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HyperCard was one of the best tools I've ever used. A real shame it never caught on.

by Yhippa 6y ago

ebg13 6y ago
It was huge at the time. It only died because Apple killed it.
CydeWeys 6y ago
I wouldn't say that it never caught on, but rather, that its successor (the Web), which it inspired directly, succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
- Angostura 6y ago
  Not really. Hypercard included a fully functional programming language (HyperTalk) and a simple database. It really isn't analogous to the Web.
  - dijit 6y ago
    I don’t know anything about HyperTalk but given that we live in an age where the web basically doesn’t work without a fully functional programming language (JavaScript) and a simple database (websql) isn’t the parent correct?
    - scroot 6y ago
      It's not really fair to compare the two that closely. Doing so misses a key aspect of Hypercard, which is how it fit holistically into the operating systems of its time. Hypercard "authors" had the ability to do many of the things their operating system could do from within the HC/HT system. Hypertalk is also different in purpose and kind from JS. The former is easier to read than it is to write (Hypercard encouraged learning by copying / example), and was explicitly designed for everyday people. It was meant to bridge the gap between "users" and "programmers" and provide true computational media authoring.
      - CydeWeys 6y ago
        It's true that HyperCard and the Web aren't exactly the same in all respects, but that's orthogonal to the fact that the Web drew direct inspiration from HyperCard (like, documented, on record, the inventors of Web browsers and HTTP saying as much).
  - CydeWeys 6y ago
    Brendan Rich is on record saying that HyperTalk directly influenced JavaScript, e.g.: https://mobile.twitter.com/brendaneich/status/337689437729329153 https://mobile.twitter.com/brendaneich/status/33768943772932... Also it seems like what you're saying is confirming my point, not contradicting it? HyperCard has a presentation layer and a scripting language, and so too does the Web, both of which were directly influenced by their respective pieces in HyperCard. So how is this not analogous to the Web??
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
nix23 6y ago
And Myst the game was made with it (and plenty other's from the Miller brothers)

HyperCard was one of the best tools I've ever used. A real shame it never caught on.

by Yhippa 6y ago

HyperCard was one of the best tools I've ever used. A real shame it never caught on.

ebg13 6y ago

It was huge at the time. It only died because Apple killed it.

CydeWeys 6y ago

I wouldn't say that it never caught on, but rather, that its successor (the Web), which it inspired directly, succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

Angostura 6y ago
Not really. Hypercard included a fully functional programming language (HyperTalk) and a simple database. It really isn't analogous to the Web.
- dijit 6y ago
  I don’t know anything about HyperTalk but given that we live in an age where the web basically doesn’t work without a fully functional programming language (JavaScript) and a simple database (websql) isn’t the parent correct?
  - scroot 6y ago
    It's not really fair to compare the two that closely. Doing so misses a key aspect of Hypercard, which is how it fit holistically into the operating systems of its time. Hypercard "authors" had the ability to do many of the things their operating system could do from within the HC/HT system. Hypertalk is also different in purpose and kind from JS. The former is easier to read than it is to write (Hypercard encouraged learning by copying / example), and was explicitly designed for everyday people. It was meant to bridge the gap between "users" and "programmers" and provide true computational media authoring.
    - CydeWeys 6y ago
      It's true that HyperCard and the Web aren't exactly the same in all respects, but that's orthogonal to the fact that the Web drew direct inspiration from HyperCard (like, documented, on record, the inventors of Web browsers and HTTP saying as much).
- CydeWeys 6y ago
  Brendan Rich is on record saying that HyperTalk directly influenced JavaScript, e.g.: https://mobile.twitter.com/brendaneich/status/337689437729329153 https://mobile.twitter.com/brendaneich/status/33768943772932... Also it seems like what you're saying is confirming my point, not contradicting it? HyperCard has a presentation layer and a scripting language, and so too does the Web, both of which were directly influenced by their respective pieces in HyperCard. So how is this not analogous to the Web??

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

nix23 6y ago

And Myst the game was made with it (and plenty other's from the Miller brothers)