[Microbit-Python] Problems with Mu

[Nicholas H.Tollervey]

On 27/07/16 10:06, woolley paul wrote:
> I have been using Mu for a few days now and I find it has two serious
> problems.
> 
> One is that there is no SAVE AS so when doing progressive development
> you can't easily save the versions through the file name, you have to
> copy and paste to a NEW screen and then save. Several times I have
> foolishly hit SAVE and overwritten a previous version I should have kept.
> 
> Secondly I find that when loading some files extra blank lines are being
> inserted. This would suggest that a CR/LF is the terminator between
> lines when a program is being saved and that two Line Feeds are being
> put in when loading.
> 
> Certainly better to edit locally than having to go online.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Paul
> 
> 
> 
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Hi Paul,

Thanks for the feedback - really appreciate you taking the time to let
us know. Mu can only be improved by such contributions.

To address each comment:

Save As:

This is by design and based upon feedback from teachers. They tell us
that we should only have the essential buttons for file system related
operations: new, load and save. Furthermore, given that Mu is supposed
to be only a simple editor for beginners, if you're asking for features
like "Save As" you're probably advanced enough to graduate to a more
advanced editor.

However, I totally see (and agree with) your point about versioning
things. I'd caution about versioning via naming though. It's far better
to use an SCM system such as GIT. You should also know that an upcoming
feature I'd like to add to Mu is built in SCM so kids can rewind and
recover work from the history of a file.

I guess the most important point is Mu is simple *on purpose* so it
encourages beginner developers to graduate to a "proper" editor. I often
use the analogy that it's like bridging the gap between crawling and
walking via toddling (Mu).

CF/LF:

Hmmm... this shouldn't happen and you've found a bug. Can you give as
much information as possible about your operating system (I'm guessing
it's Windows) and reliable, repeatable steps needed to recreate the
problem? I'll take a look and see if I can fix things.

Once again, many thanks for the feedback! :-)

N.

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