StarLogo Frequently Asked Questions

Downloading StarLogo

StarLogo won't run on my Mac.  What should I do?
Make sure that you have the latest version of Apple's Macintosh runtime Java (2.2).  Go to http://www.apple.com/java/ and download "MRJ 2.2 Installer" and install Java on your machine.

StarLogo still won't run on my machine. What should I do?
Send email to bug-starlogo@media.mit.edu and provide details of your configuration and what you've tried to do to make it work.

I've been having trouble downloading StarLogo from your web site. What should I do?
You should try using our ftp site if you have been having trouble downloading from our website. You can ftp to chelona.media.mit.edu The username is sldist and the password (case sensitive) is MrSabb StarLogo is in /pub/starlogo.

 

Running Projects

Why doesn't project X from my old MacStarLogo run anymore?
StarLogo is similar in many ways to MacStarLogo.  However, it stores projects in its own unique format.  In addition, there are language differences between StarLogo and MacStarLogo that prevent projects from being saved in one program and run by the other.  If you would like to translate a MacStarLogo project for use in StarLogo, open it in StarLogo (or a text editor).  Some changes will be necessary before it will run.  Consult the StarLogo documentation to find out more about how to create projects in StarLogo.

When I try to run projects from the StarLogo beta 2 release, I get a lot of errors.  What should I do?
You can ignore any errors that appear when you load projects from the beta 2 release.  Your projects should still run.  Unfortunately, any information about the turtles, patches, or observer world will be missing when you open the project in StarLogo 1.1.  We are sorry about this.  If you resave the project in StarLogo 1.1 with all of the information you want, then that information will always be present when you open your project in StarLogo 1.1.  

How can I learn more about how to use StarLogo?
StarLogo comes with sample projects and documentation with the download.  If you are used to using MacStarLogo, remember that you will need to put turtle commands in the turtle window and observer commands in the observer window when you are using StarLogo.  You can also check out our website at http://www.media.mit.edu/starlogo

I'm looking for a sample project that has sounds in it. Where can I find one?
The sample project Firefly, which is located in the Sample Projects folder of the StarLogo download, has sounds in it. However, the implementation of sound in Java on some computers is non-standard, and so our project might not work as advertised.

I'm trying to figure out the Import Picture... menu item/command. Can you tell me more about how it works?
In order for Import Picture... to work, you need to have a current version of QuickTime (QuickTime for Java) installed on your computer. (The menu item will not be displayed if QuickTime is not found.) You can download QuickTime from http://www.apple.com/quicktim/download. Import Picture... will load pictures of many types (such as GIF, JPEG, PICT, and others) onto the Graphics Canvas. The picture's colors will be transferred into the patches' colors. (Warning: Do not load very large pictures into StarLogo, or it will run out of memory.)

 

Macintosh Information

I have a Macintosh.  Which version should I use?
StarLogo requires Mac OS 8.1 or higher, while MacStarLogo will run on a Mac IIfx or better running Mac OS 7.5 or higher and with at least 256 colors.  The features of the two programs are slightly different, so you might want to try StarLogo before making a final decision.  For more information, see the ReadMe.txt file that comes with the StarLogo download and is available at http://www.media.mit.edu/starlogo/documentation/readme.txt

I still want to use MacStarLogo.  Where can I find information on it?
The MacStarLogo website has moved to http://www.media.mit.edu/macstarlogo

 

Other Questions

I've read about several other StarLogo projects from Mitchel Resnick's book Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams but I can't get any of the code in his book to run in StarLogo. What should I do?
If you are planning on using code from Professor Resnick's book, it will require several modifications in order to run under StarLogo. In particular, you will need to separate his procedures into separate observer and turtle procedures, in much the same way as you would have to if you were porting a project from MacStarLogo to StarLogo. Also, the daemons (demons) in Professor Resnick's book no longer exist; they have been replaced by forever buttons. Consult the StarLogo documentation to find out more about how to create projects in StarLogo.

 

Known Bugs

StarLogo has been known to freeze if a project is left running and your screensaver comes on. If you want to run a project for an extended period of time, it would be safest if you turned your screensaver off first.