# A newbie questions **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [June 30, 2023, 9:07pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/a-newbie-questions/2061 "2023-06-30T21:07:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![katahdin0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71c47a/32.png) [@katahdin0](https://racket.discourse.group/u/katahdin0)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 9:07pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/a-newbie-questions/2061/1 "2023-06-30T21:07:42Z")
can't get started the drracket gui keeps saying read-syntax: `#lang` not enabled possible reason: not allowed again inside a module that already starts `#lang`, or not enabled for interactive evaluation Interactions disabled. on an M1 macbook Air, tried googling but don't see it, so I am guess something very basic that I am doing wrong ---
**Author:** ![soegaard](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/soegaard/32/19_2.png) [@soegaard](https://racket.discourse.group/u/soegaard)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/a-newbie-questions/2061/2 "2023-06-30T21:10:20Z")
Check what you have chosen as the default language in the lower, left corner. ---
**Author:** ![katahdin0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71c47a/32.png) [@katahdin0](https://racket.discourse.group/u/katahdin0)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 11:55am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/a-newbie-questions/2061/3 "2023-07-01T11:55:36Z")
Thanks for the hint, encouraged me to go back and play with things, I thin I figured out the problem, there was a #lang spec at top, deleted that, and the examples from "getting started" started to work. It is always the first steps that are the most difficult ! ---
**Author:** ![sschwarzer](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/sschwarzer/32/1940_2.png) [@sschwarzer](https://racket.discourse.group/u/sschwarzer)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 1:13pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/a-newbie-questions/2061/4 "2023-07-01T13:13:12Z")
> [@katahdin0](#): > > there was a #lang spec at top, deleted that, and the examples from "getting started" started to work. It's normal to have a `#lang` line at the top of the file if programming in Racket (e.g. `#lang racket` or `#lang racket/base`). It may be different for other languages, say, the student languages. Which language (as in "#lang") do you actually use or want to use? ---
**Author:** ![gus-massa](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/gus-massa/32/507_2.png) [@gus-massa](https://racket.discourse.group/u/gus-massa)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 10:23pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/a-newbie-questions/2061/5 "2023-07-01T22:23:43Z")
I just tested in the Beginning Language: ```scheme (define x +) ``` Error: `+: expected a function call, but there is no open parenthesis before this function` Perhaps the Student Languages can detect `#lang` and raise a easier to understand error. ---
**Author:** ![sorawee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@sorawee](https://racket.discourse.group/u/sorawee)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 11:07pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/a-newbie-questions/2061/6 "2023-07-01T23:07:25Z")
I think that's a great idea! Other read errors (e.g., mismatched parens or double quotes, quote at the end of file) probably should also remove the "read-syntax: " prefix, which is a confusing term from student's POV. ---
**Author:** ![katahdin0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71c47a/32.png) [@katahdin0](https://racket.discourse.group/u/katahdin0)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/a-newbie-questions/2061/7 "2023-07-01T23:59:56Z")
the examples used scribble and a few others, I was just copy-pasting code and trying out, before writing any of my own.