Runtime Revolution have been providing a Hypercard environment for at least a decade, and the technology they acquired had been in use since about 1992 (it was originally designed for Unix environemnts).
Runrev's Livecode produces hypercard-like applications that run on Windows, OS X, linux, android, and iOS. It also runs server-side, but I have no use for that part of the tecnology.
And no, I don't work for them. I've just been using the technology for the past 10 years or so.
Project management decreed that a wizard would ship with the next release. I was a full time development manager, but and as all the programmers were busy building features, I could get away with grabbing this task for myself. I used RR and built it in a week-end. A week of polishing and catering to PM requests followed, and we were ready to ship on Windows and several flavours of Unix.
Then somebody blabbed that it was written in HyperCard rather than Java. Faeces was Flung Furiously at Fans. In the end, it was rewritten for the next version over the course of a month or two. But it was Java! I engaged in a little revisionist history: Instead of saying that my work was thrown away, I took credit for building the successful prototype.
Has anyone recently produced an app that lets users program on iOS?
Throwing together a program in a fun interface would be nice to get all those people creating, rather than playing Angry Birds on their way to work.
Let them combine their Garage Band songs, photos, videos, art, and writing into a nice little package that utilise functions of the device, their computer, Apple TVs, etc.
I'm not a programmer (and never used HyperCard) but I'm sure I could handle making something like: When [my Location data] is within [Y radius] call [vibrate; play song], [show this picture; display text "You've arrived at your station!"
Or I could prototype a point-n-click adventure with graphics drawn on my iPad. Or I could tell it to play an alarm every morning at 7am, then take a photo. Backup photos on X device. On the 365th day make all photos into a movie. Add text "A year in the life of [ENTER NAME]"
I think Apple needs to remember the reason a lot of people bought Apple products in the first place was because their simplicity allowed the technology to get out of the way and let people create. iPhones; social networks are all one-sided consumption, and people are getting bored. They love making stuff.
I think if Apple doesn't give people more of this kind of creativity, then people will flock to whoever does.
...Even cooler would be a combination of Project Glass and that LEAP system. I could be drawing blueprints, shaping 3D models, or making programs in augmented reality. It would be cool to look into a room and see dimensions of all the walls - see virtual previews of furniture in the scene; pull and arrange table sizes, shelves, bend and alter models. Then you could package it up to make a catalogue for other people to browse and choose options from.
I'd have a stack of cards, media files, functions, etc. in front of me. Draw lines between objects, stack, rearrange cards, manually code some parts. Some kind of combination of making an art collage and a circuit board.
Hmmmmm....