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General discussion

Hey Apple, let's talk, Scratch Viewer yanked from iTunes

Apr 20, 2010 1:37AM PDT

Dear Buzz Gang and Crew,
You can call it product posturing or simply being a bully but those Gremlins at Apple have yanked another app from the iTunes App Store. This latest one is called "Scratch Viewer" which is a tool that allows individuals to view applications created with the Scratch programming language.

A number of educators and schools were using the tool as a teaching aid to assist children learning the programming language of "Scratch".

Brief on Scratch:
=============
Scratch language was created by the M.I.T. Media Lab, and developed with grant support from the National Science Foundation and others. The language embodies the work of Seymour Papert and Alan Kay, and using it with children is a way to give them an authentic, non-watered down programming experience.
=============

Scratch language teaches children the art and skill of how to program. The "Scratch Viewer" simply allowed teachers and educators to view the results of the student's work via an iPhone, iPad, or iPod.

Hey Apple, let's talk. Maybe you need to re-think this one. Anyway, this issue is getting attention. I just think that Apple should give a waiver to children trying to get an education on the art of advance language programming.

Later People.

http://www.mobilewikiserver.com/Scratch.html
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1268382
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/apple-removes-teaching-app-from-app-store-and-educators-complain/?src=busln

Discussion is locked

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wasnt apple clear about other programming languages?
Apr 21, 2010 12:26PM PDT

i thought that was a no-no?

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Yes
Apr 22, 2010 9:20AM PDT

And I love this story, it's a great example of why such a closed and controlled app platform sucks. Just give us an Apple condomed way to jailbreak! Expert mode.