Steve Jobs, not Apple vs Micro$oft vs Google(Android)

[oldpiper]

Lots of posts (67 so far) in the Steve Jobs thread, but many of them are, IMHO, OT, going into the reasons to (not) be a fanboy about one company or another.

SJ may not have been the best technical guy in the world; SJ may not have been the best programmer in the world; SJ may not have been the best bean counter in the world; SJ may not have been the best traditional CEO in the world; SJ may not have been the best (insert any of a bunch of computer-company-centric job titles here) in the world.

But, IMHO, this is why Steve Jobs really *did* change the world:

Anything which has really changed the world has had three people involved, almost always three *different* people:

1 Someone to make it.

Maybe the same person who came up with the theory or the design, but the person who finally built it so it worked.

2 Someone to figure out something to do with it.

Maybe the same person as 1, but probably not. Sometimes persons 1 and 2 are separated by years, even tens or hundreds of years.

3. Someone to show everyone else that they can use number 2's application on number 1's thing for themselves, too.

Again not necessarily the same person as number 1 or 2. But, you need someone who can "cut through the crap" and convince people that not only is the "thing" in question a great thing, and not only can things be done with it that are in themselves great, but that mere mortals can acquire it and do similar great things. Then you can change the world, because then the "thing" can inspire MANY others to think, not only to figure out applications for the "thing" which even further evolve it, but some of them will repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 for the NEXT great thing.

Steve Jobs was the essence of person number 3. He changed the world.

Cameron

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

sure Homer may have invented the 'Flaming Moe', but I'm the one who came up with the idea to charge $6.95 for it!"

Steve Jobs epitaph - the Flaming Moe of computer tech.

[John in CR]

Lots of posts (67 so far) in the Steve Jobs thread, but many of them are, IMHO, OT, going into the reasons to (not) be a fanboy about one company or another.

SJ may not have been the best technical guy in the world; SJ may not have been the best programmer in the world; SJ may not have been the best bean counter in the world; SJ may not have been the best traditional CEO in the world; SJ may not have been the best (insert any of a bunch of computer-company-centric job titles here) in the world.

But, IMHO, this is why Steve Jobs really *did* change the world:

Anything which has really changed the world has had three people involved, almost always three *different* people:

1 Someone to make it.

Maybe the same person who came up with the theory or the design, but the person who finally built it so it worked.

2 Someone to figure out something to do with it.

Maybe the same person as 1, but probably not. Sometimes persons 1 and 2 are separated by years, even tens or hundreds of years.

3. Someone to show everyone else that they can use number 2's application on number 1's thing for themselves, too.

Again not necessarily the same person as number 1 or 2. But, you need someone who can "cut through the crap" and convince people that not only is the "thing" in question a great thing, and not only can things be done with it that are in themselves great, but that mere mortals can acquire it and do similar great things. Then you can change the world, because then the "thing" can inspire MANY others to think, not only to figure out applications for the "thing" which even further evolve it, but some of them will repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 for the NEXT great thing.

Steve Jobs was the essence of person number 3. He changed the world.

Cameron

And? The guy is dead, and not coming back, so move on instead of treating him like your cult icon. I think it's safe to say that most appreciate his positive contributions to the world. Why discuss it further, since no one will change their mind one way or the other? Discussion serves no greater good. Steve certainly wouldn't waste a single precious second doing what the "followers" such as yourself are doing, because he understood that time is all we really have.

[ptd]

And? The guy is dead, and not coming back, so move on instead of treating him like your cult icon.

do we not think that jobs didn't take a look at cryo ? with $8.3 billion ? c'mon, you know he's frozen somewhere. when he's resurrected, he can roll out the iMBack.

[1of3]

What about the US Army, Bell Labs, Basic, Xerox, and Microsoft.

Apple OS is exclusive to all these codes.

Only difference is, Apple don't operate on ant hardware as all these do.

Who's as in 'freedom' is free.

[oldpiper]

And? The guy is dead, and not coming back, so move on instead of treating him like your cult icon. I think it's safe to say that most appreciate his positive contributions to the world. Why discuss it further, since no one will change their mind one way or the other? Discussion serves no greater good. Steve certainly wouldn't waste a single precious second doing what the "followers" such as yourself are doing, because he understood that time is all we really have.

Cult icon? Follower? I don't know what you're talking about. All I'm saying is that there's more than one way to "change the world," and he found one. If my thoughts are to have any positive impact at all, it might be that someone at some time gets a vague notion to go ahead with a project from something anonymous s/he read a while ago, and the world is a little bit better. IMHO (and this comes from being in higher ed for 30+ years), the greatest impediment to progress is a dearth of self-confidence when a good/great idea hits someone. That and those with no imagination who stomp on everything and addictive/mindless video games. As someone a year older than Jobs, and one who already has had to be treated for prostate cancer, I understand completely how "time is all we have."

Cameron