Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 12:02:21 -0400
From: Doug Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>
To: seul-dev-apps@seul.org
Subject: Re: HyperCard clone for Linux 

I wrote:

> I found a program called MetaCard, which looks to be very similar to
> HyperCard on the Macintosh (it may even be able to run the same
> "stacks").  It's a commercial program, but there's a somehow-limited
> downloadable version which I'm in the process of downloading.  I'll
try
> it out and post something about the results.  If this looks OK it may
go
> a ways to making Linux a viable OS for the K12 educational community.

OK, I looked at MetaCard.  It looks very nice, but the downloadable
version is limited in the number of "cards" you can have in a "stack."
To remove the limit you have to get a license, which costs a minimum of
US$497.50.  I also looked at Visual Tcl, which is GPLed and very nice,
but which I think probably would require more of an investment in
learning than most educators would be willing to make.  What I'd _like_
to see is a modified Visual Tcl that approximates the operation of
MetaCard.  Although Visual Tcl is GPLed, I've written to Stewart Allen,
the author of vtcl, to make sure making this mod would be OK with him.

I'm no Tcl programmer (although I plan to try to get up to speed ASAP);
is there anyone on this list who would be interested in helping with or
taking on this project?  If we can do this, we may eventually see _lots_
of little *.tcl programs (scripts?) that we would never have thought of
writing.

--
Doug Loss                 My sources are unreliable, but
Data Network Coordinator  their information is fascinating.
Bloomsburg University          Ashleigh Brilliant
dloss@bloomu.edu