Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!gistdev!andy
From: andy@gistdev.gist.com (Andy Warinner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Claris just doesn't get it
Keywords: Apple, HyperCard, Claris, screw-up
Message-ID: <1010@gistdev.gist.com>
Date: 28 Sep 90 21:11:18 GMT
Organization: Global Information Systems Technology Inc., Savoy, IL
Lines: 52


As I have been following the great HC 2.0/Claris debate, I have been
swinging between rage and sullen mollification, ending up in cynicism
skepticism.  It seems that Claris is talking out both sides of their
mouth.  First, some Claris marketing exec says:

>	The bundled version. however, won't give users access to the
>scripting features in HyperCard's user Level 5, which means users
>won't be able to reprogram stacks, according to a Claris spokeswoman.
>	The audience for the authoring version will be commercial and
>corporate in-house programmers and multimedia developers, according to
>John Zeisler, Claris marketing vice president.

This provokes understandable rage.  Then someone else from Claris says:

>Here is the latest word (paraphrased) from Mike Holm, Claris HyperCard 
>Product Manager, as expressed in an online conversation Wednesday evening 
>26-Sep on CompuServe:
>
>Beginning Real Soon Now, every new Macintosh CPU will contain one 
>HyperCard disk, including the *FULL* HyperCard 2.0 application, a very 
>simple Home stack with the buttons for Authoring, Painting and Scripting 
>disabled, and Address stack, an Appointments stack, maybe another stack or 
>two, and a 30-page (or so) welcome to HyperCard book/brochure. The reason 
>given by the people who made the decision for the disabling of the 
>userlevels above #2 is that they wanted to keep naive users from 
>accidentally destroying their stacks. An experienced HyperCard user will 
>notice that there is just an opaque button hiding the other userlevel 
>selections.

This pronouncement comforts me somewhat.  But my final conclusion is that
CLARIS JUST DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE HYPERCARD PHILOSOPHY.  A lot of people
embraced the HyperCard philosophy of open software and empowering users.
Yet Claris has trampled on that philosophy by reintroducing the 
distinction between users (who have to be prevented "from accidentally
destroying their stacks", shades of "1984" anyone?) and developers ("The 
audience for the authoring version will be commercial and corporate 
in-house programmers and multimedia developers").  HyperCard was supposed 
to eliminate this division.  And HyperCard was supposedly so central to
the Apple philosophy that it was designated system software, unlike the
original MacPaint/MacWrite.

Whatever the real distinctions there are between the bundled version
and the authoring version of HyperCard,  Apple and Claris have gone a long
way towards destroying and confusing the philosophy of HyperCard that
Apple has worked so hard to promote.  The result will be a lot less people
willing to take the big leap of putting HyperCard to work for them.

Andrew Warinner | "Semper ubi sub ubi" - J. Caesar
GIST, Inc.      |
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