HyperCard
Each card contains a set of interactive objects, including text fields, check boxes, buttons, and similar common graphical user interface (GUI) elements.The database features of the HyperCard system are based on the storage of the state of all of the objects on the cards in the physical file representing the stack.From the HyperCard runtime's perspective, there is no difference between moving a text field on the card and typing into it; both operations simply change the state of the target object within the stack.Such changes are immediately saved when complete, so typing into a field causes that text to be stored to the stack's physical file.Unlike the majority of RAD or database systems of the era, however, HyperCard combines all of these features, both user-facing and developer-facing, in a single application.These are code libraries packaged in a resource fork that integrate into either the system generally or the HyperTalk language specifically; this is an early example of the plug-in concept.During HyperCard's peak popularity in the late 1980s, a whole ecosystem of vendors offered thousands of these externals such as HyperTalk compilers, graphing systems, database access, Internet connectivity, and animation.Externals allow access to the Macintosh Toolbox, which contains many lower-level commands and functions not native to HyperTalk, such as control of the serial and ADB ports.Apple timed its release to coincide with the MacWorld Conference & Expo in Boston, Massachusetts to guarantee maximum publicity.Apple and its mainstream developers understood that HyperCard's user empowerment could reduce the sales of ordinary shrink-wrapped products.The new version included an on-the-fly compiler that greatly increased performance of computationally intensive code, a new debugger and many improvements to the underlying HyperTalk language.Then, Apple decided that most of its application software packages, including HyperCard, would be the property of a wholly owned subsidiary called Claris.Nonetheless, HyperCard continued to be popular and used for a widening range of applications, from the game The Manhole, an earlier effort by the creators of Myst, to corporate information services.A new effort to allow HyperCard to create QuickTime interactive (QTi) movies started, once again under the direction of Kevin Calhoun.[16] Under the leadership of Dan Crow development continued through the late 1990s, with public demos showing many popular features such as color support, Internet connectivity, and the ability to play HyperCard stacks (which were now special QuickTime movies) in a web browser.The last functional native HyperCard authoring environment is Classic mode in Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) on PowerPC-based machines.Examples of HyperCard applications include simple databases, "choose your own adventure"-type games, and educational teaching aids.[6][24] In Quebec, Canada, HyperCard was used to control a robot arm used to insert and retrieve video disks at the National Film Board CinéRobothèque.Changing its name to Mediagenic, it published several major HyperCard-based applications, most notably Danny Goodman's Focal Point,[20] a personal information manager, and Reports For HyperCard, a program by Nine To Five Software that allows users to treat HyperCard as a full database system with robust information viewing and printing features.While stating that "like any first entry, it has some flaws", the magazine wrote that "HyperCard opened up a new category of software", and praised Apple for bundling it with every Mac.[41][42][43] In 2017 the Internet Archive established a project to preserve and emulate HyperCard stacks, allowing users to upload their own.Apple built its system-wide scripting engine AppleScript on a language similar to HyperTalk; it is often used for desktop publishing (DTP) workflow automation needs.AppleScript also has a native graphical programming front-end called Automator, released with Mac OS X Tiger in April 2005.Zoomracks, a DOS application with a similar "stack" database metaphor, predates HyperCard by 4 years, which led to a contentious lawsuit against Apple.
Original author(s)Bill AtkinsonDeveloper(s)Apple ComputerFinal releaseApple PascalOperating systemMacintoshSystem 6System 7Mac OS 8Mac OS 9Apple IIGSPlatformHypermediasoftware developmentLicenseProprietarysoftware applicationdevelopment kitWorld Wide Webdatabaseprogramming languageHyperTalkrapid application developmentdemosceneSteve JobsMac OS XRolodexgraphical user interfaceBorlandDelphiMicrosoftVisual BasicVisual Studiodatabase engineInternet Archiveobject persistenceobject-orientedscripting languageEnglishweakly typedresource forkplug-inOracle CardApple Desktop Buscreator codetrademarkMacWorld Conference & ExpoBostonMassachusettsFindercompilerdebuggerClarisEaster EggSuperCardMacromedia AuthorwareThe ManholeQuickTimeApple Worldwide Developers ConferenceDan Crowweb browserSculleyclassic Mac OSClassicPowerPointchoose your own adventureMacromedia DirectorVoyager CompanyExpanded BooksBeethoven's Ninth Symphony CD-ROMA Hard Day's Nightthe BeatlesMacBethWhole Earth CatalogYou Don't Know JackRenaultvideo disksNational Film Boardelectronic patient recordActivisionDanny Goodmanweb browsersmacro virusesSteve WozniakhypertextJakob NielsenhyperlinksDeena Larsenhard diskTim Berners-LeeRobert CailliauJavaScriptBrendan EichViolaWWWcursorPerformaWard CunninghamemulateWizzy Active Lifestyle TelephoneInternetCompuServeHyperStudioLiveCodeLiveCode, Ltd.WinPlusOracleOracle Media ObjectsToolBookAppleScriptdesktop publishingworkflow automationFaceSpanMac OS X TigermultimediaAppWareZoomracksApple Media ToolMetaCardMorphic (software)mTropolisNoteCardsStagecast CreatorInfoWorldTWiT.tv