From: bcarter@claven.idbsu.edu (Bruce Carter)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re: Speculation about Claris' new runtime HC
Date: 14 Oct 92 20:54:48 GMT
Organization: Boise State University - CBI Product Development

In article <7566@lib.tmc.edu> draper@odin.mda.uth.tmc.edu (E.J. Draper) writes:
>From the intonation of your posting it seems apparent that you consider
>Bill Appleton a "Good Guy."  What makes you so sure that he'll do
>something positive with SuperCard if and when he does "get it back?" 
>Didn't he write it to begin with?  

He was the major force behind the creation of SuperCard.  I don't know
personally if he is a "good guy" or a "bad guy".  I do know that he has
announced in several places that he has a great deal of improvements he would
like to add to SuperCard if only Aldus would get off the dime.

>The major problem with SuperCard is the fact that Silicon Beach (and now
>Aldus) has never faced up to the fact that SuperCard is poorly written at
>the core.  Bad memory management, poor performance, a shabby user
>interface, and even conceptual stumbling blocks (ala SuperEdit)
>contribute to the fact that it's a klunker of a product.  The people at
>Silicon Beach have done a great job in trying to add features and
>functionality to a slow and recalcitrant program while Bill was spending
>the serious $$$s they gave him for the source. They should be commended
>for their efforts. (Can you imagine what the source code looks like?  I'd
>bet it is one of the messiest tangles of spaghetti you could ever
>imagine!) 

Having never seen the source code, I can't comment on how well or poorly
written it was originally, nor about how spaghetti-like it may be now.  In any
case, involvement by the original author would be a positive force, wouldn't
it?  Even if it was nothing more than answers to questions like "What in the
heck were you trying to do here?".  The performance is not great, but look at
similar products.  Even HyperCard's performance is slow, and it really stinks
when you add the BungDabba color externals.  Plus is also slow.  What in
particular do you dislike about the user interface?  Personally, I like the
overviews.  SuperCard certainly is not perfect, and has lots of room for
improvement, but so do most programs.  As far as the money goes, I don't think
SBS lost any money on SuperCard.  I'm glad they're not gouging the public like
certain other companies (have you looked at the prices for, say, Macromind
Director or Authorware Professional these days?).  The reasonable pricing will
probably come to a halt with the latest move by Claris on the HyperCard side,
though.

>Bill Appleton can scream foul from the sidelines all he wants.  I think
>the hackers at Silicon Beach deserve a medal.  I also think he should
>have the opportunity to EARN the money he was paid and redeem himself in
>the eyes of the developer community.

These are the first negative remarks I've ever heard in reference to Bill
Appleton, so I guess I'm not convinced he needs to redeem himself in the eyes
of anyone.  I don't know him personally, though, so I can't speak for his
character.  The people at SBS are great, especially Chris Watson, who I do know
via CompuServe and who is, as far as I'm concerned, a genius class workaholic.
                                     <->
Bruce Carter, CBI Product Development                bcarter@claven.idbsu.edu
Simplot/Micron Instructional Technology Center       amccarte@idbsu (Bitnet)
Boise State University, Boise, ID  83725             (208)385-1851@phone