The International HyperCard User Group (iHUG) promises news, information, and surprises during this week’s Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
HyperCard is an Apple-created tool for creating custom software solutions for users at all skill and experience levels. Introduced in 1987, HyperCard organizes information into “stacks” of cards that users can navigate and search for the information they need. By clicking on a button, users can view related text, see a graphic, hear a sound, watch a QuickTime movie or listen to text aloud.
“We are excited to be the first group of end-users that have collectively created an exhibit for any software application,” R. Charles Flickinger of iHUG told MacCentral. “We have at least a dozen presentations scheduled throughout the four days of the expo that will be projected on our flat display panel for everyone to see.”
iHUG will upload news and information nightly during the show to their Web site. Plus, there will be presentations of HyperCard works from authors all over, including presentations of interactive learning software for music, dance, and language arts, Flickinger said.
“We also have scheduled presentations that show HyperCard’s unique abilities to get the most from QuickTime and AppleScript technologies,” he added. “We will also present some surprises, including how HyperCard’s strengths can allow developer’s to easily bring Mac OS X’s aqua interface to OS 9.”
iHUG will be drawing and giving away copies of the HypeCard Mail List CD each hour during the show. There will be brochures about iHUG and many works featured at the booth. And they’ll be accepting orders for souvenir shirts and mugs to deliver after the show.
At one time, Apple planned to ramp HyperCard to version 3.0. Those plans have stalled, however, as the company says doing so would require moving resources and people away from currently successful development strategies in order to set up a full team with all its complementary support structures.
HyperCard fans are working to convince Apple to revive and rejuvenate the tool. The HyperCard Mail List and CD are two of those efforts. The most recent version of HyperCard, 2.4.1, was released in 1998, and provides full advantages of incorporating QuickTime and AppleScript technologies.
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