Scratch 1.2 released

[SimpleSi]

The latest version of Scratch was released last night.

It now has quite a few maths functions in it cos/sin/sqrt etc and each sprite can find out a lot of information about the other sprites.


regards

Simon

PS
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/SimpleScratch/61841 shows something I used to introduce Logic gates to a Year 6 class I help out in.

[Espada]

Great, this time you can block out drives rather than the kids being able to save to C.

[TechMonkey]

Are people using this happily then? Just got back to looking at this and have found that their helpful buttons allow access back to the hidden drives, including C:

Starting to think to just go for it.

[noser]

Hi - How are people getting on with new version of Scratch?
Has they fully fixed the secuity issues with the new version?

[OutToLunch]

Still maintain that this isn't a 'security issue' with Scratch - if your only security on your C: drive is security through obscurity (ie hiding the drive in My Computer) you have a systemwide problem, not a problem with Scratch itself... NTFS permissions should be protecting all relevant folders on C: anyway!

[TechMonkey]

Still maintain that this isn't a 'security issue' with Scratch - if your only security on your C: drive is security through obscurity (ie hiding the drive in My Computer) you have a systemwide problem, not a problem with Scratch itself... NTFS permissions should be protecting all relevant folders on C: anyway!

Its more a usability problem than security I guess, but it could affect security. We do have NTFS permissions (thanks for the vote of confidence in our clue level) but that doesn't stop students trawling though C:, or other drives, which we just don't want. It also doesn't stop students saving things in stupid places, or finding writable areas. Currently the default (& unconfigurable) setting to save is to a projects folder within the scratch folder. The default (& again unconfigurable) setting for the 'Documents' button is the documents and setting folder for the user. If you know some way of securing these areas so that the system doesn't shut down through lack of access that would be nice.
Every other program we have on the system follows the standards and works. The last time I had this problem was with poxy 16-bit programs. You know that if a student has an option of a sensible place to save and a stupid place to save they will pick the latter & deny all knowledge of doing it & expect us to get it back.

Sorry if that sounds tetchy but getting fed up of wanting something pretty standard from a modern piece of software and being told our system is obviously crud, we are clueless & it is all our fault!

[noser]

Sure NTFS file permissions should protect the C:\ drive. But there are many Educational programs that require full control to files on the C: Drive at a user group level. So NTFS file can not alone be completely relied on

If a program does not interact correctly with Microsoft’s standard security policy's which include policies such as hiding the C: Drive and folder redirection etc, and hundreds of other environmental setting designed to protect networks and reduce down time. Installing programs that ignore standard Microsoft security leaves a hole in the base network security required for many secondary schools where you have some very bright individuals that are always trying to break the system which in turn leads to much disruption.

[CyberNerd]

I have been wondering this, and I've asked a couple of times before on this forum:
are default windows permissions secure? or is the operating system inherently insecure? On a default install is it necessary to go through the entire system drive and remove permissions?

[Geoff]

I think any discussion of hardening windows deserves its own thread.

[noser]

Has anyone found a way of forcing where students save their work?

As standard microsoft folder redirection doesn't interact with this program!

Scratch have there own fourm which I have put some questions on to.

http://scratch.mit.edu/forums/viewtopic.php?id=2386

[Edu-IT]

Am I right in thinking that because all of the drives are visible then documents can be copied from the drives to users personal areas and then opened?

[Sylv3r]

Am I right in thinking that because all of the drives are visible then documents can be copied from the drives to users personal areas and then opened?

As long as the permissions are set correctly they won't be able to copy and paste documents from the drives.

[Edu-IT]

As long as the permissions are set correctly they won't be able to copy and paste documents from the drives.

Thank you. I think it might be worthwhile hiding the drives though regardless of whether files can be copied. I'll have to try an remember to do this.

[TechMonkey]

I have also posted to that thread noser to try and help out. Could anyone with a Linux or Mac network tell me what happens when Scratch is run as a user? Is it all locked down the same as using the standard OS tools?
ta

[CyberNerd]

Could anyone with a Linux or Mac network tell me what happens when Scratch is run as a user? Is it all locked down the same as using the standard OS tools?
ta

The *nix operating system is designed for multi-user, it's secure design allows users access to the / filesystem.