JEF RASKIN, CREATOR OF THE MACINTOSH COMPUTER, DIES AT 61

Pacifica, CA February 27, 2005--Jef Raskin, a mathematician,
orchestral soloist and composer, professor, bicycle racer,
model airplane designer, and pioneer in the field of
human-computer interactions, died peacefully at home in
California on February 26th, 2005 surrounded by his family
and loved ones. He had recently been diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer.

Jef created the Macintosh computer as employee number 31 at
Apple in the early 1980s, revolutionizing computer interface
design. Jef invented "click and drag" and many other methods
now taken for granted by computer users. He named the Macintosh
project after his favorite variety of apple, the McIntosh,
modifying the spelling for copyright purposes. Jef's article
"Holes in the Histories"
http://jef.raskincenter.org/published/holes.html
addresses some popular misconceptions about the Macintosh Project.
Jef strongly believed that computers should make tasks easy for
people, not the other way around. For twenty-five more years, his
work focused on improving interfaces, culminating in his book,



The Humane Interface (Addison-Wesley, 2000). Jef created
the Raskin Center for Humane Interfaces (RCHI),
http://www.raskincenter.org
which will soon release a preview of Archy, a culmination
and exemplar of his design principles. Archy redesigns the
basic building blocks of computing to demonstrate an entirely
new paradigm for computer use. RCHI will continue under the
technical leadership of Jef's son, Aza Raskin.

Jef worked until the last days of his life to finish the code for
Archy. He told a friend ten days before he died, "When people get
a chance to work in Archy and see how much easier it is to do their
work, we'll get enormous support." He had completed almost all of
the basic work by the time his health took a turn for the worse a
few days later.

Jef viewed good design as a moral duty, holding interface
designers to the same ethical standards as surgeons.
Alluding to Isaac Asimov's first law of robotics, one of
Jef's mantras was that "any system shall not harm your
content or, through inaction, allow your content to come
to harm." Archy implements that principle by making it
impossible to permanently lose your work. Archy also
replaces mouse movements, which many text editing programs
require, with much faster "Leap" keystrokes, reducing the
likelihood of carpel tunnel syndrome.

Jef originated the Macintosh project in 1979 despite strong
opposition from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and led the effort
for the crucial first three years. He left Apple in 1982 to
found Information Appliance Inc., where he created the
award-winning Canon Cat in pursuit of his vision that a
computer should be an easy-to-use tool. Despite the rapid
sale of twenty thousand units, Canon terminated the project
due to an internal dispute. Some Canon Cat owners report
continuing to use their Cats to this day.

After a decade studying cognitive psychology, Jef established
a scientific basis for the design of man-machine interfaces,
bringing interface design out of the mystic realm of guruism.

In his 2000 book The Humane Interface, Jef coined the term
and founded the field of cognetics, "the ergonomics of the
mind," transforming interface design into an engineering
discipline with a rigorous theoretical framework. His book,
translated into more than nine languages, has gone through
numerous printings and become the standard text for more
than 100 computing courses around the world.

His sculptures have been exhibited at New York's Museum of
Modern Art. One is included in the permanent collection.

Jef's life and work are the subject of a documentary in
progress, which will continue to gather information and
interviews from people who knew him.

More information is available at jefthemovie.com. Jef is
survived by his wife of 23 years, Linda Blum; his children,
Aza, Aviva, and Aenea; and his children in all but name,
Jenna and Rebecca.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

For further information, e-mail Raskin.Press@gmail.com.

The Raskin Center for Humane Interfaces

JefRaskin.com


personal note:
~ ~ such sad news to hear Jef is gone...
but after he was diagnosed with cancer - I am glad he didn't linger to
suffer more as the disease would have progressed...
prayers and thoughts go out to Jef's surviving family and friends...
~Love from Bell

Jef was the REAL - Mac Daddy...