davidhickman / blockforge

A lego block programming language. Seriously.

Blockforge

A lego block programming language. Seriously.

How it works

• Using a combination of a webcam and a number of groovy open source libraries.

Development

• This project is being developed entirely open sourced. Development is taking place in real time and is completely open for public observation, commenting, and consumption.

Resource	Purpose	Description
App	Trying it out	A running version of the app.
Stories	Project Management	Up to minute tasks, goals, objectives and assignments can be found here. --- You can learn about the planning proccess through this youtube video.
Editor️	Editing Code	A real time online collaborative editor. --- You can learn more about editing code through our online environemnt in this youtube video.
Texting	Communicating	A collaborative text communicating service. --- You can learn about the service in this youtube video. Moderated Monday through Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm (EST) Moderators: Altereagle
Speaking	Communicating	A collaborative voice communicating service. --- You can learn about the service in this youtube video. Moderated Monday through Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm (EST) Moderators: Altereagle

Installation

• So you want to try to run your own version of the application? Here are some steps to follow. We plan to compress blockforge into an native application in the future, but for now, you are going to have to be clever to get it running on your own!
  1. Clone this repo.
  2. Install dependencies by running npm install from the cloned repo folder.
  3. (Linux Only) To install headless browser testing resources run bash install_linux_testing_dependencies.sh.
  4. (Linux Only) To ensure everything works, run npm test which will check if everything is all good.
  5. Run the server by running npm start.

Nerdy Details

tech	use	description
HTML	frontend	We are using HTML5 standards. (We may incorporate a templating engine like Jade in the future however!)
CSS/SCSS	frontend	We are rendering CSS using SCSS, a CSS preprocessor that makes complex CSS less hellish to manage. It's easy to learn and implement, so if you know CSS already, don't be afraid, evolve!
ECMAScript (JavaScript/JS)	frontend	We are using ECMAScript 6 syntax (JavaScript) for frontend functionality. This means older browsers probably can't run this application. Good riddance!
ECMAScript (JavaScript/JS)	backend	We are using Node 8, the latest version of JS for backend development using ES6 syntax.
Cucumber	backend/frontend	We are using Cucumber, a Gherkin test runner for code quality testing.

Want to Contribute?

• (You don't have to be a nerd!)

role	skill	tools	description
Project Manager	organization	Pivotal Tracker	Plan, organize, and keep tabs on the different tasks and goals required to keep the project moving forward. This requires frequent contact with other team members and coming up with meaningful, valuable contributions. Open mindedness meets frugality in a playful balance in the individual that this role suits!
Experience Designer	design	Github Project	Creatively think about and guide feature designs from a user centric perspective. Putting yourself inside the mind of the user would be a critical component of this individual's thought process.
Developer	coding	Cloud 9(IDE)	Translate ideas into concrete structures. A good developer can churn code, a great developer can communicate effectively. Knowing that speed and recall aren't as imperative to success as clarity is a steadfast mantra for any individual who embraces the development heartbeat of a project.

Supporters

• These companies and individuals think this is a pretty neat idea.

name	contribution
Kendell Joseph	Concept, Development, Project Management, UX, sharing the love.
Craig Burgess	Support, Artwork
Treefort	Support
	Support, Project Guidance

Cost

• This application is free, and always will be! But for education and fun, here is about how much it has "cost" to plan, organize, and develop this product.

date	value
7/27/2017	$900
8/16/2017	$3900