Mastodawn

Remember the "One Laptop Per Child" project, that developed a low-cost computer for children in developing countries? I was always amazed by a certain feature: The "View Source" button.

When you pressed it, the source code for the currently running application would open. This was supposed to encourage tinkering with the software on your device! <3

I've been pondering what it would take to build that button on modern machines. Has anyone seen something like that?

(Prototype in next toot.)

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Simon Brooke

@blinry All #Smalltalk systems have that feature, I think. All #LOGO systems, similarly. Back in the day most #Lisp systems did, but that's largely gone out of fashion over the past 40 years. Interpreted language (e.g. #BASIC, #JavaScript, #Lua, #Python) programs necessarily come with user-editable source code, although this is sometimes deliberately obfuscated.

Even in pure compiled languages, most academic (and all #OpenSoirce and #Libre) programs come with user editable source.