[OT] HyperCard and the Interactive Web

[Bob Sneidar]

I think back then there was such a distain for anything Macintosh in the PC world, that anyone faced with the decision about whether or not to include in a history of computing, Hypercard as a precursor to ALL Hypertext based systems would be inclined to decline. It's the old adage that the winners write the history books, and PC people of that ilk see themselves as "the winners" by sheer numbers. Macintoshes were not considered "serious business computers" back then, but were characterized as mere consumer toys. Just my guess tho'. 

Bob


On Feb 11, 2012, at 11:42 AM, Alejandro Tejada wrote:

> After reading about this recent legal bout
> for the interactive web:
> http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/02/10/1248234/texas-jury-strikes-down-mans-claim-to-own-the-interactive-web
> 
> I found revealing the way in which HyperCard
> keeps appearing as the first inspiration for the
> web browser as we know it today:
> 
> From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ViolaWWW#HyperCard
> 
> His interest in graphically based software began with HyperCard which he
> discovered in 1989. Gillies and Cailliau quote Wei on this discovery:
> "HyperCard was very compelling back then, you know graphically, this
> hyperlink thing, it was just not very global and it only worked on Mac...and
> I didn't even have a Mac" (p. 213). Only having access to X terminals, he
> (in 1990) created the first version of Viola for them: "I got a HyperCard
> manual and looked at it and just basically took the concepts and implemented
> them in X-windows[sic]"
> 
> So, I find rather revealing that today so many developers
> are mostly unaware of the existence of HyperCard.
> 
> These days, when someone study Information technology,
> DO NOT receive classes about the historical background
> of their profession?
> 
> I am curious, because I have to study the historical
> background of Design when studied it, so many years ago...
> 
> Why Information Technology would be different?
> 
> How could be helpful to be a complete ignorant
> of the origins, history and development of your
> own profession?
> 
> Al
> 
> --
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