Stanford University Housing Historical Archive of Apple Documents

[CFreymarc]

Something should be done though, for posterity's sake. In 2076 we're gonna look back at these past 35 years in awe, plugged in from the matrix of course.

... or as recovered archives as part of rebuilding after World War III.

 

[CFreymarc]

Yeah well, Stanford's never been known for being generous. They're just kind of douchey.

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Um. Between 1985 and 1997?

Please sit yourself down at a computer running System 7, and then try running Windows 3.1. Mac OS 8 and Windows 95.

You're obviously a bandwagon Mac user, who was either too poor to too stupid to buy Macs in the 90s.

He has some points. Apple in the 90s was definitely running off momentum of the original Mac genesis. IMO, the big folly was Scully trying to make "his Mac" that was know as the Newton. As one of the original, independent Newton developers and also interviewing with the original Newton design team, IMO too many "establishment" types that Steve fought was firmly entrenched at Apple in the time.

This was the era of Steve #3, Donna, Larry and others that were trying to do something that one upped the highly touted General Magic, Magic Cap OS made by the original Mac crew. It was too many cooks on the soup. The elites at Apple R&D kicked out those that matched Job's and Woz's personality for being "not sophisticated enough." This corporate introversion created brilliant products that earned a lot of Ph.D.'s but not market share due to IMO VERY poor market communication promotions.

Scully left the place after his Newton mistress lost all dignity in an orgy. Her coming out party failed to attract any good suitors. Then Spindler came in and just bottom lined the place to near death. Amello came in and, while he got a lot of blame, did the best triage he could with the elegant scalpel work he used.

Problem is that Apple didn't need a scalpel, it needed a wrecking ball and high explosives. That is what Steve Jobs did coming in via the NeXT buyout with firing authority of anyone below the board including VPs. People were fired during elevator rides in The Loop, they were fired for leaving early for a social gathering, they were fired for not coming in on a Saturday to make a dead line, they were fired for wearing a band t-shirt that Steve didn't like (yes Tom, I remember) and even getting fired for buying a new car from a bonus paid during a quarter Apple posted a loss.

Rude? Yes. Crude? Yes. Did it turn the place around? Hell yes! God bless him and the hell with those that think they can stay comfortable at the peak of their career.

 

[rtroiani]

Anyone else notice that whenever Apple's history is discussed its "Jobs was kicked out in '85, founded NEXT, returned in '97, invented the iPod, etc." Its more of a Steve Jobs history than anything else. I know more about what NEXT did between 1985 and 1997 than I know what Apple did in that same time period...

You are correct sir. Unfortunately Apple was busy running itself into the ground between Scully and Amelio. Good thing he came back!

 

[mobilehaathi]

Yeah well, Stanford's never been known for being generous. They're just kind of douchey.

Ain't that the truth.

 

[Bonch]

Anyone else notice that whenever Apple's history is discussed its "Jobs was kicked out in '85, founded NEXT, returned in '97, invented the iPod, etc." Its more of a Steve Jobs history than anything else. I know more about what NEXT did between 1985 and 1997 than I know what Apple did in that same time period...

True True