INTRODUCTION
FreeGUI is a free, open, public-domain graphic user
interface (GUI) designed to look-and-feel like
HyperCard. Moreover, the components of this GUI are in
effect HyperCard stacks.
ADVANTAGES
The advantages of this architecture are as follows :
1. The components of the GUI are editable,
using HyperCard
2. The components of the GUI are scriptable :
a) with HyperTalk
b) with AppleScript
c) with MacPerl
d) with any OSA-compliant scripting language
3. Which translates into a version of HyperCard where
EVERYTHING can be changed. If you don't like the
layout of a dialog and/or the dialog is missing a
feature, then change it. No waiting for you-know-who.
Edit the GUI with your current version of HyperCard as
you would any stack. Because the dialogs ARE stacks.
DEVELOPMENT STAGES
The development of FreeGUI is foreseen as follows :
1. A HyperCard look-alike in as many respects as
possible
2. Incremental improvements to the GUI, by creating
new dialogs to handle HyperCard's current features
that are only accessible thru scripting. Here are some
examples to illustrate what I mean :
a) A dialog to manage the stacksInUse -- Similar to
an open-stack dialog. Select a stack, as before. Click
on the "start" or the "stop" button, according to
whether the currently selected stack is in use or not.
b) A dialog to view/modify the "Applications"
c) A dialog to view/modify the "Documents"
d) A dialog to view/modify the userLevel
3. Incremental improvements to the GUI, by creating
new dialogs to handle new features. Features that do
not exist yet. At this stage, we veer off from
HyperCard compliance, but we do so in the spirit of
HyperCard.
Examples:
a) New button tasks
b) New dialog to upload/download by FTP
c) Improved scriptEditor
It should be noted that these incremental improvements
will not always be additive, e.g. we may be removing
some features of HyperCard that are deemed unworthy.
These incremental additions and subtractions will be
done in consultation with the entire HyperCard
community (well those who participate in FreeGUI,
actually). This is not my "HyperCard". It is our
"HyperCard".
4. By and by, FreeGUI will be ported to MetaCard, and
to FreeCard when it is released. But we need not
preoccupy ourselves with these eventualities at this
time.
5. I plan to continue the development of FreeGUI until
it includes unprecedented features, like:
a) Web-savvy from A to Z
b) Collaboration tools
c) Integrated authoring system and artefacts
-- think "Pantechnicon" ;-)
d) Computer-assisted methodologies
and development training
e) Adaptive agents to assist users/developers
CURRENT STATUS OF THE PROJECT
The first alpha release of FreeGUI is slated for
tommorow (e.g. October 6th, 2000).
We are currently in the first stage of the development
process described above. Specifically :
1. All of HyperCard 2.2's dialogs have been
prototyped ( look and feel )
2. 85% of the scripting is finished
3. 95% of the scripting is contained in the FreeHome
and FreeLib stacks
4. Toggle between freeGUI and HyperCard's native
GUI with a functionKey
5. Some of the dialogs don't really do what they are
supposed to. ex: iconEditor, patternEditor ... the
thumbnails of recentCards are bogus ...
6. HyperCard's dialogs are modal but FreeGUI's
dialogs are not. This could eventually be an
advantage, but for now it is a potential bug. Testers
will have to pretend that freeGUI's are modal, or the
prototype will fail to do what it is supposed to!
7. FreeGUI is a little slow, of course. This is
mainly due to the overhead of doing with scripts what
HyperCard usually does for us natively. But native HC
is not editable, eh! Furthermore:
a) none of the handlers are optimized yet
b) none of the handlers use externals yet
c) some of the handlers use AppleScript for now,
e.g. AS is sssslllloooowwww
d) read/write of text-files will be replaced by a
real file-format (Uli's)
e) the indirection overhead will vanish once the
application-portion is completed (MC and FC).
PARTICIPATION
Anyone familiar with HyperCard can join in.
This collaboration is free and open, as are our wares.
FreeGUI is currently being hosted by eGroups.
FreeGUI's mailing list, stacks and everything else are
thus available via eGroups.
The moderator of the group is Alain Farmer.
Further detailed instructions will be provided
on an on-going basis.
Hope to see you there,
Alain Farmer
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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