2010-08-11

Happy Birthday Steve Wozniak

60 years ago today (2010-08-11) Steve Wozniak was born. If it were not for "the Woz", I do not believe I would be doing much with computers but would have gone onto being a textile chemist. It was the Apple ][+ that my neighbour had and the Apple ][e that my dad later bought me that got me really into computers. Between all the programs I could debug from Creative Computing magazine and the various hidden hacks in the integer ROM (the maze game was the coolest)... I learned enough to be dangerous with computers.

While I have never met Steve Wozniak, the stories of what he is like have always inspired me. The reason I got an Apple versus an Altair or some similar home brew was that my Dad's friends were happy with the layout and design of the ones they had rebuilt. One fellow had even sent some improvements to Apple (resulting in I think a cease and desist from Steve Jobs and a "Wow cool thanks" from Steve Wozniak).

I don't think I could say it any better than I did in 1986: "When I grow up I want to be Steve Wozniak".

No comments: