jkc@apple.com (John Kevin Calhoun) (11/27/90)
CLARIS DETAILS AGGRESSIVE PLANS FOR HYPERCARD 2.0 More choices, increased support with HyperCard 2.0; Bill Duvall leads development: System 7.0, beyond SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 19, 1990 - Claris Corporation today announced details of HyperCard 2.0 product and support plans, offering a choice of configurations, free phone support for registered users, and a low-cost upgrade for current users. The increased Claris commitment to HyperCard marketing, development and user support demonstrates that the original HyperCard vision -- putting Macintosh programming power in the hands of many -- is being pursued more aggressively than ever, Claris said. The announcement comes after two months of transition of HyperCard responsibility from Apple to Claris, and soon after first shipments of the major new update to the most popular Macintosh software environment, HyperCard 2.0. This version offers significant new tools and functionality, including more than 100 new features and commands, making it one of the most powerful and accessible programming systems for both novice and advanced Macintosh users. "Claris is committed to helping more users unlock the potential of HyperCard, to realize our vision of broad-based, accessible Macintosh power," said John Zeisler, Claris vice president of marketing. "During this next phase of HyperCard, users will enjoy new levels of documentation and helpful stacks, and unrivaled Claris phone support. Developers will see more aggressive advertising, marketing and development, pushing HyperCard into the hands of more users than ever before." No More 'One Size Fits All' In a major change from the past "one-size-fits-all" HyperCard product, Claris will let users choose from three different configurations of HyperCard 2.0: the Upgrade Kit, Development Kit, and Macintosh bundle. Each configuration contains exactly the same HyperCard software; the manuals, sample stacks and other tools in each configuration vary according to different users' needs. Free Claris phone support is also available to purchasers of the Upgrade or the Development Kit. 1) HyperCard 2.0 software is bundled free with every Macintosh. This configuration is designed to introduce HyperCard basics to new Macintosh users and support the large number of users who run stacks, but do not create or customize them. This configuration includes a 35-page manual introducing and explaining HyperCard and three sample stacks for addresses and personal notes, scheduling appointments, and demonstrating sound input. Like all previous releases of HyperCard, the HyperCard 2.0 bundled configuration is set to the "Typing" level of access, which allows users to browse through stacks and enter text. However, users can change the access level to operate within the program's highest user levels. 2) Claris is taking orders now for the HyperCard 2.0 Upgrade Kit. Priced at only $49, it is an excellent value for users familiar with earlier versions of HyperCard who want to create and modify scripts and take advantage of the new and extensive programming capabilities to develop applications. The Upgrade Kit will ship Nov. 26 and can be ordered by calling Claris toll-free at (800) 628-2100 (8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday). 3) The HyperCard 2.0 Development Kit is for new HyperCard users who want complete and extensive documentation and examples, ranging from HyperCard basics all the way through advanced scripting. The Development Kit will be available from authorized Claris dealers in January 1991 for a suggested retail price of $199 in the U.S. Claris Support For HyperCard Users In addition to free user phone support, Claris has put more "support" in the HyperCard box than before. The Upgrade Kit and Development Kit each come with five floppy disks which include HyperCard help, ready-made buttons and fields, stack templates, fonts and much more. Five manuals -- totaling more than 1,400 pages -- are part of the Development Kit, giving users more comprehensive access to all the power and functionality of HyperCard. Claris intends to provide support for commercial and corporate HyperCard developers in mid-1991. In the meantime, Apple Developer Technical Services will continue to support these developers. Aggressive Development: System 7.0 and Beyond Claris also announced Bill Duvall, well-known Macintosh software visionary and designer, has joined Claris as director of HyperCard development to architect the next generation of HyperCard solutions for System 7.0 and beyond. Duvall is best known as the designer of pioneering Macintosh programming products like Mac C and MDS (the Macintosh Development System, now marketed as CDS by Consulair Corp.). He was a research scientist at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) from 1973-76. Under Duvall's leadership, HyperCard development will be more aggressive than ever. Users can expect more frequent updates, and ambitious future versions of HyperCard to take advantage of new Macintosh powers such as System 7.0. International Availability Outside the U.S., Apple will continue to upgrade and support HyperCard users. Licensing and Distribution The HyperCard 2.0 program has been licensed by Apple to developers and user groups around the world. Claris and Apple will honor those agreements and continue to work with these groups. In addition, Claris is developing site licensing and volume purchase agreements for its corporate and education customers. Responsibility for development, marketing, distributing and support of HyperCard software was transferred from Apple Computer, Inc. to Claris, its subsidiary, in September, 1990. Claris, one of the top two vendors of Macintosh software,develops, markets and supports application software for Macintosh and Apple II computers. ### Copyright 1990 Claris Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Claris is a registered trademark of Claris Corporation. HyperCard is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., licensed to Claris Corporation. Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu (11/27/90)
------ In article <46824@apple.Apple.COM>, jkc@apple.com (John Kevin Calhoun) writes... [...] >2) Claris is taking orders now for the HyperCard 2.0 Upgrade Kit. Priced at >only $49, it is an excellent value for users familiar with earlier versions of >HyperCard who want to create and modify scripts and take advantage of the new >and extensive programming capabilities to develop applications. The Upgrade Kit >will ship Nov. 26 and can be ordered by calling Claris toll-free at (800) >628-2100 (8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday). > >3) The HyperCard 2.0 Development Kit is for new HyperCard users who want >complete and extensive documentation and examples, ranging from HyperCard >basics all the way through advanced scripting. > >The Development Kit will be available from authorized Claris dealers in January >1991 for a suggested retail price of $199 in the U.S. > >Claris Support For HyperCard Users >In addition to free user phone support, Claris has put more "support" in the >HyperCard box than before. The Upgrade Kit and Development Kit each come with >five floppy disks which include HyperCard help, ready-made buttons and fields, >stack templates, fonts and much more. Five manuals -- totaling more than 1,400 >pages -- are part of the Development Kit, giving users more comprehensive >access to all the power and functionality of HyperCard. OK, I'm a wee bit confused here. I own HyperCard 1.whatever (having gotten it bundled with my Mac). I am a fairly proficient developer in HyperCard, having used it for in-house apps for clients, etc. I own a few HyperCard development books for 1.whatever. So what should I order if I'm interested in developing for 2.0? The $49 upgrade? Or the $199 "developers version"? $200 seems like a LOT of money for me: what's in those "5 manuals -- totaling more than 1400 pages" that I couldn't get in a couple of HC 2.0 books bought at the bookstore for much less than $200? I guess basically what I'm saying is: 1)Is there stuff in the developers version that a developer really needs to have, and 2) if not, is there any reason to buy it over the upgrade (e.g. great docs, etc).? Robert ============================================================================ = gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu * generic disclaimer: * "It's more fun to = = * all my opinions are * compute" = = * mine * -Kraftwerk = ============================================================================
jkc@Apple.COM (John Kevin Calhoun) (11/27/90)
I should mention that the Claris press release and product fact sheet, which contain copyrighted material, have been posted with permission from Claris. Kevin Calhoun HyperCard Team Apple Computer, Inc.
steve@Advansoft.COM (Steve Savitzky) (11/28/90)
OK, what EXACTLY is in the development kit, the upgrade, and the bundle, so we can see what's worth spending our money for. In particular, how do the development kit and the upgrade differ? -- \ --Steve Savitzky-- \ ADVANsoft Research Corp \ REAL hackers use an AXE! \ \ steve@advansoft.COM \ 4301 Great America Pkwy \ #include<disclaimer.h> \ \ arc!steve@apple.COM \ Santa Clara, CA 95954 \ 408-727-3357 \ \__ steve@arc.UUCP _________________________________________________________
jkc@Apple.COM (John Kevin Calhoun) (11/28/90)
In article <1990Nov27.010702.8472@midway.uchicago.edu> gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: >I guess basically what I'm saying is: 1)Is there stuff in the developers >version that a developer really needs to have, and 2) if not, is there any >reason to buy it over the upgrade (e.g. great docs, etc).? I passed your question along to Mary Bushnell, the HyperCard Product Specialist at Claris, and she said: "You're a licensed user of HyperCard 1.x. If you want to do development with HyperCard 2.0, all you need to do is to purchase the upgrade package for $49. "The Development Kit is everything that a new user of HyperCard needs to learn stackware development. It includes the following manuals that aren't part of the upgrade package: Getting Started With HyperCard, The HyperCard Reference Guide, and Beginners' Guide to Scripting. Because you're already a proficient HyperCard developer, you probably won't require this additional material. "The Development Kit is the complete HyperCard 2.0 product. The upgrade, in essence, is the differential between the complete HyperCard 1.x product and the Development Kit." Hope this helps. Kevin Calhoun HyperCard Team Apple Computer, Inc. P.S. Mary also says that the U. of Chicago has a great anthropology department.
gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu (11/29/90)
------- In article <46893@apple.Apple.COM>, jkc@Apple.COM (John Kevin Calhoun) writes... >In article <1990Nov27.010702.8472@midway.uchicago.edu> >gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: > >>I guess basically what I'm saying is: 1)Is there stuff in the developers >>version that a developer really needs to have, and 2) if not, is there any >>reason to buy it over the upgrade (e.g. great docs, etc).? > > >I passed your question along to Mary Bushnell, the HyperCard Product Specialist >at Claris, and she said: > >"You're a licensed user of HyperCard 1.x. If you want to do development with >HyperCard 2.0, all you need to do is to purchase the upgrade package for $49. [...] Thanks! > >Kevin Calhoun >HyperCard Team >Apple Computer, Inc. > >P.S. Mary also says that the U. of Chicago has a great anthropology >department. Yes, and a pretty good business school too! :-> Robert ============================================================================ = gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu * generic disclaimer: * "It's more fun to = = * all my opinions are * compute" = = * mine * -Kraftwerk = ============================================================================
francis@daisy.uchicago.edu (Francis Stracke) (11/29/90)
In article <1990Nov28.185511.5891@midway.uchicago.edu> gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: >------- >In article <46893@apple.Apple.COM>, jkc@Apple.COM (John Kevin Calhoun) writes... [...] >>P.S. Mary also says that the U. of Chicago has a great anthropology >>department. >Yes, and a pretty good business school too! :-> >Robert >= gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu * generic disclaimer: * "It's more fun to = And math! (Sorry, couldn't stand seeing GSB getting net.praise and not the *real* departments. :-) (Note the follow-up, please.) | Francis Stracke | My opinions are my own. I don't steal them.| | Department of Mathematics |=============================================| | University of Chicago | Until you stalk and overrun, | | francis@zaphod.uchicago.edu | you can't devour anyone. -- Hobbes |
rsfinn@athena.mit.edu (Russell S. Finn) (11/29/90)
In article <46893@apple.Apple.COM>, jkc@Apple.COM (John Kevin Calhoun) quotes Mary Bushnell, the HyperCard Product Specialist at Claris: > "The Development Kit is everything that a new user of HyperCard needs to learn > stackware development. It includes the following manuals that aren't part of > the upgrade package: Getting Started With HyperCard, The HyperCard Reference > Guide, and Beginners' Guide to Scripting. Because you're already a proficient > HyperCard developer, you probably won't require this additional material. > > "The Development Kit is the complete HyperCard 2.0 product. The upgrade, > in essence, is the differential between the complete HyperCard 1.x product > and the Development Kit." If this is really the case, then someone at Claris needs to learn how to write press releases better. :-) Another software company would simply say something like: "HyperCard 2.0 will be available in January at a suggested retail of $199. Current HyperCard 1.x owners may upgrade for $49; upgrade orders are being taken now..." This common wording would keep people like me from wondering what's really in those five manuals that's worth $150. (The answer appears to be "Not much.") Personally, having already purchased the fine book "HyperTalk 2.0: The Book," my only interest in the $49 upgrade is (a) real documentation on things like the new debugger and variable watcher, (b) the technical support available to registered owners, and (c) the latest bug fixes (roughly in that order). I decided that this was worth the upgrade cost. However, is the information I seek available in the upgrade, or is it in the "HyperCard Reference Guide" (which is *not* in the upgrade according to the ab ove)? -- Russ rsfinn@athena.mit.edu P.S. I'm a little disappointed that Claris is *apparently* raising the price of the full HyperCard "package" from $49 to $199; that seems a little steep (granted, the street price will probably be "only" $125 or so).
mxmora@unix.SRI.COM (Matt Mora) (11/30/90)
In article <1990Nov27.010702.8472@midway.uchicago.edu> gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: >------ >So what should I order if I'm interested in developing for 2.0? The $49 >upgrade? Or the $199 "developers version"? $200 seems like a LOT of money for >me: what's in those "5 manuals -- totaling more than 1400 pages" that I >couldn't get in a couple of HC 2.0 books bought at the bookstore for much less >than $200? That is a lot of money. You can get Supercard for that much! >Robert > -- ___________________________________________________________ Matthew Mora | my Mac Matt_Mora@sri.com SRI International | my unix mxmora@unix.sri.com ___________________________________________________________
maddox@blake.u.washington.edu (Tom Maddox) (12/01/90)
I take it, then, that the "upgrade" version of HC 2.0 comes with *zero* documentation? In which case, isn't it exactly equivalent to the set distributed by users' groups? In which case, wouldn't it make more sense to join BMUG (or whatever group you prefer), given them the money, and get some additional benefits? (There must be a hole in this one somewhere, eh?) -- Tom Maddox "Satanic Verses is a despicable book that could not have been written by a person who wished to behave decently and responsibly." Orson Scott Card
jkc@Apple.COM (John Kevin Calhoun) (12/02/90)
In article <12084@milton.u.washington.edu> maddox@blake.u.washington.edu (Tom Maddox) writes: > > I take it, then, that the "upgrade" version of HC 2.0 comes with >*zero* documentation? > > In which case, isn't it exactly equivalent to the set distributed by >users' groups? > > In which case, wouldn't it make more sense to join BMUG (or whatever >group you prefer), given them the money, and get some additional benefits? > > (There must be a hole in this one somewhere, eh?) Yup, the hole is this: you took it wrong. The upgrade package comes with two manuals. There's a small one in which the new features of 2.0 are briefly described. And there's a big one, the new script language guide. Kevin Calhoun HyperCard Team Apple Computer, Inc.