Woz has my respect and I honestly believe he deserves our utmost respect. :)

Speaking of Woz and the Apple I:  In the music world, some companies like Moog and Korg are releasing analog synths, retro machines but built with modern digital circuitry supporting the analog stuff so that it stays in tune and doesn't burn up and stuff.  I think it would be cool--now that phones and tablets are becoming more important than "real" computers--it would be cool if Apple put out something like a retro Apple IIe, with the classic 6502 cpu, the classic OS, but with circuitry manages the power well, buffers the slots perfectly and drove an LCD.  It would be a novelty kind of thing, but I bet it could be done very inexpensively and it would be cool to see, again, the "Apple II Forever" slogan.  And it would be cool to see again a real computer without UNIX or a derivative.  

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Originally Posted by markLouis 

Speaking of Woz and the Apple I:  In the music world, some companies like Moog and Korg are releasing analog synths, retro machines but built with modern digital circuitry supporting the analog stuff so that it stays in tune and doesn't burn up and stuff.  I think it would be cool--now that phones and tablets are becoming more important than "real" computers--it would be cool if Apple put out something like a retro Apple IIe, with the classic 6502 cpu, the classic OS, but with circuitry manages the power well, buffers the slots perfectly and drove an LCD.  It would be a novelty kind of thing, but I bet it could be done very inexpensively and it would be cool to see, again, the "Apple II Forever" slogan.  And it would be cool to see again a real computer without UNIX or a derivative.  

Some guys were working on an Apple IIgs laptop. It appears to have fizzled out unfortunately. :(

http://www.a2gs.com

Fascinating. Thanks for posting.

The money comment comes at the very beginning. Steve/Steve realized that a preassembled computer, rather than a kit, was the way to get into the home. In my heart of hearts I firmly believe that Steve Jobs was behind this. Wozniak was a charter member of the Heathkit cult and this thought would have never occurred to him.

The disconnect between Jobs and Wozniak continues today with the so-called war between Open and Closed systems. It may also explain why iOS users apparently actually use their devices more than Android users, as web use surveys continue to indicate. The nerds may come up with the technology but they have no clue how to satisfy the needs of normal users, and many of them look down their noses at the unwashed masses. You see this attitude constantly on sites like C|net, which is populated by techie wannabes and posers.

I like how he said that without Jobs his computer would have consisted of naked boards with wires running around the house attached with alligator clips to a power supply and phone lines.

It explains his affection for Android, a rough, partly finished mess.

The ability and mentality to "productize" what is built is key, so I'm in agreement with lkrupp. There might be something to the Open and Closed systems side of the argument in some cases but it's the mentality of those who see Open as available for hacking.

If Open is open to encourage customization, then that is where the problems lie; Closed can be open for customization also. The Windows OS is a closed system allowing for customization which makes it both flexible and balkanized and hard to support and hard to improve. All versions of Windows still support all previous versions of Windows and even DOS. Imagine having to build cars that you could steer using reins.

The lack of mentality to productize systems I think was the real downfall of Xerox PARC, for example; Smalltalk (Squeak) has that same flavor -- it's constantly in flux -- a research project that never ends. Productizing before it is ready is a problem for the likes of Javascript -- really a terrible language with awful fundamental flaws that is unfortunately ubiquitous.

Originally Posted by IQatEdo 
Woz has my respect and I honestly believe he deserves our utmost respect. :)

On things that existed before 1986, I agree completely.

I think Woz' brilliance and honesty comes across in this video. I think he was a quite different person in those early days than he is today (but so am I).

Seeing just these few minutes of video is far more satisfying than I suspect any of the upcoming Apple/Jobs bio movies are going to be.

I've said it many times that Woz wasn't the type to see how a idea could be product or be marketed to the masses. Right from his own mouth he says it. I will need to save that video for future reference.