[Sheflug] Hypercard

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <nospam [at] sk.tsukuba.ac.jp>]

>>>>> "Matt" == Matt Fairtlough <fairtlough [at] blueyonder.co.uk> writes:

    Matt> For example, background fields and buttons, and multiple
    Matt> layers.

Background fields and layering are simply not supported in HTML.  You
might be able to do it with JavaScrap, but I think you'd have to go to
full-on Java to get those effects.  This means that people who can't
(lynx and WAP users) or won't (me, interalia) use Java-debilitated
browsers would be totally locked out of your pages.

It ought to be possible to do those with not too much pain in XML,
with a little support from the browser.  The problem is that browsers
don't give you that support (eg, nesting anchors <A> ... <A> ... </A>
.. </A> is simply illegal).

    Matt> Java which I know is supposed to be wonderful and portable

Jamie Zawinski has a rant which starts off with approximately those
words, then goes on for about 10,000 words about "what's wrong with
Java."

    Matt> but is nothing like as easy to use as Hypertalk.

Interestingly enough, that's not one of his complaints.

    Matt> If there was a HyperCard-like application for Web design I'd
    Matt> use it in preference to anything else I've seen.

I doubt it.  You might look at the Glade interface builder for GNOME
and GTK+ apps.  It is NOT for web design (it produces an XML dialect
suitable for compiling into GTK+ apps), but if it as a UI does what
you want, that would help in making better suggestions.

    Matt> So I'd be interested to know how the applications you
    Matt> suggested compare with HyperCard. 

For ease of use, Hyperbole is pretty good; the intersface is point and
click.  But it's not useful for Web design; it's only useful for use
within X?Emacs.  Really, glade seems closest of the free apps in terms
of front end, but it's way off the mark for back end, being targeted
at compiled apps rather than web design.

Hmmm.  How about zope?  http://www.zope.org/

Unfortunately, it only might help if you're willing to run the zope
server, which is a lot harder than running a standard webserver.

    Matt> [What happened to HyperCard, is it still maintained?]

I seem to recall Apple shot themselves in the foot by ripping off the
original developer (they owned the copyright fair and square, but it
seems silly to try to one up the person who knows how to supercharge
it, even if they're trying to hold you up).  But I don't really know,
being one who hasn't touched an Apple in, uh, 8 years.


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