computer science

MSWLogo

MSWLogo is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MSWLogo rather than just read about it. In short: MSWLogo is a programming language which is interpreted, based on the computer language Logo, with a graphical user interface (GUI) front end. George Mills developed it at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Key takeaways

MSWLogo belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MSWLogo to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MSWLogo from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MSWLogo is a programming language which is interpreted, based on the computer language Logo, with a graphical user interface (GUI) front end. George Mills developed it at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Its core is the same as UCBLogo by Brian Harvey. It is free and open-source software, with source code available, in Borland C++. MSWLogo supports multiple turtle graphics, 3D computer graphics, and allows input from ports COM and LPT. It also supports a Windows interface, so input/output (I/O) is available through this GUI, and keyboard and mouse events can trigger interrupts. Simple GIF animations may also be produced on MSWLogo version 6.5 with the command gifsave. The program is also used as educational software. Jim Muller wrote The Great Logo Adventure, a complete Logo manual using MSWLogo as the demonstration language. MSWLogo has evolved into FMSLogo: An Educational Programming Environment, a free, open-source implementation of the language Logo for Microsoft Windows. It is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and is mainly developed and maintained by David Costanzo.

Features

MSWLogo, as of version 6.5b, supports many functions, including:

TCP/IP Winsock networking Win16, Win32, Win32s Text in all available fonts and sizes. 1024 independent turtles. Bitmapped turtles Bitmap cut, paste, stretch Clipboard text and bitmaps MIDI devices Direct I/O to control external hardware Serial and parallel port communications Zooming Tail recursion: optimizes most recursive functions User error handling Standard Logo parsing Save and restore images. BMP format files Color bits per pixel: 1, 4, 8, 16, 24 Standard Windows hypertext help Standard Windows printing Separate library and work area Construction of Windows dialogue boxes Event-driven programming: mouse, keyboard, timer Multimedia devices: WAV sound files, CD-ROM control, etc. Event timers allowing multiprocessing 3D perspective drawing: wire-frame and solid Animated GIF generation

References

External links Official website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MSWLogo

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MSWLogo claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MSWLogo before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MSWLogo ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MSWLogo

In research: MSWLogo appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MSWLogo in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MSWLogo is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Educational programming languages, Interpreters (computing), Logo programming language family, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MSWLogo outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study MSWLogo in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MSWLogo means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MSWLogo out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MSWLogo in simple terms?

Why does MSWLogo matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MSWLogo?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MSWLogo.