Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!psuvax1!psuvm.bitnet!psuvmxa!cunyvm!byuvax!taylorj
From: taylorj@yvax.byu.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: re: getting started (actually: reference books)
Message-ID: <680taylorj@yvax.byu.edu>
Date: 7 Jul 89 04:39:18 GMT
Lines: 25


I will repost my almost exhaustive review of HyperCard books when I get through
the new ones I've got (which will take anywhere from a few weeks to a few
months), but in the meantime, here are a few suggestions.

"Using HyperCard: From Home to HyperTalk" from Que, and "HyperTalk Bible"
from Hayden, are both good, but may spend too much time on the basics for your
needs.  The former is better as a detailed reference and has a lot of nice
hints and suggestions.  For the ultimate authoritative reference, you need
Apple's own "HyperCard Script Language Guide" from Addison Wesley.  The best
pocket reference is "HyperTalk," one of Microsoft Press' Programmer's Quick
Reference Series.  For the ultimate in advanced goodies, check out "Tricks of
the HyperTalk Masters" from Hayden.  This is chock full of really great ideas
and some hot scripts (as well as a few dogs).  If you're looking for books
oriented more towards development in general (less emphasis on programming), I
recommend "HyperCard Power" from Addison-Wesley, Apple's new "HyperCard Stack
Design Guidelines" also from Addison-Wesley, and "Danny Goodman's HyperCard
Developer's Guide" from Bantam.  I agree that most of the books covering
HyperCard in general are all rehashes of the same stuff.  Hopefully, as
publishers try to cope with the oversaturated HyperCard book market, they'll
come out with more diversified books that will be more useful.

Jim Taylor
Microcomputer Support for Curriculum
Brigham Young University
taylorj@byuvax.bitnet   or   taylorj@yvax.byu.edu

P.S.  If anyone has any reviews or insights on HyperCard books that they'd be
willing to let me incorporate in my megareview, I would be ecstatically
appreciative if you'd send it to me.