The year was 1987. Apple had left behind the storm of Steve Jobs, and would soon face a new one in the early 1990s, but in that interim it released one of the most interesting and popular software products in its history. I'm referring to HyperCard, a hybrid between a hypertext platform and a "programming" environment that allowed a large number of users to create interactive applications with text, graphics, and other multimedia elements. HyperCard turned 30 last August 11, and to celebrate, the Internet Archive brought it back.
The story tells us that the application HyperCard was developed by Apple engineer Bill Atkinson, after a trip with LSD. Initially it was called WildCard, but Apple had started work on the HyperTalk language (with Dan Winkler at the helm), so it was decided to change it to HyperCard. The magic of YouTube and the archive of Computer Chronicles bring us one of the first live demos of HyperCard with Atkinson and Winkler, though equally important are the words that Atkinson himself shared in an interview with Leo Laporte.
What Is a HyperCard?
https://www.youtube.com/embed/tx_WCIAM4bAUnder other circumstances, HyperCard would have been created under the wing of NeXT, but it decided to continue at Apple for several reasons, including the condition that the program would be distributed free with every new Macintosh. HyperCard's popularity exploded, to such an extent that Cupertino discontinued its distribution in 2004.
For a huge group of users, HyperCard was a kind of digital canvas on which they managed to pour all their creativity, but the advance of the World Wide Web and the natural evolution of software relegated HyperCard's "stacks" to a historical context. Thirty years have passed since that official launch at the old Macworld Expo in 1987, and on the Internet Archive there is an arduous preservation effort. The idea is for users to share their HyperCard stacks and further expand their database.
The variety of content is truly impressive. From origami tutorials to an excellent copy of Dracula, HyperCard proved that users can adopt a flexible enough tool and do much more than its developer imagined. As always, emulation in a browser requires patience. Performance is not ideal, and technical quirks are the order of the day.
