Reflections on Steve Jobs Passing
October 5th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Just a few minutes before I started to write this, my mom sent me a text message on my iPhone, that Apple Computer co-founder and technology visionary Steve Jobs died.
My love affair with Apple Computer and my admiration for Steve Jobs began a long time ago. In the mid 1980’s I was in the U.S. Navy. I had been trained to work on the radars and computers in gun and missile fire control systems. When I got to my ship, the USS Missouri. I was given an opportunity to work on an experimental project installing and maintaining a network of personal computers on the ship. The computers we used, were Apple Macintosh computers.
For those that remember Apple Computers of that time, we used the Mac SE, SE30, Macintosh II, IIc, Iicx and IIci’s. We also had quite a number of Apple Laserwriter printers. We networked these devices together using LocalTalk connectors, twisted pair phone cables, Pharalon connectors and the like.
Our project put computers on desktops all over the ship and even bolted them to chart tables in the pilot house. We connected Navy systems for communication, weather forecasting and navigation to these computers using interfaces we cobbled together using amateur radio equipment and home brewed components.
While I was working on that project, I obtained my own computer for my apartment, an Apple II+ I got from a fellow ham radio operator. That would be the first of many Apple products I would own. Over the years, I would have quite a number of Apple Computers. I have had a few Apple Newtons, and a number of iPods. Right now, I am also on my second iPhone and I also have an iPad. I am typing this post on a MacBook Pro.
My love affair with Apple has lasted for 24 years so far. During that time, I have admired the holistic approach that Apple has had melding hardware and software into a beautiful and functional products that have transformed computing and the way we communicate and create.
Much of the credit for what Apple Computer is today goes to Steve Jobs. His attention to detail in the design of their products is legendary. His visions for technology and innovation have changed our world for the better. It’s sad to hear of his passing. Yet, his was a life well lived in that he left this world a better place. That’s a legacy to be proud of.
