have yet to try it, but looks promising!

[boksolar]

wait do you use version 2.0 or 2.2? Which one should I use since I am a mac user? is 2.2 currently on Beta or is it stable?

[jmpeer]

Nothing has a learning curve.

Alice isn't a good approach.

And most of your arguments are pointless.

[vaughnscheunemann]

Give me code or give me DEATH. :P

[samipso]

I think it's not about the code, but more about understanding the logic.

[vaughnscheunemann]

Yes but why not learn logic with code. :D

[samipso]

Apparently too many people fail using that method.

[vaughnscheunemann]

Its not easy learning C++ but you can do it.

[petrobark]

Actually that is not the full quote from the article Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years.  The rest of the sentence says, "older learners might also enjoy [Alice]."

Bottom line: don't be a programming snob. Not everyone who is learning about programming is interested in being a professional programmer.

[eltonjam]

Cannot make a mistake???? That is essential to the programming experience. To writing meaning ful programs. To understand why your lines of code do what they do. Maybe even find new ways to do it.

[petrobark]

You can't make a syntax error, but you can make plenty of errors in logic. Maybe you should know more about something before shooting your mouth off.

[eltonjam]

Maybe the video should be clearer. For programmers not saying "Making syntax errors" is a big no no :) . Clarity people. I don't understand what you want to say if you don't. There is no way to learn to write meaningful programs in less than ten years. And BTW...I am a programmer, been one since 1988 :). I know what I'm talking about.

[petrobark]

I assume you are getting the statement "there is no way to learn to write meaningful programs in less than ten years" from the well known article How to learn to program in ten years. That same article also recommends Alice as introduction to programming.

[eltonjam]

Hhhmmmm. it says that if your age is in the single digits, Alice is reccommended. :) But as i said above i am not knocking Alice. Great tool. But... real programmers know its just not enough. Please, i recommend using it but please do not rely on it, you will be a weak programmer. Full stop.

[EDismename]

that statement isnt very true.

i was learing how to code in c++ in 1 week.

i only quit because i never had any time to work on it

[Felana2]

We have found another great tool for my mother with Altzheimers. We have created our virual Paradise Ranch, that my parents owned years ago. It has helped her to retain memories of our family history. I am so thankful for learning how to create her world again, so it isn't lost in her memory. Also she recognizes family members through our virtual ranch. Fabulous education tool. Thanks for posting

[AnitaLife27]

Alice is wonderful! It's fun and exciting and gives people unlimited tools for the most imaginitive worlds. I just want to upload mine somewhere, because I'm havppy with it! I used it in my CISIII class. And it was FUN!

[maitrelame2]

sad that we need to use softwares because students are too stupid/lazy to code

[dwsgb]

Yes, maybe we should go back to punch cards while we are at it!

[maitrelame2]

Ever heard of system API ?

[Roopert86]

relax maitrelame2 Most people use Alice as intro software for people with little or no experience programming. No one using Alice is going to take your job so just calm down.

[alhify88]

im college student we r studying alice as subject in my un

[RappinGenius913]

im using this for a competition and it wicked but ive had better but it pretty easy for beginners :D

[Aqualeader5]

I use this at school and i can say that its not the best

[ultrablade2]

wow, this seems interesting, I might as well give it a try. I've got time to spend and nothing to lose :D

[PINOYwitRICEhat]

lol we are using this in comp sci currently

[john30340]

I'd like to hear how you think alice compares with RobotBASIC... see the video RobotBASIC: The POWER of simplicity

[iiswansongii]

I found this video by way of just watching the last lecture by randy pausch. I've never heard of it but it sounds very interesting and I'm going to try it now. Thanks.

[kerrigal]

Same with me, im 13 and using it fully!!

[ssonhello]

I want to do it too. But I don't know how to start it! Help me ,,,,,,

[innocentshoujo]

cool i wanna lear too O.O

[ApplesQ]

who read the last lecture

[arthemisme]

I read the book.. It is a treasure for me I;ll keep it for my next generation... Thanks Prof. Randy

[lastbreath355]

this program is soo hard at first, but now im learning how to use it and its very fun

[jsmxwll]

It is a little steep on the learning curve, but it's much easier than learning programing via the "hello world" method. Keep it up and best of luck to you!

-Max

[angelpower92]

did anyone knows, how can i download this program for free??

[necronomikron]

Download it from the link in the description, click on 'more info'.

[actressgirl2014]

storytelling alice rocks! im gonna use it for computer fair next year! haha im such a nerd... im in 7th grade and already plan on attending cmu... haha

[SpFiota]

Good for you. It's great to see a young person with aspirations. Particularly a young female.

[grumblez]

good luck coming up with 80k a year tuition

[Nephalen]

we used this program in my education. doesn't teach u shit about programming, a bit fun though

[CodeXCDM]

This program has been available for a couple years now...

IDK why its just NOW that CMU put it on their Youtube page.

Although I can see why some haven't noticed it before... some people may see this as a "childish" way to learn CS. For example, my University's CS dept. is/was full of hard-asses that would laugh at the idea of using this.

[Blitzwolf44]

its cause of randy's condition that they put this up. i suppose right now they are just trying to do everything 'randy' to show him he's loved... this program is after all his greatest legacy.

[8data]

i wish it had been available when i was in school

good job Pautsch, your legacy will live on, man