BBEdit is one of the few apps I miss from the Mac world. ResEdit/Resourcerer are up there as well, being able to naively open up the resource fork and customize applications and sometimes make massive changes to them was great fun.
While I remember those times fondly and with great nostalgia, I think the Apple ecosystem of the system 7 days hindered my learning, it was just too easy. I could open up AppleScript and hit record, perform some actions and then naively change some things to variables and I would have my script. I could open up HyperCard and make a game just by guess and check. I could open up an app in RedEdit and start changing applications. I never had to actually learn anything. My parents bought me a programming book back in those days and I saw little point in making the computer say "Hello, World" and reading through a book when I already had so much power that was effortless to get.
But maybe I just did not see a need for applications beyond the ones I could already get so saw no need to learn to write applications from scratch or was more interested in exploring. Too long ago to remember my motives.
Hmmm... well, I got into it a bit earlier and so when I got to the Mac, I already had some programming experience in BASIC, Pascal, and assembly. So I used HyperCard, but I also learned how to write XFCN and XCMD code resources to add functionality to HyperCard. I used PostScript in the first LaserWriter, but also figured out how to connect it to a terminal and give it PostScript commands directly. I was motivated to teach myself as much as I could... probably in no small part because I was bored with my regular class material.
