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From: emcguire@ccad.uiowa.edu (Ed McGuire)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: 2.0 development--opinion
Message-ID: <1990Nov29.193346.12451@ccad.uiowa.edu>
Date: 29 Nov 90 19:33:46 GMT
Organization: CAD-Research, U. of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Lines: 43

After reading the Claris Press Release and Fact Sheet describing
HyperCard 2.0, and Kevin Calhoun's followup quoting Mary Bushnell, I've
formed some opinions about the "new" HyperCard.  Since this is purely
based on these three articles, can I have some feedback on this?

1.  HyperCard has been improved, both in features and performance.

2.  HyperCard stack development, which was supported and documented
    free in version 1, now costs money.  All you get now bundled with a
    new Macintosh:
      - the HyperCard program
      - 35-page Getting Started manual
      - three sample stacks
    No Beginners' Guide to Scripting, no HyperCard Help, no idea stacks.

3.  If you got version 1 with your Macintosh, you can purchase an
    "upgrade kit" for $49.  This "upgrade" gets you:
      - the HyperCard program
      - all the stacks that were free before
      - two (unnamed) developer manuals
      - telephone support
    You apparently don't get the 35-page Getting Started manual, the
    HyperCard Reference, and the Beginners' Guide to Scripting.  I hope
    they weren't rewritten to reflect the new features of version 2.

4.  If you never got version 1, you can purchase a "development kit"
    for $199.  This gets you the complete HyperCard system and
    telephone support.

From my perspective, this is a giant step backward.  Claris mouths a
commitment to "the original HyperCard vision--putting Macintosh
programming power in the hands of many," but actually takes the power
away from the people unless they are willing and able to pay for an
"upgrade kit."  And how much will it cost for version 3?

I don't need telephone support.  I doubt I even need the new manuals.
I want what I had before: the idea stacks and HyperCard Help with the
version 2 enhancements included.  After all, I'm not a commercial
developer.  I just customize the distributed scripts and make some of
my own.  That's "programming power in the hands of many."
-- 
peace.  -- Ed
Generic message.