I'm building the #8 train and trying to let people know a lot of the details and particulars of what brought me to the train that I am now riding. But I need to take a break from those details and reflect a little...
Steve Jobs died today. He was one of the founders of Apple. My first home computer was an Apple IIe back in mid-1980s. I "grew" out of Apple computers soon thereafter. I began using computers from IBM and HP and Dell, working with Microsoft Windows rather the Apple. That decision a long, long time ago has turned out pretty well for me. I built a pretty decent career out of the "business computing" environment. I started in this business as a COBOL programmer, as many of us did in the 1980s. We saw the rise of the PC in business, got caught up in it, learned it, and it became a part of us. I now work for a software company that does most of its development in Windows. I'm even typing this blog on a Dell machine running Windows 7 and (much to the chagrine of my children) still use IE.
But Mr. Jobs' death is causing me to reflect a little bit. He was 56 and died of cancer. My friends, that's way too young to die. I hate cancer. I've had it, my mother died from it, and there are people I know, have known, and will know that will die from it. That's not fair. Because lots of people will die from cancer before the really smart people figure out how to "fix it". But this isn't an anti-cancer blog, either.
It is rare that technology and technology companies change the world. Apple did. Take a peek at how you live and how you interact with technology today. How many of you have an iPod? Yeah, nearly everyone. How about an iPhone? How about an iPad? How about a Mac? You really want to talk or think about companies and people that have made a difference in your daily lives? Apple has. So has Steve Jobs. Today he is no more. And that makes it a sad day. Because Steve Jobs proved one thing to our world. Technology matters.
So from a PC user with an android phone (but an iPod), I want to say thank you. And rest in peace.
It's not just the main Apple things with Steve Jobs either.
ReplyDeleteYour favorite animated movie is Toy Story (if I remember correctly, it made you tear up a little) - Jobs is responsible for Pixar too.
All of the little convenience things we didn't know we wanted are Steve Jobs: the mouse, touch screen interfaces, the clickwheel came before the touchpad mouse. And without the competition from Apple, the Android phone wouldn't be nearly where it is today. Apps started with the iPhone, and the iPhone market is 2/3 of the smartphone market (come on, T-Mobile!).
The fact that you're actually using IE on Windows 7 by choice is oxymoronic. Just saying.
But this isn't a technology blog, so if you take anything from Steve Jobs beyond his technology, take these three things:
1) Take Risks.
2) Trust Yourself.
3) Pay Attention to the Details.
Thank you, Steve Jobs, for showing us how to be exceptional.
Katie cheated. Because I read her blog. Is it possible to blog on another person's blog what you already wrote on your own? I guess so. :)
ReplyDeleteelectrickatie.weebly.com
She is much more elegant there. :)