Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!olivea!oliveb!pyramid!athertn!Atherton.COM!dlw
From: dlw@Atherton.COM (David Williams)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: HyperCard Authoring...The Brouhaha
Message-ID: <30754@athertn.Atherton.COM>
Date: 22 Sep 90 02:58:59 GMT
Sender: news@athertn.Atherton.COM
Reply-To: dlw@Atherton.COM (David Williams)
Organization: Atherton Technology -- Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 45

Hmmm, lets try and see whats going on here.

1) As quoted in Danny Goodman's Book Bill Atkinson said that if Apple EVER 
   stopped shipping HyperCard for free he could do so himself.
   a) Did this cover all versions of HyperCard say 2.x and beyond?
   b) By shipping HyperCard 2.0 with scripting hidden does Apple keep to the
      spirit of whatever agreement was made with Mr. A?

2) Sounds like we get HC 2.0 with full execution functionality but with
   scripting hidden. Analogy, this sounds like shipping MacWrite II, but 
   with only a teachtext interface as default [you can read files, you
can         print files you just can't EDIT files(yeah I know you can
enter data into HC    stacks). Sounds like Apple is backing off of
Programming for the rest of us,    in the sense that it was just so DARN
easy in HC.

3) Course this could be implemented by Claris in many ways:
   a) You give them money and they give you a serial number to unlock the
      mysteries of HC scripting. Ah...bogus copy protection just like UNIX! 
   b) You give them money and they give you a slick manual that says
"hit             propeller shift elbow to enable scripting."
   c) Its just another programming product like THINK C, MPW et al--only
its          the HyperTalk you know and LOVE. Comes with 500 pages of
docs in                simulated leatherette bound manuals.
   d) How to activate scripting is made generally public...but Claris
adds            value by doing fantastic manuals and support for more
features in a             timely manner and you get official technical
support (An Apple First)!

One can of course hope for 3D...after all getting new features like full
color support, appleEvents, et al could be financed somehow(other than
those nice cheap prices for Apple Hardware).

Perhaps this will all be explained in the Help stacks shipped with HC 2.0.

All in all, from reading the press release and the announcement in the
San Jose Mercury News--I would say whoever wrote the release really
bungled the job. It
leaves one with a very bad feeling regarding the future "openness" and
customize it yurself feel that HC has had. One can only shudder at how
this must have been reported in the Wall Street journal. Ah well, guess
we'll all have to get the real story in next weeks MacWeek eh?

-David Williams
"Unless of course, Help stacks are to be SOLD by Claris!"