feat: support cat-blocks as a configurable theme

[KManolov3]

Resolves

https://scratchfoundation.atlassian.net/browse/UEPR-416

Proposed Changes

• Introduce logic allowing for the configuration of a blocks theme
• Add conditional logic for using the cat blocks theme

Reason for Changes

As part of the membership initiative, we want to reintroduce the cat blocks theme as an optional theme for supporters of Scratch

[adzhindzhi]

Looks good! We should do some code cleanup and ensure it's stable enough for production, but it's a great PoC.

[adzhindzhi]

Looking at clearTimeout() docs, we probably can, but I think it's better to leave it that way

[KManolov3]

Noticed that the outer layer of the cat ears is missing - we'll have to debug why (me missing/changing something when adapting the code seems like an obvious candidate) once we get back around to this

[rosics-code]

This is okay Scratch Team.

[ampelectrecuted]

As part of the membership initiative

#dontpywallcatblocks

[ampelectrecuted]

don't paywall cat blocks else the entire userbase will end up leaving scratch

[ampelectrecuted]

as a former scratch user who got banned a while ago but still lurks the forums, the membership system is getting crazy.
at first it seemed like just a small donation to get a few sprites (which anyone could get anyways via the backpack.)
now the navbar literally replaces the About link with a Membership link, and soon you will have to pay for cat blocks?
the Scratch Foundation is supposed to be a non-profit. now they are taking the "non-" prefix away from that.

[ampelectrecuted]

also an ST member has rejected this, and i can remember that very clearly .not trying to be rude to the members of the company that partnered with the ST and caused this chaos, but i guess it'd be best if you had a look at https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/343602/ (this is the first time i had to say this to a scratch developer)

[ajskateboarder]

@ampelectrecuted as much as this feature addition is bad I don't really think developers have to listen to a list of rejected suggestions for Scratch forumers 😭

[rosics-code]

@ampelectrecuted as much as this feature addition is bad I don't really think developers have to listen to a list of rejected suggestions for Scratch forumers 😭

.. yes they do, remember these are features ST said they WILL NOT add so it's not like they aren't community driven.

[ReallySopa]

Don't implement this, I don't want Scratch to be profit, please just let this as an April Fools' prank. Don't break the words: "Scratch is always free"

[cambegonefr]

Absolutely not! Why would you think rejecting Cat Blocks as a permanent feature can be a solutinized by putting it behind a paywall? (https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/851694)

[raynecloudy]

scratch team, what are you doing? i love you, and i get that you want perks for donators, but this is overstepping. you guys have said yourselves that cat blocks were intended to be an april fool's joke and that they won't be back¹, except possibly for future april fool's events². now, you're changing your minds in favor of the membership initiative, which is just a little depressing. though there is no doubt in my mind that this will bring in some cash, i don't support this change. it just feels icky to me.

not to mention, the number of people that use browser extensions like Scratch Addons and related will make this perk obsolete immediately.

please reconsider.

Footnotes

1. https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/392902/?page=27#post-3899362
   "This is just for April Fool's Day, so they will not be permanent. Just a fun thing for a few days ^.^" ↩

2. https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/343602/
   "...the cat blocks were intended to be temporary, and the Scratch Team has stated that they do not plan to bring them back as a permanent option. However, it is possible that they may temporarily come back during future April Fools' Day events." ↩

[cambegonefr]

@ampelectrecuted This is not a flame war. A flame war is offensive/abusive banter between users or a community. What's happening here is a protest, a protest for the right reasons might I add.

[DawnRooney27]

No No No No No! How scummy/money hungry do you have to be to lock a fan-favorite but once a year feature behind a paywall? The Scratch Foundation claims there are no paywalls then turn around and do stuff like this. This is so disappointing. If I wasn't banned on Scratch still, I'd have some words for the Scratch Team in the forums.

~ DangerousDawn

[PPPDUD]

Do not add this feature. As a banned Scratcher, I have watched the platform degrade for years now, from banning me to making the accent color purple to adding machine learning to the idea of memberships.

I'll point out that screeching avocados (which is apparently offensive to your moderators) can do this for free, and so can TurboWarp.

[ampelectrecuted]

Do not add this feature. As a banned Scratcher, I have watched the platform degrade for years now, from banning me to making the accent color purple to adding machine learning to the idea of memberships.

I'll point out that screeching avocados (which is apparently offensive to your moderators) can do this for free, and so can TurboWarp.

i'm banned too, as a near-veteran of scratch

also i made a mod shortly before my own ban, and since it is based off TW, it can do this for zero bucks as well

[ampelectrecuted]

personally most of the changes before the membership were fine, i don't mind purple or the face sensing extension or the set thumbnail button (the latter of which used to be done with browser extensions), but THIS?
as someone who joined scratch in early 2021 and first used cat blocks in 2022 iirc, converting april fools jokes into a NFT or something is straight-up dumb.

[cambegonefr]

3 banned users are protesting y'all. Mmm mmm mmm

[rosics-code]

Let’s all stop complaining, this is a good change actually because Scratch needs money and it needs to justify for $35.

[ampelectrecuted]

Let’s all stop complaining, this is a good change actually because Scratch needs money and it needs to justify for $35.

"LOOK I HAVE CAT BLOCKS AND YOU DON'T YOU LOSER!"

if this was a scratch forum topic and i wasn't banned i would assume this was rejected

[PPPDUD]

Let’s all stop complaining, this is a good change actually because Scratch needs money and it needs to justify for $35.

Then why do they have to paywall stuff? I'll point out that they've been selling books and merchandise for years now, and they could easily publish monetized video content if they cared enough.

[JereNwa]

Let’s all stop complaining, this is a good change actually because Scratch needs money and it needs to justify for $35.

Then why do they have to paywall stuff? I'll point out that they've been selling books and merchandise for years now, and they could easily publish monetized video content if they cared enough.

While I’m not a fan of Scratch Membership myself, monetised video content sounds like a content farm to me.

Do not add this feature. As a banned Scratcher, I have watched the platform degrade for years now, from banning me to making the accent color purple to adding machine learning to the idea of memberships.

I'll point out that screeching avocados (which is apparently offensive to your moderators) can do this for free, and so can TurboWarp.

The change to purple was for accessibility purposes.

[ericrosenbaum]

LGTM 😺

[rosics-code]

LGTM 😺

Awesome!

[cwillisf]

Hi folks! Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and feelings. I appreciate that you care a lot about Scratch and its future. Please see this issue for a message about membership features like this.

[cwillisf]

😸

I suspect unforking will be a bit complicated either way, but having this stuff in develop is sooooo much better than the situation we were in.

[PPPDUD]

Let’s all stop complaining, this is a good change actually because Scratch needs money and it needs to justify for $35.

Then why do they have to paywall stuff? I'll point out that they've been selling books and merchandise for years now, and they could easily publish monetized video content if they cared enough.

While I’m not a fan of Scratch Membership myself, monetised video content sounds like a content farm to me.

Do quality tutorials really seem like a content farm to you? griffpatch has been doing this for years now.

Do not add this feature. As a banned Scratcher, I have watched the platform degrade for years now, from banning me to making the accent color purple to adding machine learning to the idea of memberships.
I'll point out that screeching avocados (which is apparently offensive to your moderators) can do this for free, and so can TurboWarp.

The change to purple was for accessibility purposes.

I'll point out that somehow a "Set Thumbnail" button was important to them, but letting people turn the purple off was not, for some reason which is beyond me.

[PPPDUD]

Hi folks! Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and feelings. I appreciate that you care a lot about Scratch and its future. Please see this issue for a message about membership features like this.

We do not care about your half-proprietary AI-enabled mess. We care about people.

[JereNwa]

Hi folks! Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and feelings. I appreciate that you care a lot about Scratch and its future. Please see this issue for a message about membership features like this.

We do not care about your half-proprietary AI-enabled mess. We care about people.

Did you even read the issue? Also, you're starting to do less constructive criticism and just be plain straight-up rude now.

[PPPDUD]

We do not care about your half-proprietary AI-enabled mess. We care about people.

Did you even read the issue? Also, you're starting to do less constructive criticism and just be plain straight-up rude now.

Yes, I did. The issue fixed nothing, it was just a few blocks of text saying that it is probably a bad idea.