5 ms·

Maybe for you. The goal of Hypercard was to empower people that don't really think '.length' is easier.

cocktailpeanuts 6y ago
This is a common misunderstanding coming from people whose first language is English. There is a wider world where they prefer ".length" over some english sentence. Even the ".length" is difficult for them but it's still less grammar to learn.
- Wowfunhappy 6y ago
  pre-OS X versions of Applescript (which was largely based on Hypertalk) actually allowed you to use Spanish/French etc in addition to English. Was taken out in OS X apparently.
Guthur 6y ago
And it has been demonstrably shown that languages that have a pseudo English syntax do nothing to open programming to the masses; case in point being Cobol, there is a proverbial tonne of it being maintained only by software engineers.
- cturner 6y ago
  "pseudo English syntax do nothing to open programming to the masses" But they did with hypercard, right? I remember my sister showing me a hypercard presentation she did while she was in primary school.
  - Wowfunhappy 6y ago
    Wait—that's really cool! Did she just go ahead and learn it on her own?
- KineticLensman 6y ago
  > case in point being Cobol, there is a proverbial tonne of it being maintained only by software engineers I don't think COBOL is a good comparator. Although COBOL uses 'English' words, it has massively idiosyncratic programme structure (data division! [0]) and weird data structures (PICTURE clause! [1]), and it was these that made it hard to understand and maintain without a very steep learning curve. Source: I had a language trajectory that went Pascal -> COBOL -> C -> Hypercard. I was stunned by how rapidly I could create impressive Hypercard applications, with quite sophisticated (for the time) UI and graphics. This was invaluable in the group I worked in, a research group in a large UK engineering company in the early '90s. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COBOL#Data_division https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COBOL#Data_division [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COBOL#PICTURE_clause https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COBOL#PICTURE_clause
  - pmoriarty 6y ago
    "I don't think COBOL is a good comparator." Another similar language is Inform 7, the text adventure authoring language, which came out in 2006, about 20 years after Hypercard.[1] Below is a simple example program in the language. A more involved example can be found here: [2] "Hello Deductible" by "I.F. Author" The story headline is "An Interactive Example". The Living Room is a room. "A comfortably furnished living room." The Kitchen is north of the Living Room. The Front Door is south of the Living Room. The Front Door is a door. The Front Door is closed and locked. The insurance salesman is a man in the Living Room. The description is "An insurance salesman in a tacky polyester suit. He seems eager to speak to you." Understand "man" as the insurance salesman. A briefcase is carried by the insurance salesman. The description is "A slightly worn, black briefcase." Understand "case" as the briefcase. The insurance paperwork is in the briefcase. The description is "Page after page of small legalese." Understand "papers" or "documents" or "forms" as the paperwork. Instead of listening to the insurance salesman: say "The salesman bores you with a discussion of life insurance policies. From his briefcase he pulls some paperwork which he hands to you."; move the insurance paperwork to the player. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inform_7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inform_7 [2] - http://inform7.com/book/RB_1_3.html#e74 http://inform7.com/book/RB_1_3.html#e74

This is a common misunderstanding coming from people whose first language is English. There is a wider world where they prefer ".length" over some english sentence. Even the ".length" is difficult for them but it's still less grammar to learn.

Wowfunhappy 6y ago
pre-OS X versions of Applescript (which was largely based on Hypertalk) actually allowed you to use Spanish/French etc in addition to English. Was taken out in OS X apparently.

Guthur 6y ago

And it has been demonstrably shown that languages that have a pseudo English syntax do nothing to open programming to the masses; case in point being Cobol, there is a proverbial tonne of it being maintained only by software engineers.

cturner 6y ago
"pseudo English syntax do nothing to open programming to the masses" But they did with hypercard, right? I remember my sister showing me a hypercard presentation she did while she was in primary school.
- Wowfunhappy 6y ago
  Wait—that's really cool! Did she just go ahead and learn it on her own?
KineticLensman 6y ago
> case in point being Cobol, there is a proverbial tonne of it being maintained only by software engineers I don't think COBOL is a good comparator. Although COBOL uses 'English' words, it has massively idiosyncratic programme structure (data division! [0]) and weird data structures (PICTURE clause! [1]), and it was these that made it hard to understand and maintain without a very steep learning curve. Source: I had a language trajectory that went Pascal -> COBOL -> C -> Hypercard. I was stunned by how rapidly I could create impressive Hypercard applications, with quite sophisticated (for the time) UI and graphics. This was invaluable in the group I worked in, a research group in a large UK engineering company in the early '90s. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COBOL#Data_division https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COBOL#Data_division [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COBOL#PICTURE_clause https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COBOL#PICTURE_clause
- pmoriarty 6y ago
  "I don't think COBOL is a good comparator." Another similar language is Inform 7, the text adventure authoring language, which came out in 2006, about 20 years after Hypercard.[1] Below is a simple example program in the language. A more involved example can be found here: [2] "Hello Deductible" by "I.F. Author" The story headline is "An Interactive Example". The Living Room is a room. "A comfortably furnished living room." The Kitchen is north of the Living Room. The Front Door is south of the Living Room. The Front Door is a door. The Front Door is closed and locked. The insurance salesman is a man in the Living Room. The description is "An insurance salesman in a tacky polyester suit. He seems eager to speak to you." Understand "man" as the insurance salesman. A briefcase is carried by the insurance salesman. The description is "A slightly worn, black briefcase." Understand "case" as the briefcase. The insurance paperwork is in the briefcase. The description is "Page after page of small legalese." Understand "papers" or "documents" or "forms" as the paperwork. Instead of listening to the insurance salesman: say "The salesman bores you with a discussion of life insurance policies. From his briefcase he pulls some paperwork which he hands to you."; move the insurance paperwork to the player. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inform_7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inform_7 [2] - http://inform7.com/book/RB_1_3.html#e74 http://inform7.com/book/RB_1_3.html#e74