Microsoft co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates released the following statement on Wednesdays death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who was 56:
Im truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.
Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.
The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.
For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, its been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.
He started out in life without much of anything. He was adopted. After high school, he attended a small college in Oregon for one semester before dropping out.
Job taught himself about electronics and got a job at Atari.
Jobs and two other people founded Apple in their garage in 1976.
Even though Apple had some minor success, Apple was eventually beat to a pulp in the PC market by Microsoft.
Jobs got booted out of Apple by a guy he hired.
Jobs didn't give up. He founded Next Computers and then Pixar.
Jobs would up back at Apple and sold them Next and used the Next operating system for the next versions of the Mac.
Then Jobs completely disrupted the music business with the iPod and iTunes. In the process, he made the record labels largely irrelevant.
Then he leveraged that success to create the coolest smartphone in the world, and then the world's first commercially successful tablet computer.
Jobs is the kind of American hero that the lunatic left just doesn't understand.
Same with Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Bill Boeing, Andrew Carnegie, and so many others. These are the great people who built America.
I'm dealing with my injuried S. Husky that pulled (I hope because I don't want it to be his hip) muscle this evening and didn't have the time for more detail.
Never swear "allegiance" to anything other than the 'right to change your mind'!
Even though Apple had some minor success, Apple was eventually beat to a pulp in the PC market by Microsoft.
Jobs got booted out of Apple by a guy he hired.
Ok, I guess minor success is a relative term, but by the time he left Apple, he had tens of millions of dollars in the bank, and could have retired into a life of luxury and leisure if that's what he chose to do.
Obama has played at being a president while enjoying the perks … golf, insanely expensive vacations at tax-payer expense. He has ignored the responsibilities of the job; no plans, no budgets, no alternatives … just finger pointing; making him a complete failure as a president
Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.
By building one of the planets most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.
The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steves success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steves wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.
In fact, all the major innovators of these last decades have been Democrat donors more so than Republican ones. Smart and creative people are not wanting Republicans in power it seems.
"This is what economic policy in the West has become--a tool of the wealthy used to enrich themselves by spreading poverty among the rest of the population." Paul Craig Roberts
No denying Jobs ability, his influence, his sucess.
That said, the guy was also a complete and total asshole, who's destructive tendencies gave Microsoft 95% market share for decades. And kept Apple a tiny alternative for two decades
The Pirates of Silicon Valley is a very instructive movie. Its worth noting Jobs never disputed legally anything in it.
All that noted, a real American genius has passed away. RIP.
Apple created the first commercially successful PC -- the Apple II. They also created the first commercially successful computer with WIMP (Windows Icons Menus and Pointing Devices).
When Apple kicked Jobs out, they had 2% of the PC market.
Why?
Because Jobs blew it by creating a closed system. The orginal Mac was underpowered and very slow. It's memory couldn't be expanded. At first there wasn't a hard drive. Apple finally produced an external hard drive, but prohibited others from doing so. Most importantly, you had to apply to the Mac developer program and pay a whopping $3,000 (in 1984) to get the development tools. This locked out millions of kids like myself from developing cool software on the MAC. I remember using the first Mac at college. At first it was amazing, but it quickly became very frustrating.
Microsoft on the other hand didn't build hardware. They relied on partners, which allow companies like Compaq, Gateway, and Dell to flourish. Anyone could develop for the Microsoft platform. The Basic language was included and you could buy the C language compiler for $99. Kids like myself could learn how to do this on our own nickel and then use those skills to either create our own businesses or have fruitful careers in consulting or corporate IT.
Job was a great man who learned from his mistakes.
There are too many people that won't learn their mistakes and the mistakes of others. This is the big problem we have in the country today.
Microsoft on the other hand didn't build hardware. They relied on partners, which allow companies like Compaq, Gateway, and Dell to flourish. Anyone could develop for the Microsoft platform. The Basic language was included and you could buy the C language compiler for $99. Kids like myself could learn how to do this on our own nickel and then use those skills to either create our own businesses or have fruitful careers in consulting or corporate IT.
It's ironic though how Microsoft's open approach created most of their problems. Because they didn't control hardware they couldn't prevent al the incompatibilities and bugs that we've all come to know (and hate).
Jobs though had the foresight to do what Microsoft couldn't when he abandoned OS9 to move to Unix- based OS-X, and abandoned the PowerPC to move to Intel, the two moves that cemented Apple's return to dominate the PC market. In both cases Apple had to screw over its current owners by end-of-lifing their systems, but the improvement was so spectacular that Apple owners saw the value in switching. Microsoft on the other hand took forever to move away from archaic file systems and system architectures because it always wanted to maintain backwards compatibility.
Microsoft on the other hand took forever to move away from archaic file systems and system architectures because it always wanted to maintain backwards compatibility.
That's right. They became IBM with a huge legacy to protect.
Microsoft is changing too.
Windows Phone 7 is not compatible at all with Windows Mobile. There are a lot of legacy line-of-business applications that run on rugged Windows Mobile devices that have to be completely rewritten for the new platform. This has pissed off a lot of long-time Microsoft software vendors.
Windows 8 will have two versions. They will have a version for Intel PCs that supports the new Metro UI and WinRT API and also a legacy mode that supports WIMP and Win32. However, the Arm version, which will run on tablets, will NOT include the legacy platform.
That said, the guy was also a complete and total asshole, who's destructive tendencies gave Microsoft 95% market share for decades. And kept Apple a tiny alternative for two decades
Steve was an asshole in his early years, knew he was an asshole and actively worked on overcoming his assholeness - that's part of being a liberal, facing reality and working on change.
Apple may have had a tiny market share, however it had mighty market influence and was THE standard for creative people.
"You post articles- intellectual excrement, really- that support your inane, insipid mentality, on a regular basis. Capitalist Eric
No denying Jobs ability, his influence, his sucess.
Yes and, little known fact, he was a vigorous poster on a whole string of inconsequential 'political' interweb forums where he spent countless hours every day for years posting thousands of inane, predictable and boring comments.
The database doesn't lie.
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Why don't you make like a tree and get out of here?
#19. To: jwpegler, no gnu taxes, go65, badeye (#14)
Microsoft on the other hand didn't build hardware. They relied on partners, which allow companies like Compaq, Gateway, and Dell to flourish. Anyone could develop for the Microsoft platform. The Basic language was included and you could buy the C language compiler for $99. Kids like myself could learn how to do this on our own nickel and then use those skills to either create our own businesses or have fruitful careers in consulting or corporate IT.
So then as a kid you benefited from Microsoft's socialist business plan.
"You post articles- intellectual excrement, really- that support your inane, insipid mentality, on a regular basis. Capitalist Eric
No doubt the products had their uses within very narrowly defined sub sets of the economy.
But sorry, he never worked at overcoming being an asshole. He worked at keeping it hidden from public view, only after decades of being rendered an 'also ran' because of his stupidity as it relates to understanding markets, buying habits, and affordability among common every day people.
Eventually he woke up to the simple undeniable truth. Bill Gates ate him alive for decades, and history proved Gates was correct about the future of computing.
He was a genius, no denying it here. And many genius's are arrogant assholes. His problem was he believed he was so right about everything, that people/customers would follow his lead because of his shear brilliance.
History is repleat with those types of personalities. Instead of realize he was making a huge mistake as it related to the available market, he let his massive insatiable ego run rampant. And thats how Gates and Microsoft rendered him an also ran for two decades, in every home, and in every business, as it relates to pc's.
No doubt the products had their uses within very narrowly defined sub sets of the economy.
But sorry, he never worked at overcoming being an asshole. He worked at keeping it hidden from public view, only after decades of being rendered an 'also ran' because of his stupidity as it relates to understanding markets, buying habits, and affordability among common every day people.
Eventually he woke up to the simple undeniable truth. Bill Gates ate him alive for decades, and history proved Gates was correct about the future of computing.
He was a genius, no denying it here. And many genius's are arrogant assholes. His problem was he believed he was so right about everything, that people/customers would follow his lead because of his shear brilliance.
History is repleat with those types of personalities. Instead of realize he was making a huge mistake as it related to the available market, he let his massive insatiable ego run rampant. And thats how Gates and Microsoft rendered him an also ran for two decades, in every home, and in every business, as it relates to pc's.
Boofers Fractured Fairy Tales...
America...My Kind Of Place...
"I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." --GW Bush
"THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" --Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
But sorry, he never worked at overcoming being an asshole. He worked at keeping it hidden from public view, only after decades of being rendered an 'also ran' because of his stupidity as it relates to understanding markets, buying habits, and affordability among common every day people.
Not true, and I know that for a fact.
There is more than one way to measure affordability. For some, computer crashes etc are time wasted and money lost.
"You post articles- intellectual excrement, really- that support your inane, insipid mentality, on a regular basis. Capitalist Eric
Friend worked for Apple for 17 years...said the transformation was amazing...in year one on a typical workday if he got up from his desk, Jobs would ask him why he was leaving...by year 10 whe Jobs saw him at his desk in the evening he was asking him why he was staying...by year 15 he was TELLING him to leave...
Spoke with him this AM...he's calling the Memorial Service a "pilgrimage"...
America...My Kind Of Place...
"I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." --GW Bush
"THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" --Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid- 1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
From Counterculture to Cyberculture: The Legacy of the Whole Earth Catalog
"This is what economic policy in the West has become--a tool of the wealthy used to enrich themselves by spreading poverty among the rest of the population." Paul Craig Roberts