Latest news with #MacPaint
Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
Remembering Bill Atkinson: A Creative Genius Who Helped Shaped The Mac
Bill Atkinson, one of the original engineers on the Macintosh team, whose ripple of creative contributions has impacted billions of people, passed away last week from pancreatic cancer. Bill was a giant in Silicon Valley. He was one of the most critical members of the Mac Team and created QuickDraw and MacPaint. I vividly remember when MacPaint was demonstrated during the introduction of the Mac in 1984, and like most of us in the audience, I was in awe of the new user interface of the Mac. Indeed, MacPaint was the key app demonstrated at the Mac launch that showed us the potential of the Mac and a graphical user interface. He was a brilliant software engineer for Apple, creating software that allowed users to display shapes, images, and text on the screen and present a simulated "desktop." My friend John Markhoff, writing in the New York Times, explained Mr. Atkinson's major contributions to the Mac and his impact on graphical user interfaces- "It was Mr. Atkinson who programmed QuickDraw, a foundational software layer used for both the Lisa and Macintosh computers; composed of a library of small programs, it made it possible to display shapes, text and images on the screen efficiently. The QuickDraw programs were embedded in the computers' hardware, providing a distinctive graphical user interface that presented a simulated "desktop," displaying icons of folders, files and application programs. Mr. Atkinson is credited with inventing many of the key aspects of graphical computing, such as "pull down" menus and the "double-click" gesture, which allows users to open files, folders and applications by clicking a mouse button twice in succession." While Mr. Atkinson's contributions to the Mac GUI and functionality were many, he developed another program that, when he showed it to me in 1987, convinced me it could dramatically impact computing in the future. Atkinson conceived, designed, and implemented HyperCard, an early and influential system. HyperCard put the power of computer programming and database design into the hands of non-programmers. Introduced by Apple in 1987, HyperCard was a groundbreaking software tool that combined the flexibility of a database, the creativity of a graphic design tool, and the power of a programming environment into a single, user-friendly application for Macintosh computers. Its core metaphor was the "stack" of virtual "cards." Each card functioned like a page or screen, capable of holding text, images, buttons, and fields, and users could navigate between cards to create interactive, non-linear experiences. One of HyperCard's most innovative features was its built-in programming language, HyperTalk, which enabled users to script behaviors for card objects—such as buttons or fields—without needing advanced programming knowledge. This language made HyperCard accessible to many users, from educators and artists to business professionals, who could rapidly prototype applications, build databases, create interactive presentations, or even develop simple games. Its influence extended beyond its original purpose: HyperCard inspired the development of early web browsers and scripting languages like JavaScript, and its concepts of hyperlinking and user-generated content anticipated the World Wide Web. The concept of hyperlinking caused me to tell The Washington Post at the time that, "We're talking about a new way of delivering information. The fundamentals of the technology have been there awhile. The blending is happening now." Web browsers basically hyperlink information in context, and Bill Atkinson saw this in 1987, well before we had web browsers and the public Internet. The last time I saw Bill and spoke with him was on Jan 24, 2024, at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Mac. This event celebrated the original Mac team and it was a historic gathering. Here is a link to the video of the celebration. If you have time, it is worth watching many of the original Mac team members talk about their creations. Bill Atkinson was regarded as one of the heroes of Silicon Valley and will be greatly missed. Disclosure: Apple subscribes to Creative Strategies research reports along with many other high tech companies around the world.
The Verge
3 days ago
- The Verge
Posted Jun 8, 2025 at 4:31 PM EDT 0 Comments
Legendary Apple engineer Bill Atkinson has died at 74. Atkinson's family announced that he passed away last Thursday due to pancreatic cancer. Employee number 51 at Apple, Atkinson worked on the Macintosh, MacPaint, and HyperCard. Wired and Daring Fireball have even more details on his life and career, and Apple CEO Tim Cook writes, 'He was a true visionary whose creativity, heart, and groundbreaking work on the Mac will forever inspire us.' In this video about Apple's influential pre-Macintosh 'OK' computer, you can hear Bill Atkinson talk about the Lisa, and how, in his words, it 'contributed toward the idea that computers were for everyone.'
Engadget
3 days ago
- Engadget
Influential Apple engineer Bill Atkinson dies at 74
A renowned Apple engineer who was instrumental in developing modern-day computing has died. Bill Atkinson, who was part of Apple's original Macintosh development team, died of pancreatic cancer at 74, according to a Facebook post made by his family on June 5. His contributions to Apple and the Macintosh personal computer are still widely used today, including fundamental UI elements like the menu bar, double-clicking and the selection lasso. However, Atkinson's work goes much deeper than that, since he's partly responsible for the foundational design language that influenced Apple's early days. His legacy includes creating MacPaint, an application that showed the world what a graphics-based system looks like at a time when text-based systems were the norm, and developing QuickDraw, a graphics toolbox that the Macintosh and Lisa computers use. To make computers more user-friendly, Atkinson also designed HyperCard, an Apple application that introduced hypertext to everyday users and not just programmers. Tim Cook paid tribute to Atkinson, posting on X, that he was a 'true visionary whose creativity, heart, and groundbreaking work on the Mac will forever inspire us.' Beyond Apple, Atkinson was one of three co-founders for General Magic, a software and electronics company that supplied products to Motorola and Sony in the 90s. Later, he worked with Numenta in 2007, which was a startup focused on artificial intelligence. Atkinson was also a seasoned nature photographer, publishing a book called Within the Stone that highlights polished and cut rocks with close-up shots. Atkinson is survived by his wife, two daughters, stepson, stepdaughter, two brothers, four sisters, and dog, Poppy.
