
Io Programming Language (new website design) - protomyth
http://iolanguage.org/#
======
shmageggy
One thing I would have liked to find was a use case. What problem can I solve
more easily or elegantly in Io than in the languages I currently use? I've
checked out both Juila and Go because they showed me how to do something I
wanted to do in a way that was really nice. Without that, I don't have much to
motivate me to play with it.

~~~
stevedekorte
That's a good point. Thanks.

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fithisux
I would have expected it to be a new scripting language (Oriented towards
AppleLand -> IOS / Darwin)

In this respect I wouldlike to see more GNustep integration (but this a GPLers
dream).

I would trade it for better documentation though which really kills IO.

Despite this, one should mention the inclusion of BaseKit. His implementation
of data structures.

~~~
stevedekorte
Which aspect of the documentation do you feel needs work?

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fithisux
An entry in learn X in Y minutes.

An some non-trivial examples in "tutorial".

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cdcarter
Back in 2008 (when I was 16, as the sample data so helpfully reminded me) I
wrote a very basic web framework for Io based on _why's Camping framework.
[https://github.com/cdcarter/backpacking](https://github.com/cdcarter/backpacking)

It hasn't seen much love in a long time, but it was great to be reminded of
why that language was so fun to work with!

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aaron-lebo
So Io has always fascinated me from a design perspective (also see Ioke) [1],
but it's almost too dynamic. It is hard to make efficient.

What changes could you make to it in order to make it easier to compile? Or
what changes would you make to it in general? I adapted similar syntax to
Clojure semantics with prose [2], but Io has some unique semantics that come
with some trade offs.

1\. [https://ioke.org/](https://ioke.org/)

2\. [https://github.com/aaron-lebo/prose](https://github.com/aaron-lebo/prose)

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fractallyte
In contrast to some here, I think this is a strikingly different, minimal,
lovely design!

Admittedly, the sub-pages should be spruced up with more color and better
layout (they're just too minimalist to convey important concepts about the
language). I think these should be more in line with other language showcase
websites.

As for the 'too much clicking' criticisms: _no_ , it's no great hardship to
hit that 'About' menu item!

~~~
stevedekorte
Thanks. Which subpages and which parts do you feel should have which colors?

~~~
fractallyte
'Guide': each section has many subsections. When browsing through, it's easy
to become disoriented due to the 'sameness'. Numbered titles/subtitles would
be easier to navigate. Syntax coloring would add life to the monotones.

'Tutorial': the dark background and proportional typeface is out of character
with some of the other code examples. (I happen to prefer mono-spaced code,
with syntax coloring.) Examples:

[https://www.haskell.org/](https://www.haskell.org/)

[http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/](http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/)

[https://www.ruby-lang.org/en/](https://www.ruby-lang.org/en/)

[https://lfe.gitbooks.io/quick-
start/content/2.html](https://lfe.gitbooks.io/quick-start/content/2.html)

Other than that, I'm not sure I'd change much else, design-wise...

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overgard
I'm not against jargon outright, but io could use some better copy, it doesn't
do the language credit (its pretty cool!). The first sentence of the about
page is: "Io is a homoiconic prototype-based programming language". I guess
that's an accurate description... but if you're clicking "about" presumably
you're making up your mind about if this is worth more of your time or not.
I'm guessing even most of the brightest programmers have never even heard that
word. If you know what homoiconic means you're probably the language designer,
a lisp hacker, or a regular at lambda-the-ultimate.

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raspasov
I applaud the author(s) for working on something so ambitious.

A concurrency question:

How does the issue of lost updates get handled when two separate threads/co-
routines/et al try to modify the same piece of data?

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dasmithii
I honestly prefer the old design. My two cents.

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netghost
If you want to learn about prototypical languages, I think Io is a great place
to start.

[http://iolanguage.org/guide/guide.html#Objects-
Prototypes](http://iolanguage.org/guide/guide.html#Objects-Prototypes)

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on_and_off
I am discovering Io with this article so I have no opinion on this new design
compared to the old one.

Some random thoughts :

-the first page provides no information at all, other than it is a programming language.

-The about page is just slightly better. I get a list of features and nothing else. samples of how it looks like in practice would be welcome.

-Not a word about tooling, even though it is a crucial point.

If I compare this with Kotlin's web page :

-brief description of the language

-then gives me a couple of reasons to use it

-then shows me some base samples

-a list of ways to try it out

-even an online editor to try out the language

Kotlin's webpage could probably be lightened a little bit, but it displays all
the relevant base information about the language.

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gkya
The old website was perfect. I think they should return to it ASAP.

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ademarre
If it were up to me I might stylize the name in uppercase "IO" or lowercase
"io", and encourage the user community to do the same. "Io" looks too much
like "lo" (lowercase L). And being a proper noun, people will almost always
write "Io", which is the most problematic form it could take.

I generally don't like stylized letter case, but in this instance I think it
would serve a useful purpose.

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big_paps
I also miss a usecase. And speaking of the homepage: This looks untransparent
and unfriendly.

I think the laravel homepage is extremly well made. Clean and very good
documentation which you can use all the time without getting angry.
[http://laravel.com/docs/5.1](http://laravel.com/docs/5.1)

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jdkanani
First, I thought my internet connection went down while loading and half of
stylesheets weren't loaded properly. Second, I didn't know where should I
click first.

Language site doesn't need good UI, just provide what it is and why we should
go ahead with it and minimal examples on front page.

~~~
goldenchrome
>Language site doesn't need good UI, just provide what it is and why we should
go ahead with it and minimal examples on front page.

What you're describing is actually good UI. A good UI makes it easy for people
to do what they're trying to do.

~~~
jdkanani
Good UX, not UI make it easy for people to do what they're trying to do.

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KuhlMensch
Guys, complete your austere hipster website with an appropriate url. Might I
suggest [http://lang.io](http://lang.io)

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bsaul
you should add a code example illustrating the difference of your approach on
the front page. i had to click many times to find the first code, which i only
did because the link came from HN, and it had lots of comments.

Also, a "word about the authors" would be nice. is it coming from research,
industry, or hobbyists.

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Raed667
With all that "blank" space I expected that I shouldn't have to scroll on a
15" screen ..

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handrake
Please visit the web site for Go language and try to adopt their design
because yours simply is not acceptable in every way. I don't wanna click menus
just to find out what language paradigms are for your language because I
absolutely expect to find them on the first page...

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smt88
This is really poor design from a UI/UX perspective. I spent 5 seconds on it
and already uncovered the following problems:

1\. It says nothing about Io on the front page except "A programming
language". That's cute or edgy or whatever you want it to be, but it's not a
good way to market a new language and spread adoption. No user should have to
click to find out what your product is. There is way too much clicking here in
general.

2\. Terrible use of space. The "navigation" (if you can call it that) on the
front page runs past the fold on my screen. The text is huge. On other pages,
the text is tiny and hard to read because it's white-on-black.

3\. Layout completely changes for different screen sizes. I know this is
popular, but when it can be avoided, it's better to avoid it. When people see
the same layout on all screens (or as close as you can get), it makes usage of
the site faster. For a site that has language docs on it, this is really
important.

~~~
stevedekorte
Thanks for the helpful feedback. It's a work in progress.

~~~
ternaryoperator
Steve, is the new website an indication that you're resuming work on Io?

~~~
stevedekorte
I've been planning on doing a javascript port of Io when I have time but other
projects keep coming up (
[https://voluntary.net/bitmarkets/](https://voluntary.net/bitmarkets/) ).
Anyone interested in helping with a JS port?

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elcct
Is this another PERL clone?

