Introduction
Pahryzon (rhymes with horizon) is a completely open source whiteboard tool. One of its primary applications is a tool called Parthicalc, which is used for teaching math. The whiteboard can be extended using a new programming language called Parithony. Members and Leaders/Tutors (subscribers) pay a voluntary subscription fee of $2 and $10 per month, respectively. Leaders/Tutors can chair meetings having more than 2 participants. Tutors can access the tutor portal and be included in the Tutor Directory. The whiteboard can be used in single-user mode for free. Pahryzon supports client/server programming.
Short Elevator Pitch
Freemium Lite: Pahryzon is based on a new open source programming language in which operators come before their operands, implemented in Java, and its apps can be partially written in Java. All text is monospaced, but adjacent cells can be merged, and the merged cell can contain smaller or larger text. Pahryzon can be used for teaching math, the student and remote tutor both see the same screen. Premium users can learn math, or use multi-user mode and paid apps. Those who elect to use premium features for free face monochrome mode 30 minutes per week.
Long Elevator Pitch
Parithony has a simpler syntax than any other language except Lisp, but is traditional OOP, inspired by Python. The screen definition language of Parithony is JPML, which is HTML, simplified. Pahryzon apps are written in Java, Parithony, or both. Text is a monospaced grid, and adjacent grid cells may be merged into a cell containing its own grid. The flagship Pahryzon app is a multi-user tool used for teaching math. Regular users can make use of premium features (multi-user mode and non-free app versions), and special users can be tutors/meeting chairs. They both (regular/special) pay a voluntary fee of $2 and $10 per month, respectively. Users are penalized (for non-payment of voluntary fee) with 30 minutes of monochrome mode per week when accessing premium features.
Freemium business model: if an angel investor is found, the premium features will eventually be moved behind a paywall (no more monochrome mode), and later, AI integration will take place.
Monochrome Mode
This mode is activated whenever regular users make use of multi-user mode and non-free app versions, along with multi-user mode activity by tutors and meeting chairs (meetings with more than 2 participants), in case of non-payment of voluntary fee. Both backgound and foreground colors are limited to black and white. Widgets and rectangles having the same color as the background are outlined. Monochrome mode is only activated to a maximum of 30 minutes per week (capped at 2 days, alternating with 3 days, per week). The clock stops ticking after 3 minutes of user inactivity.
User Interface
Each user displays the same whiteboard on their laptop or desktop. The Leader controls who is currently speaking or typing: the active user. The active user can talk and speech-to-text converts what the active user is saying into text. Chat window: always on top, yellow background, variable width font. The text and mouse events of the active user such as click/hover are broadcast to the other users. Each user is a client and the servers are located in the cloud or housed in a central Pahryzon-run facility.
Whiteboard
The screen layout is formatted using a text markup language called JPML. The functionality of the whiteboard can be extended using Parithony, Java, or a combination of the two. All JPML and Parithony code (except server-side code) resides on the hard drives of the users. With the exception of client/server applications, the only activity on the server is to receive text and mouse events from the active user and share those events with the other users.
Monospaced Mode
Only monospaced mode is supported. All characters in a given panel are the same size, and adjacent cells in a given panel may be merged to form a subpanel. Panels and subpanels can contain a graphic or a block of text. Different panels containing text need not share the same font size. Subscripts and superscripts are offset vertically by half the height of a character cell. Lines of text can optionally be separated by a gap equal to half of a character cell. When drawing text on the canvas property of a panel, only monospaced fonts are supported. The canvas also supports drawing graphics such as lines, circles, and rectangles. Panels with canvases do not contain a character grid.
AI Integration
When successors of ChatGPT are sophisticated enough to tutor math, that AI technology will be leveraged to replace or augment the human tutors who are currently Parthicalc customers. Additional AI technology enables non-programmers to generate Parithony code. Pahryzon will license the AI technology, or the owners of that technology will license Pahryzon technology. Click on Misc: under AI Coding is a description of an app store built on AI-generated Parithony code.