Retro Repository Regalia: I found an old backup!

It was not uncommon for teen-aged me to muse about what it'd be like to run a very large, very successful software company. For my family, this was easily attributed to me carving out a future identity. At that age I was pumping out a lot of low-rate, low-effort applications in HyperCard. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was convinced I would figure it out along the way.

By my 30's, only a tiny subset of the software I had written was ever released to the public, but I did manage to hit a few milestones: My software has been reviewed and discussed in 2 books, several magazines and software CDs, online repositories, and shared among users in forums across a wide range of topics.

Despite that much reach, I was never really sure if I would have measured up to the bar set by my younger self. "Times the revelator," as Gillian Welch sang.

Some of these pieces still work on contemporary machines, quirks and all. I'll share serial numbers if I find one, feel free to crack 'em if you want. Until then, enjoy some free software from a bygone era.

JPEGCompress

Developed for the compression of large photos intended for online distribution across low-bandwidth connections. JPEGCompress featured an "Instant Preview", enabling users to see the impact of various compression levels while providing a limited suite of editing tools like resizing and cropping.

Other features included support for multiple image formats, with extended capabilities for Apple® QuickTime™ users, as well as utilities like batch processing and dedicated wizards for streamlined photo uploading and emailing.

Inspired by the "Save for Web" feature within Adobe Photoshop, circa 2002. Originally written in MetaCard, but primarily developed with Runtime Revolution (now LiveCode Ltd.).

Please consider JPEGCompress in the Public Domain as of the published date on this page. Note, portions are by other authors and retain their original copyright. A full list of credits is embedded within the program's "About JPEGCompress..." dialog box.

Online Documentation [Wayback Machine 12/25/2010 - Archive.org]

SetWrite

Written in HyperCard, this word processor for the Classic Macintosh supported StyledText, Rich Text Format (RTF), and Plain Text. Doubling as an HTML editor, SetWrite was equipped with automatic document backup, basic encryption, format conversion, a networked document server, spell checker, and possibly more.

While I can't find the original quote, Download.com apparently had this to say about SetWrite 4, "Write for the web with this word processor."

Tested on a real Macintosh and with SheepShaver emulation.

Please consider SetWrite in the Public Domain as of the published date on this page. Note, portions are by other authors and retain their original copyright. A full list of credits is embedded within the program's "About SetWrite..." dialog box.