xTalk is a loosely defined family of scripting languages. The father of all xTalk languages is HyperTalk

HyperTalk

HyperTalk is a high-level, procedural programming language created in 1987 by Dan Winkler and used in conjunction with Apple Computer's HyperCard hypermedia program by Bill Atkinson. The main target audience of HyperTalk was beginning programmers, hence HyperTalk programmers were usually called...

, the language used by Apple's HyperCard

HyperCard

HyperCard is an application program created by Bill Atkinson for Apple Computer, Inc. that was among the first successful hypermedia systems before the World Wide Web. It combines database capabilities with a graphical, flexible, user-modifiable interface. HyperCard also features HyperTalk, written...

 environment. These languages are characterized by simple English-like syntaxes.

A sample script


go to the third card
if the last word of the first line of card field 1 contains "hello" then say "Okay"
repeat while the mouse is up
beep
end repeat


xTalk languages

xTalk languages shares a common set of basic data structures and commands, as well as the general object model, and thus allow for relative portability between each other:

• HyperTalk
  HyperTalk
  HyperTalk is a high-level, procedural programming language created in 1987 by Dan Winkler and used in conjunction with Apple Computer's HyperCard hypermedia program by Bill Atkinson. The main target audience of HyperTalk was beginning programmers, hence HyperTalk programmers were usually called...
  
  
• SuperTalk
  SuperTalk
  For the American radio station, see Supertalk Mississippi.SuperTalk is the scripting language used in SuperCard. SuperTalk is a descendant of HyperTalk.-Additional syntax:...
  
  
• SenseTalk
  SenseTalk
  SenseTalk is an English-like scripting language derived from the HyperTalk language used in HyperCard. SenseTalk was originally developed as the scripting language within the HyperSense multimedia authoring application on the NeXTStep and OpenStep platforms...
  
  
• Transcript (fka MetaTalk)

xTalk-inspired languages

A few programming languages bear surface similarities to HyperTalk and were inspired by it. However, they have object models that differ so substantially that porting code from another xTalk requires a complete rewrite:

• Lingo (with old syntax)
• AppleScript
  AppleScript
  AppleScript is a scripting language created by Apple Inc. and built into Macintosh operating systems since System 7. The term "AppleScript" may refer to the scripting system itself, or to particular scripts that are written in the AppleScript language....