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Joining Apple Computer (2018)

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Re: Joining Apple Computer (2018)

#111

Post by LoganDark »

carlosjobim wrote: post #97
criddell wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish safe, tested sources were generally available. I’m 55 this year and would like to try it, but I’m not going to buy street drugs nor am I capable of producing it. Is there a pharmaceutical version of LSD available somewhere in the world through legitimate channels?

If you haven't done it by 55, you probably aren't going to do it. There are easy ways to get safe LSD if you want it. But you do not actually want it.

It's possible to want something but not enough to break the law and risk your safety for it. I use LSD regularly, but that doesn't mean sourcing it is for everyone.

Re: Joining Apple Computer (2018)

#112

Post by dumdedum123 »

vl wrote: post #99
cellu wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s purely luck driving success. The book _thinking fast and slow_ illustrates it quite eloquently. Real geniuses are rare and even then they do not necessary become successful

Thinking Fast and Slow is in the center of Replication Crisis. Basically large parts of it were written based on research that later was found out to be fabricated.

This is correct. Thanks for pointing it out. Even Daniel Kahneman admitted it.

Re: Joining Apple Computer (2018)

#113

Post by dumdedum123 »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #68
r0m4n0 wrote: post #51

> I left Apple with Marc Porat and Andy Hertzfeld to co-found General Magic and help to invent the personal communicator. It’s always wild to me how many of the people that are the beginnings of these large prodigy companies and the connection to other powerful rich people. You look up some of these people and see the relationships and it’s wild. Like the name Porat rang a bell so I look up Marc and oh? That’s Ruth P…

It's very localised and Californian. There were really two big tech scenes - one around MIT and Mass, and one around CalTech/Stanford and adjacent areas - with some also-rans in other areas that were mostly gov mil/aerospace spinoffs. The Mass scene sort of fizzled in the 90s for various reasons - not dead, but not dominant - and the centre of gravity moved to the West Coast. So if you were born in CA and studied the…

Huh? Caltech/Stanford? These are two different tech scenes.

Re: Joining Apple Computer (2018)

#114

Post by tiffanyh »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #67

"In 1990, with John Sculley's blessing, I left Apple with Marc Porat and Andy Hertzfeld to co-found General Magic and help to invent the personal communicator." Sculley really wasn't the right person to lead Apple. He should have been begging them to do it in-house.

Sculley also joined the Board at General Magic too ... and them missing out on the web/internet, in hindsight, was the death nail.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Magic

Re: Joining Apple Computer (2018)

#115

Post by khazhoux »

The last 15 years I'm nagged by this thought that we don't let software developers be software developers anymore. Between sprint planning and JIRAs and project managers and constant meetings and "stakeholders" and senior engineering leadership who confuse progress-tracking for progress... when the hell are people supposed to do the amazing work??

I know it's beating a dead horse to pick on these, but it's a real problem. I look back at how productive we were with tiny teams up until right before 2010, and the main thing that stands out compared to today is all this goddamn overhead.

Re: Joining Apple Computer (2018)

#116

Post by reaperducer »

gyomu wrote: post #19
dedicate wrote: post #14

I'm always blown away by the vision behind stuff like HyperCard. It was all about giving non-techies the keys to the kingdom. But looking at today's tech landscape, with its walled gardens and app stores, I can't help but feel we've gone backwards.

It's really hard to extract computing from the capitalistic, consumerist cradle within which it was born. Every other human creative practice and media (poetry, theater, writing, music, painting, etc) have existed in a wide variety of cultures, societies, and economic contexts. But computing has never existed outside of the immensely expensive and complex factories & supply chains required to produce computing compon…

But computing has never existed outside of the immensely expensive and complex factories & supply chains required to produce computing components; and corporations producing software and selling it to other corporations, or to the large consumer class with disposable income that industrialization created.

You must be too young to have experienced the time when it was expected that you would build your own computer at home, and either write your own software for it, or get it for free (or just a duplication beer) from the local computer club.

Re: Joining Apple Computer (2018)

#117

Post by reaperducer »

Nevermark wrote: post #62
swyx wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you can only blame capitalism so much for the unpopularity of hypercardlike things vs instagram/facebook/twitter etc on some level it is just human nature to want to consume than create. just is. its not great but lets not act like people havent tried to make creative new platforms for self expression and software creation and they all kinda failed

> is just human nature to want to consume than create That may be true. But it doesn't really explain why the tools for simple popular creation are not there. There are a lot of people in the world who would use them, even if its only 1%.

They were there, but nobody used them.

For a long while, Apple computers came an entrie creative suite of programs to make your own content and publish it on the Internet via iWeb.

For a variety of reasons, hardly anyone took advantage of it.

Re: Joining Apple Computer (2018)

#118

Post by MangoToupe »

TechDebtDevin wrote: post #78
zaptrem wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm around the age these guys were during this story. I feel the exact opposite way. I spent middle/high school feeling similarly, only pining for the 2000s ("wow, with smartphones and the internet the industry was wide open with opportunity, anything was possible. Now it seems like everything's been done and giants rule the world"). However, the GenAI boom completely changed my mind. I feel like we're the most lucky…

What is now possible that wasnt before, other than writing really really bad code fast?

This has always been one of the secret sauces that some startups use. Sometimes you just need a semi-functional app at the right place at the right time.

Re: Joining Apple Computer (2018)

#120

Post by rav3ndust »

0xCE0 wrote: post #60
piyiotisk wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I totally agree. I watched it 3 times as well. One in London with a panel of the general magic employees. It was an amazing experience

Oh wow, that must have been magical. Have you seen "Halt and Catch Fire"? These two masterpieces are my top 2 watchings. Both so amazing but generally unknown/underrated.

I've somehow missed The General Magic (something I'm about to fix!), but Halt and Catch Fire was certainly great, enjoyed it very much
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