GUI Pioneer Jef Raskin Has Passed Away 353
Viridian writes "Jef Raskin, GUI pioneer, interface expert, Apple employee #31, and the man most credited with the creation of the Apple Macintosh, died of cancer on Saturday February 26, 2005. It was Raskin who named it after his favorite fruit, the McIntosh apple, although he said that he changed the spelling to "Macintosh" to avoid potential copyright conflicts with McIntosh, the audio equipment manufacturer."
I sure hope... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I sure hope... (Score:2)
Nothing on the Apple Site (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Nothing on the Apple Site (Score:5, Interesting)
plenty at www.folklore.org (Score:5, Informative)
Jef Raskins work at Apple [folklore.org], with the Mac is well documented at www.folklore.org [folklore.org]. The site created by Andy Hertzfeld [folklore.org] has now been made into a book [folklore.org] called Revolution in The Valley [amazon.com] - a collection of esoteric stories that chronical the birth and development the Mac.
I INVENTED BURRELL (Score:4, Funny)
http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Maci
Whatever idea that you came up with, Jef Raskin had a tendency to claim that he invented it at some earlier point. That trait was the basis of Burrell's impersonation of Jef.
Jef had a slight stammer, which Burrell nailed perfectly. Burrell began by folding his fingers together like Jef and then exclaiming in a soft, Jef-like voice, "Why, why, why, I invented the Macintosh!"
Then Burrell would shift to his radio announcer voice, playing the part of an imaginary interviewer. "No, I thought that Burrell invented the Macintosh", the interviewer would object.
He'd shift back to his Jef voice for the punch line.
"Why, why, why, I invented Burrell!"
Re:Nothing on the Apple Site (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Nothing on the Apple Site (Score:2)
Re:simple (Score:5, Informative)
Raskin's vision was for an easy to use, CHEAP, computer for the everyman. It was actually quite different from what the Mac actually became. About the only credit he deserves in that regard is for the name (did you know the marketeers tried to change it to "Bicycle" ?!?) and for starting the project. The rest is pretty much to the credit of Jobs and the Mac team.
Re: usual Mac revisionism at work (Score:3, Informative)
It was Raskin who pushed for the use of bitmapped displays (even Wozniak, let alone Jobs, had a hard time being convinced to depart from character generators). He proposed them as early as 1969 (sixty-nine) in his PhD dissertation. That's even before PARC got created. Jobs was probably still wetting his bed in 1969.
It was Raskin who had to convince Jobs to visit PARC.
It was Raskin who simplified PARC's cumbersome three-button mouse interface to the point that only one button was required. And he
Humane Interface (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Humane Interface (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Humane Interface (Score:5, Interesting)
It's a sad, sad day; especially to lose another great mind to cancer. I just hope Jef's ideas may be taken even more seriously now that he's sloughed off this mortal coil.
Re:Humane Interface (Score:2)
Re:Humane Interface (Score:2)
Put quite simply... (Score:5, Insightful)
Bugger.
There are few enough decent UI designers out there who understand what is actually important over what "looks real pretty". Here was a man who was more interested in it working for people, than it looking good on a poster.
The original Mac interface is a design classic, where design is about function, not about style.
So next time you design an interface or a web page remember the creator of the Mac. What you create will be WORSE than the Mac.. BECAUSE of all the colours and "clever" bits you used.
Re:Put quite simply... (Score:2)
why do you compare a website to user interface of an operating system? my website might have one reason for it to exist, for example to say that "Tonight you will eat lemonades" - if the site said nothing else than that on big letters it would be perfect for what it was created for(for just saying that).
I'll apploud anyone who can make THE work for doing real work(ironic ain't it? it isn't exactly that solved interface for doing real work - and that is what being functional is about).
Re:Put quite simply... (Score:2)
Re:Put quite simply... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Put quite simply... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Put quite simply... (Score:4, Informative)
It's not taking anything away from Jef to set the record straight about who did what, he was a pioneer and we'll definitely miss him. I hope the humane interface project can survive without him.
my condolence (Score:2)
Thanks (Score:3, Insightful)
Ed Almos
Budapest, Hungary
Re:Thanks (Score:3, Funny)
Progammer at Work... (Score:3, Interesting)
What a shame (Score:5, Informative)
Not just some crank with wild ideas, he was able to get some of his visions into practice and leverage that developmental capital into newer and more refined methods and idioms.
We've lost a visionary folks, and that's just a shame. His loss hurts us all.
Re:What a shame (Score:4, Insightful)
I absolutely agree. The current direction of (mainstream) user-interface design is incredibly dull. In Raskin's book The Humane Interface, some of his ideas throw up more questions than answers, but he at least articulates a genuinely different model of interaction from the current WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointers) mode of operation shared by Mac, Windows and Linux.
He once remarked that there was little difference between Mac and Windows. I know that's likely to raise the ire of Mac users, but I think he was right. Any interface on the Mac can be duplicated on the PC (and vice-versa), and this includes the number of steps taken to complete a task. No, this won't necessarily make the PC more pleasant to use - the point is that both platforms share the same methods of interaction with minor (although important) differences.
Consider Java: how could such a language promise cross-platform capability if these two operating systems were really so different in their behaviour and methods of interaction? Or iTunes? How could Apple write iTunes for Windows which pretty much mimics the same functionality as the Mac version if Windows didn't share the same fundamentals as the Mac?
You can argue about the aesthetics of the interface, the general simplicity of operation the Mac has over similar tasks in Windows (and hence the general "user experience"), but none of this changes the fact that both systems share a common UI foundation. No-one seems to be challenging this existing framework - looking beyond it (gimmicky 3-D interfaces haven't impressed me) and that's why the direction of interface design feels so stagnant.
What will happen with his work? (Score:5, Interesting)
Origins of the name. (Score:5, Informative)
Heres some more information I found about the naming of macintosh apples.
"The Macintosh project began at Apple as one code-named Annie, and spearheaded not by Steve Jobs (he actually lobbied against the Mac project at one point) but by Jeff Raskin, a former computer professor and Apple employee number 31. Raskin is generally credited with quickly changing the codename from Annie to Macintosh, an obvious tie to the Apple brand. Macintosh was spelled differently than the apple variety, however, in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid trademark disputes. Apple itself, lore has it, was named by Steve Jobs for either his love of the Beatles (and their Apple Records label), his interest in health foods, or because of his fond experiences working in the apple orchards of Oregon during a brief stint at college there. Or for none of those reasons. Except for the short-lived Pippin operating system, Apple the company thankfully avoided any other product references to varieties of apple, the fruit."
(taken from creativepro [creativepro.com])
Re:Origins of the name. (Score:2, Insightful)
Raskin is one of my personal heros as well. He will be missed.
Re:Origins of the name. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Origins of the name. (Score:2, Flamebait)
The original Apple Computer logo was a woodcut drawing of Isaac Newton sitting beneath an apple tree with the inscription, "A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought alone. You can see a picture of it here [unisourcedesign.ca]. The bitten-apple logo was an invention of Rob Janoff of Regis McKenna.
Not total bullshit -- Alan Turing and the apple (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Origins of the name. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Jobs against the Mac... (Score:2)
It's interesting to think of what might have happened if the Mac had never come to fruition and Apple had just pursued the evolution of the Apple II line.
Though I'm not really a Mac user... (Score:4, Insightful)
GUI King (Score:4, Funny)
--Confirmation Dialog--
Jef Raskin, are you sure you want to logout?
[Yes] [No]
Re:GUI King (Score:5, Insightful)
--Confirmation Dialog--
Jef Raskin, are you sure you want to log out?
[Log Out] [Remain Logged In]
Re:GUI King (Score:2, Funny)
I bow my head (Score:4, Insightful)
*steps back and bows again*
That sucks (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:That sucks (Score:5, Insightful)
Emacs does all those things too, sans (perhaps) Cllippy.
On the other hand, at least they'd be integrated in some sane fashion, rather than sucking as they do currently.
Re:That sucks (Score:2)
My point is, the development may well go down a different path, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Re:That sucks (Score:4, Informative)
-Billy
Thanks Jeff (Score:5, Insightful)
An Apple falls from the tree (Score:2, Funny)
from the :( dept, indeed (Score:2, Funny)
For ever in debt.
Re:from the :( dept, indeed (Score:2, Funny)
Are you kidding? Raskin would have no compunction whatsoever against lecturing God him/herself. He's probably out there right now talking God's ear off, saying, "This whole arrangement you have here -- angels, archangels, cherubim, seraphim... Strict heirarchical systems tend to break down when they get too large. When new things don't fit, they either get placed randomly or in a giant 'misc' pile, and people can't fin
Sorry Jef (Score:3, Interesting)
Hrm (Score:2, Interesting)
Bizarre UI. Would have been interesting if it had been cultivated.
So long, and thanks for all the GUIs (Score:2)
Smart guy, excellent GUI designer, and someone who will be truely missed in the Apple Community.
Hell, even my Mac mini looks sad.
SF.NET (Score:2, Informative)
He'll be missed.
Re:SF.NET (Score:2, Informative)
Dibs on his stapler! (Score:2, Funny)
Jef Raskin Memorial TBA and details (Score:5, Informative)
More on on Raskins' ideas... (Score:4, Informative)
Huh (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Huh (Score:5, Informative)
But considering that:
- Raskin attacked the Mac [guardian.co.uk] in an October 2004 interview in The Guardian.
- He wasn't a current employee
- Corporate death notices sting corporations stock prices
- There's further suspected but unpublicized animosity between Apple and Raskin
My guess is that it probably won't be mentioned on Apple's website on Monday, but it will be all over many mac community websites [macsurfer.com] by then.Re:Huh (Score:2)
His name's inside the box (Score:3, Informative)
When the 128k mac shipped, the signatures of the people who created it were molded on the inside of the case. Here's the collection [digibarn.com]; Jef's name in the bottom-left corner.
That's probably the best mention Apple gave Raskin - his name's inside every 128k and 512k mac.
My homages. (Score:2)
This guy made a difference.
I invented Burrell!! (Score:5, Funny)
My sense is that while Jef had the original vision for the Mac it was Burrell Smith who did much of the actual implementation. If the Mac must have a father, Burrell might be the better choice.
Here's the funniest take [folklore.org] on the whole thing.
Some of his early Mac work (Score:3, Informative)
http://library.stanford.edu/mac/primary/docs/bom/
especially the article on Design Considerations (M4.1) makes a nice read:
"If the computer must be opened for any reason other than repair (for which our prospective user must be assumed incompetent) even at the dealer's, then it does not meet our requirements. Seeing the guts is taboo. Things in sockets is taboo (unless to make servicing cheaper without imposing too large an initial cost). Billions of keys on the keyboard is taboo. Computerese is taboo. Large manuals, or many of them (large manuals are a sure sign of bad design) is taboo. Self- instructional programs are NOT taboo.
There must not be a plethora of configurations. It is better to offer a variety of case colors than to have variable amounts of memory. It is better to manufacture versions in Early American, Contemporary, and Louis XIV than to have any external wires beyond a power cord.
And you get ten points if you can eliminate the power cord."
More Information (Score:2)
Dear Raskin Family, (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sure you realize how much Jef's work has affected, no, changed, our lives. Everyone in the modern world has been touched by Jef's work. Probably more so than most great artists of any genre. Not everyone likes the Beatles, but almost everyone has used a computer interface at work or at home that has been influenced by Mr. Raskin. The users, of course, don't think of Jef every time they click a dialog box, but society is different at every level because of his work. Computers are accessible and usable to almost everyone because not everyone understands what a "command line" is.
Our prayers, thoughts, and thanks for Jef Raskin and his family on this sad day. Godspeed Jef.
Sincerest thanks,
Users and User Interface Developers Everywhere
Contribution (Score:2, Insightful)
Rest in peace, my friend. You will be missed. (Score:2)
My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Trademark vs copyright (Score:5, Informative)
Once again.. for the millionth time: it's not about copyright when you are dealing with brand names (like M[a]cIntosh), it's a trademark issue.
Usability vs learnability (Score:5, Insightful)
Raskin knew that usability isnt just what looks good in the showroom, but what endures and helps the user once the eye candy has worn off. Very few have been prepared or able to make that leap.
He's not *really* dead... (Score:5, Funny)
Raskin fits the Apple mold... (Score:5, Insightful)
Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
another voice (Score:5, Interesting)
Mr Raskin
The first computer i ever used was a zx spectrum , the first computer that ever made me feel pasionate about computing was a mac.
I myself am severly dyslexic and dysphraxic and during my younger years had great difficulty in schooling, had it not been for the mac in our school i feel i would still be marked slow , the interface allowed me to put my thoughts down so other people could understand , it allowed me to excell and fill in a void which would have crippled my education.
I owe you and your team alot as do many others who were in my situation.
so tonight i shall open a 12 year old speyside single malt and drink a glass to honour your memory.
Thank you for all you have done for the world
Gregg Taylor Kincaid
Jef Raskin memorial site (Score:5, Interesting)
Jef Raskin: A Life of Design [digibarn.com] and the rest of the DigiBarn is of relevance to this topic at:
DigiBarn Computer Museum [digibarn.com]
Thanks!
Bruce Damer, Curator
Re:not an apple fan (Score:4, Informative)
Re:not an apple fan (Score:2)
you can make up reasons all you want but it's just tradition, style, and wanting to seperate from the rest that's keeping them at 1 button now. style over function.
i don't think of it as particularly intuitive that i need to press a button on the keyboard to get the stuff i'd usually get from right clicking.
Re:not an apple fan (Score:2)
Re:No longer applies (Score:5, Insightful)
Me: Please right click on the desktop.
User: What's a right click?
Me: Press down the right button on the mouse. A Menu should appear.
How does twenty years change the fact that a two button mouse button is harder to use than a one button mouse for a total computer illiterate?
Here's a couple tips for you:
1. If you are involved in computer UI design, do some web design for a while. Then tell us that right click menus are necessary.
2. Calling users "idiots" because they cannot figure out an unintuitive interface is anti-social and it will not make you popular with the ladies.
Gawd bloody f'ing geeks. Grow up, move out of your parent's basement and develop some empathy for the "normals" for crying out loud.
I happen to use a two button+scroll with my powerbook at my desktop but I get by just fine with one button on the trackpad because the UI is designed to work with one button. There is always a main menu item for each context menu item.
Re:Respects.. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Respects.. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Respects.. (Score:5, Informative)
Come on (Score:2)
Sure, just like there's no Woz in my powerbook, or no Henry Ford in my car. Still...
Re:Respects.. (Score:3, Informative)
Burrell Smith started as an electronic technician at Apple, not as a design engineer. Though brilliant in his own way, it's an open historical question whether his design talent would have been noticed by Apple's then management without Jef's initial championing. Jef also introduced one of his previous grad students, Bill Atkinson, to a job opportunity at Apple, Atkinson being a key engineer (one of the ones who went on that first technical vis
Re:Respects.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually, after Jobs got ousted from the Lisa project, he commandeered the Macintosh project from Raskin (then a project to make a very cheap $500 computer). Shortly after taking the reigns, Jef and Steve had a number of "conflicts" and Steve eventually pushed Jef out on a leave of absence.
He truly was a pioneer though. From his very early influence on the project to his comprehensive manual on what a GUI should be.
Re:Respects.. (Score:2)
I'm sure there'll be some mention of it in the Hot News or PR Library sections of the site within the week.
Re:McIntosh apples are bland and tasteless (Score:2, Informative)
We usually wait for Macouns a week or two later, though.
All the "eastern" types are better than any of the "delicious" types, when fresh. If I want to buy eating apples in the winter, I go for a Braeburn, usually from New Zealand. Expensive, but they're huge. One is usually too much.
Re:Correct me if i'm wrong ... (Score:2)
Also, whilst Xerox got all the basics right, they didn't have anything like the desktop metaphor, or a menu bar.
Re:Correct me if i'm wrong ... (Score:2, Informative)
See: http://www.mackido.com/Interface/ui_history.html [mackido.com]
Re:Correct me if i'm wrong ... (Score:5, Informative)
Just FYI, streaming video of the Englebart demo is available HERE [stanford.edu] if you can handle RealMedia.
Re:Hmmm (Score:2)
Well, is there a "Score -5: Funny" rating ?
Re:Hmmm (Score:2)
Re:Hmmm (Score:2)
Re:We could use more Raskins (Score:5, Informative)
First: Jef Raskin did not design the Mac UI. He wasn't even involved with he. Rather, he was the vision guy behind the Macintosh. He came up with the idea of an easy-to-use computer and convinced Apple's board to pursue it. When Steve Jobs took over the Macintosh project, Jef left. That was 1981, years before there was anything even like the Macintosh UI.
Second: The Mac UI was essentially identical to the Lisa UI. The key difference was that on the Mac the pixels were square. The user experience -- overlapping windows, the mouse, the menu bar --was exactly the same.
Re:We could use more Raskins (Score:2)
Re:We could use more Raskins (Score:2)
Are you sure? Raskin claims [vwh.net] to at least have created 'click and drag.'
Re:Speaking Ill of the Dead (Score:2)
There is truth to the rumor that he never got along with Jobs, although he was good friends with Woz.
Re:Speaking Ill of the Dead (Score:2)
Good or nothing, as the saying goes about the deceased.
Re:wasn't it XEROX? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:What type of cancer? (Score:2)
The precise nature of his illness was an open secret, but disclosure of such details should probably be left to the family. But trust me, it's the kind of cancer you probably least want to have.
Schwab
Re:The Coanda effect and why airplanes fly (Score:2)