Why wouldn't this work on other platforms?

Some features of the Windows 11 UI are only possible in Windows 11, and not Windows 10 (e.g. the App Surface Mica effect)..
… and some wouldn't work at all on other platforms, or would be difficult to implement by the Scratch Team (e.g. the Acrylic Blur effect on the titlebar I used currently only works in Windows 10 and 11.)

How is this possible if the Scratch app is made in HTML (Electron)?

Actually, the Microsoft Teams app on Windows 11 is also HTML, it uses Edge WebView2 rather than Electron like Scratch, which allows the Microsoft Teams app to have Acrylic, Mica, and the other effects that Windows 11 uses, and all of this via native code, while still being a HTML web app thanks to Edge WebView2. It's not impossible that the Scratch app could switch to Edge WebView2 instead of electron if this were to be implemented.

Now onto the suggestion…

As an avid user of the Scratch desktop client, I want to see it's feature set get expanded for the Windows power users who frequent the Scratch web and use the editor webapp on the Microsoft store. As webapps have been increasing popularity, it may be wise to create a Scratch webapp that has all of the site accessible, and visually consistent with the new Windows UI guidelines..

EDITOR

To get to the Home Page, simply click on the “SCRATCH” logo in the top left.



With the Mica app surface and system accent color incorporated into the design, the Windows 11 app will fully adapt to your system theme.






EDITOR DESIGN 2 (tabs)

This could act similar to a browser's tabbed interface. Pressing “+” will open a new Home Page tab.




DISCUSSION FORUMS




HOME PAGE




EXPLORE




IDEAS

OLD TOPIC: https://scratch-mit-edu.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/discuss/topic/571822/ (This was an older mockup, and now I moved this suggestion here because the mockup was updated., and I want the discussion to be around the new mockup.)

W–wha-why? You have already made 3 topics about making a custom interface. THREE TOPICS. You only needed to make one!

Anyway, I don't think every application needs to flow with the OS, in my opinion only the core ones (like your files, settings, help pages) need to fit in. The Fluent UI design guidelines make everything look more modern than it needs to (plus I don't like them anyway). Simply put, this isn't needed, because the Scratch interface already looks modern and flows well already with any platform you look at it on, Mac OS, ChromeOS, Ubuntu, Manjaro, Mint, Windows, it looks good already.

I also want to bring up the development side of this. The programmers are already working on making the existing pages move to Scratch 3's style, and I don't think another style should be piled on top just because "iT wOulD lOoK cOol!11!1!1!!“. In order to make this happen, the team would have to write additional code in order to add Mica, Acyllic, etcetra, It would involve adding more onto something that already works, especially when it's just changing the word ”Motion“ in the pallate to an icon. (icons are also very confusing when there are very many that look very similar in a small space. ”Hey, in this word proccessor, which buttion one do I press to reopen that book report I've been working on..this piece of paper with a star, this one with a plus, this one with an arrow?" Sometimes additional context is needed.) Some users will NOT like the Win11 custom looks and want to go back to the old one. More features, more code. And after we've written all of that code to add a CoOl LoOkInG mEnU bAr TrAnSpArEnCy!1!, it would then have to be compiled into something that any average Joe could use. As of right now, I think all versions of the offline editor use Electron. Then, to add this, the app would have to be compiled with “Edge WebView2” or whatever instead, thus breaking the workflow that the ST has established. But how would we keep the people using older versions from getting the wrong version? Make the Win11 edition exclusive to the Microsoft app store? More versions to keep track of, just for a nicer look on one specific OS.

Next up, what's even the point of this? Adding bells and whistles to a program for an OS that honestly doesn't work that well compared to the last 5 generations of Windows? When I'm looking at a suggestion, I tend to look at it from the perspectives of “Why would we need this? Would this improve the program and help users make the stuff they want to make? Is this honestly needed?”. not “Is this cool?”. As I said above, the program doesn't really need to flow with the OS. It just needs to do what it needs to, with an interface that makes everything work and make sense. Looking cOoL should take a lower priority.

Now, I have finished ranting. Kudos if you've read the whole thing without skimming. But I am NOT DONE!

So, I see there are additional mockups for the forums and help pages, whatever. But how would this work? Would we integrate this new design into the main site? How would this work with any other browser than Microsoft's (slightly) proprietary one? What about whole other OSes? Would we just lock them out? “Oh sorry, this interface is designed for use with this OS only, please get that OS.”
So, what if, we make the Win11 offline app into a client for the website. I don't think that would work. First off, it would result in litterally every social-media-paranoid teacher and parent who uses the offline editor to keep their kids off of the website to scream so hard it would cause implosions, but the editor is designed to be an offline editor, not offline website. Even if this was restricted to the store and kept out of the way of the average 9-year-old, I'm sure some people would still not be happy.

(plus why would we add dark mode and make it exclusive to one OS?)

So, in other words. I do not support this. I am sorry for forcing you to read something longer than two paragraphs and also sounding like I am hating on your suggestion (I actually like it when someone actually puts time and effort into their suggestions), but I just practically dumped everything I was thinking about this suggestion into my keyboard. Anyway, LET THE ANVIL DROPPING COMMENCE!!!!

I like the look of the Windows 11 (fluent) design language, but I feel that this will take wayyy too long to implement, because the forums, the profile pages and even the My Stuff page still haven't got a UI refresh…
I appreciate the effort you put into the mockups though!
I support but I'm not sure whether this can be implemented

TheGlassPenguin wrote:

So, I see there are additional mockups for the forums and help pages, whatever. But how would this work?

I'm suggesting for them to be added inside the Scratch Desktop app itself. They would be accessed simply by clicking the “Scratch” logo in the editor, or, in my 2nd editor design, opening a new tab.

TheGlassPenguin wrote:

So, what if, we make the Win11 offline app into a client for the website. I don't think that would work. First off, it would result in litterally every social-media-paranoid teacher and parent who uses the offline editor to keep their kids off of the website to scream so hard it would cause implosions, but the editor is designed to be an offline editor, not offline website.

Not related to your post, but just clarifying this: This suggestion is only for the Microsoft Store version of Scratch. Not for the direct-download version you can get outside of the Store.

I like this idea even more than the previous suggestion! But how would the entire website be incorporated into the Scratch app? I don't think Scratch uses Electron…

k0d3rrr wrote:

I like this idea even more than the previous suggestion! But how would the entire website be incorporated into the Scratch app? I don't think Scratch uses Electron…

It does.

TheGlassPenguin wrote:

k0d3rrr wrote:

I like this idea even more than the previous suggestion! But how would the entire website be incorporated into the Scratch app? I don't think Scratch uses Electron…

It does.

Huh, never mind.

hey, i know its only for ms store, but wouldnt it be weird for an app to have 2 separate uis for each version? i mean, it looks really nice (sorry im a fluent design fan) but its kinda like the desktop version of zoom where only the mac version has dark mode and windows doesnt for some weird reason.

i might have misunderstood though.

Bumped.

reallysoftuser wrote:

TheGlassPenguin wrote:

So, I see there are additional mockups for the forums and help pages, whatever. But how would this work?

I'm suggesting for them to be added inside the Scratch Desktop app itself. They would be accessed simply by clicking the “Scratch” logo in the editor, or, in my 2nd editor design, opening a new tab.

TheGlassPenguin wrote:

So, what if, we make the Win11 offline app into a client for the website. I don't think that would work. First off, it would result in litterally every social-media-paranoid teacher and parent who uses the offline editor to keep their kids off of the website to scream so hard it would cause implosions, but the editor is designed to be an offline editor, not offline website.

Not related to your post, but just clarifying this: This suggestion is only for the Microsoft Store version of Scratch. Not for the direct-download version you can get outside of the Store.

Normally the main reason why apps, especially educational ones like Scratch, are available on Microsoft Store is because it needs to be available on Windows S mode, which only allows third-party applications from the Microsoft Store. If there's going to be an entire overhaul for the UI, why not apply it on the direct-download version as well?

mightybrayan wrote:

(#11)

reallysoftuser wrote:

TheGlassPenguin wrote:

So, I see there are additional mockups for the forums and help pages, whatever. But how would this work?

I'm suggesting for them to be added inside the Scratch Desktop app itself. They would be accessed simply by clicking the “Scratch” logo in the editor, or, in my 2nd editor design, opening a new tab.

TheGlassPenguin wrote:

So, what if, we make the Win11 offline app into a client for the website. I don't think that would work. First off, it would result in litterally every social-media-paranoid teacher and parent who uses the offline editor to keep their kids off of the website to scream so hard it would cause implosions, but the editor is designed to be an offline editor, not offline website.

Not related to your post, but just clarifying this: This suggestion is only for the Microsoft Store version of Scratch. Not for the direct-download version you can get outside of the Store.

Normally the main reason why apps, especially educational ones like Scratch, are available on Microsoft Store is because it needs to be available on Windows S mode, which only allows third-party applications from the Microsoft Store. If there's going to be an entire overhaul for the UI, why not apply it on the direct-download version as well?

This is an overhaul for the Windows 11 version of the Scratch editor, and typically people who have older Windows versions would use the “Direct download” because they wouldn't have the Microsoft Store. If you're using Windows 11 (or 10), the main way to download the app would be off the Microsoft Store, so it would make the most sense for that to be the version that will get overhauled.

reallysoftuser wrote:

This is an overhaul for the Windows 11 version of the Scratch editor, and typically people who have older Windows versions would use the “Direct download” because they wouldn't have the Microsoft Store. If you're using Windows 11 (or 10), the main way to download the app would be off the Microsoft Store, so it would make the most sense for that to be the version that will get overhauled.

But then most users would not get the new interface then, as a lot of offline editor installs come from the direct download.

Bumped.

Support!

Bumped.

Bumped.

Cool