I learned to program before Windows (yes, on a non-IBM-compatible machine in a world before floppy disks) in the blinking light of MSDos, and because of that hard-earned knowledge I resisted Macs for quite a while. In college I became bi-lingual, using whichever machine was available to me, but as my part-time job was running a PC lab, Windows came to dominate my world. Finally, my better half switched to a new job with an organization that only used Macs, and I realized what those early green-screened Apple IIes had evolved into, and when I need a new computer earlier this year I test drove a lot of PCs, but they all felt like a big step back in time: flimsy, slow and uncooperative. I drank the apple juice and I couldn’t go back.
Not being a longtime fanboy, I really didn’t know much about Steve Jobs, but what I’ve read in last 24 hours makes me begin to regret that. As his products attest, Steve Jobs was far more than merely a CEO. Here’s a taste of why complete strangers are mourning his passing:
The coolest ad ever (via Colleen at The Swivet):
And I though this was a nice tribute to Jobs over on Gizmodo…
Non-mac users may not get the brilliant xkcd today, but it’s quite touching (check the ALT tag).