Celebrating 30 Years of HyperCard [1]

On August 11, 1987, Bill Atkinsonannounced a new product from Apple for the Macintosh; a multimedia, easily programmed system called HyperCard. HyperCard brought into one sharp package the ability for a Macintosh to do interactive documents with calculation, sound, music and graphics. It was a popular package, and thousands of HyperCard “stacks” were created using the software.





HyperCard is application software and a programming tool for Apple Macintosh and Apple IIGS computers. It is among the first successful hypermedia systems before the World Wide Web.

It combines database abilities with a graphical, flexible, user-modifiable interface. HyperCard also features HyperTalk, a programming language for manipulating data and the user interface.

This combination of features – simple form layout, database abilities, and ease of programming – led to widespread use in many different roles. Some HyperCard users employed it as a programming system for rapid application development of applications and databases, others for building interactive applications with no database requirements, command and control systems, and many examples in the demoscene.

HyperCard was originally released in 1987 for $49.95 and was included for free with all new Macs sold then. It was withdrawn from sale in March 2004 after its final update in 1998. HyperCard ran in the Classic Environment, but was not ported to Mac OS X.

These stacks have all been uploaded through the HyperCard Online Project. Visit HyperCardOnline.tk to upload your stacks.

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