The future of LiveCode

[Andrew Meit]

> On Jan 2, 2026, at 12:00 PM, use-livecode-request at lists.runrev.com wrote:
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2026 18:27:02 +0000 (UTC)
> From: "stgoldberg at aol.com <mailto:stgoldberg at aol.com>" <stgoldberg at aol.com <mailto:stgoldberg at aol.com>>
> To: "use-livecode at lists.runrev.com <mailto:use-livecode at lists.runrev.com>" <use-livecode at lists.runrev.com <mailto:use-livecode at lists.runrev.com>>
> Subject: The future of LiveCode
> Message-ID: <1083215420.6071206.1767292022970 at mail.yahoo.com <mailto:1083215420.6071206.1767292022970 at mail.yahoo.com>>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> 
> I have quietly followed the LiveCode discussions for many years and wanted to share a perspective from a long-time user outside the traditional programming community.
—— Thanks for your sharing.

> Although I am not a professional programmer, I am a physician and medical educator and served as president of MedMaster Publishing for over 40 years (currently Editor-in-Chief). During that time, I found LiveCode (and before it, HyperCard in 1988 and later Revolution) invaluable in developing a number of medical education applications - many of which remain freely available on our website, www.medmaster.net <http://www.medmaster.net/>. MedMaster books and applications created with Revolution and LiveCode have been used by countless medical students over the years.
— I do scholarship on Martin Buber, Leonardo Da Vinci, J. Gutenberg over 35 yrs. I have work in progress on 1. interactive translation and commentary to Buber’s Ich und Du (I and Thou), 2. an interactive study of first page of Genesis from Gutenberg’s bible, 3. an interactive introduction to da Vinci where a user can see the art with an english translation of about 10 key notebook pages.
However, I am faced with the realization my dreams cannot be finished due to both funds and legal EULA terms. 
Btw, decades ago I published StoreScript, a code snippet library. I designed and coded in Hypercard the first OR calendar app for a major hospital; later became the prototype of other similar apps. Claris used a prototype desktop publishing stack I created to teach good design, which later was reborn as Type and Terminology on the desktop. Used world wide by art schools.

> What originally drew me to HyperCard - and later LiveCode - was its extraordinary ability to allow non-programmers to build serious, useful applications without the syntactic burden of traditional programming languages. That accessibility was its genius.
— Due to Rubella I have poor vision, nearly full deaf, and some brain damage; these made it hard to program in "traditional" languages. A friend who worked with Apple gave me the gift of being an early beta tester of RC of Hypercard; I cried when I could focus on ideas, algorithms, elegant UI, experimentation with ease. Didn’t have my brain fried fixing a comma or semi-colon for the code to work.
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> Over time, however, LiveCode has grown substantially. While this growth brings power and flexibility, it has also introduced a very large vocabulary and conceptual overhead. From the perspective of a non-programmer, the language can now feel more difficult to approach than some mainstream programming environments. In this sense, it risks drifting away from HyperCard’s original mission: empowering educators, researchers, and other non-programmers to create software.
— hear hear; but the industry is driven towards more and more features to cover rising costs and has the seeds of its own implosion. I was there in 1992 during an informal conference call with some top software companies exploring the subscription model that took lock in to whole new level. As both lead tester and tech support for a well known computer graphics company, I begged them to reconsider for the user. But Wallstreet forced them to embrace subscription. 
Yes, Livecode has drifted far away. I miss the days I could wake up at night with an idea and prototype it in a few hours. BTW I helped test and did UI corrections to Prototyper when it came out in 1987.

> I would very much like to see LiveCode thrive, and based on my experience in publishing and education, I’d like to offer a few suggestions for consideration:
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> 1. A “LiveCode Lite” track for non-programmers.
> This would target educators, scientists, and other professionals who want to build practical applications without mastering the full language. A smaller, carefully curated subset of commands - focused on the most commonly needed functionality - would significantly lower the barrier to entry. I attempted this approach in my book LiveCode Lite: Computer Programming Made Ridiculously Simple.
— They already tried this long ago; it failed. My fear is there is no effort to make an ANSI version of HyperTalk apart from any proprietary workings. But the industry does not tolerate the market of 
Competition; only steady lock in. Many decades ago I had a long phone conversation with Dan Winkler about Hypertalk; it was grim but honest. The grand vision of Allen Kay is in tatters. There will never be another HyperCard as Bill A. envisioned; I have to accept that fact.
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> 2. Extend the Lite approach to mobile development.
> One limitation of my book is its focus on macOS and Windows. An extension that clearly explains mobile development for iPhone and Android - emphasizing what is shared with desktop development and what is different in the language - would greatly increase its relevance today.
— check, but will never happen due to Apple/Google complexity.

> 
> 3. Clear, step-by-step guidance for deployment.
> For non-programmers, getting an application onto an iPhone or Android device is often more intimidating than writing the code itself. Clear, linear instructions would be invaluable.
— see above.

> 
> 4. Consider a one-time purchase option.
> A basic, non-subscription license might attract a larger audience of educators and hobbyists who are hesitant to commit to ongoing fees.
— will never happen; again they tried that. Again Wallstreet or other investors involved. Livecode, like apple, would to have to whittle down the specs to barely support our goals — carrot and stick. The rich/well off can afford to be productive; us who live on 13k a year through SSI/SNAP should not have access. The tech industry wants billions not a few millions; let alone a free empowering tool. I don’t fault Livecode; it's hostage to market forces and some bad choices in the past.

> I recently turned 83 and no longer have the technical capacity to extend LiveCode Lite in the direction I envision. However, if anyone in the community is interested in pursuing or collaborating on such an effort, I would be happy to contribute conceptually or editorially.
—— ditto. And congrats to living to that age (just turned 68); I hope aging not been too harsh.

A bit of history. Summer of ’96 I needed funds; Raney approached me to create a Supercard to Metacard converter. I am sorry I contributed to the demise of SC; but Apple nailed them by failing to fulfill its OS promise. Am also sorry for the menubar mess I had suggested to Raney; thinking it would be rewritten in MC 3 (which was promised in contract but never delivered), which never happened. 

I want to thank Ken Ray for his support in code, funds, and confidence in me. He was wicked smart and I learned a lot from him. I miss him. And I thank Bob Becker one the earliest billionaires of the tech industry (client of my evil father); he gave me for my birthday an early Apple ][ (signed by Woz, hidden inside); but bright green text on black screen was hard for me to read. 
Back then I called Apple tech support to help me flip and adjust the colors; no one was willing to help or claimed it could not be done. A few weeks ago someone told me it could be done and how. 
Finally, I thank Livecode for helping me along the way.

AI. 
I have a deep background in philosophy and mathematics. I have studied linguistics, grammar, and cognitive development due to my own struggles with language. I am deeply concerned with AI marketing and use. The tech industry is literally playing with fire; we will get burned. I suspect there are other ways to rapidly code an app without AI; lets try that first before using a tech that drains water from lakes and requires massive data centers. If AI is the future of Livecode; I part ways and will delete decades of creative work on Jan 18th. I have no need to use a limited use Livecode unless I pay for AI. I have plenty of other projects to finish. 
I offer a prediction and a warning: Swift will expand deeply with ai and become easier to use; in fact it will work fully on an ipad pro 6; yes with a native Xcode.

I welcome anyone to convince me there could be a Livecode without AI if am willing to wait, say 2 yrs. Or point me to a robust Hypertalk/hypercard clone. 

Thanks for the fish and memories.

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> Finally, I still believe that a coherently structured book - meant to be read from beginning to end - can be more approachable for many learners than a collection of interlinked tutorials, which can sometimes feel fragmented or overwhelming.
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> Thank you for reading, and for your continued work on LiveCode.
> Stephen Goldberg