Latest news with #PortolaValley
New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Bill Atkinson, Who Made Computers Easier to Use, Is Dead at 74
Bill Atkinson, the Apple Computer designer who created the software that enabled the transformative visual approach pioneered by the company's Lisa and Macintosh computers, making the machines accessible to millions of users without specialized skills, died on Thursday night at his home in Portola Valley, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was 74. In a Facebook post, his family said the cause was pancreatic cancer. 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. Before the Macintosh was introduced in January 1984, most personal computers were text-oriented; graphics were not yet an integrated function of the machines. And computer mice pointing devices were not widely available; software programs were instead controlled by typing arcane commands. The QuickDraw library had originally been designed for Apple's Lisa computer, which was introduced in January 1983. Intended for business users, the Lisa predated many of the Macintosh's easy-to-use features, but priced at $10,000 (almost $33,000 in today's money), it was a commercial failure. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Search effort scaling back for missing 79-year-old hiker with dementia
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif. - The search for a missing 79-year-old hiker, in a Peninsula open-space preserve, has entered its sixth day on Tuesday. Sheriff's officials say the search effort has shifted to a limited phase. Scaling back What we know Elaine McKinley became separated from a group of hikers last Thursday while they were at Portola Valley's Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. McKinley suffers from dementia. Officials with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said on day six of the search, that while the search continues, at sunset, the search transitions to a "limited continuous search phase." The decision was made in accordance with best practice regarding search and rescue efforts, the sheriff's office said. They explained the phase means the search continues "indefinitely or until the missing person is located, but with resources that are scaled down compared to the initial, more intense phase." The sheriff's office, partner agencies and more than 500 specialized search and rescue volunteers have been searching for the woman since she went missing. Officials said despite exhaustive efforts there have been no confirmed sightings of the missing hiker. The search will now scale back to 80 search and rescue personnel, in addition to personnel from the sheriff's office. The backstory McKinley was last seen on May 1 along the Lost Trail in the preserve, officials said. Search teams are equipped with drones, horses, tracking and trailing K-9s, off-road bikes and motorcycles, planes and specialized mapping software, the sheriff's office said. Teams continue to make an effort to search the accessible terrain. A photo of McKinley was shared, depicting the missing woman wearing what she had on when she was last seen. She was wearing a red zip-up jacket. On Monday, the missing woman's younger sister told KTVU she was in disbelief. She described her sister as humble, but strong and determined as well as someone who had worked in health care. People involved in the search effort have come from as far as Yolo, Placer, Butte and Nevada counties.
