FAQ

Here you'll find our most Frequently Asked Questions about Etoys.

What happens when I download Etoys on my computer?

When you run the download/installation, Etoys and an Etoys plug-in (like Flash or Quicktime) will be installed on your computer. A visible alias or shortcut will be provided so you can launch Etoys and run it "locally" on your machine if you are not connected to the internet. If you are on the internet and go to a site that contains active Etoy "projects" clicking on those projects will activate Etoys so that the project becomes fully interactive.

Will Etoys run on my machine and web browser?

Browser	OS	Versions
Firefox	All	All
Safari	Mac	All
Mozilla/Netcape	All	All
Internet Explorer	Windows	> 5.0
Internet Explorer	Mac	not recommended
OPERA	All	All

Can I run Etoys without using a web browser (standalone)?

Yes, you can run Etoys standalone by launching it from the shortcut on your desktop.

Can I use Etoys if my web browser does not support Etoys?

Yes, you can by running it standalone.

What can I create with Etoys?

The creative unit in Etoys is a "project". Projects can contain text, graphics (2 dimensional or 3D!), sound and music, animated objects, or scanned pictures and photos. The starting point in Etoys is with a blank project.

What's the best way to get started?

Start with the tutorials to learn how to author your own projects. Take a look at some of the projects in the Squeakland showcase. You can examine the objects and scripts in these projects to see how they were constructed.

Where do my projects go when I publish them?

Etoys is configured to remember certain places to find and publish projects. The Etoys plugin installation lets you look for projects on squeakland.org, other websites containing Etoys and your local machine.

Without any further configuration you can publish projects to your local hard disk. The easiest way is to just use the "My Etoys" folder. The location of this folder depends on wether you are on a Mac or a Windows machine.