So I messed about with Tux Paint wrote about it on this blog and get a comment from its lead developer!
After emailing Bill he very kindly agreed to do a little interview with me on issues I was considering, when looking at the kind of critical/contextual aspects of communication technology and the idea of 'social change' mentioned in the brief. Was really inspiring talking to someone with some real experience in developing creative technology...
1. How do you feel the software you've developed has effected creative practice, do you take into consideration (big or small, positive or negative) its social/cultural ramifications?
I'm not sure how Tux Paint has affected the creative process as a _whole_, but I suppose it's given a lot of young kids the opportunity to play with computer art who may have not had the chance otherwise. For some adults (myself included), the somewhat limited functionality (compared to, say, Photoshop) actually makes it easier to be creative.
From another perspective, since Tux Paint is multilingual and used by kids around the globe, we do have to consider cultural differences of our users. We sadly haven't done much in that direction yet, but there are a collection of tasks, changes and enhancements sitting on the copious number of 'back burners' a project like this amasses.
From another perspective, since Tux Paint is multilingual and used by kids around the globe, we do have to consider cultural differences of our users. We sadly haven't done much in that direction yet, but there are a collection of tasks, changes and enhancements sitting on the copious number of 'back burners' a project like this amasses.
2. Do you take a particular audience into consideration when developing software, how do you go about communicating the ideas behind your software?
For Tux Paint, definitely. I assume it will be used by very young kids, and try to make it easy to use without too much assistance. Obviously, since it's more than just a big emtpy screen to paint on -- there are multiple tools, load/save, undo/redo, colors, etc. -- the youngest users will need some help. I've tried to design things in such a way as to not confuse or frustrate them, though.
3. Your background is in computer science, so what lead you to become a more creative developer ie. stuff like games and tux paint?
It really went the other direction. I started playing video games on the Atari VCS (2600) back in the early 1980s, and was given my own computer as a kid. I learned to program BASIC, and spent a lot of time trying to re-implement the games I liked from the game console, games I had seen elsewhere but didn't have on my own computer, and of course creating games based on my own ideas.
I went into computer science because I knew I wanted to be a programmer, and was especially interested in making games. So far, I've only done it professionally for a short amount of time (less than 5 years), and I'm doing web application development again at the moment.
Aside from Tux Paint, I've created a number of other open source games. By far, Tux Paint's been the most popular, in terms of both users and gathering volunteers to help contribute.
4. What do you see in the future for creative technologies, educational software in particular?
Being an open source advocate, you won't be a surprise to hear me say that open source is important, especially in education. There are many open source applications that are suitable for educational use -- GIMP, Inkscape and Tux Paint for graphics, as well as OpenOffice.org (office suite), Stellarium, Celestia, KStars and Marble (astronomy and mapping), and hundreds of others.
Being open source means both no cost and no licensing issues; run it on as many systems as you like, without using any of the school's budget or going through the slow procurement process that school districts usually require. Open source apps are alsooften cross-platform, meaning you can run them on Windows, Mac or Linux.
Now think about this: when teachers want kids to be able to access the same application at home as they do at school, open source means worrying a lot less (if at all) about: cost, compatibility, piracy and viruses & spyware.
So Tux Paint is just a drop in the bucket. It's a fun one, though. ;)
For Tux Paint, definitely. I assume it will be used by very young kids, and try to make it easy to use without too much assistance. Obviously, since it's more than just a big emtpy screen to paint on -- there are multiple tools, load/save, undo/redo, colors, etc. -- the youngest users will need some help. I've tried to design things in such a way as to not confuse or frustrate them, though.
3. Your background is in computer science, so what lead you to become a more creative developer ie. stuff like games and tux paint?
It really went the other direction. I started playing video games on the Atari VCS (2600) back in the early 1980s, and was given my own computer as a kid. I learned to program BASIC, and spent a lot of time trying to re-implement the games I liked from the game console, games I had seen elsewhere but didn't have on my own computer, and of course creating games based on my own ideas.
I went into computer science because I knew I wanted to be a programmer, and was especially interested in making games. So far, I've only done it professionally for a short amount of time (less than 5 years), and I'm doing web application development again at the moment.
Aside from Tux Paint, I've created a number of other open source games. By far, Tux Paint's been the most popular, in terms of both users and gathering volunteers to help contribute.
4. What do you see in the future for creative technologies, educational software in particular?
Being an open source advocate, you won't be a surprise to hear me say that open source is important, especially in education. There are many open source applications that are suitable for educational use -- GIMP, Inkscape and Tux Paint for graphics, as well as OpenOffice.org (office suite), Stellarium, Celestia, KStars and Marble (astronomy and mapping), and hundreds of others.
Being open source means both no cost and no licensing issues; run it on as many systems as you like, without using any of the school's budget or going through the slow procurement process that school districts usually require. Open source apps are alsooften cross-platform, meaning you can run them on Windows, Mac or Linux.
Now think about this: when teachers want kids to be able to access the same application at home as they do at school, open source means worrying a lot less (if at all) about: cost, compatibility, piracy and viruses & spyware.
So Tux Paint is just a drop in the bucket. It's a fun one, though. ;)
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