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Bill Atkinson, a member of the Apple Lisa and Macintosh teams, created HyperCard, one of the first successful hypermedia systems, after a thought-provoking LSD trip. He died on June 5, 2025. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 5 days ago by cypherpunks@lemmy.ml to c/wikipedia@lemmy.world

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[–] cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

HyperCard was basically the viewer/player for HyperCard stacks/files. HyperStudio was the program used to make them.

This is incorrect. The HyperCard application could both create and play back HyperCard stacks. It could also export them as stand-alone applications which people could use without needing to run HyperCard.

HyperStudio was something else, not shipped by Apple.

The author describes it here:

It was inspired by HyperCard and Ted Nelson’s ideas of hypertext and hypermedia. But whereas HyperCard was a database of alphanumeric data controlled by a scripting language, HyperStudio was founded on the idea of the primary layer being a paint program, and linking (“hyper-”) media (“studio”) together in an object-oriented, rather than lexical (program language), environment. The result was a program that is its own category of software. That is to say, HyperStudio has an extremely unique environment, and although it can create videos, presentations, animations and comic-style (graphic novel) digital stories, it is neither movie-making software, presentation software, and animation program, nor a comic-book maker. It is HyperStudio and no other program has ever duplicated or even successfully approximated its functionality.

I should admit that it’s been years since I messed around with old Macintosh or looked into the old Mac retro sites, it’s probably out there somewhere…

You can use HyperCard on an emulated Mac in a web browser at https://system7.app/ - it's in the Multimedia folder there :)

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Interesting. I only recall 2 programs when I took the HyperStudio class, where the HyperCard Player was free for all to use, but couldn't make projects.

HyperStudio was the paid program that the school had paid licensing fees to use, and as such we weren't allowed to copy that software.

Maybe I missed the original HyperCard itself, we were only allowed to copy and share HyperCard Player, which most definitely could not create projects, only play them.

[–] cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Ah, this is jogging my memory:

HyperCard 1.x was given away as a standard item with the purchase of a new Mac Plus, SE, or II. This was the key to HyperCard’s early success. HyperCard 2.x had to be purchased separately. However, Apple made and gave out HyperCard Player, a freeware application that allowed one to run HyperCard stacks.

But yeah, HyperStudio was something else entirely (HyperCard-inspired but not compatible).