TI: A step back towards the TI community?

[DJ Omnimaga]

For the last few years, Texas Instruments calculator updates have nearly been entirely in favor of schools and at the expense of student's freedom. For example, the TI-Nspire series lacked ASM and C support and did not even have an actual programming language available altogether (a very limited form of TI-BASIC, even more limited than on the TI-81, arrived about one year after the calculator release). However, as quoted from this post, it seems like higher cooperation between some community members (mainly parts of the TI-Planet staff) and Texas Instruments have convinced the latter to try making the TI-Nspire Lua language more attractive for game programmers:

TI updated their scripting page a bit a couple of days ago:
http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/nonProductSingle/nspire-scripting.html

Some interesting statements:

For programmers and the programming community
The wider programming community gains a potential programming and gaming platform that can well suit their needs. We look forward to seeing programmers band together through existing online communities to share their work and learn from one another.

At least they recognize that there is/was a need. And because several members of the community have close contact with TI, stuff will only get better
Also, they clearly don't mind games ..

Getting started with Lua scripting for TI-Nspire technology
Try a series of tutorials that will take you from getting started to creating TI-Nspire documents with the Script Editor. Learn more

These tutorials use OcLua (made by ExtendeD) 

Both things show that they slowly start appreciating the community again. This is because it benefits them too. (So if they would open up to native programming, it would benefit them a great deal). If TI continues with this trend I think we will see some great stuff happening

Granted, just with Lua, it's still far from the freedom people would have with native support for ASM and C like on older calc models, but hopefully it's a good step away from the days where the TI-Nspire series did not even support TI-BASIC or Lua at all. Hopefully, TI will devote more of their time spent on OS upgrades to make Lua a more viable language for higher-end game and program development, rather than devoting most of it into their lost battle against Ndless.

[Deep Thought]

Wow, this is some promising news! Sure, it's still not assembly, but I'm really glad to hear this: first, it means TI will continue to support third-party Lua programs in the future (and it's not too bad as a gaming language, either), and second, TI openly recognizes the game/programming community again, even if they can't really endorse it.

[Juju]

Hey that's pretty cool

They must had fired a vice-president or something.

[blue_bear_94]

Why TI is starting to turn back towards students is still unknown. EDIT: I read the OP. Why TI would ever listen to their programming community is the unknown.

[DJ Omnimaga]

I think that behind the scenes, people have been trying to convince them about the benefits of allowing people to code games again, such as the fact calculators sales might actually increase. I know for myself that the presence of good games on the 83+ was what convinced me of buying my own TI-83+ back then rather than using the ones from school. The calc was for school, but games were a major factor in convincing me to shell away $159.99 (around $180 with taxes) for a 83+ in 2001.

[mlytle0]

O.K., a concession is being made, that's fine, but TI needs to go the whole way, and it looks like it's only a minor concession really.   I have nothing against Lua, but since you can't program this on the calculator, if you have a REAL JOB and are not a student, where you have to program for WORK, in the FIELD, you don't want to have to take a laptop with you to alter your program to meet changing requirements. 

I think they're really trying to sell their PC software, ultimately. it's another revenue stream...

I still find the Nspire crippled and clunky, in spite of the processor speed.   It's for education only...

[mlytle0]

Now, if they put Lua Programming on the Inspire, more then just letting it run programs, then I will stop dissing them...

[TheNlightenedOne]

Well, there are oclua and tools like that for Lua programming on-calc.

[DJ Omnimaga]

Hmm just as a side note, make sure to use the modify button rather than double-posting, unless there is a considerable amount of time since your last reply

And yeah I agree with TI needing to go the whole way. Of course I fear this might not happen anytime soon since they're way too concerned about Ndless being used to cheat in tests (as you could see with the two PTTKiller threads getting locked, we've been trying to do some efforts to convince TI we do not agree with such student activities), but we never know in a few years. At least they could maybe make Lua as fast as possible or even get a better coder to make it more efficient and it would already help. Still wanting to be able to run ASM/C games, though.

Also you can code Lua directly on the calculator since only a few months after Lua arrived, just so you know. There are tools allowing you to do so. I'm thinking about OCLua, for example, but if I remember, three are available.

Also I prefer conventional graphing calc controls, like on older models, rather than the touchpad-style interface.

[annoyingcalc]

Best Article EVER!!! and its REAL !!!

[cooliojazz]

Okay, how is that even... I mean... What? Why??? /me stabs annoyingcalc

This is great news though =D

[parserp]

Even though I don't own an Nspire, it's great that TI is finally realizing/acknowledging the real success that they have had because of the programming community.

EDIT: maybe in the future they will give us a little credit.

[Lionel Debroux]

I still find the Nspire crippled and clunky, in spite of the processor speed.   It's for education only...

That's a fact.

Even though I don't own an Nspire, it's great that TI is finally realizing the real success that they have had because of the programming community.

Some of TI's programmers have always been fully aware of that, but some people in the top management are still not realizing that, sorry.

[DJ Omnimaga]

Okay, how is that even... I mean... What? Why??? /me stabs annoyingcalc

This is great news though =D

I didn't see anyone use the [Netham45] bbcode in a while

(Not that it's generally a good idea anyway since everyone will use it then)

[annoyingcalc]

Oh sorry I   copy pasted, I thought something else was in therw