I'm sitting in my office at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire putting the last touches on the XCMD's I'm supposed to show at MacWorld in San Francisco in less than a week, and I'm trying to remain calm. I've been "putting the last touches" on these things ever since fall, and I still have a list of unimplemented features as long as the revision history of System 6.0. I'm feeling the burning at the back of my eyes that comes from straining the machinery within and staring too long at the machinery without. I'm wondering what I'm forgetting to do.
Then in the mail comes a letter from a guy in North Carolina, who says he thinks the WINDOIDs in a stack are great and wonders if it's OK with me if he adds some graphic pizzazz to future issues. Aha, I say, that's one thing I haven't done in a long time. Since the last issue of WINDOID in a stack there've been about four released versions of the Symantec utilities, nine rumored designs of the laptop, and seven reorganizations of Apple Computer.
Now, this letter wasn't an ordinary one. It wasn't on paper or even in a regular document on disk. It was in a small HyperCard stack that had only two things to look at--one field and one button with a nifty window icon. I read what was written in the field and pushed the button, and I saw the wonderful layout that you're seeing in this new issue of WINDOID in a stack. And I said what I think you probably said too, if you're used to seeing the WINDOIDs in a stack that I designed. Wow.
If you like WINDOID in a stack, you'd better tip your hat to Tom Wimbish. He's the guy who sent me that letter. Send him a thank-you note or some chocolate chip cookies or a floppy disk pouch--his address is on card 2, at the bottom of the pop-up field about imMedium Design. Without Tom, you wouldn't have seen this issue of WINDOID in a stack for a long time. And you probably would never have seen the next one.
I think what Tom has done is fantastic. In fact, I'm quite sure that the WINDOIDs in a stack are in talented and dependable hands, now that imMedium Design will be handling them. I'm bowing out, and I'm letting the right man take over the job.
I've enjoyed producing the first six WINDOIDs in a stack, and I appreciate the folks who wrote to me to tell me they enjoyed them too. I know that you'll be happy with what imMedium does in the future.
As for my future, I'm willing to bet that those of you who keep up with what's news on the HyperCard circuit won't lose track of me soon. There are updated versions of the Dartmouth XCMD's due out shortly--you can already get the latest version of PrintField (that's 1.5 if you're keeping track) in the update of WINDOID in a stack #6. And look for me in the about box of a program near you.
Thanks, Tom.
Ô£ø
P.S. After all this time, it's appropriate to reveal the other members of Team Hackinslash. One big howzit goes out to Donald Olson, Davie Harris, and David Takamiya of Honolulu.
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