emcguire@ccad.uiowa.edu (Ed McGuire) (11/30/90)
After reading the Claris Press Release and Fact Sheet describing
HyperCard 2.0, and Kevin Calhoun's followup quoting Mary Bushnell, I've
formed some opinions about the "new" HyperCard. Since this is purely
based on these three articles, can I have some feedback on this?
1. HyperCard has been improved, both in features and performance.
2. HyperCard stack development, which was supported and documented
free in version 1, now costs money. All you get now bundled with a
new Macintosh:
- the HyperCard program
- 35-page Getting Started manual
- three sample stacks
No Beginners' Guide to Scripting, no HyperCard Help, no idea stacks.
3. If you got version 1 with your Macintosh, you can purchase an
"upgrade kit" for $49. This "upgrade" gets you:
- the HyperCard program
- all the stacks that were free before
- two (unnamed) developer manuals
- telephone support
You apparently don't get the 35-page Getting Started manual, the
HyperCard Reference, and the Beginners' Guide to Scripting. I hope
they weren't rewritten to reflect the new features of version 2.
4. If you never got version 1, you can purchase a "development kit"
for $199. This gets you the complete HyperCard system and
telephone support.
From my perspective, this is a giant step backward. Claris mouths a
commitment to "the original HyperCard vision--putting Macintosh
programming power in the hands of many," but actually takes the power
away from the people unless they are willing and able to pay for an
"upgrade kit." And how much will it cost for version 3?
I don't need telephone support. I doubt I even need the new manuals.
I want what I had before: the idea stacks and HyperCard Help with the
version 2 enhancements included. After all, I'm not a commercial
developer. I just customize the distributed scripts and make some of
my own. That's "programming power in the hands of many."
--
peace. -- Ed
Generic message.robertw@informix.com (Rob Weinberg) (12/01/90)
In article <1990Nov29.193346.12451@ccad.uiowa.edu> emcguire@ccad.uiowa.edu (Ed McGuire) writes: >1. HyperCard has been improved, both in features and performance. Incredibly so, IMHO. You can have open 18 stacks at once, open many scripts at once to copy and paste between, there is a run-time debugger, built-in icon editor, any size card you want, etc. And report printing is a whole new ballgame, virtually desktop publishing in miniature. >2. HyperCard stack development, which was supported and documented > free in version 1, now costs money. All you get now bundled with a > new Macintosh: > - the HyperCard program > - 35-page Getting Started manual > - three sample stacks > No Beginners' Guide to Scripting, no HyperCard Help, no idea stacks. Since I have always gotten my HyperCard updates from a users' group (BMUG in Berkeley, CA), the cost is essentially the same to me now as it has always been, in this case $15 for 5 disks. This includes many demonstration stacks, and seperate help stacks for HyperCard and HyperTalk. These help stacks are much better organized then the old help stacks, especially with the new abilities to open windoids and mulitiple stacks (which are well-implemented here). I don't know about the bundled and Claris versions, but from my point of view, I have gotten far more free functionality from this HyperCard release than from any other software developer anywhere. -- * Rob Weinberg, graphics & publishing ***** Does a falling tree make a sound * * {uunet,pyramid}!infmx!robertw ***** if 1: no one hears it * * => Ask me about me. ***** BUT 2: it is not known that * * => Ask Informix about Informix ***** no one hears it? *
APPLEREP@MTUS5.BITNET (12/01/90)
The thing that I worry about with HC 2.0 is just how widespread its acceptance will be with the users -- the people that I would like to use any stack that I produce. Yes, I know that people that purchase new CPUs all have HC 2.0, but I am sure that most of the Macintosh owners out there have not even heard that it exists. When they do find out about it (most likely when they try to use a 2.0 stack on their old version of HC), I wonder how many will be willing to shell out the 49 greenbacks? So if I write a program, and want to make a nice help stack to go along with it, do I create it with HC 2.0 or 1.2.5? I guess that it depends if I want to make a stack that has nice features, or one that everyone will be able to use (without the hassle of purchasing an upgrade). Mind you, I am not talking about us Netters, or the User Group members. These are great organizations that I feel users should belong to, but the reality is that we are the exception, not the rule. Tom Amberg Michigan Tech--Way, way up in the Great White North, ============================= where gas has always been expensive ============================= even before Saddam (and recently Congress).
johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu (12/03/90)
In article <90334.191242APPLEREP@MTUS5.BITNET>, APPLEREP@MTUS5.BITNET writes... >The thing that I worry about with HC 2.0 is just how widespread its acceptance >will be with the users -- etc >So if I write a program, and want to make a nice help stack to go along with >it, do I create it with HC 2.0 or 1.2.5? Good point. I think the answer is that those of us who want to make stacks using the new tools and capabilities offered by HC 2.0 will have to be the ones who pull the wagon when it comes to convincing new users to make the switch. In my opinion, the only thing that will drive the switch to HC 2.0 will be the emergence of great stacks that require the new HyperCard to run. That puts the onus on us (neat pun, huh?) to produce the stackware that will accomplish this. We were the ones who did alot of the griping for new features, right? Now maybe it's our turn to kick in a bit. Regarding the $49 fee; for five disks with 'final' versions of HC 2.0, an 'accurate' script language guide, and phone support -- I think that both the user and the developer get a pretty good deal. The users group version is great fun; mine had three different versions of the Home stack! But if I want to develop something for others to use, I also want to be able to refer back to the package that they are getting so I know what things to include in the 'Help' and when the user should appropriately RTFM. I was one of the whiners who wanted HyperCard to do more -- those of you who are now sitting on the fence regarding Claris' commercial HyperCard might do well to recall the history of OS/2 when it was met with a storm of controversy from entrenched users of DOS. Let's not get bogged down in this mire, gentlemen! Bill (johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu)