←back to thread

Bill Atkinson: Polaroids Showing the Evolution of the Lisa GUI [video]

(www.youtube.com)
145 points zdw | 2 comments | 21 Jun 25 15:13 UTC | HN request time: 0.616s | source
Show context
fidotron ◴[25 Jun 25 11:54 UTC] No.44376229[source]▶
This stuff is why I am so cynical about modern software development management. Bill Atkinson wrote QuickDraw, a masterpiece of low level programming, but also had a very solid grasp about what it was for right down to the UX it was to enable, and as shown here how the UX evolved with user testing. These days the idea someone can span that range is seen as an impossibility.
replies(7): >>44376423 #>>44376489 #>>44376760 #>>44376819 #>>44378121 #>>44379582 #>>44380889 #
snowwrestler ◴[25 Jun 25 13:01 UTC] No.44376819[source]▶
What? No it’s not, spanning a huge range like this is the prototypical skill set for a startup founder.

It’s crazy to post a take like this on the website of Ycombinator, whose entire business model revolves around finding and elevating exactly those types of people.

replies(1): >>44377118 #
skeeter2020 ◴[25 Jun 25 13:31 UTC] No.44377118[source]▶
I don't get the connection between the skillset of a startup founder and someone like Bill. While Jobs showcases taking something from vision to product, your Wozniaks and Atkinsons solved the countless problems at steps along the entire path of the journey. These seem like very complimentary but distinct skillsets. I interpreted the OP as stating there's a lack of the latter, but they didn't comment on the former.
replies(2): >>44379655 #>>44382022 #
1. xeonmc ◴[25 Jun 25 17:12 UTC] No.44379655[source]▶
Would you say if Bill is the Woz of software or if Woz is the Bill of hardware?
replies(1): >>44381166 #
2. jdswain ◴[25 Jun 25 19:42 UTC] No.44381166[source]▶
Well Woz was pretty good at software too. He wrote a lot of the early Apple software, including Integer Basic (to write games) and the low level disk software, called RWTS for Read/Write Track/Sector.