From: jonwd@uwtc.washington.edu (Jon Wiederspan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re: SuperCard 1.6 needs much improvements
Date: 31 Aug 92 17:23:26 GMT
Organization: Technical Japanese Program
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A6C797209B01CA3F@harajuku.tjp.washington.edu>
X-Xxdate: Mon, 31 Aug 92 17:30:08 GMT
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d9

In article <1992Aug29.185257.1@acfcluster.nyu.edu> XIXAX,
drennan@acfcluster.nyu.edu writes:
>......SuperCard has gone
>off in a different direction, true. But a more robust development
platform of
>the hypertalk variety does not exist.

I'm glad someone started this thread because I'm wondering what features
people
want to see most in the next SuperCard.

I would like to see SuperCard continue to diverge from HyperCard and
become a professional level environment (whatever THAT means).  Not only
that, but I believe this move is *necessary* for SuperCard to continue to
be a viable product.

***Disclaimer:  I *like* SuperCard and I'll continue to use it even if
everything below
is not added.***

Reason(s):  Although, SuperCard is the most robust hypermedia development
platform
*for the Macintosh* (Unix has some even better stuff now), the additional
capabilities
vs. HyperCard are not overwhelming enough in most cases (including all of
the 
HyperTalk novices and beginners) to make up for it being harder to learn
to use and
a more expensive.  There is a market that is being virtually ignored by
both applications, however; that of the professional hypermedia developer
(like myself).  Our needs have moved far beyond HyperCard or SuperCard's
capabilities.  Development is a constant battle of finding the right
XCMD/XFCN's for our needs and patching in products like CompileIT,
MasterScript, and others to provide something approaching speed in
development and delivery.  We need (and others want) an environment that
provides us with:

1)  Access to a large portion of the Macintosh Toolbox, especially in
file management, database access, serial/comm port control, sound,
QuickTime, and foreign languages

2)  Better text and printing capabilities

3)  Powerful editing environment with lint-like script checker, ability
to paste scripts and changes to multiple targets simultaneously (or group
scripts), access to object scripts from any level (don't waste time
opening  windows to access an object's script), markers in the scripts,
and (dream wish) the ability to continue scripts that have been halted
for errors (without using ScriptTracer).

4)  The ability to compile at least *some* portion of a project. 
CompileIT's capabilities would be great.  Compiling an entire project
(for a non-editable distributable version) would be INCREDIBLE and
instantly triple (or more) the value of SuperCard.


I know that can get all of these capabilities with MPW or Think C and I
can't see SuperCard (even with all of the features above) replacing
these.  On the other hand, though, HyperCard originally promised an
environment to turn the 'rest of us' into powerful Macintosh programmers.
 I'd like to see SuperCard take a BIG step in that direction.

Jon Wiederspan                             jonwd@uwtc.washington.edu
Research Consultant - Software Design
University of Washington
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard