Is scratch REALLY codeing?

trollmad3

hello im just wondering if scratch is teaching you how to code beacause half of my friends say you are just moving blocks to match it and its not really codeing. so im asking if scratch is really codeing beacause i dont really know

Doodle-cats

Well, It's simplified coding.

PrincessPanda_test_

It's just basic programming.

The_Scratch_Squad

Doodle-cats wrote:
Well, It's simplified coding.

PrincessPanda_test_ wrote:
It's just basic programming.

VoltageGames

I've actually heard before from code.org that most major universities use a drag-and-drop user interface like Scratch does to teach programming!
It's programming, but I guess you could say it's not CODING.

turkey3

Programming is not all about “knowing codes” and “typing codes”. If that's the only thing someone focuses on they are lagging behind. Programming is learning how to problem solve and organize procedural actions to achieve a desired result. The knowledge of logic and efficiency is much greater than knowing the syntax of every language out there. Scratch provides you with the knowledge of problem solving and how to logically flow data to create a program.

gdpr533f604550b2f20900645890

Scratch uses blocks to teach people how to program without the possibility of syntax errors. The benefit of block-based programming is that you are unable to make typos, which would prevent scripts from running and therefore discourage or intimidate beginners. Scratch uses many concepts seen in mainstream languages, such as variables, and is a good place for newcomers to start.

Last edited by gdpr533f604550b2f20900645890 (March 12, 2015 22:26:53)

Firedrake969

Harvard uses it to teach its basic CS course.

So yes, albeit basic.

OmnipotentPotato

Codeing, no

Coding, well, it differs from person to person as seen above. I would say no though. The reason is that most professional programmers laugh at you for using Scratch.

Iditaroid

OmnipotentPotato wrote:
Codeing, no

Coding, well, it differs from person to person as seen above. I would say no though. The reason is that most professional programmers laugh at you for using Scratch.

Is that because it's not valid code or because most professional programmers are just kinda pretentious?

Firedrake969

Iditaroid wrote:
OmnipotentPotato wrote:
Codeing, no

Coding, well, it differs from person to person as seen above. I would say no though. The reason is that most professional programmers laugh at you for using Scratch.
Is that because it's not valid code or because most professional programmers are just kinda pretentious?

Probably because whatever language(s) they specialize in is the “best”

OmnipotentPotato

Firedrake969 wrote:
Iditaroid wrote:
OmnipotentPotato wrote:
Codeing, no

Coding, well, it differs from person to person as seen above. I would say no though. The reason is that most professional programmers laugh at you for using Scratch.
Is that because it's not valid code or because most professional programmers are just kinda pretentious?
Probably because whatever language(s) they specialize in is the “best”

Haha, that too.

skyler_smile

Yes, it is. The only difference between this and “normal” coding languages is that you have everything prewritten for you, therefore eliminating any possibilities of typos. Notice that in the forum, while using Scratchblocks, you can use the dropdown list one the top OR you can type it. Typing the Scratchblocks is very similar to doing “actual” coding.

cheddargirl

skyler_smile wrote:
Yes, it is. The only difference between this and “normal” coding languages is that you have everything prewritten for you, therefore eliminating any possibilities of typos. Notice that in the forum, while using Scratchblocks, you can use the dropdown list one the top OR you can type it. Typing the Scratchblocks is very similar to doing “actual” coding.

Just wanted to point out there are other programming languages that use the drag-n-drop system, such as Alice, Stencyl, Google Blocky, and Waterbear. Also, some programs, such as Wolfram's Mathematica, have a lot of pre-written code, which also helps to reduce the chance of typos.

UberBlast

Scratch is not real coding.
Scratch is an educational program designed to prepare aspiring programmers for the real stuff. I won't lie, you can create some really cool stuff with scratch, but it is educational, not real. If you have the basics down on scratch and you are aspiring to be a real programmer, and you don't want to waste your time doing fun but not “real” stuff, it is time to move on to a real language. If you are looking to learn how to create “real” games and you already are familiar with scratch, I would recommend you learn the basics of a simple programming language, like Python, and then choose a game engine to learn, like Unity3D https://unity3d.com/, which is one of the most commonly used game enignes. Start learning here: https://unity3d.com/learn/tutorials (you probably want to scroll down to the “topics” section and start with “interface and essentials”. The projects section requires that you already know a lot). Other top game engines would be Unreal Engine 4, Cryengine, Frostbite, Source 2 (which has not been released yet (I think…)) and Lumberyard. But If you want a good all-rounder that has the largest community (that means a lot of game developers use it!), start with Unity3D.
If you want to make a website, I would point you in the direction of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which make up a website. HTML being the structure, CSS being the decorations that make the website nice and tidy, and JavaScript being what makes a website have interactive elements. Khan Academy has really good courses on that. HTML/CSS: https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/html-css
JavaScript: https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/html-css-js

Feel free to comment on my profile if you have more questions- about anything programming related- I am happy to answer them.

Last edited by UberBlast (Dec. 6, 2016 05:11:50)

dvargasews

To answer your question, Scratch is coding, but it uses a different medium than most professional computer programmers do. If you want to code more like them, write all of your Scratch code in scratchblock format, like this:

when green flag clicked
set [score v] to [0]
set [Pedestrians out? v] to [false]
go to x: (0) y: (0)
set size to (200) %
show
point in direction (90 v)
wait until <touching [Pedestrian v] ?>
wait (0.2) secs
stop [other scripts in this sprite v]
stop [this script v]

(code from No-score area), but type it by hand instead of just clicking on a drop-down bar.

Last edited by dvargasews (Dec. 6, 2016 16:35:52)

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