Pickcode
Learning and science
programming education for kids
SHOW HN2023
420points
170comments
#72of 3,109 in 2023
Top 3%of 2023 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
11 positive, 19 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 16 critical, out of 47 comments about the project. Thread score -0.05.
Design: 3 for, 8 againstIdea: 5 for, 5 againstExecution: 0 for, 2 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Polished design and attention to detail
From 2 comments
Congrats for launching Pickcode! The attention to detail is great and shows that you care. As an aside on the topic at large, I find there are (at least) two schools of thought…
omneity on HNCongrats! It looks really nice. It reminds me of when we developed a block-based version of our ProcessingJS editor at Khan Academy. It was a little clunky UI wise and hard to…
pamelafox on HN
Structured editing as a good idea for kids
From 2 comments
> The code editing experience is totally structured, where you select choices from menus rather than typing Very cool! I wish there were something like this for working adult…
aragonite on HN> structured code instead of blocks or node graphs. THANK YOU. I thought I was insane, nobody understood me. I know which tool I'll give my daughter.
sirwhinesalot on HN
Objections
Editing expressions is clumsy and syntax errors are still possible
From 2 comments
Few observations from playing around with the demo: * you claim that code editing is totally structured, but at the same time it is possible to delete one of the two parentheses…
Karliss on HNThis is pretty cool, The UI is a little tough-- deleting code blocks is clunky. its also hard to break out of the type modals there should also be some kind on context aware help…
intpx on HN
Lack of keyboard input and a free sandbox mode
From 2 comments
Few observations from playing around with the demo: * you claim that code editing is totally structured, but at the same time it is possible to delete one of the two parentheses…
Karliss on HNOne quick comment: is there an open-ended sandbox where I can just write whatever code where I want? Even after creating an account I couldn't find such a button, or even the…
cbhl on HN
Price not shown on landing page
From 2 comments
My biggest feedback is in the UI information displayed. Before I try, before I 'log in', I have no way on the landing page - or navigating around a bit - to find out how much it…
altruios on HNThis looks cool. I've been looking for something for my son. How much will this cost in the future? I'm assuming there's a subscription model round the corner.
account-5 on HN
Requests
Show pricing on the landing page
From 2 comments
My biggest feedback is in the UI information displayed. Before I try, before I 'log in', I have no way on the landing page - or navigating around a bit - to find out how much it…
altruios on HN$5/month for unlimited lessons. That fact should be put on the landing page, it's on the todo list
csmeyer on HN
Allow typing expressions with the keyboard
From 1 comment
Few observations from playing around with the demo: * you claim that code editing is totally structured, but at the same time it is possible to delete one of the two parentheses…
Karliss on HN
Numeric keyboard on mobile for number input
From 1 comment
Looks pretty cool, I’ll give it a go on a computer tomorrow! One thing I noticed, when I did the rectangle demo, I’d click on the “123” to input a number, but my phone showed the…
bennyp101 on HN
Questions
How does it compare to Hedy or free open-source platforms
From 2 comments
How dies it compare to https://hedy.org/?
n_plus_1_acc on HNWhy would I teach this rather than a FOSS platform?
e12e on HN
Is there evidence backing the transition claim
From 1 comment
> Pickcode provides a much clearer transition path for students to Python/JS/Java. Our target market is middle/early high school kids, and that’s who we’ve tested the product…
luqtas on HN
Alternatives named
Scratch
From 2 comments
I've been introducing my 10yr old to Godot. He's been building games in Scratch for the past 6 months. He loves Scratch, but is also frustrated by it's limitations. I thought…
rsweeney21 on HNOne of my favorite features of Scratch is that it's impossible to create syntax errors. The blocks either fit together, or they don't. I think this makes it easier for kids to…
Retr0id on HN
Hedy
From 1 comment
How dies it compare to https://hedy.org/?
n_plus_1_acc on HN
Godot and GDScript
From 1 comment
I've been introducing my 10yr old to Godot. He's been building games in Scratch for the past 6 months. He loves Scratch, but is also frustrated by it's limitations. I thought…
rsweeney21 on HN
NetLogo
From 1 comment
As someone for whom programming first really "clicked" after using NetLogo in a CS class in highschool, I love the idea of this project and the interface! For kids the most…
semitones on HN