alice-teacher Alice 3 suddenly closing while students working on projects

Fri Apr 25 18:41:00 EDT 2025

Dear teachers,
The simplest way to locate the issue is to ask ChatGPT.
This is what I have got:

Alice 3 can crash for several reasons, most commonly due to system or
software-related issues. Here are the typical causes:

   1.

   *Incompatible or Missing Java JDK*
   Alice 3 depends on a compatible Java version. Using an unsupported or
   missing JDK can lead to startup crashes.
   2.

   *Graphics Driver Issues*
   Since Alice 3 uses 3D graphics, outdated or incompatible graphics
   drivers (especially on integrated GPUs) can cause rendering issues or
   crashes.
   3.

   *Low System Resources*
   Alice can consume a fair amount of RAM and CPU. On low-spec machines, it
   might crash if resources are exhausted.
   4.

   *Corrupt Installation*
   An incomplete or corrupted installation (e.g. from a bad download) can
   lead to crashes. Reinstalling often helps.
   5.

   *OS Compatibility*
   Running Alice on older or very new operating systems without proper
   updates or support might cause instability.
   6.

   *Damaged Project Files*
   Loading a corrupted or overly complex Alice world file can cause the
   program to crash unexpectedly.

Do you experience a crash on launch or while using a specific feature?

On Fri, Apr 25, 2025, 23:05 Melanie Lam <melanielam at cmu.edu> wrote:

> Carlos,
>
> Just wanted to follow up on this;  if you're on Alice 3.8 there's a chance
> something doesn't play well with Windows 11 update. If the problem persists
> after updating to Alice 3.9 then we would try to get logs and chase it down.
> Here is the link to the latest version of Alice:
> https://www.alice.org/get-alice/alice-3/
>
> thanks,
> Melanie
>
> Director
> Alice Project
>
> On Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 7:11 AM Ziccardi, Adam <aziccardi at opschools.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Good Day Carlos,
>> In my experience with Alice, she does get cranky when there's not enough
>> RAM and also if the video card capabilities are not more than enough. I
>> used Alice 2 for a while after Alice 3 emerged because our RAM /video combo
>> wasn't enough. Especially when programs grew.
>> Regarding the Dell 7000 you use; 1) Is the video card the integrated
>> onboard kind? If so, it shares system RAM with the GPU so that is a
>> potential bottleneck for Alce 3 to remain happy. Adding additional RAM is
>> cheap and simple. I used that opportunity to also teach about hardware and
>> the simple act of putting in more RAM chips is an impactful lesson.
>> Also in my experience, Alice gets cranky when using network drives
>> especially when the backup files are stored elsewhere besides the hard
>> drive in the Dell 7000.
>> I'd look where the *.bak files are saved. Alice automatically puts them
>> in the same directory as the project file (*.a3p) the first time the
>> project is saved. If your students are saving files, then moving or copying
>> the a3p file, that's a significant thing that Alice won't like. Using Save
>> As... the first time a project is saved is important so the .bak is in the
>> same directory as the .a3p and they don't change. Alice gets upset if .bak
>> files are moved, changed, or in any way not as they were when they were
>> created on the first Save. Also, I've had kids open projects by double
>> clicking on a file from the .bak directory thinking it is their primary
>> project file. They actually are opening a backup version of their project.
>> Then when they save it again it creates cascading .bak directories inside
>> of .bak directories and it gets a nice recursion on the operating system
>> loaded up sucking up all the RAM really fast. Add on top of that the need
>> to pipe it through the network connections (traffic flow is high at the
>> beginning and end of the period as well) when they all are accessing it at
>> once, Alice will not be happy.
>> I'd next look at the network storage access. If there are any blockers,
>> security, etc she gets cranky sometimes for those too. I'd recommend USB
>> drives (small sized ones are practically free and more than enough storage.
>> Some companies give out promo ones with their logo on it). The USB drive
>> really helps, too, with networked computers as well since they act as a
>> local drive.
>> Sorry for the long post. I re-read your message and it seems that she
>> crashes every 10-20 mins which coincides with a .bak (backup) action. IMO
>> do some testing with a project saved to a USB flash drive and be sure the
>> primary file is the one being opened and saved each time. The .bak
>> directory should rarely be used.
>> Check back when you try some stuff. Alice 2 and 3 are the greatest
>> learning platform for OOP and I'd back that up anyday anywhere. The online
>> internet based stuff is good, but Alice is great for impactful, meaningful,
>> and lasting learning. Her drawback (that she is a standalone .exe needing
>> RAM and graphics and local access) is also a strength when we can use the
>> opportunity to teach about directories, networks, and hardware limitations.
>> It is not an easy path like tapping on Ipads, Chromebooks, and phones but
>> that may not be the CS path you want to teach.
>> Adam Ziccardi
>>
>> On Tue, Apr 15, 2025 at 5:02 PM Carlos Bovell via alice-teachers <
>> alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi James,
>>>
>>> Thanks for responding. It hasn't been our experience that Alice 3 saves
>>> backups for students. If there's a setting for that, maybe that could help
>>> mitigate the problem. Although I have the students trying to save as often
>>> as they remember to, there have been a few times where Alice 3 suddenly
>>> crashes/closes with the last 10-20 minutes' worth of work lost. When it
>>> happens to the same student — even just twice — they become less motivated
>>> to put forth effort and start saying things to me like, "This app is
>>> trash." I saw it happen to two students and a third student claims it
>>> happened to him too. This third student has tried three different student
>>> stations because his Alice 3 worlds keep freezing. We are saving our worlds
>>> to a network drive. Could that have something to do with it? (I've used
>>> Alice 3 for the last part of the school year for years now and this is the
>>> first time we've had this issue.)
>>>
>>> If others have had similar issues and especially found a workaround, I'd
>>> be happy to try to problem solve. Otherwise, we'll change direction and
>>> work with the Finches until the end of the school year.
>>>
>>> Sincerely,
>>>
>>> Carlos Bovell
>>> Northern Burlington High School
>>> ------------------------------
>>> *From:* alice-teachers <alice-teachers-bounces+cbovell=
>>> nburlington.com at lists.andrew.cmu.edu> on behalf of Vanderhyde, James <
>>> vanderhyde at sxu.edu>
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, April 10, 2025 2:25 PM
>>> *To:* Alice educators <alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu>
>>> *Subject:* Re: alice-teacher Alice 3 suddenly closing while students
>>> working on projects
>>>
>>> EXTERNAL EMAIL - This email was sent by a person from outside of the
>>> organization. Exercise caution when clicking links, opening attachments or
>>> taking further action, before validating its authenticity.
>>> Secured by Check Point
>>> <https://www.checkpoint.com/harmony/email-security/email-office?friew>
>>> Carlos, I don’t see it happen in class too much, but the students report
>>> crashes while working on homework projects. I remind them that Alice saves
>>> backup files, so they may not have lost everything. They are in the same
>>> folder as the project, with the Alice project name as the name of the
>>> backup folder.
>>>
>>> James
>>> —
>>>
>>> *James Vanderhyde *Associate Professor
>>> Computer Science
>>> Saint Xavier University
>>> 3700 W. 103rd St.
>>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/3700+W.+103rd+St.+%0D%0AChicago,+IL+60655?entry=gmail&source=g>
>>> Chicago, IL 60655
>>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/3700+W.+103rd+St.+%0D%0AChicago,+IL+60655?entry=gmail&source=g>
>>> 773-298-3454
>>> vanderhyde at sxu.edu
>>> sxu.edu
>>>
>>> On Apr 10, 2025, at 11:21 AM, Carlos Bovell via alice-teachers <
>>> alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>> *[EXTERNAL EMAIL]* CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the
>>> organization.
>>> Help! Morale is getting low. Alice 3 is closing suddenly on students
>>> without warning. We are using Dell Optiplex 7000s Windows 11 Pro. Anyone
>>> else familiar with something like this happening?
>>>
>>> Carlos Bovell
>>> Northern Burlington High School
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Adam Ziccardi
>> OPTA Flex coordinator
>> OPTA NYSTRS delegate
>> NYS Master Teacher <https://www.suny.edu/masterteacher/cohort/western/#z>
>> Teacher Webpage <https://www.opschools.org/Domain/2958>
>> (716) 209-6482
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