Farewell, Mr. Jobs

[jennylongview Innovia]

Ihope he will rest well now. My Iphone, my Itunes, my OS will miss him very much, rest in peace my friend...

 

 

[Quinn Morani]

Love this Steve Jobs tribute logo. It's been floating around Facebook unattributed but here is the source: http://jmak.tumblr.com/post/9377189056

[Randall Ahren]

He made the game Breakout. His biological sister, Mona Simpson, is an accomplished writer. He didn’t know her until the 1990s, when he tracked her down as he was given up for adoption and she was not. See this blog post by James Altucher. The concluding lines of his blog post are quite poetic:

A man’s successes can be truly understood only if we can count his tears. And unfortunately in the case of Steve Jobs, that is one task that’s impossible.

[valerie Inshan]

I read Mona Simpson's novel Anywhere But Here when it was published in 1986 and loved this book. I had no idea she was Steve's sister. Thank you for this information Randall.

[Ishtara Rothschild]

iMourn.

Don't mind me, this is just my mourning process. As a home computer user, I have never been much of an Apple fan, although I do own an iPod Touch and an iPhone. But I've worked in the print and design industry for almost 20 years, and nothing short of Gutenberg's invention has ever revolutionized this industry like the Macintosh did.

It was Steve Jobs' WYSIWYG approach that started it all. Computer systems that can handle multiple fonts predate Apple computers, but WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) was something new. When I started to work as a typesetter and reprographer, text and fonts were processed on specialized Linoytpe computers, and typesetters didn't get to see the final layout and fonts on the monitor.

Images were either reproduced on giant repro cameras or with vastly expensive drum scanners. Like the text layout, the reprographer had no way of previewing the final image on a monitor. Needless to say that photographic color correction and manual image manipulation were a pain in the tush. Not to mention the tedious work of manually assembling photos and text in all four colors, creating a print-like color proof, and starting all over if the customer wasn't satisfied with the result. The pre-print work was often a greater time and cost factor than the final print and manufacturing process in those days.

Then came the Macintosh, and with it came DTP software like Aldus PageMaker and QuarkXPress. Steve Jobs had not only created a computer that displayed pretty fonts, he had created the first computer for designers and artists. I think it's safe to say that he invented what came to be known as desktop publishing. Printhouses and graphic design agencies that adopted the Macintosh as the first WYSIWYG layout system were soon rewarded with Photoshop and Illustrator, which could not have been developed on any other computer system at that time.

Photoshop ushered in the rapid development of high resolution flatbed scanners, which were originally nothing but expensive toys, and delivered the final blow against the room-filling, overpriced repro cameras and drum scanners. For the first time in history, it was possible to do all layouting, photo retouche and design work on a single machine and preview complete pages with color images on a computer monitor. Moreover, customers were now able to do the complete pre-print and design work at home and save huge amounts of money. Until then, even the import of floppy disks with ASCII text was problematic due to the vastly different systems and file/disk formats.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the single most important thing that Steve Jobs did for the world. His idea of introducing WYSIWYG typography to the world of computing revolutionized entire industries. It would have happened without him eventually, but probably much later and not on a single all-round computer platform that was not only adopted by the pre-print industry all over the world, but also found its way into many households. Thanks for that, Steve. You were the Gutenberg of the 20th century.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Quinn Morani wrote:

Love this Steve Jobs tribute logo. It's been floating around Facebook unattributed but here is the source:

http://jmak.tumblr.com/post/9377189056



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I'd gone without tears until seeing this, Quinn.

[Kylie Jaxxon]

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Ishtara Rothschild wrote:

iMourn.

Don't mind me, this is just my mourning process. As a home computer user, I have never been much of an Apple fan, although I do own an iPod Touch and an iPhone. But I've worked in the print and design industry for almost 20 years, and nothing short of Gutenberg's invention has ever revolutionized this industry like the Macintosh did.

It was Steve Jobs' WYSIWYG approach that started it all. Computer systems that can handle multiple fonts predate Apple computers, but WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) was something new. When I started to work as a typesetter and reprographer, text and fonts were processed on specialized Linoytpe computers, and typesetters didn't get to see the final layout and fonts on the monitor.

Images were either reproduced on giant repro cameras or with vastly expensive drum scanners. Like the text layout, the reprographer had no way of previewing the final image on a monitor. Needless to say that photographic color correction and manual image manipulation were a pain in the tush. Not to mention the tedious work of manually assembling photos and text in all four colors, creating a print-like color proof, and starting all over if the customer wasn't satisfied with the result. The pre-print work was often a greater time and cost factor than the final print and manufacturing process in those days.

Then came the Macintosh, and with it came DTP software like Aldus PageMaker and QuarkXPress. Steve Jobs had not only created a computer that displayed pretty fonts, he had created the first computer for designers and artists. I think it's safe to say that he invented what came to be known as desktop publishing. Printhouses and graphic design agencies that adopted the Macintosh as the first WYSIWYG layout system were soon rewarded with Photoshop and Illustrator, which could not have been developed on any other computer system at that time.

Photoshop ushered in the rapid development of high resolution flatbed scanners, which were originally nothing but expensive toys, and delivered the final blow against the room-filling, overpriced repro cameras and drum scanners. For the first time in history, it was possible to do all layouting, photo retouche and design work on a single machine and preview complete pages with color images on a computer monitor. Moreover, customers were now able to do the complete pre-print and design work at home and save huge amounts of money. Until then, even the import of floppy disks with ASCII text was problematic due to the vastly different systems and file/disk formats.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the single most important thing that Steve Jobs did for the world. His idea of introducing WYSIWYG typography to the world of computing revolutionized entire industries. It would have happened without him eventually, but probably much later and not on a single all-round computer platform that was not only adopted by the pre-print industry all over the world, but also found its way into many households. Thanks for that, Steve. You were the Gutenberg of the 20th century.

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Interesting...I've heard that the impetus for all the font stuff was his fascination with calligraphy, a course he took back in his college days, I believe.  Funny how things can impact your life

[Canoro Philipp]

“When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”
Steve Jobs

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Canoro Philipp wrote:

“When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”

Steve Jobs

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Canoro, my Father taught me cabinetmaking and this is exactly right. I remember him showing me an old Shaker pie-safe with frame and panel doors. The panels were flat on the outside, but beveled on the inside, the opposite of what you'd expect. Beveling the edge allowed the panel to fit in the thin slot in the frame while still being rugged overall. That you were skilled enough to bevel an edge was nothing to brag about, so you turned that necessary detail out of sight to preserve the simplicity of the piece.

There is a bit of this ethos in Apple products. Mr. Jobs never let the tremendous technologies inside get in the way of a simple, thoughtful, joyful user experience. It is this attention to the humanity of the customer that sets Apple apart.

[Charolotte Caxton]

Beautiful.

[Canoro Philipp]

thats right.. thats how things should be, detailed on the inside, simple on the outside.. technology innovation is going to slow down without him.

[Ishtara Rothschild]

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Kylie Jaxxon wrote:

Interesting...I've heard that the impetus for all the font stuff was his fascination with calligraphy, a course he took back in his college days, I believe.  Funny how things can impact your life

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Thanks, I didn't know that. So Steve Jobs really did what Johannes Gutenberg had done before him: He took the art of calligraphy and manual lettering, combined it with modern technology, and made it available for the masses

PS: I learned calligraphy in vocational school (along with mechanical typesetting, the use of Letraset transfer fonts, diatype photosetting, and other things that I thought would be useless for me in later life). It's nice to know that I have something in common with Steve Jobs, no matter how little.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Ishtara Rothschild wrote:

So Steve Jobs really did what Johannes Gutenberg had done before him: He took the art of calligraphy and manual lettering, combined it with modern technology, and made it available for the masses

PS: I learned calligraphy in vocational school (along with mechanical typesetting, the use of Letraset transfer fonts, diatype photosetting, and other things that I thought would be useless for me in later life). It's nice to know that I have something in common with Steve Jobs, no matter how little.

---

Ishy, this merging of art and technology is something Jobs talked about often and it may be why techno-geeks get so bent out of shape over the success Apple enjoys. While the engineer in me may be curious about the technology of a thing (and I can recognize elegance there), the craftsman/artist in me cares very deeply about the aesthetics of a thing, too.

I've spent more than two decades splitting my day between PC and Mac environments (now entirely on Apple hardware) and they feel very different to me. I remember the joy I shared with my Father as we played with our first Macintosh in 1984. I still feel it when I touch their plastic bags,  close the smart cover on my iPad, or have a video chat with Mom. And that this joy extends to watching Pixar movies tells me that Mr. Jobs genius was in seeing through my eyes.

Maybe the reason the loss of Steve Jobs resonates with us so is that he had more in common with us, and more hope for us, than we ever understood.

[Void Singer]

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Deltango Vale wrote:

An important reminder:

• born in San Francisco in Feb 1955 to [unmarried] students Joanne Schieble and Syrian-born Abdulfattah Jandali
• adopted by a Californian working class couple
• had a summer job at Hewlett-Packard while at school - later worked at Atari
• dropped out of college after six months and went traveling in India, where he became a Buddhist

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interesting, and explains a few things to me... intelligent kid from medicocre background seeking meaning becomes jaded and builds an empire out of crass commercialism. (a compliment, even if backhanded)

[Charolotte Caxton]

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Ishtara Rothschild wrote:

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Kylie Jaxxon wrote:

Interesting...I've heard that the impetus for all the font stuff was his fascination with calligraphy, a course he took back in his college days, I believe.  Funny how things can impact your life

---

Thanks, I didn't know that. So Steve Jobs really did what Johannes Gutenberg had done before him: He took the art of calligraphy and manual lettering, combined it with modern technology, and made it available for the masses

PS: I learned calligraphy in vocational school (along with mechanical typesetting, the use of Letraset transfer fonts, diatype photosetting, and other things that I thought would be useless for me in later life). It's nice to know that I have something in common with Steve Jobs, no matter how little.

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Yes, he explained it in his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address (page 1, message 3). He said since he had dropped out of college he didn't have to take the required classes so he took something that interested him. He said ten years later it came back to him and led to the development of computer fonts. He said it a lot better, but that was the gist of it, I think.

Here's a link if you want: http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Void Singer wrote:

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Deltango Vale wrote:

An important reminder:

• born in San Francisco in Feb 1955 to [unmarried] students Joanne Schieble and Syrian-born Abdulfattah Jandali
• adopted by a Californian working class couple
• had a summer job at Hewlett-Packard while at school - later worked at Atari
• dropped out of college after six months and went traveling in India, where he became a Buddhist

---

interesting, and explains a few things to me... intelligent kid from medicocre background seeking meaning becomes jaded and builds an empire out of crass commercialism. (a compliment, even if backhanded)

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Void, I don't think Jobs was jaded. But you're another story entirely! ;-)

http://allthingsd.com/20111006/walt-mossberg-reflects-on-life-and-career-of-steve-jobs-for-fox-business-video

[Kylie Jaxxon]

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Ishtara Rothschild wrote:

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Kylie Jaxxon wrote:

Interesting...I've heard that the impetus for all the font stuff was his fascination with calligraphy, a course he took back in his college days, I believe.  Funny how things can impact your life

---

Thanks, I didn't know that. So Steve Jobs really did what Johannes Gutenberg had done before him: He took the art of calligraphy and manual lettering, combined it with modern technology, and made it available for the masses

PS: I learned calligraphy in vocational school (along with mechanical typesetting, the use of Letraset transfer fonts, diatype photosetting, and other things that I thought would be useless for me in later life). It's nice to know that I have something in common with Steve Jobs, no matter how little.

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lol, yes...as with all things, you never know what it could do for you later in life.  I'm a true believer in learning all the time, even useless stuff...:matte-motes-silly:

[Kylie Jaxxon]

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Charolotte Caxton wrote:

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Ishtara Rothschild wrote:

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Kylie Jaxxon wrote:

Interesting...I've heard that the impetus for all the font stuff was his fascination with calligraphy, a course he took back in his college days, I believe.  Funny how things can impact your life

---

Thanks, I didn't know that. So Steve Jobs really did what Johannes Gutenberg had done before him: He took the art of calligraphy and manual lettering, combined it with modern technology, and made it available for the masses

PS: I learned calligraphy in vocational school (along with mechanical typesetting, the use of Letraset transfer fonts, diatype photosetting, and other things that I thought would be useless for me in later life). It's nice to know that I have something in common with Steve Jobs, no matter how little.

---

Yes, he explained it in his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address (

page 1, message 3

). He said since he had dropped out of college he didn't have to take the required classes so he took something that interested him. He said ten years later it came back to him and led to the development of computer fonts. He said it a lot better, but that was the gist of it, I think.

Here's a link if you want: 

http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html

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Thanks for the link Charlotte...couldn't place where I had heard that.

[Charolotte Caxton]

yw

[Void Singer]

I'm only slightly jaded, the rest is just altruism tempered with pragmatism and mislabeled >=)

the same may have been true of Jobs, I'm just thinking of all those zealously guarded patents and a marketing style aimed at status symbols. That he had the genius to make it all work for him is not even a question.

[Maryanne Solo]

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Quinn Morani wrote:

 

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Amazing tribute image! Which happens to coincide with the outrageous news that Apple are entering the field of denture supply. Hot off the press: iTeeth - that is where that image comes from and the impression that is left when used 8^) *winx

[Randall Ahren]

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Void Singer wrote:

intelligent kid from medicocre background seeking meaning becomes jaded and builds an empire out of crass commercialism. (a compliment, even if backhanded)

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Steve Jobs never developed because a product because he thought it would be a commercial success. He developed products that he would actually want to use.

Commercial success was merely a measure of the rightness of his efforts. It was effect, not cause. He didn't develop products to simply make money. He developed insanely great products because that was what he was meant to do. His work was an extension of who he was and his economic success were the result intense effort and integrity.

The test of a design is the satisfaction it gives you. If the design produces tranquillity it’s right. If it disturbs you it’s wrong until either the design or your mind is changed. Steve Jobs never changed his mind, he changed the design. Whenever you use one of Apple products, it just feels right. You intuitively know how to use it. There is this sense that it is absolutely right, and always has been, and always will be. That's Steve Jobs.

Everytime you use an iPod, an iPhone, iPad or other Applie product, there is some of Steve Jobs in there. His work was merely a subset of that much greater work that was his life. The machine that appears to be "out there" and the person that appears to be "in here" are not two separate things. It is mere illusion that they are and is known as sansara.

I commented earlier that prophet was the closest word in English to describe Steve Jobs. Guru also fits. He was after all, a Zen Buddhist.

[Void Singer]

please see my post previous to this one =)

[LadyFandango]

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Quinn Morani wrote:

Love this Steve Jobs tribute logo. It's been floating around Facebook unattributed but here is the source:

http://jmak.tumblr.com/post/9377189056



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I wonder if Apple may use this as their new logo?  It may be a tribute one now, but it seems poignant and fitting.  May he rest in peace and sincere sympathies to his family and friends.  He really did change the world ...

[Luc Starsider]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

Ishy, this merging of art and technology is something Jobs talked about often and it may be why techno-geeks get so bent out of shape over the success Apple enjoys. While the engineer in me may be curious about the technology of a thing (and I can recognize elegance there), the craftsman/artist in me cares very deeply about the aesthetics of a thing, too.

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The combination, along with the ability to make a decision based on gut feelings, is a rare thing.

Eric Schmidt, in this Bloomberg interview, pointed out that few people in history have had that ability, equating Jobs to Michelangelo in that respect. I agree with him.

- Luc -