R.I.P. Steve Jobs

[The Minsky Moment]

The Mac had an eject button; it was just an innie instead of an outie.

[MadImmortalMan]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/last-american-who-knew-what-the-fuck-he-was-doing,26268/

[Martinus]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/last-american-who-knew-what-the-fuck-he-was-doing,26268/

The Onion is at its best when it is ambiguous.

[Neil]

I love that article. Jobs tries, but fails to convince the interviewer that the mouse (described as a box with a button ) is this revolutionary advancement, affordable personal computers ($1000) will one day be a reality, and that in the future will be this awesome system of interconnected networks. The man really saw it all coming.

It's not so much that Jobs saw it all coming as it was a case of a computer pro dealing with a layman.  It's not like mice and networking weren't around in 1985, and the computer had been becoming smaller, cheaper and more powerful for years.  Now if he had said that he was going to make billions marketing lap- and hand-sized computers to hipster douchebags, I would be more impressed.

[Barrister]

So I'm reading that Jobs article and I see a small section where Jobs brings up Dr. Edwin Land, who founded Polaroid.  He talks about how Polaroid was one of the biggest, most vibrant companies at one point.

but eventually Dr. Land, one of those brilliant troublemakers, was asked to leave his own company - which is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of

[Razgovory]

I love that article. Jobs tries, but fails to convince the interviewer that the mouse (described as a box with a button ) is this revolutionary advancement, affordable personal computers ($1000) will one day be a reality, and that in the future will be this awesome system of interconnected networks. The man really saw it all coming.

It's not so much that Jobs saw it all coming as it was a case of a computer pro dealing with a layman.  It's not like mice and networking weren't around in 1985, and the computer had been becoming smaller, cheaper and more powerful for years.  Now if he had said that he was going to make billions marketing lap- and hand-sized computers to hipster douchebags, I would be more impressed.

The big problem with early home computers was not they to weak, large or expensive but because nobody knew how to use them.  It wasn't until easy to use operating systems came along did home computing really take off.  The second big problem was that early personal computers didn't do a great deal that interested the average person.  Spreadsheets and word processing were neat but for the average person that was just a fancy and expensive note book.

[DGuller]

So I'm reading that Jobs article and I see a small section where Jobs brings up Dr. Edwin Land, who founded Polaroid.  He talks about how Polaroid was one of the biggest, most vibrant companies at one point.

but eventually Dr. Land, one of those brilliant troublemakers, was asked to leave his own company - which is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of

Damn, I was about to post that very same quote.    I guess there is one development that Steve Jobs didn't see coming.

[Malthus]

I love that article. Jobs tries, but fails to convince the interviewer that the mouse (described as a box with a button ) is this revolutionary advancement, affordable personal computers ($1000) will one day be a reality, and that in the future will be this awesome system of interconnected networks. The man really saw it all coming.

It's not so much that Jobs saw it all coming as it was a case of a computer pro dealing with a layman.  It's not like mice and networking weren't around in 1985, and the computer had been becoming smaller, cheaper and more powerful for years.  Now if he had said that he was going to make billions marketing lap- and hand-sized computers to hipster douchebags, I would be more impressed.

The big problem with early home computers was not they to weak, large or expensive but because nobody knew how to use them.  It wasn't until easy to use operating systems came along did home computing really take off.  The second big problem was that early personal computers didn't do a great deal that interested the average person.  Spreadsheets and word processing were neat but for the average person that was just a fancy and expensive note book.

Heh I feel positively ancient - I used to write out essays and assignments by hand in pen, do all the proofs and corrections, and then type them up on a typewriter! 

Compared to that, word processing (when it came out) was a real revelation.

[crazy canuck]

No kidding, I think people really underestimate how much easier things became with spreedsheets and wordprocessing.  That alone was worth the price of admission - plus you could play games!

[Eddie Teach]

Heh I feel positively ancient - I used to write out essays and assignments by hand in pen, do all the proofs and corrections, and then type them up on a typewriter! 

I wrote out lots of essays and assignments by hand. Course then I turned that copy in. By the time teachers started demanding stuff be typed out, my family had a computer. And then I would compose it on the computer. I was never big on multiple drafts. 

[Malthus]

Heh I feel positively ancient - I used to write out essays and assignments by hand in pen, do all the proofs and corrections, and then type them up on a typewriter! 

I wrote out lots of essays and assignments by hand. Course then I turned that copy in. By the time teachers started demanding stuff be typed out, my family had a computer. And then I would compose it on the computer. I was never big on multiple drafts. 

Well, I guess that would suffice if you were (a) the sort of organized genius who could keep a whole essay in your head and write it out without making a mistake or (b) willing to hand in a crappy first draft, and take the consequences.   

I was always lazy, but nonetheless anal about my written work - I hated to hand in anything that wasn't as polished as I could make it. In fact for big assignments I'd do yet another first step - index cards with major points and cites written on them, so I could move 'em around manually ...

[Martinus]

The Onion: Apple User Acting Like His Dad Just Fucking Died

[Malthus]

The Onion: Apple User Acting Like His Dad Just Fucking Died

Will you fuckers posting Onion articles cut and paste the damn things? The site now wants me to pay, and I'm a cheap bastard. 

[Martinus]

The Onion: Apple User Acting Like His Dad Just Fucking Died

Will you fuckers posting Onion articles cut and paste the damn things? The site now wants me to pay, and I'm a cheap bastard. 

Same here - I manage to read individual lines and just move back and forth before the "pay or leave" thingie kicks in.

[Razgovory]

No kidding, I think people really underestimate how much easier things became with spreedsheets and wordprocessing.  That alone was worth the price of admission - plus you could play games!

That is why people originally bought them in the early 1980's.  Still, most people didn't do a lot of writing or number crunching in their personal lives.  They payed bills, balanced a checkbook, and did their taxes, but that was the jist of it.