Remembering Steve Jobs and His Contributions to Computer Technology

Steve Jobs was undoubtedly a genius when he first began Apple computers back in 1977 when the concept of a personal computer was still in its infancy. Creating a computer that used a graphical interface instead of the line command which was previously used in DOS systems allowed the user to navigate computer programs quickly and easily. When he died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer on October 5, 2011, he left behind a legacy that is immeasurable to the world of modern technology. NASA became a customer of the former Apple Lisa computer, in addition to the many Macintosh computers, or Macs, as users today fondly call them, not to mention the growing number of mobile devices produced by the company.

In addition to the Macintosh computer (one computer which I quickly learned to use and proved more efficient in the creation of graphics than the Microsoft system), Apple also came out with the Apple Lisa which was advanced, being able to handle protected memory and cooperative multitasking, features that would actually keep the system safe from bugs and from crashing should more than one program be open and used at the same time. The Macintosh later took on these same features in 2001 which made it popular for users at home and in the office. Unlike the Apple Lisa, though, which was sluggish due to the slow disk system plus memory, the Macintosh was faster and became more popular. The Apple Lisa is no longer manufactured today - its last year of production was 1986 - but remained significant in the computer world. One of the reasons it did not catch on was due to its prohibitive cost to consumers: in 1983 this computer cost just under $10,000.00, a price that few households could afford.

Lastly, who can forget the numerous iPhones, iPads, and iPods, along with other Apple mobile devices? Such devices have made their way into the everyday vocabulary of individuals around the globe, and even if one does not actually own one of these devices, one can describe what each one is and is used for. Myself, I held an iPod for the first time in my hand while working for a software company. The beauty of one of these devices is that they are user friendly for anyone who has had experience using a Macintosh computer, or other personal computer, at that.

Steve Jobs is the Thomas Edison of our time in the computer world. He lived too short a life but remained a visionary in the world of computers. Having grown up with IBM computers and knowing what a punched card was since my father used them every day at work, the Mac has indeed come a long way, not just in popularity but also as a competitive alternative to the Microsoft personal computers. Steve's contributions will not be forgotten during the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

http://news.yahoo.com/steve-jobs-greatest-technology-contributions-221004288.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Lisa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh