Spreading the aloha of Macintosh, Hawaiian music and island culture from the sunset side of Haleakala volcano on the wonderful island of Maui

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Wednesday, March 2, 2005

Jef Raskin - The Real Father of the Mac Died Sunday He Named it after His Favorite Apple The man who came up with the name and the idea of the Macintosh passed away this week. Jef was a crusty crusader for human rights in technology and as such has earned a place in the pantheon of Design Gods. He will be missed. JEF RASKIN, CREATOR OF THE MACINTOSH COMPUTER, DIES AT 61 Pacifica, CA February 27, 2005--Jef Raskin, a mathematician, orchestral soloist and composer, professor, bicycle racer, model airplane designer, and pioneer in the field of human-computer interactions, died peacefully at home in California on February 26th, 2005 surrounded by his family and loved ones. He had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Jef created the Macintosh computer as employee number 31 at Apple in the early 1980s, revolutionizing computer interface design. Jef invented "click and drag" and many other methods now taken for granted by computer users. He named the Macintosh project after his favorite variety of apple, the McIntosh, modifying the spelling for copyright purposes. Jef's article "Holes in the Histories" addresses some popular misconceptions about the Macintosh Project. Jef strongly believed that computers should make tasks easy for people, not the other way around. For twenty-five more years, his work focused on improving interfaces, culminating in his book, The Humane Interface (Addison-Wesley, 2000). An odd thought: Does it strike any one else as strange that both Mr Raskin and Steve Jobs suffered from pancreatic cancer? Mr Jobs was lucky though to aquire the less than lethal form. More at: http://www.raskincenter.org/pressrelease.html 6:24:07 AM    comment []