Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!argosy!jay
From: jay@argosy.UUCP (Jay O'Conor)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re: HyperCard 2.0 (press release)
Message-ID: <694@argosy.UUCP>
Date: 1 Oct 90 23:19:04 GMT
References: <10477@goofy.Apple.COM> <44987@apple.Apple.COM>> <3920@tellab5.tellabs.com> <45145@apple.Apple.COM> <1990Sep26.004233.25633@nada.kth.se> <90270.081033SAS102@psuvm.psu.edu> <41840@mips.mips.COM>
Sender: news@argosy.UUCP
Reply-To: jay@argosy.UUCP (Jay O'Conor)
Organization: MasPar Computer Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 30

In article <41840@mips.mips.COM> dak@mips.com writes:
>This marketing hooha is cracking me up... Clearly Claris has already
>chosen a future product direction and is masking its introduction as a
>benefit...

I tend to agree.  It appears that Claris is targeting "authoring
systems" as a possible next big market, like "desktop publishing" et al.
It's sad really.  I was really encouraged to see Apple take the heat
from software publishers when HyperCard was released.  If I remember
correctly, HyperCard's release was relatively close to the time that
Claris was created.  Apple held on to HyperCard, claiming they needed to
do so with system software - which is what they claimed HyperCard
was/is.
HyperCard really held promise as system software.  Finally, here was
something that might be functionally comparable to AppleSoft Basic on
the Apple II or shell programming on a DOS machine.  E.g. programming
for the masses.  This was one of the biggest holes in the Mac UI - there
was no way to automate tasks.  Granted, there may now be terriffic macro
programs on the market for the Mac, but none of these come with the
machine, and each falls short for one reason or another.  Only with
HyperCard, in conjunction with the promise of Apple Events in System 7.0, 
promised the possibility of an integrated means of programming the
Macintosh User Interface.
Now it appears that that dream is dead.  HyperCard is just another
Macintosh Application.  Has Apple abandoned programming for the masses?
It would appear so.


Jay O'Conor
jay@maspar.com