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issue81:critique_litteraire [2014/02/23 16:43] – créée andre_domenechissue81:critique_litteraire [2014/05/27 17:31] (Version actuelle) – auntiee
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 Every review of a book about Scratch starts by describing what Scratch actually is, so I'll get that out of the way in one quick sentence: Scratch is an educational programming environment aimed at kids, in which computer programs are constructed from simple building blocks slotted together like an on-screen jigsaw puzzle. What's more important, at least as far as this book is concerned, is that there are now three versions of Scratch that you might choose to use on your computer. Every review of a book about Scratch starts by describing what Scratch actually is, so I'll get that out of the way in one quick sentence: Scratch is an educational programming environment aimed at kids, in which computer programs are constructed from simple building blocks slotted together like an on-screen jigsaw puzzle. What's more important, at least as far as this book is concerned, is that there are now three versions of Scratch that you might choose to use on your computer.
 +
 +**Quand on examine un livre sur Scratch, cela commence toujours par la description de ce qu'est Scratch. En quelques mots rapides : Scratch est un environnement de programmation éducatif destiné aux enfants et dont les programmes sont construits à partir de blocs de construction simples qui s'emboîtent comme un puzzle sur l'écran. Ce qui est le plus important, au-delà du fait que ce livre concerne Scratch, c'est qu'il y a maintenant trois versions de Scratch que vous pourriez choisir d'utiliser sur votre ordinateur.
 +**
  
 Installing Scratch from the Ubuntu repositories will get you version 1.4—a locally installed copy that can be used offline. More recently, version 2.0 has been released which uses Adobe's Flash plugin to run inside a web browser. There is also an experimental offline version of 2.0 which uses Adobe AIR as its host environment, but Linux support for AIR was discontinued some time ago so this version will run on only some 32-bit Linux distributions. In practical terms, therefore, Linux users have a choice between the offline 1.4 release, or the online Flash-based 2.0. Installing Scratch from the Ubuntu repositories will get you version 1.4—a locally installed copy that can be used offline. More recently, version 2.0 has been released which uses Adobe's Flash plugin to run inside a web browser. There is also an experimental offline version of 2.0 which uses Adobe AIR as its host environment, but Linux support for AIR was discontinued some time ago so this version will run on only some 32-bit Linux distributions. In practical terms, therefore, Linux users have a choice between the offline 1.4 release, or the online Flash-based 2.0.
 +
 +**L'installation de Scratch depuis les dépôts Ubuntu vous permet d'obtenir la version 1.4, soit une copie installée localement qui peut être utilisée en mode hors connexion. Plus récemment, la version 2.0 a été publiée ; elle utilise la technologie Flash (plugin d'Adobe) pour s'exécuter dans un navigateur Web. Il y a aussi une version expérimentale hors ligne de la 2.0 qui utilise Adobe AIR pour s'exécuter, mais le support de Linux pour AIR a été abandonné il y a quelque temps et cette version fonctionne seulement sur quelques distributions Linux en 32 bits. En pratique et par conséquent, les utilisateurs de Linux ont le choix entre la version 1.4 déconnectée et la version 2.0 en ligne basée sur Flash.**
  
 Older editions of this book (see FCM#68 Book Review) covered only 1.4. The latest version covers only 2.0. In practice, the differences are mainly in the layout of the user interface—most of the functionality remains the same between the two versions. This affords the publishers the great option of providing copies of Chapters 1 and 2 from the older edition of the book as a free download, so this book actually works for both releases. Be aware, however, that the replacement chapters aren't simply a download away, as the book's introduction implies. Instead, you have to request them by emailing the publishers at an address that is revealed only in the “Super Scratch Educator's Guide”, which can be downloaded from the website, and is a worthwhile addition in its own right. Older editions of this book (see FCM#68 Book Review) covered only 1.4. The latest version covers only 2.0. In practice, the differences are mainly in the layout of the user interface—most of the functionality remains the same between the two versions. This affords the publishers the great option of providing copies of Chapters 1 and 2 from the older edition of the book as a free download, so this book actually works for both releases. Be aware, however, that the replacement chapters aren't simply a download away, as the book's introduction implies. Instead, you have to request them by emailing the publishers at an address that is revealed only in the “Super Scratch Educator's Guide”, which can be downloaded from the website, and is a worthwhile addition in its own right.
 +
 +**Les éditions précédentes de ce livre (voir le FCM n° 68 Critique littéraire) ne couvraient que la version 1.4. La dernière version ne couvre que la version 2.0. En pratique, les différences se situent principalement dans la mise en page de l'interface utilisateur, la plupart des fonctionnalités étant identiques entre les deux versions. Du coup, les éditeurs nous proposent de télécharger, gratuitement, une copie des chapitres 1 et 2 de l'ancienne édition du livre et, ainsi, ce livre convient réellement pour les deux versions. Soyez conscient, toutefois, que les chapitres de l'ancienne version ne sont pas à la portée d'un clic de souris comme laisse supposer l'introduction du livre. En fait, vous devez en faire la demande par courriel aux éditeurs à une adresse qui n'est révélée que dans le //Super Scratch Educator's Guide// (Super Guide de Scratch pour l'enseignant), qui peut être téléchargé à partir du site Web et qui en vaut le coup.
 +**
  
 The website also provides various resources that are used throughout the book to download as a single zip file. Again, make sure you download the correct version, as the 2.0 files are not backwards compatible with a 1.4 Scratch installation. The website also provides various resources that are used throughout the book to download as a single zip file. Again, make sure you download the correct version, as the 2.0 files are not backwards compatible with a 1.4 Scratch installation.
 Once you've got past the administrative issues of installing or loading Scratch, getting the right versions of the introductory chapters, and downloading the correct resources, you can finally get your teeth into the book itself. Proverbially, we're told that we should “never judge a book by its cover”, but in this case you really can. The cover is bright and colorful, with an almost rubbery matt lamination that feels great in the hand, and is indicative of the attention that's been paid to the design and printing throughout. Scratch relies on shapes and colors to identify the building blocks that make up each program, so having the whole book in full color makes it easier to match the example code to your development environment. Once you've got past the administrative issues of installing or loading Scratch, getting the right versions of the introductory chapters, and downloading the correct resources, you can finally get your teeth into the book itself. Proverbially, we're told that we should “never judge a book by its cover”, but in this case you really can. The cover is bright and colorful, with an almost rubbery matt lamination that feels great in the hand, and is indicative of the attention that's been paid to the design and printing throughout. Scratch relies on shapes and colors to identify the building blocks that make up each program, so having the whole book in full color makes it easier to match the example code to your development environment.
 +
 +**Le site fournit également diverses ressources qui sont utilisées tout au long du livre, à télécharger en un seul fichier zip. Encore une fois, assurez-vous de télécharger la bonne version, car les fichiers en version 2.0 ne sont pas compatibles avec une installation de la version 1.4 de Scratch. 
 +Une fois que vous avez installé ou chargé Scratch, trouvé les bonnes versions des chapitres d'introduction et téléchargé les ressources appropriées, vous pouvez enfin vous attaquer au livre lui-même. On nous dit toujours qu'il ne faut « jamais juger un livre à sa couverture », mais, dans le cas présent, vous pouvez le faire. La couverture est lumineuse, colorée, légèrement mate et faite dans une matière presque caoutchouteuse qui se révèle très agréable au toucher, ce qui en dit long sur l'attention qui a été portée à la conception et à l'impression de cet ouvrage. Scratch s'appuie sur des formes et des couleurs pour identifier les éléments fondamentaux qui composent chaque programme et le fait que le livre soit en couleur facilite la correspondance entre les exemples de code et votre environnement de développement.
 +**
  
 There's a comic strip that loosely connects the chapters which also benefits from the color print, presenting vivid and exciting vector panels that will help to capture the attention of younger readers. The plot – what there is of one – won't satisfy adult readers, but in my inexhaustive testing, it went down well with kids around ten years of age. The comic is a small enough part of the book that older teens or adults can easily skip it without losing out on anything important. There's a comic strip that loosely connects the chapters which also benefits from the color print, presenting vivid and exciting vector panels that will help to capture the attention of younger readers. The plot – what there is of one – won't satisfy adult readers, but in my inexhaustive testing, it went down well with kids around ten years of age. The comic is a small enough part of the book that older teens or adults can easily skip it without losing out on anything important.
 Actually writing code using Scratch is dealt with throughout the bulk of the book by creating a different game in each chapter. The games tenuously link to the story in the comic, but otherwise each chapter could be treated as a stand-alone tutorial for writing a game in Scratch. The variety of genres covered by the nine games is impressive, ranging from a side-scrolling driving game, through a logic puzzle, and culminating in a beat-em-up. Actually writing code using Scratch is dealt with throughout the bulk of the book by creating a different game in each chapter. The games tenuously link to the story in the comic, but otherwise each chapter could be treated as a stand-alone tutorial for writing a game in Scratch. The variety of genres covered by the nine games is impressive, ranging from a side-scrolling driving game, through a logic puzzle, and culminating in a beat-em-up.
 +
 +**Il y a une bande dessinée qui relie un peu les chapitres entre eux et qui profite également de l'impression couleur : la présentation de cette BD passionnante aux couleurs vives aidera à capter l'attention des jeunes lecteurs. L'histoire de cette BD – il n'y en a pas beaucoup - ne satisfera pas les lecteurs adultes, mais pour le peu que j'ai pu l'expérimenter, cela fonctionne bien avec les enfants d'une dizaine d'années. La bande dessinée est un complément du livre que les adolescents ou adultes peuvent facilement sauter sans perdre pour autant des notions importantes. 
 +La majeure partie du livre est consacrée à l'écriture de code en utilisant Scratch pour créer un nouveau jeu dans chaque chapitre. Il y a un lien ténu entre les jeux et la bande dessinée, mais, sinon, chaque chapitre pourrait être considéré comme un tutoriel autonome ayant pour objectif d'écrire un jeu avec Scratch. La variété des genres traités par les neuf jeux est impressionnante, allant d'un jeu de conduite à défilement horizontale (comme Mario), à un jeu de logique, et terminant par un  « beat-em-up » (jeu de combats).
 +**
  
 Each chapter starts with a very brief overview of the Scratch topics that will be covered, and a description of the game, but from there it's straight into the code. The instructions are clear and concise, and are presented in callout boxes that sit alongside the relevant part of the code. My one criticism – and it's aimed more at Scratch itself than this book specifically – is that presenting screenshots of completed Scratch scripts can encourage kids to simply copy the blocks verbatim, trying to match their jigsaw to the picture without really understanding what each part does. This book doesn't take the time to build any scripts up bit-by-bit, but rather provides finished scripts, albeit with copious annotations. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it allows younger children to begin coding even if they don't understand the underlying concepts. For older kids, however, a little additional adult guidance (and there are some good suggestions in the downloadable Educator's Guide) may help to move them beyond simple copying and into the realms of real programming. Each chapter starts with a very brief overview of the Scratch topics that will be covered, and a description of the game, but from there it's straight into the code. The instructions are clear and concise, and are presented in callout boxes that sit alongside the relevant part of the code. My one criticism – and it's aimed more at Scratch itself than this book specifically – is that presenting screenshots of completed Scratch scripts can encourage kids to simply copy the blocks verbatim, trying to match their jigsaw to the picture without really understanding what each part does. This book doesn't take the time to build any scripts up bit-by-bit, but rather provides finished scripts, albeit with copious annotations. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it allows younger children to begin coding even if they don't understand the underlying concepts. For older kids, however, a little additional adult guidance (and there are some good suggestions in the downloadable Educator's Guide) may help to move them beyond simple copying and into the realms of real programming.
 +
 +**Chaque chapitre commence par un très bref aperçu des sujets Scratch qui seront abordés et une description du jeu, mais à partir de là, on passe directement au code. Les instructions sont claires et concises et sont présentées dans des boîtes de dialogue qui se situent à coté de la partie pertinente du code. Ma seule critique - et elle est destinée à Scratch en particulier et non au livre - est que la présentation des captures d'écran de scripts Scratch finis peuvent encourager les enfants à simplement copier les blocs de code tels quels, en essayant de faire correspondre leur puzzle à l'image sans vraiment comprendre ce que fait chaque partie. Ce livre ne prend pas le temps de construire les scripts pas à pas, mais, à la place, fournit des scripts finis, avec des annotations abondantes. Ce n'est pas nécessairement une mauvaise chose, car cela permet aux jeunes enfants de commencer à coder, même s'ils ne comprennent pas les concepts sous-jacents. Cependant, un adulte pourrait aider les enfants plus âgés (il y a quelques bonnes suggestions dans le Guide de l'éducateur qui est téléchargeable) à aller au-delà de la simple recopie vers le domaine de la programmation pure.
 +**
  
 One concern I had before reading the book is that it's been translated from a Traditional Chinese language version. I'm pleased to say that the translation is excellent, and not once did any of the prose feel forced or badly phrased. Although it's been translated into American English, there are actually very few Americanisms in the book, making it appropriate for both sides of the Atlantic. One concern I had before reading the book is that it's been translated from a Traditional Chinese language version. I'm pleased to say that the translation is excellent, and not once did any of the prose feel forced or badly phrased. Although it's been translated into American English, there are actually very few Americanisms in the book, making it appropriate for both sides of the Atlantic.
 +
 +**Ce qui me préoccupait avant de lire ce livre, c'est qu'il a été traduit de la version originale qui est en langue chinoise. Je suis heureux de pouvoir vous dire que la traduction est excellente : pas une seule fois ai-je vu des non-sens ou des phrases mal formulées. Bien qu'il ait été traduit en anglais américain, il y a en fait très peu d'américanismes dans le livre, ce qui en fait un ouvrage adapté aux deux côtés de l'Atlantique.
 +**
  
 Overall I feel that this is an excellent book for introducing a child or young teen to the world of programming, and, comic plot aside, would even be useful to adults with no prior experience in that area. A little extra help may be needed to help younger kids to understand how the individual building blocks relate to the finished game, but in avoiding too much detailed explanation, the book does manage to escape the descent into tedium that can often affect more worthy programming introductions. Overall I feel that this is an excellent book for introducing a child or young teen to the world of programming, and, comic plot aside, would even be useful to adults with no prior experience in that area. A little extra help may be needed to help younger kids to understand how the individual building blocks relate to the finished game, but in avoiding too much detailed explanation, the book does manage to escape the descent into tedium that can often affect more worthy programming introductions.
 +
 +**Globalement, je pense que c'est un excellent livre présenter le monde de la programmation à un enfant ou un adolescent et, l'intrigue de la BD mise à part, je dirais même qu'il peut être utile aux adultes n'ayant aucune expérience dans ce domaine. Un peu d'aide supplémentaire peut être nécessaire pour que les jeunes enfants comprennent comment les éléments fondamentaux participent au jeu une fois fini, mais, en évitant un trop-plein d'explications détaillées, le livre parvient à échapper à l'ennui, ennui que peuvent souvent engendrer des ouvrages plus sérieux présentant la programmation.
 +**
issue81/critique_litteraire.1393170191.txt.gz · Dernière modification : 2014/02/23 16:43 de andre_domenech