Exercises

• Read the text and write out international words.

• Match the following definitions with the following terms:

• a program, b) a printer, c) a keyboard, d) a word processor, e) a mouse.

• An automated writing tool, a program that lets the use enter and edit text quickly and efficiently.

• A set of coded instructions which enable the computer to solve specific problems or perform specific functions.

• A device inputting numerical and text data by means of keys.

• A device producing output in a human readable format.

• A device converting the finger movement into the cursor movement across the screen.

• Give comprehensive answers to the questions.

• What is a word processing?

• Why is the word processing program considered to be universal?

• How do word processors vary?

• In what way is text entered the processing input?

• What does setting up your document consist of?

• What is the backspace used for?

• What are spelling and grammar checkers used for?

• Why would you say saving your work is of great importance?

• Make up a summary of the text.

Programming languages Processing Information Machine

One of the most talked-about hypermedia database systems is HyperCard, which Apple introduced on August 11,1987. The software development environment and interface builder for the Macintosh was created by a team headed by Bill Atldnson, the person largely responsible for MacPaint and widely believed to be the brains behind both the Lisa and Macintosh computers.

Atkinson was at the time one of the three or four people closest to Steve Jobs, the maverick founder of Apple. Atkinson had gained Jobs's trust in an unusual way, according to Apple lore. He stood up in a meeting where Jobs was spewing what Atkinson considered ridiculous statements, shouted an obsenity at Jobs, and walked out. The next day Jobs invited the disgruntled employee to dinner.

Atkinson, who once had a very promising career in neurochemistry, is considered something of a god when it comes lo writing code, and HyperCard is a project close to his heart. It combines features of both structured and free-form databases in an attempt to give users a more natural, intuitive access to the program and data.

HyperCard uses the image of a stack of cards. Each card-which fills the screen-can contain text, graphics, or input fields*. One kind of field is known as a scroll field. This serves as a window through which any amount of freeform text can be viewed. Since stacks can be linked together (as can cards within a stack), the program allows users to browse much more freely than is the case with other databases without being so rigidly bound to the usual way a computer operates.

Cards can also contain buttons that allow users to select an option, start a process, or jump from one card to another.

HyperCard comes with its own programming language, called HyperTalk, which allows application programs to be incorporated into a HyperCard database.

Atkinson himself has described HyperCard as being "both an authoring tool and sort of a cassette player for information" which also allows the user to create programs as they are necessary.

"I started thinking that many more people would have a use for a computer if it did some different things than it does right now," Atkinson says. "I started thinking about gradually unfolding a path that starts with clicking and browsing — something that anybody could do and that would be useful for a lot of things. The HyperCard program itself is an authoring tool, but the things it creates are applications in their own right."

Some early users of HyperCard were film-editing students at Standford. After shooting all the scenes for a movie with a video camera, the scenes were transferred to a video disk. Using a HyperCard stack as a story board, one miniature picture for each sequence that had been shot, students could edit the film. Manipulating the stack of cards allowed students to splice the film any way they wished, making scenes shorter or longer, moving scenes to different sequences, all via computer.

In the end, each student had a HyperCard diskette of his or her film — without ever going into the darkroom and doing any splicing of actual acetate film. Typically, Bill Atkinson has a rather philosophical view of his brainchild: "I'm really more interested in the worldwide sharing of information. My reward will come when I get stacks from the people who have the information, but don't have the tools to get it out now.