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Is there an open-source hypercard equivalent? It seems that Hypercard made programming very accessible, so it would be good if an open source project/community

by brylie 9y ago

Is there an open-source hypercard equivalent? It seems that Hypercard made programming very accessible, so it would be good if an open source project/community is continuing the ethos.

Someone 9y ago
https://livecode.com https://livecode.com. Source claimed to be at https://livecode.org https://livecode.org (can’t find it without registering, but maybe, I didn’t look hard enough). I don’t know how well it tracks the .com offering, either.
- dcuthbertson 9y ago
  The source code seems to be at https://github.com/livecode/livecode https://github.com/livecode/livecode
- jamesgeck0 9y ago
  This used to be called MetaCard! I can't believe it's still around; I must have used this thing fifteen years ago.
leephillips 9y ago
HTML + javascript. I mean that as a serious answer to your question. I made a handful of stacks back then, and this is the logical replacement. While still not as cool in some ways as Hypercard, at least HTML + javascript is not confined to one company's computers.
- Angostura 9y ago
  Having done quite a lot of hypercard programming back in the day - HTML + javscript is nothing like a replacement. Hypercard's authoring simplicity was what made it so great.
  - cik 9y ago
    Agreed. It's literally what got me into programming and entrepreneurship. Wrote and sold my first piece of software in Hypercard (and then SuperCard!). I desperately wish it were still real, for my kids. I think it'd be far be the best way to get them coding.
    - pasbesoin 9y ago
      It might well not have enough contemporary flare and flash for young kids used to modern computers, tablets, phones. But there are "classic Mac" emulators. I imagine they do Hypercard just fine.
  - leephillips 9y ago
    I don't disagree - that's what I was thinking of when I said that HTML + javascript is not as cool as Hypercard. But in another way, it's cooler, because when you make something that works in a browser you can share it with the world.
- itomato 9y ago
  "And if you think that XCode, Python, Processing, or the shit soup of HTML/Javascript/CSS are any kind of substitute for HyperCard, then read this post again. And if you continue to think so, then you might be an autistic typical software “engineer,” and please don’t waste your time commenting here. Sink back into the cube farm hellpit from whence you came. Otherwise, sit down and contemplate the fact that what has been built once could probably be built again." http://www.loper-os.org/?p=568 http://www.loper-os.org/?p=568
  - msla 9y ago
    Do we really need to insult the non-neurotypical?
    - goldenkey 9y ago
      A large part of being autistic is insulting people without knowing it. Which can come across as cold and distant. I think OP was just trying to hint at the open mindset it takes to appreciate something like HyperCard
      - itomato 9y ago
        It's also a quote.
- analog31 9y ago
  In my view, HC is not just a programming tool, but also a rudimentary database engine. This may have helped make it attractive in its day. Of course HC was many things to many people. The modern replacement could be identified by what people actually use in daily life for simple programming and databases: Excel. I wrote an assembler in HC.
beobab 9y ago
I don't know of an open source version, but Supercard is still available for the mac, and will even play a large proportion of Hypercard stacks. http://www.supercard.us/ http://www.supercard.us/ Pricey, mind!
teamonkey 9y ago
It's not HyperCard, or intended to be, but Twine captures some of the spirit, I think. http://twinery.org/ http://twinery.org/

by brylie 9y ago

Is there an open-source hypercard equivalent? It seems that Hypercard made programming very accessible, so it would be good if an open source project/community is continuing the ethos.

Someone 9y ago

https://livecode.com https://livecode.com. Source claimed to be at https://livecode.org https://livecode.org (can’t find it without registering, but maybe, I didn’t look hard enough). I don’t know how well it tracks the .com offering, either.

dcuthbertson 9y ago
The source code seems to be at https://github.com/livecode/livecode https://github.com/livecode/livecode
jamesgeck0 9y ago
This used to be called MetaCard! I can't believe it's still around; I must have used this thing fifteen years ago.

leephillips 9y ago

HTML + javascript. I mean that as a serious answer to your question. I made a handful of stacks back then, and this is the logical replacement. While still not as cool in some ways as Hypercard, at least HTML + javascript is not confined to one company's computers.

Angostura 9y ago
Having done quite a lot of hypercard programming back in the day - HTML + javscript is nothing like a replacement. Hypercard's authoring simplicity was what made it so great.
- cik 9y ago
  Agreed. It's literally what got me into programming and entrepreneurship. Wrote and sold my first piece of software in Hypercard (and then SuperCard!). I desperately wish it were still real, for my kids. I think it'd be far be the best way to get them coding.
  - pasbesoin 9y ago
    It might well not have enough contemporary flare and flash for young kids used to modern computers, tablets, phones. But there are "classic Mac" emulators. I imagine they do Hypercard just fine.
- leephillips 9y ago
  I don't disagree - that's what I was thinking of when I said that HTML + javascript is not as cool as Hypercard. But in another way, it's cooler, because when you make something that works in a browser you can share it with the world.
itomato 9y ago
"And if you think that XCode, Python, Processing, or the shit soup of HTML/Javascript/CSS are any kind of substitute for HyperCard, then read this post again. And if you continue to think so, then you might be an autistic typical software “engineer,” and please don’t waste your time commenting here. Sink back into the cube farm hellpit from whence you came. Otherwise, sit down and contemplate the fact that what has been built once could probably be built again." http://www.loper-os.org/?p=568 http://www.loper-os.org/?p=568
- msla 9y ago
  Do we really need to insult the non-neurotypical?
  - goldenkey 9y ago
    A large part of being autistic is insulting people without knowing it. Which can come across as cold and distant. I think OP was just trying to hint at the open mindset it takes to appreciate something like HyperCard
    - itomato 9y ago
      It's also a quote.
analog31 9y ago
In my view, HC is not just a programming tool, but also a rudimentary database engine. This may have helped make it attractive in its day. Of course HC was many things to many people. The modern replacement could be identified by what people actually use in daily life for simple programming and databases: Excel. I wrote an assembler in HC.

beobab 9y ago

I don't know of an open source version, but Supercard is still available for the mac, and will even play a large proportion of Hypercard stacks. http://www.supercard.us/ http://www.supercard.us/ Pricey, mind!

teamonkey 9y ago

It's not HyperCard, or intended to be, but Twine captures some of the spirit, I think. http://twinery.org/ http://twinery.org/