For better or worse, both Apple and Microsoft (via Windows 8) are attempting to rectify this via the "Terms and Conditions" route.
It's been announced that both Windows 8 and OSX Mountain Lion will require applications to be installed via download thru their respective "App Stores" in order to obtain certification required for the OS to allow them access to features (like an installed camera, or the network) that are outside the default application sandbox. The acceptance of the App Store model for the iPhone/iPad has persuaded them that this will be (commercially) viable as a model for general public distribution of trustable software. In that world, the Squeak plugin could be certified as safe to download in a way that System Admins might believe. On Feb 29, 2012, at 3:09 PM, Alan Kay wrote: > Windows (especially) is so porous that SysAdmins (especially in school > districts) will not allow teachers to download .exe files. This wipes out the > Squeak plugin that provides all the functionality. > > But there is still the browser and Javascript. But Javascript isn't fast > enough to do the particle system. But why can't we just download the particle > system and run it in a safe address space? The browser people don't yet > understand that this is what they should have allowed in the first place. So > right now there is only one route for this (and a few years ago there were > none) -- and that is Native Client on Google Chrome. > > But Google Chrome is only 13% penetrated, and the other browser fiefdoms > don't like NaCl..... Google Chrome is an .exe file so teachers can't download > it (and if they could, they could download the Etoys plugin). >
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