Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!ut-sally!utah-cs!thomson
From: thomson@utah-cs.UUCP (Richard A Thomson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Amiga Hypercard
Message-ID: <5311@utah-cs.UUCP>
Date: 3 Mar 88 19:49:12 GMT
References: <2279@unicus.UUCP>
Reply-To: thomson@cs.utah.edu.UUCP (Richard A Thomson)
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept
Lines: 44

[ Note the follow-up line; I tried to cross post to alt.hypertext, but no go ]

In article <2279@unicus.UUCP> craig@unicus.UUCP (Craig D. Hubley) writes:
>>ron (rminnich@udel.edu) WRITES:
>
>>   Now for a challenge. Can we build a tools-based system that is the 
>>equal of Hypercard in its capabilities. I did not say the same thing, 
>>but something as capable. Hypercard's capabilities are neat, but i 
>>find myself put off by the 'one big program' approach. Can such a system
>>be built some other way? An interesting challenge, i think.
>
>Yes, we can build it in many pieces.  ...
>We need at least standards for these data structures, as IFF and memory
>resident structures.  Then a library to support working with them.
>
>	A card
    [ describes contents of a card data structure ]
>	A web
    [ describes contents of a web data structure ]
>	Craig Hubley, Unicus Corporation, Toronto, Ont.

I recently posted a request to alt.hypertext for sources to the 68000 Xanadu
server.  Why reinvent the wheel with regard to hypermedia systems?  The
Xanadu Project has been working on the problem for quite some time and they've
already implemented a server for the Xanadu System in 68000 code!  We can
one-up all of Apple's hullabaloo by going straight to the source!  With the
Xanadu server (it supports the unique identifiers needed for the above
data structures through an ingenious system called tumbler arithmetic; see
the article by Ted Nelson in the Jan '88 Byte) implemented on the Amiga as
a shared library we would be able to accomplish much of the things that have
been suggested by the above two articles.

More importantly, we would have a direct link to the distributed Xanadu system
that promises to make hypermedia so useful.  I'm trying to get this server
code so that we (the Amiga community) can do something with it.  I'm tired
of all the MacWeenies gloating over Hype-HypeCard.  Lately Apple has been
hyping the HypeCard as opening the "doors of desktop video" to the Mac II
owners.  Who are they kidding?  I don't think HypeCard is going to get you
desktop video any more than MacPaint gave you color.  (i.e. not for a very
long time and with much pain)

Let's get Xanadu up and running on networked Amigas!

						Rich Thomson