Latest news with #HyperCard
The Verge
13 hours 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.'
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Who was Bill Atkinson? The Man who helped Steve Jobs build the Macintosh computers, dies at 74
Bill Atkinson dies at 74: Bill Atkinson has made a lasting impression on the computer industry as one of the creative forces behind Apple's early inventions. His groundbreaking work with Steve Jobs, which helped shape the Macintosh and Lisa computers, transformed how people use computers. Not only was Atkinson a software developer, but he was also a visionary who shaped Apple's history in its early years. From creating QuickDraw to conceiving HyperCard, his work impacted the World Wide Web and established the foundation for contemporary user interfaces. Tributes underline his enduring influence as the tech community laments his departure. Learn how Atkinson's contributions are still influencing the modern digital world. Who was Bill Atkinson? Atkinson was born on March 15, 1951, in Los Gatos, California. He was a pioneering computer scientist, software designer, and one of the key early employees at Apple Inc. He played a crucial role in shaping modern computing through his work on the Lisa and Macintosh projects alongside Steve Jobs. Atkinson was instrumental in developing Apple's graphical user interface (GUI) and was the creator of MacPaint, one of the first graphics applications for personal computers. He also developed the QuickDraw graphics system and contributed to HyperCard, an early software tool that influenced the development of the World Wide Web. Known for his innovation, creativity, and deep influence on user-friendly computing, Bill Atkinson left a lasting legacy in both Apple's history and the broader tech industry. Bill Atkinson's Apple journey Long before sleek interfaces were commonplace, he was Apple employee number 51, directly selected by Steve Jobs. He had a significant influence on the appearance and feel of the company's early computers. Atkinson contributed to the creation of the Lisa's and the first Macintosh's graphical user interfaces. He developed MacPaint, QuickDraw, the graphics engine that drove the Mac's visuals, and HyperCard, a program that allowed users to create interactive applications long before the term "apps" was coined. He was the creative force behind many of the elements we now consider standard, such as the menu bar, the lasso tool for selections, and the tiny "marching ants" animation. He even came up with the idea for the rounded, smooth rectangles known as RoundRects that are still used on many Apple products today. Following his departure from Apple in 1990, Atkinson focused his passion on nature photography, bringing the same level of detail and beauty to screens. Bill Atkinson family His legacy endures every time someone turns on a Mac. He leaves behind his wife, two daughters, a stepson, a stepdaughter, four sisters, two brothers, and more. Bill Atkinson's education qualification Jef Raskin, the pioneer of the Apple Macintosh, was one of his professors at the University of California, San Diego, where he earned his undergraduate degree. Atkinson went on to study neurochemistry at the University of Washington as a graduate student. Apple CEO Tim Cook's Tribute to Bill Atkinson Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed profound sadness at the news of Bill Atkinson's passing. He honoured Atkinson as a visionary whose creativity, generosity, and passion profoundly shaped Apple's legacy and touched countless lives. We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Atkinson. He was a true visionary whose creativity, heart, and groundbreaking work on the Mac will forever inspire us. Our thoughts are with his loved ones. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bill Atkinson, engeineer who helped Apple co-founder Steve Jobs create Lisa and Macintosh computers, dies at 74: Read CEO Tim Cook's post
Bill Atkinson , the Apple Computer designer instrumental in creating the graphical user interfaces that made the Lisa and Macintosh computers accessible to millions, has died. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He was 74. His family confirmed the cause as pancreatic cancer in a Facebook post. He had a close relationship with co-founder during the early 1980s when they worked on the Macintosh. Apple CEO Tim Cook has extended his condolences with a post on X (formerly Twitter). "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Atkinson. He was a true visionary whose creativity, heart, and groundbreaking work on the Mac will forever inspire us. Our thoughts are with his loved ones," Cook said in a post. Bill Atkinson: The brain behind QuickDraw and HyperCard project Atkinson was the programmer behind QuickDraw, a foundational software layer for both the Lisa and Macintosh computers. This library of small programmes efficiently displayed shapes, text and images on screen. Embedded in the computers' hardware, QuickDraw provided the distinctive graphical interface that presented a simulated "desktop" with icons for folders, files, and applications. Atkinson is widely credited with inventing key elements of graphical computing, including "pull-down" menus and the "double-click" gesture, which allowed users to open files and applications simply by clicking a mouse button twice. Before the Macintosh debuted in January 1984, most personal computers were text-based, requiring users to type complex commands. Graphics were not an integrated function, and mouse pointing devices were not common. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now QuickDraw was initially developed for Apple's Lisa computer, launched in January 1983. Though the Lisa offered early easy-to-use features for business users, its high price of $10,000 (nearly $33,000 today) led to its commercial failure. QuickDraw soon became the basis for the Macintosh's successful graphical interface. This approach to computing originated from the "Dynabook" project led by computer scientist Alan Kay at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970s. In 1979, Xerox provided Jobs and a small team, including Atkinson, a private demonstration of Kay's work. Since they could not examine the software code, the Apple engineers made assumptions about the technology, leading to fundamental technical advancements and new capabilities. After the Macintosh's release, Atkinson conceived HyperCard, a programme that wove together text, images and video in a simple database. This software became a significant precursor to the World Wide Web. Atkinson was convinced by Jobs to become 51st team member of Apple Atkinson was pursuing a Ph.D. in neurobiology at the University of Washington when Jobs convinced him to become Apple's 51st employee. Their relationship was close during the early 1980s as they worked on the Macintosh. However, when Jobs was forced out of Apple in 1985 to found Next, Atkinson declined to leave, citing his commitment to the HyperCard project.
