I do not guarantee the infallibility of this software, nor can I be held responsible for any adverse consequences resulting from the use or the inability to use the software. However, the software is in regular use in many schools and has been extensively tested so most problems should have been eliminated.
System requirements:
The programs were developed using Apple HyperCard 2.2 and to conserve space, they have not been made into standalone applications. You require a copy of HyperCard or HyperCard player, version 2.2 or later (although earlier versions may work).
System 7.0 or later is recommended.
A colour monitor and 68020 processor or later is required for colour in some stacks although most should run in black and white on smaller screens.
4MB installed RAM is required and 6MB recommended for colour. The HyperCard application partition should be set to the maximum possible (2MB for black and white, 3/4MB for colour) Colour will not be permitted if memory is too low and stacks will run slowly under low memory conditions.
The file ‘Macintalk’ must be installed in your system folder for computer speech to work and HyperCard player 2.3 or later with the PlainTalk speech extension is required for PlainTalk speech.
Intended users:
These programs are designed for use in educational establishments - mostly for children between the ages of 11-16 years. They were developed in the UK so localisation issues may occur. If you have any suggestions for changes (for example changing the money and locations in ‘The Hajj’) then write and I will see what I can do. If there is sufficient interest, I will localise the stacks.
The stacks can mostly be set up on a Mac in the classroom for groups of pupils to use without much (if any) teacher supervision. They are designed to be easy to use and intuitive from the start, but more extensive documentation is provided for some stacks.
Future Plans:
I will correct problems in the current stacks but unless I receive particular requests do not intend to update the programs on a regular basis. I am currently finishing an early version of a program to construct custom ‘Hajj-a-like’ adventure games. This should be released by mid-1997 and looks very promising, offering PPC-native code as well as support for 68K Macs, with integrated colour, PlainTalk speech, sound, graphics. The main feature is the ability to create and maintain complex programs like the Hajj quickly and with ease. Contact me for more details.
Other projects include tools for automated testing in classroom situations.
About the author:
I am currently (Jan 1997) a secondary school student in Scotland, UK. I will be starting a university computer science course next year, possibly at Cambridge university in England. I love the Mac and I love programming. These efforts have been produced over the past few years for my father who is a Religious Education teacher and for other teachers who I know. I have suspended most of my HyperCard development work after over 4 years to concentrate on Allegiant SuperCard development and MacOS C/C++ programming to start writing mainstream apps.
I would love to hear from you if you appreciate my work (definitely hundreds of hours, all considered). If you have suggestions or (gasp!) complaints or problems then please get in touch as well.
Until the end of February 1997 I should be at david.rowbory@which.net but since I cannot afford to keep a permanent internet connection you will have to contact me by snail mail or phone after then.
Donations received gratefully:
I will not require a charge for use of these programs but I would welcome any donations to help me keep developing. I am currently needing storage space desperately (2MB free off a 500MB internal HD) and I don't have a CD-ROM drive of my own. If I can raise about £200 the I'll try and get myself something but I can't afford to yet and that is really impeding my development work. I have poured hundreds of hours into these stacks and I'm very grateful to all those who have sent in donations so far. If you do donate to my cause then I'll keep you updated on my continuing development work.
