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Jef Raskin's final gift to Aza (2010)

181 points by sirwitti 15y ago

yanowitz 15y ago
The beauty of this writing is a wonderful tribute to a man who loved language.
thought_alarm 15y ago
Jef Raskin's BASIC Programming Manual [1] for the original Apple II is truly delightful. That is was written in 1978, for such a arcane little machine like the original Apple II, is all the more amazing. It demonstrates as well as anything his ambitions to bring computers to the average person, at a time when very few people understood the potential of the home computing market. [1] http://www.classiccmp.org/cini/pdf/Apple/Apple%20II%20Basic%20Programming%20Manual.pdf http://www.classiccmp.org/cini/pdf/Apple/Apple%20II%20Basic%... (Big PDF)
- dchest 15y ago
  Thank you for the link! "First, there are no lower case letters. You can only get capital letters on the APPLE II. This is all you need for programming."
swombat 15y ago
This was posted on HN before, I think. No matter, it still brought tears to my eyes.
- sirwitti 15y ago
  to me too. funny how stories can touch me.
edw519 15y ago
What a great story. It reminded me of my own father, who's been gone for 8 years now. I still vividly remember the first time we played 20 Questions. I must have been about 8 years old. I figured it out in 5 questions. I was so proud. "That's not the way you're supposed to play the game!" he told me, "You're supposed to figure it out as soon as possible, then ask dumber and dumber questions to make the other person think you don't know. Then on Question 20, you just pop out, 'Is it a razor?'" I've played that game (and many other real life games) like that ever since. It's amazing how empowering it is for an introverted nerd to enable his adversaries to underestimate him so easily. Thanks OP for the memories and thanks, Dad, for all the lessons. I can still smell the Old Spice.
marcusf 15y ago
A beautiful thing. My father passed away about six years ago as well, far too young. But cancer doesn't really care, does it? This very much reminded me of him. Our final days were not as apt for stories but I'm sending him an extra thought today.
Jem 15y ago
Beautifully written. Clearly a talented family.
hkarthik 15y ago
Wonderful story. I always hope to have the kind of relationship with my kids as Jef Raskin did with his son Aza. Teach them, inspire them, and watch them grow into more than you ever dreamt they could be.
naner 15y ago
This feels a little serendipitous considering that (spoiler alert if you haven't read the story yet...) safety razor shaving has seen somewhat of a resurgence in recent years. New (albeit small) companies have sprung up offering a new spin on an old tradition, old products are available new again, people are scouring yard sales, pawn shops, and antique stores and replating very old razors, etc. There are many variations on that simple razor design, all to some extent alter the shave quite a bit. Safety razor shaving actually looks to be a decent hobby, provided you're willing to spend the extra time each morning.

181 points by sirwitti 15y ago

The beauty of this writing is a wonderful tribute to a man who loved language.

Jef Raskin's BASIC Programming Manual [1] for the original Apple II is truly delightful. That is was written in 1978, for such a arcane little machine like the original Apple II, is all the more amazing. It demonstrates as well as anything his ambitions to bring computers to the average person, at a time when very few people understood the potential of the home computing market. [1] http://www.classiccmp.org/cini/pdf/Apple/Apple%20II%20Basic%20Programming%20Manual.pdf http://www.classiccmp.org/cini/pdf/Apple/Apple%20II%20Basic%... (Big PDF)

dchest 15y ago
Thank you for the link! "First, there are no lower case letters. You can only get capital letters on the APPLE II. This is all you need for programming."

swombat 15y ago

This was posted on HN before, I think. No matter, it still brought tears to my eyes.

sirwitti 15y ago
to me too. funny how stories can touch me.

edw519 15y ago

What a great story. It reminded me of my own father, who's been gone for 8 years now. I still vividly remember the first time we played 20 Questions. I must have been about 8 years old. I figured it out in 5 questions. I was so proud. "That's not the way you're supposed to play the game!" he told me, "You're supposed to figure it out as soon as possible, then ask dumber and dumber questions to make the other person think you don't know. Then on Question 20, you just pop out, 'Is it a razor?'" I've played that game (and many other real life games) like that ever since. It's amazing how empowering it is for an introverted nerd to enable his adversaries to underestimate him so easily. Thanks OP for the memories and thanks, Dad, for all the lessons. I can still smell the Old Spice.

marcusf 15y ago

A beautiful thing. My father passed away about six years ago as well, far too young. But cancer doesn't really care, does it? This very much reminded me of him. Our final days were not as apt for stories but I'm sending him an extra thought today.

Jem 15y ago

Beautifully written. Clearly a talented family.

hkarthik 15y ago

Wonderful story. I always hope to have the kind of relationship with my kids as Jef Raskin did with his son Aza. Teach them, inspire them, and watch them grow into more than you ever dreamt they could be.

naner 15y ago

This feels a little serendipitous considering that (spoiler alert if you haven't read the story yet...) safety razor shaving has seen somewhat of a resurgence in recent years. New (albeit small) companies have sprung up offering a new spin on an old tradition, old products are available new again, people are scouring yard sales, pawn shops, and antique stores and replating very old razors, etc. There are many variations on that simple razor design, all to some extent alter the shave quite a bit. Safety razor shaving actually looks to be a decent hobby, provided you're willing to spend the extra time each morning.