Windoid, a technical newsletter about HyperCard, produced by the Apple HyperCard Users Group (AHUG)
Published: Sunday, 13th July 2025
HyperCard, the web before the web. Or, as ArsTechnica once put it: “Before the World Wide Web did anything, HyperCard did everything”…
Yup, HyperCard was a hell of a big deal, in the grand scheme of things. Apple didn’t really know or understand what they had in their hands, though, and it didn’t take over the world like it should have done. But it did have a glorious, albeit niche, moment in the sun.
A while ago, I acquired the first eight issues of Windoid, a newsletter produced by the Apple HyperCard Users Group, aka AHUG.
Beginning in 1987 and edited initially by David Leffler, Quality Assurance manager of HyperCard for a time during his tenure at Apple from 1983 to 1990, Windoid was a resource both for the users and the developers of HyperCard. Packed with tips and examples of how to use HyperCard, Windoid actively solicited feedback from its readers, which was used to further develop and refine HyperCard.
Windoid was one of three newsletters that members of AHUG received:
The Apple HyperCard User Group (AHUG) has been created to provide users and developers with educational, technical, and practical information about HyperCard. It is also an excellent way for Apple to get feedback from its HyperCard users.
As a member of AHUG, you will receive three newsletters; Windoid which has a technical focus; AHUGNews which has an informational focus; and HyperCard Update which has a marketing focus. Access to STAKTrak, a networking system that includes the STAKTrack HyperCard Library Exchange, HyperCard Resource Listings, and General News Listings, will also be provided. Local and national AHUG meetings will be held as the organization evolves; HyperCard training will be offered through those groups. Membership dues are $10 per year.
https://wiki.preterhuman.net/HyperCard_Resources
There is relatively little other information on Windoid available in 2025, but it seems that there were more issues beyond these eight, and that it was also distributed as HyperCard stacks – those are probably floating around out there in the ether and I might try and track some down in the future.
In the meantime, I have scanned and archived these first eight print issues:
Bill Atkinson, creator of HyperCard, passed away last month. Infamously created following inspiration derived from an acid trip, HyperCard truly is a great legacy for the man and arguably paved the way for the web as we know it.
I’ve never really delved too deeply into HyperCard, not in terms of creating stacks, but reading these newsletters and pondering the impact of this remarkable software has piqued my interest, it looks more fascinating than it ever has before!
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