Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!m2c!applix!scott
From: scott@applix.UUCP (Scott Evernden)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Hypermedia
Message-ID: <676@applix.UUCP>
Date: 18 Mar 88 15:10:00 GMT
References: <331@ardent.UUCP>
Reply-To: scott@applix.UUCP (Scott Evernden)
Organization: APPLiX Inc., Westboro MA
Lines: 32

In article <331@ardent.UUCP> rap@ardent.UUCP (Rob Peck) writes:
>I've been noticing that a lot of folk are posting to BBS's stacks of
>stacks, so to speak, for Hypercard.  Just a curious thought about
>those - if the format of a stack is well defined, wouldn't it be
>a nice project for someone (not me please) to implement a stack
>browser for the Amiga?   Just a thought. 
>
>Rob Peck			...ihnp4!hplabs!ardent!rap

Does anyone know the format of a stack?  Can anyone suggest a source for
such information?  I read in Danny Goodman's book that Bill Atkinson wanted
the format to be made available for anyone to be able to develop HyperCard
stack readers.  But in 'MacIntosh Technical Notes', #170, entitled
"HyperCard File Format" it says,

	"The file format of a HyperCard stack is
	proprietary and will not be documented."

I know that at least one company has developed a MacIntosh DA to
browse stacks, so they had to get their info from somewhere, or else
have made use of some Apple-supplied toolbox for accessing stacks.

Recently, I asked comp.graphics for information on the graphic format
employed by HyperCard (supposedly achieving 30:1 compression ratios with
patent pending).  No one seemed to have a specific understanding of what
the encodings are.

I have a bunch of HyperCard stacks on my Amiga, and have spent many hours
attempting to divine the internals.  I'm getting nowhere fairly quickly,
tho.

-scott