I’m pleased to announce a new release of Kojo. Highlights include:
- A change in the way that programs are run via the Run button (or the Ctrl+Enter keyboard shortcut). Earlier, the Scala interpreter was used to run programs. Now, the Scala compiler and a custom program launcher is used to run them. This has been done to make the repeated running of larger programs (like games) faster.
The biggest consequence of this change is that no state (vals, vars, function definitions, etc.) is retained between program runs.
If you run programs in worksheet mode (via the Run as Worksheet button or the Shift+Enter keyboard shortcut), the scala interpreter is still used under the covers. So, if you want to retain state across runs for certain programs, use the worksheet mode.
If this change impacts you negatively, please let me know. - More accurate arcs via the arc(radius, angle) and turn(angle, turnRadius) turtle commands.
- Support for radial color gradients and more powerful linear color gradients.
- Picture effects (based on JH Labs image filters). The currently supported effects are: blur, fade, lights, noise, and weave. There is also a (Java reflection based) effect which allows the use of any of the JH Labs image filters.
- A new Showcase menu item with samples that demonstrate many of the new features (gradients, effects, etc.). Some of these samples are shown below:
As always, the new version is available from the Kojo Download Page.
Enjoy!
The Kojo Learning Environment 