I’ve been trying to find the VCS Download site but keep receiving the same error notification that the page doesn’t exist. Is VCS going away? Is it being replaced with VEXCode?
Ya it is being replaced
Please, just scroll down on the forum’s “Latest” page (the homepage by default). You don’t even have to search to find the answer to your question over and over again.
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I find it wrong, and completely ill-responsible to train teachers/coaches, as late a July, with VCS, and then to completely abandon them one month later. Those teachers had already created lessons/activites with the understanding they would be able to use VCS going forward if they so choose. VEX is hanging them out to dry by not allowing their students to even download the software. New teachers/coaches like VCS because it is an intermediary between block and true C++ programming. They NEED the command library support menu that is within VCS. They aren’t ready to use VEXcode Text without that handcuff. And yeah, that feature may be coming… but when. Those students need it now, and are not challenged by the drag and drop model offered by V5 block. It is not the teachers/coaches/students fault that they made a mistake partnering with ModKit. But they are being punished for it. VEX should at the very least should make the download available, even if it is without support. That can at least hold classrooms off until VEX Text creates a user command library similar to VCS, that provides that intermediate level experience.
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There is VEXCode V5 Blocks that is available.
It’s more irresponsible to keep a product out there that is not only poor in quality, but is buggy, lacks features, and they failed to maintain a schedule for regular product updates.
The API remains the same between both VCS and VEXCode.
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Since it remains the same, teachers who were taught VCS, and taught VCS should be able to translate the same context into Vexcode. Although VCS is good for beginners, I would disagree with your point of view about it being good for teacher, and new students, since many of the those students would likely be interested in exploring furthur with VCS, only realizing that there are very limited potential.
While I do feel bad for the teachers who will have to restructure the lessons, it is better to teach something right the first time. If a student is really passionate about coding and robotics, they should learn the correct language if they will learn it either way. Contrary to my viewpoint however, I do also believe that VCS was really good when seen as a medium level coding software. It’s a shame that the flaws of it often outweigh the pros.
I agree that it wasn’t cool for teachers preparing to teach vex coding studio, but there really was no other option. vex coding studio thoroughly sucked. It isn’t all that bad anyways, the syntax of vexcode is the same as vcs, so its not like you have to learn a completely different language.
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Replacing the old program with a new one is not the problem. I am one of the teachers trained in July. VCS is on all my student computers and we wanted to put it on my desktop so I could show it on the board. The VCS allowed me to have students program in text and learn Syntax without the frustration of having to remember every command at the beginning. They could drag and drop. It may be in the Vex Code text, but I cannot find it. I don’t have time during the school year to search everything out. That is as irresponsible as not replacing an old program. IT is not replacing it that is the problem. It is how it was replaced that puts teachers like me who are just learning robotics and trying to teach in a bad position.
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