What is the difference between TigerJython and (Web)TigerPython?

The IDE and the project were originally created under the name TigerJython. This is because we used Jython to run Python programs with the Java Virtual Machine. However, our focus is now on the browser-based web version with Pyodide, so the reference to Jython is outdated. Furthermore, it was not always clear that Jython is also Python. Accordingly, we have changed the name to (Web)TigerPython.

What license does TigerJython / WebTigerPython use?

Our project includes a range of different products. The web version WebTigerPython is licensed under the open source Mozilla Public License MPL 2.0, as is the Java-based version TigerJython 3. Unfortunately, we were unable to make the older version TigerJython 2 available as open source in its entirety. However, an important core component, the TigerPython parser, is also available under MPL 2.0.

Is TigerJython / WebTigerPython Being Actively Developed?

Yes, TigerJython and WebTigerPython are actively being developed, the former for over ten years.

We are currently working intensively on WebTigerPython and are constantly implementing new features. Since a simple interface and usability are central to us, these new features are often not immediately visible. For example, WebTigerPython now supports PyGame without this being directly visible.

In addition, the WebTigerPython parser, which we use to generate improved error messages, also receives regular bug fixes and improvements.

TigerJython 3 is still used in many schools together with the online tutorials “Programmierkonzepte.ch” and “TigerJython4Kids.ch.” The IDE also continues to be supported and further developed in the field of robotics. However, TigerJython 2 relies heavily on Jython, which is unfortunately outdated in terms of the Python version. Modernizing the Jython-based versions would involve considerable effort. Since we were approached primarily with the need for a web-based solution, we decided to focus on the web version.

Who Is Behind TigerJython / WebTigerPython?

TigerJython was originally created and developed by Tobias Kohn, Aegidius Plüss (†), and Jarka Arnold. Nicole Trachsler later developed the first web version based on Skulpt. The team has grown considerably since then, and WebTigerPython is primarily an implementation by Clemens Bachmann under the guidance of Dennis Komm and Tobias Kohn, while Jarka Arnold is responsible for the tutorials and support.

Responsibility for the project lies with the non-profit association TJ Group, in close cooperation with the Chair of Algorithms and Didactics respectively the Center for Computer Science Education at ETH Zurich and the Chair of Computer Science and its Didactics at KIT.

Why gturtle And Not turtle?

Jython does not provide its own turtle library. Accordingly, we had to find a Java-based alternative for TigerJython that we could integrate. This was the Java Turtle library by Aegidius Plüss. Due to various differences in naming and implementation, we integrated this library as gturtle (where the g stands for graphics).

At that time, in addition to the original turtle module from Python 2, there was also an extended turtle xturtle, which became the standard turtle in Python 3. So the idea of an alternative turtle module was not new.

Due to the large amount of teaching materials and textbooks that have been developed in the meantime, we have retained gturtle as a module, but also provide an interface that is largely compatible with the standard module turtle. Of course, the gturtle module is also subject to further developments, some of which are didactic and some of which are technical. For instance, makeTurtle() has been omitted in WebTigerPython, because, unlike the Java version, there is no longer a window that needs to be created.

Further information is found in the blog article “Programming Education Made in Switzerland” from 2024.

What Are the APLU Libraries?

APLU refers to Aegidius Plüss (one of the founding fathers of TigerJython), who wrote an extensive collection of Java libraries, including Turtle, GPanel, and JGameGrid, which were then integrated into TigerJython. In the documentation or in various repositories, these libraries are sometimes grouped under the term APLU.