Jef Raskin dies

MacBytes · 09:54 PM

Category: News and Press Releases
Link: Jef Raskin dies
Posted on MacBytes.com

Approved by Mudbug

Mord · 09:59 PM

damn, that guy ruled

SilvorX · Feb 27, 2005, 07:41 PM

RIP Jef

aafuss1 · 09:05 PM

Sources: CNET News.com and Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au
Jef Raskin who was largely credited with the beginning of the Mac interface has died of pancreatic cancer at 61:

http://news.com.com/Jef+Raskin%2C+Ma...html?tag=st_lh
http://smh.com.au/news/Breaking/Mac-...546767387.html

Saad · Feb 27, 2005, 08:27 PM

Oh, I'm sorry.

Flynnstone · Feb 27, 2005, 08:48 PM

Very sad to hear.

I recommend Jef Raskin's book "The Humane Interface" to anyone that writes programs or designs hardware.

Mr.Hey · 09:46 PM

Rest In Peace, sir. And thank you for all you've done

.

http://www.apple.com/thinkdifferent/

Here’s to the crazy ones.

The misfits.

The rebels.

The troublemakers.

The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They’re not fond of rules.

And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,

disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.

Because they change things.

They invent. They imagine. They heal.

They explore. They create. They inspire.

They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

We make tools for these kinds of people.

While some see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.

ibjoshua · Feb 27, 2005, 09:03 PM

We all owe this man a great deal.
RIP Jef Raskin

i_b_joshua

Mudbug · Feb 27, 2005, 09:55 PM

Fixed the spelling - sorry. You know sometimes how you look at something a million times and not notice the glaring mistake in it?

Daveway · Feb 27, 2005, 10:28 PM

I did most of my term paper on Jef Raskin. He is the only one that can be credited for the Macintosh. If it weren't for him there would be no Mac.
He took a lot of abuse from Steve, so I'm curious what he's thinking right now.
Jef has left a huge mark on the electronics industry. He will always be remembered.

eleveneastgate · Feb 27, 2005, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveway00

He took a lot of abuse from Steve, so I'm curious what he's thinking right now.

Do tell...

I'm a Mac/Computer newbie and it's the first I've heard of him.

Rest in peace...

MacRumors · Feb 27, 2005, 11:20 PM

Jef Raskin, the interface expert credited for the original Macintosh, passed away this weekend from Pancreatic Cancer.

According to a statement from his family, Raskin died Saturday night at his home in Pacifica. Raskin Joined Apple in 1978 as the 31st employee and spearheaded a small team on a project that would become the Macintosh.

Raskin was also responsible for naming the product "Macintosh" after his favorite fruit. Despite his role in the project, Raskin left Apple in 1982 after a falling-out with Steve Jobs. The Macintosh was launched in 1984.

mustang_dvs · 11:29 PM

My condolences to his family.

Jef was only 61.

Truly sad.

--

Update: Mac co-creator Andy Hertzfeld has posted a tribute to Jef on FolkLore.org.

gorkonapple · 11:50 PM

To Jef Raskin:

I may have come to the party late(over 1 year ago since I bought my first Mac), but you were a genius. I place you along side both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak as geniuses that made my life wiith a computer better....even if Microsoft copied Apple's interface or if you copied it from the Altos, both you, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak helped make computers better for all of us and brought forth advances of the like we may never see again in our lives. Thanks for caring about about the user.

virus1 · Feb 27, 2005, 11:57 PM

thats depressing. my aunt died in her 40s of pancreatic cancer.. thanks to him, im typing on a macintosh, not a "Jobs" or a "grapefruit".

Hami · Feb 28, 2005, 12:40 AM

It's always sad when someone dies, and Mr Raskin was truely a GUI pioneer - the Humaine Interface should be compulsary reading for all GUI designers.

Is it only me that thinks Apple should put some tribute to him on thier front page? They've done it for famous actors, dancers, visionaries and other talented people that 'think different' - why not Jef?

Hami

mariner77 · 12:53 AM

I actually met him once when he gave a talk at MIT on user interface a couple years ago. He had a real passion for making things simple and straightforward to use. I remember he talked about how terrible it is to have stove knobs all lined up in a row, and how to deal with the problem of running of bathroom tissues (not trivial). He did talk about interface between human and computer too. ;-) Meeting him, I could see how he came to the original Macintosh GUI.

I think he was somewhat disgusted by modern OS's GUIs, OS X included. It would have been interesting to see what he'd come up with if he was in charge of designing OS X's GUI.

Jef's a great guy. He'll be missed.

bb0ys · Feb 28, 2005, 01:05 AM

Anyone else notice that Jef died from the same cancer that Steve was just in the hospital for a few months ago? Strange that two of the original Macintosh team members were to have the same cancer affect each of them around the same time even though they are about 10 years apart.

Pipian · Feb 28, 2005, 06:38 AM

He was a nice man, I talked to him via email a few times. I wish all the best towards his family.

centauratlas · Feb 28, 2005, 12:25 PM

There are a couple of interesting things here.

1. In most pancreatic cancer it is fatal with 3-9 months (around 28950 out of 29000 per year). When I saw how quickly he died, I guessed it was from pancreatic cancer.
2. Steve Jobs had the 'better' form of pancreatic cancer (the more treatable kind) last year. Islet cell. It is somewhat ironic that both had some form of pancreatic cancer.
3. My mom passed away from it in April 1999 and I was one of the founding Board of directors of the leading Pancreatic Cancer charity - see
http://www.pancan.org/ for ways you can help from volunteering to anything.

Kingofthenerds · 02:00 PM

Does anybody know more about his falling out with Steve? Seems steves ideas are great but often alienate people. Ah, the cost of genius.

swissmann · Feb 28, 2005, 01:15 PM

Thank you Mr. Raskin. Peace to you and your loved ones.

thogs_cave · Feb 28, 2005, 03:01 PM

Without the work of Jef, I would've never enjoyed computing as much as I do. (Or, have gotten a 4.0 in Interface Design in college way back when....)

I still miss the elegance of the original Finder. Not that I dislike OS X (far from it!), but I spent so much time on my 512Ke and I just loved the early systems. Sleek, efficient, and even a bit fun.

Jef will be missed.

Mitthrawnuruodo · Feb 28, 2005, 03:16 PM

So long and thanks for all the Macs...!

rdowns · Feb 28, 2005, 04:36 PM

Here's the page Apple should have put up today.

http://208.210.80.22/apple/raskin.jpg

Feb 27, 2005, 06:39 PM	#1
MacBytes macrumors bot Join Date: Jul 2003	Jef Raskin dies Category: News and Press Releases Link: Jef Raskin dies Posted on MacBytes.com Approved by Mudbug Last edited by Mudbug; Feb 27, 2005 at 09:54 PM.
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 06:51 PM	#2
Mord macrumors Demi-Goddess Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Old York	damn, that guy ruled Last edited by Mudbug; Feb 27, 2005 at 09:59 PM.
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 07:41 PM	#3
SilvorX macrumors 68000 Join Date: May 2002 Location: 'Toba, Canada	RIP Jef __________________ k that's old -> 800Mhz iBook G3, White iPhone 3G, Canon SD1000 Digital Camera and a 24 of beer! It's better to burn out than fade away
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 08:10 PM	#4
aafuss1 macrumors 68000 Join Date: May 2002 Location: Gold Coast, Australia	Jef Raskin (Mac interface expert) dies at 61 Sources: CNET News.com and Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au Jef Raskin who was largely credited with the beginning of the Mac interface has died of pancreatic cancer at 61: http://news.com.com/Jef+Raskin%2C+Ma...html?tag=st_lh http://smh.com.au/news/Breaking/Mac-...546767387.html __________________ Mac mini and iPad: Mac mini (Mid 2011) Core i5 2.3 GHz 2GB RAM, Thunderbolt Display, Mac OS X 10.7, iPad 32GB (Wi-Fi), Apple TV (160GB) Last edited by aafuss1; Feb 27, 2005 at 09:05 PM.
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 08:27 PM	#5
Saad macrumors member Join Date: May 2004	Oh, I'm sorry. __________________ Europe in a Mac http://cinemafia.net/cory5412/
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 08:48 PM	#6
Flynnstone macrumors 65816 Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Cold beer land	Very sad to hear. I recommend Jef Raskin's book "The Humane Interface" to anyone that writes programs or designs hardware. __________________ "You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems." - Einstein New iMac 24"/G5 1.8/...
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 08:57 PM	#7
Mr.Hey macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2002	Here’s to the crazy ones. Rest In Peace, sir. And thank you for all you've done . http://www.apple.com/thinkdifferent/ Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? We make tools for these kinds of people. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. Last edited by Mr.Hey; Feb 27, 2005 at 09:46 PM.
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 09:03 PM	#8
ibjoshua macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Japan	a great debt We all owe this man a great deal. RIP Jef Raskin i_b_joshua
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 09:55 PM	#9
Mudbug macrumors god Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North Central Colorado	Fixed the spelling - sorry. You know sometimes how you look at something a million times and not notice the glaring mistake in it? __________________ I think I understand what you're talking about, but where are we going to find a duck and a rubber hose at this time of night?
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 10:28 PM	#10
Daveway macrumors 68040 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: New Orleans / Lafayette, La	I did most of my term paper on Jef Raskin. He is the only one that can be credited for the Macintosh. If it weren't for him there would be no Mac. He took a lot of abuse from Steve, so I'm curious what he's thinking right now. Jef has left a huge mark on the electronics industry. He will always be remembered. __________________ Spare me my life.
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 11:20 PM	#12
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Jef Raskin Passes Away Jef Raskin, the interface expert credited for the original Macintosh, passed away this weekend from Pancreatic Cancer. According to a statement from his family, Raskin died Saturday night at his home in Pacifica. Raskin Joined Apple in 1978 as the 31st employee and spearheaded a small team on a project that would become the Macintosh. Raskin was also responsible for naming the product "Macintosh" after his favorite fruit. Despite his role in the project, Raskin left Apple in 1982 after a falling-out with Steve Jobs. The Macintosh was launched in 1984.
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 11:24 PM	#13
mustang_dvs macrumors 6502a Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Durham, NC	My condolences to his family. Jef was only 61. Truly sad. -- Update: Mac co-creator Andy Hertzfeld has posted a tribute to Jef on FolkLore.org. __________________  2.66GHz MacPro 2,1 \| 2.6GHz MBP 9,1 \| 1.2GHz Cube \| 2x 2GHz Mini 2,1 \| 160GB iPod \| 16GB iPhone 3,3 DVSmith.net \| thePhotosmith.com Last edited by mustang_dvs; Feb 27, 2005 at 11:29 PM.
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 11:48 PM	#14
gorkonapple macrumors regular Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Columbus, OH	To Jef Raskin: I may have come to the party late(over 1 year ago since I bought my first Mac), but you were a genius. I place you along side both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak as geniuses that made my life wiith a computer better....even if Microsoft copied Apple's interface or if you copied it from the Altos, both you, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak helped make computers better for all of us and brought forth advances of the like we may never see again in our lives. Thanks for caring about about the user. __________________ gorkonapple Last edited by gorkonapple; Feb 27, 2005 at 11:50 PM.
	0

Feb 27, 2005, 11:57 PM	#15
virus1 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: LOST	thats depressing. my aunt died in her 40s of pancreatic cancer.. thanks to him, im typing on a macintosh, not a "Jobs" or a "grapefruit". __________________ No, really. I completely understand you. (Pay no attention to my 'tar)
	0

Feb 28, 2005, 12:40 AM	#16
Hami macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2003	Is it only me... It's always sad when someone dies, and Mr Raskin was truely a GUI pioneer - the Humaine Interface should be compulsary reading for all GUI designers. Is it only me that thinks Apple should put some tribute to him on thier front page? They've done it for famous actors, dancers, visionaries and other talented people that 'think different' - why not Jef? Hami
	0

Feb 28, 2005, 12:46 AM	#17
mariner77 macrumors newbie Join Date: May 2002	met him once, impressionable guy I actually met him once when he gave a talk at MIT on user interface a couple years ago. He had a real passion for making things simple and straightforward to use. I remember he talked about how terrible it is to have stove knobs all lined up in a row, and how to deal with the problem of running of bathroom tissues (not trivial). He did talk about interface between human and computer too. ;-) Meeting him, I could see how he came to the original Macintosh GUI. I think he was somewhat disgusted by modern OS's GUIs, OS X included. It would have been interesting to see what he'd come up with if he was in charge of designing OS X's GUI. Jef's a great guy. He'll be missed. Last edited by mariner77; Feb 28, 2005 at 12:53 AM.
	0

Feb 28, 2005, 01:05 AM	#18
bb0ys macrumors member Join Date: Mar 2003	Strange coincidence Anyone else notice that Jef died from the same cancer that Steve was just in the hospital for a few months ago? Strange that two of the original Macintosh team members were to have the same cancer affect each of them around the same time even though they are about 10 years apart.
	0

Feb 28, 2005, 06:38 AM	#19
Pipian macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2003	He was a nice man, I talked to him via email a few times. I wish all the best towards his family.
	0

Feb 28, 2005, 12:25 PM	#20
centauratlas macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Florida	PanCan There are a couple of interesting things here. 1. In most pancreatic cancer it is fatal with 3-9 months (around 28950 out of 29000 per year). When I saw how quickly he died, I guessed it was from pancreatic cancer. 2. Steve Jobs had the 'better' form of pancreatic cancer (the more treatable kind) last year. Islet cell. It is somewhat ironic that both had some form of pancreatic cancer. 3. My mom passed away from it in April 1999 and I was one of the founding Board of directors of the leading Pancreatic Cancer charity - see http://www.pancan.org/ for ways you can help from volunteering to anything.
	0

Feb 28, 2005, 12:56 PM	#21
Kingofthenerds macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2004	falling out with Steve? Does anybody know more about his falling out with Steve? Seems steves ideas are great but often alienate people. Ah, the cost of genius. Last edited by Doctor Q; Feb 28, 2005 at 02:00 PM. Reason: removed web site ad
	0

Feb 28, 2005, 01:15 PM	#22
swissmann macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The Utah Alps	Thank you Mr. Raskin. Peace to you and your loved ones. __________________ Always looking for a faster Mac.
	0

Feb 28, 2005, 03:01 PM	#23
thogs_cave macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: State of Confusion	So long, Jef. Without the work of Jef, I would've never enjoyed computing as much as I do. (Or, have gotten a 4.0 in Interface Design in college way back when....) I still miss the elegance of the original Finder. Not that I dislike OS X (far from it!), but I spent so much time on my 512Ke and I just loved the early systems. Sleek, efficient, and even a bit fun. Jef will be missed. __________________ Mac user for 25 years and counting. "It's easier to try than prove it can't be done." -Moody Blues
	0

Feb 28, 2005, 03:16 PM	#24
Mitthrawnuruodo Demi-God (Moderator) Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Bergen, Norway	So long and thanks for all the Macs...! __________________ Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it; those who fail to learn history correctly... why, they are simply doomed.
	0

Feb 28, 2005, 04:36 PM	#25
rdowns macrumors Penryn Join Date: Jul 2003	Here's the page Apple should have put up today. http://208.210.80.22/apple/raskin.jpg __________________ 44% of Republicans think an ARMED REBELLION might be necessary in the next few years. So if you say most Reps are nuts, you'd be off by 7%. - Bill Maher
	0

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