happyland440 wrote:

Drag and drop languages are meant for kids to learn coding, so this program is like Scratch but not a ripoff. There are a lot more programs like Scratch, such as Hopscotch (iOS).

True, but it's too much like scratch.

deck26 wrote:

See this Computing Weekly story - http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240238203/Barclays-bank-launches-kids-coding-site

That clearly states it is based on Scratch 1.4 and I'm guessing the Scratch Team are aware of this.

1.4? What happened to Scratch 2.0?

It is also suspicious how they do not display it on the site and you must be working for Barclays to download it on another person's computer….

Barclays is a large company. There's no way they would rip off MIT. The scenario I envisage is this: Barclays had the initiative to promote coding as part of their tech savvy scheme and looked around for suitable software to use. They found Scratch and asked MIT if it could produce a custom version for Barclays. MIT said OK, but give us a donation. Barclays stumped up and MIT skinned V1.4 for them. Job done.

deck26 wrote:

See this Computing Weekly story - http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240238203/Barclays-bank-launches-kids-coding-site

That clearly states it is based on Scratch 1.4 and I'm guessing the Scratch Team are aware of this.

Walks and talks like Scratch 1.4 to me…

It seems that Barclays view that coding education is a new business opportunity, so they modified Scratch or something. http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240238610/Nearly-a-quarter-of-school-children-cite-computing-as-favourite-subject

I couldn't access the actual editor for some reason, but if you click on the eyeball guy in the lower right corner, and select “Further Learning” you will see that they list Scratch as a partner. So maybe somebody on the team is aware of them. As pointed it out earlier, we made the source code open-source so I doubt there will be any legal actions initiated.

I think there is some confusion here. Barclays is not trying to rip anyone off by pretending Scratch is their own.

The Code Playground scheme is trying to get kids interested in programming using the Scratch 1.4 program. There is no skinned version used, anyone coming along to a session is asked if possible to bring a laptop along and to have downloaded Scratch 1.4 beforehand. If they do not have laptops then the bank will try to provide ones for the kids to borrow during the session. Not really sure why they are not using 2.0 but guess the training material they have produced was based on 1.4

All of the material used in the training mentions Scratch and MIT are acknowledged in the sessions.

There is absolutely no requirement to be a customer and also when you visit the workshops there is no one trying to get you to bank with them. Very much like the Tea and Teach program they have running, it is open to all, not just Barclays customers. They aim to make people more digitally savvy, another example of that is the Digital Driving Licence (DDL) where you can work towards a City and Guilds qualification https://www.digitaldrivinglicence.barclays.co.uk/

Hope that clears things up.

SpudGunner42 wrote:

I think there is some confusion here. Barclays is not trying to rip anyone off by pretending Scratch is their own.

The Code Playground scheme is trying to get kids interested in programming using the Scratch 1.4 program. There is no skinned version used, anyone coming along to a session is asked if possible to bring a laptop along and to have downloaded Scratch 1.4 beforehand. If they do not have laptops then the bank will try to provide ones for the kids to borrow during the session. Not really sure why they are not using 2.0 but guess the training material they have produced was based on 1.4

All of the material used in the training mentions Scratch and MIT are acknowledged in the sessions.

There is absolutely no requirement to be a customer and also when you visit the workshops there is no one trying to get you to bank with them. Very much like the Tea and Teach program they have running, it is open to all, not just Barclays customers. They aim to make people more digitally savvy, another example of that is the Digital Driving Licence (DDL) where you can work towards a City and Guilds qualification https://www.digitaldrivinglicence.barclays.co.uk/

Hope that clears things up.

Makes sense… but if you see the video, it looks like they're using something similar to Scratch, very similar, but it isn't 1.4 or 2.0. It looks like they changed the style and font of the blocks a little bit. Unless they were trying to make it look like Scratch but don't understand the concept of recording a video of something on the computer.

I hadnt looked at Scratch 2.0 before only 1.4 but I can see what you mean. Having looked at the latest advert out this week, it is even more apparent that it is like Scratch but a bit different. I think that it is just for tv purposes - maybe they didnt have a capture card to use lol

There is definitely no re-skinned version being used in the actual training of the kids. They are all told to download Scratch 1.4 before attending the workshops.

When I first saw the advert on TV, I said ‘Look! A scratch advert!’ (both my parents teach coding in a university). My mother said ‘No, it isn’t.' I then got really confused until I saw the end of the advert and I said ‘What a ripoff…’

Zro716 wrote:

as lightnin once said, imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but talk about that unoriginal design. all they did was change the font and coloring and wuzzam.

9/10 inb4 lawsuit

+1

chrissaisanidiot wrote:

Barclays have just come out with a coding language called Code Playground. You don't see it when you first go on it, but if you look closely at this video, you'll notice the program they're using bears a very striking resemblance to Scratch and uses all the same block categories and has all the broadcasting & wait blocks everywhere.

Is it meant to be like Scratch or is it a ripoff?

No, I saw ths advert as well on the telly but when I got on the website, it just said that you had to click on things to code them. So t's either not a rip-off or a program like Scratch, it's a different world.

when green flag clicked

if <(Barclays Code Playground) = <not (Scratch)>> then  
say [I think it is not like Scratch] for (2) secs
stop [everything]
end

PrincessPanda_test_ wrote:

OMG, LOOK:

They have the same stuff!

Lawsuit time!

I tried going to the site but it crashed.

Yep, their copying scratch.

Zro716 wrote:

as lightnin once said, imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but talk about that unoriginal design. all they did was change the font and coloring and wuzzam.

9/10 inb4 lawsuit

They should at least say copied from scratch.

MrSherlockHolmes wrote:

PrincessPanda_test_ wrote:

OMG, LOOK:

They have the same stuff!

Lawsuit time!

I tried going to the site but it crashed.

Yep, their copying scratch.

How come they say it's inspired by 1.4? (I think)
It has the same categories as 2.0 and they're named the same, Looks is still purple, they have the Scripts > Costumes > Sounds tabs in the same 2.0 order and by the sounds of things you can't even download it unless you work for Barclays.

Wait!

(This was from a different video, not the one above)



These days…

chrissaisanidiot wrote:

Barclays have just come out with a coding language called Code Playground. You don't see it when you first go on it, but if you look closely at this video, you'll notice the program they're using bears a very striking resemblance to Scratch and uses all the same block categories and has all the broadcasting & wait blocks everywhere.

Is it meant to be like Scratch or is it a ripoff?

This looks like it's copying

jayforsythe wrote:

yeah, but this has the exact same categories.

Scratch is helping them the cover is just for fun, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iWQnRIJZic#t=01m11s