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New Terrapin Logo Announced Terrapin Software has announced the release of the new Terrapin Logo, the latest version of Logo from the world's oldest Logo company. Terrapin Logo is a complete re-implementation of the Logo computer language specifically designed for the latest operating systems: Macintosh OS 8 and 9 and Windows 95, 98, NT, and 2000. Terrapin Logo is the proud successor to Logo PLUS and PC Logo. It preserves the features of these earlier versions while taking advantage of new hardware capabilities and software tools. If you are familiar with Logo you will find yourself at home, and can learn new shortcuts and explore new features at your own pace. New Logo users can immediately tap into Logo's power as a tool for exploration and problem solving. The new Terrapin Logo works with both Macintosh and Windows computers and is the same program for both operating systems. (Some differences in the machines do require accommodation. For example, right-click on Windows is Control-click on Macintosh.) Text, graphics, and binary files saved with Terrapin Logo on Macintosh load into Terrapin Logo on Windows and vice versa. This makes teaching and learning easier in schools with mixed computer environments or where students use one type of computer at school and another type at home. This also greatly simplifies your materials needs. There's no need to order separate manuals for PC's or Macs. The program comes on a dual-platform CD ROM. Terrapin Logo is totally object-oriented Òunder the hood.Ó Though this does not affect traditional Logo programs, it allows extension of the idea of turtle properties to all objects in the Logo environment whose characteristics can be controlled as easily as turtle pen color, size, and line width. In addition, any graphic can become part of Logo where it responds to traditional turtle commands and can be given size, speed, and direction. Terrapin Logo comes with hundreds of graphics images that can be immediately used in your projects. You can also add any of your own, whether created with drawing programs, taken from the Internet, or obtained from other sources. Object properties can be accessed with traditional Logo property lists or with new pop-up property editors that let you change on the fly.
File loading and saving has also been made simpler and more intuitive in the new Terrapin Logo. Save your programs as text from either the workspace or an editor. Graphics files can be saved in several formats making for easy integration with other programs or the Web. In addition, Terrapin Logo offers the opportunity to save your entire environment, including programs, graphics, and window positions. This lets you suspend a project and resume working on it in exactly the same place at another time, on another computer, even with a different operating system! A new Toolbox offers a visual picture of your file structure with thumbnails of all your graphics files, including backgrounds and images, which can be dragged and dropped into Logo as well as loaded in the traditional manner. The Toolbox also contains program controls such as edit boxes, text boxes, radio buttons, and elevators that can be integrated into Logo programs. These can be used in conjunction with or in place of traditional input commands to enhance program interaction and provide a complete GUI interface for your Logo projects. Music has been extended to allow programming in chords and multiple voices in hundreds of instruments as well as playing prerecorded music and sounds. Prerecorded videos can also be incorporated into your Logo programs with the new Terrapin Logo. Terrapin Logo is currently available to new users and as an upgrade
for current customers. It includes a Reference Manual, a step-by-step
Tutorial, Quick Reference and Getting Started manuals, along with sample
programs and resources such as sounds, pictures, and backgrounds. Terrapin
Logo was introduced at the National Educational Computing Conference
in Atlanta in June 2000 and was officially launched on July 1. Bill Glass is President of Terrapin Software, Inc. |
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