Steve Jobs has died.

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, passed away today after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56. Here is the statement from Apple's Board of Directors.

Editorial note: For one day after we received this news, Boing Boing devoted its design to mimic the original Mac OS interface. Here we preserve an image of Boing Boing as it appeared at the time.

• [gwailo_joe]

  We all gotta go sometime…hope his passing was peaceful.

  Thanks Steve!

  • [ThisIs]

    Why do we have to go, can you explain?  Is there some reason death cannot be technologically beaten?  Personally, I want to live forever, I find death a rather annoying and distasteful inconvenience that it is time we dispensed with.

  • [@@ GooNex.us + GoogleNex.us @@]

    –
    just a suggestion on.fb.me/rrkOKC
    –

• [K. D. Cline]

  Wow.

• [joe blough]

  so sad. RIP steve, thank you for inspiring me to become a computer engineer.

  • [Hayden Evans]

    Me as well

• [StAlfongzo]

  R.I.P. you will be missed

• [Brendan Riker]

  he was a good dude. even pc users will miss him. screw it, everyone will miss him.

• [gedsudski]

  I sure will miss his presentations!  Thanks for all the good stuff Steve! <3  The world of technology will miss trying to keep up with you! (c:

• [bruckelsprout]

  ;_;

• [Teirhan]

  While i didn’t agree with many of the principles behind the ecosystem he helped create, Steve Jobs has had a hand in creating some of the most beautiful pieces of electronics out there.  You will be missed. 

  • [Matthew Arnold Pacey]

    I’ll have to agree.

• [nzmrmn]

  Steve Jobs, the Apple II and System 6/7 turned me into the sysadmin I am today. Thanks for everything, Steve. 

• [Cat Le-Huy]

  RIP

• [Blazeldude]

  I am speechless, a true visionary. RIP Steve, you changed the world.

  • [steven peel]

    very sorry but he has been seriously ill for a long time. RIP

• [nzmrmn]

  Love the System 6 skin! 

• [Robert Baruch]

  Thanks, Steve. You raised the bar for a whole industry.

  • [Anhstein]

    You said it perfectly.

• [penguinchris]

  Well, I wasn’t expecting that quite so soon. I guess the rumors about the quick transition to Cook when he stepped down were probably true.

  Whatever we may think of Apple and its problems – many of which are the kinds of things the BB community likes to rail against (from the keyboards of our macbook pros) – the Apple statement is not exaggerated. He was a visionary genius and I’m glad he was able to shape the technology world as much as he did.

• [Daniel Smith]

  tis a sad day…

  (did you guys have this format all set up in anticipation?)

  • [Geordie Norman]

    No They Just used a wordpress theme which was made in 2007

• [Jeska Dzwigalski]

  Lovely tribute.
  Cancer sucks.

  • [Pjay (Patti) Pender]

    That it does…

• [vagabond2]

  Like many here, I am saddened by this loss. But I just want to say what a tribute you have done here; it really brought a tear to my eye. Rest in peace, Steve; I think I’m going to go play with my Mac Plus for awhile…

• [Steve]

  Well done gentlemen!

  Sad but not unexpected news.

• [akputney]

  Rest well, Steve.

  Lovely tribute, Happy Mutants.

• [Spieguh]

  An era has ended. Farewell Steve!

• [Jim Nelson]

  Rest in peace, Steve. Thank you for letting us play with your toys – they were better than anything else.

  The world is suddenly a quieter place…

• [BrotherPower]

  His life was far too brief, but damn he made it count.

• [Stefan Jones]

  We knew this could have happened, since that sudden resignation, but this is still a major bummer.

  NPR just reminded me that Job steered Pixar during its formative years.

  P.S. I love the reformat.

  • [Mark_Frauenfelder]

    That’s true. I knew this day would come, but now I’m kind of in shock anyway. Goodbye, Steve!

• [Fuzzy Logic Recs]

  Turning back to pure energy – to power our wonderful computers and gadgets! Thanks Steve! What a life! 

• [RichardHenderson]

  “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
  Rest in Peace, Mr. Jobs. Thanks for everything.

• [13tales]

  RIP Steve.

  In a world of mass-produced consumer gadgetry, you helped us remember the importance of beauty, soul, and the human element.

  You will be missed, even by those who won’t know what they’re missing.

  Sent from my iPad.

  • [Joel Rothman]

    You said it all when you said:

    Sent from my iPad.

  • [Pjay (Patti) Pender]

    Possibly the only time I haven’t found the “Sent from my iPad” default sig inappropriate!

• [Joel Rothman]

  Isn’t it amazing how a “theme” for a “blog,” things that we knew nothing of less than ten years ago, have so much significance now, and serve to meaningfully commemorate a life.  Mr. Jobs had a hand in that.  How fitting to mourn him in this way. 

• [Michael W.]

  While it became fashionable to hate on the guy because of the lock-down policies, there is no doubt the man was a genius and his tech has fundamentally changed the world. 

• [Michael Hogsett]

  Very sad.  Thanks BoingBoing for the fitting change in theme.

• [Matthew]

  It’s said that on their deathbed, nobody wishes they’d been able to spend more time at work.  Mr. Jobs is an exception to that rule.  How lucky to live a life where you get paid to do what you love.  I’ve always been inspired by him, and I’m inspired now to live each day to its fullest.

• [BethanyAnne]

  RIP Steve.  I’ll miss you.

• [Bink]

  He’ll be missed… RIP

• [Gerald Lucas]

  Steve, you’ve done so much for me and all of us. Thanks.

• [Josh Keesee]

  First thing I thought of when I heard he had died was the quote from Blade Runner, “The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long”. I always wished I would be lucky enough to work for Apple & be able to call him my boss.

  • [Michael Smith]

    Quite a thing, to meet your maker.

• [ehuelga]

  Awesome tribute BB.

• [Michael Jackson]

  Love the format, hate the occasion. Sorry to hear that Steve Jobs has died. He was very aware of his mortality, and he mentioned it in this commencement speech: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

• [gramturismo]

  He has ascended to that infinite loop in the sky.  Rest well.

• [awjt]

  Rest in peace, good man.  You are one billionaire I’m not protesting against today.

• [hogan]

  i am at a loss for words. i began teaching 20-some years ago with a dual drive Mac SE. i am still teaching with a wide assortment of macs… iBooks Macbooks iMacs (both flat and crt)… the kids have always been so motivated by the Macs.
  Thanks Steve. I hope you were able to have an equally wonderful personal life. Rest in peace. 

• [Koral Dable]

  Poor steveo, may he rest in peace, a vawncast day. A man of goodness had fell from us.

• [bkarcic]

  We’ll miss you, Steve. Thanks for all you’ve done to bring computing into today’s age. You’ve been an inspiration.

• [RJ]

  All that Mac vs. PC back-and-forth just won’t be any fun now that Steve Jobs is gone. Rest in peace, Steve.

  (I like the old-skool Mac layout, by the way, even if the reason for it is such a sad one.)

• [Jack Daniel]

  Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. RIP Steve.

• [BarBarSeven]

  I was never into the cult of Mac or the cult of Steve Jobs, but his contributions to popularizing technology and bringing it to the masses is undeniable. He’s done more in his 56 years on Earth than most others ever dream of doing. R.I.P.

• [geekbruin]

  Awesome tribute with the old (very old) OS theme, BoingBoing.

• [SA_Jemak]

  Ehh… I feel bad for my first comment, so I’ll repent.
  I don’t agree with a lot of what Apple does, especially their apparent ”A part broke? Haha, replace the whole thing!” philosophy, but the dude definitely left his mark on the tech market… and cancer sucks and nobody deserves that.

  So long, Steve. Thanks for the phone.

  (Wow bbonyx, and I thought I was being dark about it.)

• [ZenMonkey]

  What a wonderful “redesign” in his honor.

• [Sean McKibbon]

  Sad, even though I didn’t know him. I hope his vision of solid useable simple computing lives on and there are those to carry on the torch, even if they don’t execute it in exactly the same way.

• [Joel Rothman]

  Steve, you did not die in vain as news of your death kicked Palin off the head at nytimes.com.

  • [TulasiPriya]

    It also takes some of the media glare off of Amanda Knox

• [grimatongueworm]

  It felt wrong to do a screen cap of Apple’s In Memoriam and then paste it into MS Paint.

• [Bangorian]

  What an impact this man had on the cultural evolution of America.  What a loss.

• [eolpm]

  He was insanely great.

• [kyliesturgess]

  RIP Steve Jobs – as you said in your speech at Stanford: “And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

• [exile]

  So sad.

  Beautiful tribute boingboing.

• [Ari B.]

  Sad news. My condolences to his family and friends.

• [Andrea Pilati]

  The Macintosh interface is what started me on the road to becoming an information architect…computer interfaces could be elegant and simple. Thank you Steve, rest peacefully. Well done, BoingBoing.

• [Joel Rothman]

  Please tell me Hodgman gives his eulogy.

• [Ian Miles Cheong]

  Thank you Steve Jobs, for everything. 

• [jimh]

  I found the bomb at the bottom of the scroll to be entirely appropriate, and a nice touch. RIP Steve.

• [Abdul Alhazred]

  I am going to stay up with my computers and my iPad a bit longer than usual tonight. Tomorrow I will brush the dust off my Mac Classic. It feels appropriate.

• [Ben Holland]

  “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to
  bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters
  to me.” –Steve Jobs [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

  You did something wonderful, Steve.  We’ll miss you.

• [oasisob1]

  :-(

  Nice Boing-y tribute though.

• [Brett Doar]

  I always figured heaven and apple stores had similar aesthetics.  

• [lecti]

  I can’t believe how sad I feel about this.

• [CSMcDonald]

  Like most people of my generation my first real experience with a computer was with an Apple II.

  My career started because of Apple and it continues because of Apple. 

  Woz was the technical genius, Jobs was the visionary who saw the potential in the technology and his passion is what drove Apple to its early success and its current state.
  Jobs also didn’t create the GUI but he was the one who took what was originally a research product at Xerox Parc and made it into a consumer product – first with the Lisa and then with the Macintosh, influencing Microsoft to compete with Windows.

  He was not perfect, he made mistakes, but his passion and belief in his vision drove the entire tech industry.
  RIP Steve Jobs

• [lewis_stoole]

  he created the best friend i ever had
  *sigh*

• [t3kna2007]

  Sad Mac.  Very sad.  He changed the world.

• [Sebastian Spinczyk]

  I was never a fan of Apple. But I can’t help but feel sad and express my sympathy – we Nerds have lost one of the greatest among us. Goodspeed, Steve.

• [jani]

  Thank you so much, Steve.
  Love and smiles for his family.

• [monopole]

  De mortuis nil nisi bonum

• [William George]

  I know this is just a temporary ode to Jobs, but I think you should keep the site layout like this.

  Or at least say nothing when I steal the code for it for my own site…

• [GeekMan]

  I’ve been a fan of Apple since I discovered the Mac in 1992. It was Steve Jobs’ return to Apple in 1997 that brought the company back from the brink of collapse and heralded one of the biggest corporate comebacks of all time. You see Steve’s genius in the Mac, the iPhone, and in the corporate culture of both Apple and Pixar. We’ve lost a great creator today. I can only hope the spirit and culture he has inspired live on.

  Think Different. RIP Steve.

• [Julian Lopez]

  RIP Mr. Jobs

• [DavidN6]

  Sad loss. A pioneer of my industry, and (via Pixar) the source of much joy for my son.

• [Jason Parks]

  Stay hungry Stay foolish. RIP  you will be missed thank you for all you have done your creativity and innovation helped me achieve my dreams and goals and will continue to in the future.  I remember my first mac and how it changed my life and allowed my imagination and creativity to flow freely.  I now own my own studio for photography video and graphic design.  Steve was a huge reason for that.  Thank you 

• [gwillard]

  I cut together this tribute the night Jobs stepped down.  Posting it tonight in his memory:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxN_IwgeLTM

  • [Jack Myers]

    That is really great, thanks for sharing.

• [arkizzle / Moderator]

  …

• [sdnative1958]

  BEAUTIFULLY DONE, bOINGbOING!  Damnit, Steve – how I wanted you around a lot longer.  : (

• [The Chemist]

  Alas, and alack. Steve Jobs had his bad side, for sure, but he did contribute a lot to technology today.

• [Jack Myers]

  This makes me sad. Thanks for enriching our lives.  RIP Steve.

• [Cowicide]

  Whether less effective people want to admit it not, the fact is… he helped change the world, and he undeniably changed it for the better.

• [Gunds Elf]

  You boingbongers have made a wonderful homage with the wordpress theme, Fitting to a place full of wonderful things. Adios y nos vemos Steve.

• [alanlwhite]

  “Picasso had a saying, ‘Good artists copy. Great artists steal,’” Jobs said, “I’ve been shameless about stealing great ideas.” RIP

• [Keith Jenkins]

  Thank you Mr. Jobs; go with God!

• [roblyons]

  Fare Thee Well #SteveJobs

• [Mack Reed]

  News of Steve Jobs’ death – expected as it was – has left me sadder than I’ve been since the passing of Tip O’Neill, Joe Strummer, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, George Harrison and … hell, everyone else included in the Think Different ad campaign. 

  Dunno about everyone else here, but I’m taking a minute to consider how much darker, poorer, less-connected, under-empowered and downright ignorant I would be had Steve Jobs never lived. 

  Then – in the time I have left on this little earth, I’m going to get back on my Apple devices and continue trying to do something worthy of their power.

• [dorkus1218]

  Am I the only person having a sci-fi hallucination about Apple achieving transhumanism just in time, and this Siri thing being a Steve Jobs brain transfer, living in everyone’s pockets?

  • [Andrew Singleton]

    Given Apple has More MOney than the US Government.

    I wouldn’t doubt it… I really wouldn’t.
    Anyone know if Woz has had anything to say?

    • [Michael Smith]

      Anyone know if Woz has had anything to say?

      There is a picture of SJ and Woz up on woz.org but no direct response to his death.

• [Morgan Willcox]

  so it goes

  jobs is unstuck, congrats

• [zuludaddy]

  Just thank you, Mr. Jobs. You have enriched countless lives, and have made mine and that of many others much better by your efforts.  The world was made better by your presence. Go well, and go in peace.

• [omnichordman]

  Good Job, Steve….   bye bye Apple……   great homage BoingBoings !

  • [فلليپ وان ليو]

    Apple ain’t going anywhere. Just like Disney Inc. didn’t go to pieces after Walt died.

    • [omnichordman]

      I don´t care where Apple goes, >  I < say goodbye. Actually, I did after trying OS 10.7 and going back to Snow Leopard. Steve had left the building already, at least for my experience….

• [Zoonie]

  Aw. Bless you lot. 

  I have cried, I have to say. My Dad died far too early from cancer and it’s really fucking awful, evil, dreadful stuff. 

  He felt like a sincere, tough, energetic and super smart Uncle figure to me. I’ve used Apple products since I was 19, and that was 22 years ago. He achieved so much, but ultimately, he was a human being, with a family who loved him. 

  Damn it. Just not fair, basically.

  • [فلليپ وان ليو]

    I agree…. it’s not fair that Jobs died so suddenly! Especially after all the good news of his recoveries! But at least he died quickly instead of languish on in pain simply for our sake…

• [jon_anon]

  I’m sad too, I had passing acquaintance with his daughter Lisa and my thoughts turn to her. I actually like the redesign, but I couldn’t help the first thought going through my head being “those morbid bastards, they coded this all up in preparation, and just waited for him to die”. I apologise for that thought if someone actually cooked it up in 10 minutes as a tribute after hearing the news. And despite thinking you are a little bit morbid I also think it was a cool thing to do.

• [فلليپ وان ليو]

  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF STEVE JOBS: “Twenty steps forward, five steps back.”

  No one in our age has had as many steps forward OR as many steps backwards as Jobs did. Love him, hate him, but you can’t deny that his genius not only turned Apple around from the brink of death, but will continue to affect our lives. We’ll probably STILL be living in Steve Job’s world long after the iPhone is finally replaced with something else.

  Another think to consider is how the REAL revolution of the 1960′s wasn’t in all of the Mario Savio’s of the political/antiwar movements, but the “socal misfits” like Jobs, Wozniak, Bushnell and Gates. And when you realize that we are living in a world where the fruits of their labors control our very lives, you can’t help but wonder if all the political revolutionaries of the past, present and future may be in the completely wrong field (assuming they’re interested in leaving a mark on the world…)

  (Er, though it’s not to say that the political revolutionaries were COMPLETELY out of the picture of history, but it’s more like 25/75.)

  Anyways, here’s to Steve Jobs, the embodiment of “force of will”.

• [petsounds]

  I have a lot of mixed feelings about Steve Jobs, but right now I only have one feeling, and that is sadness of his passing. Sadness, and anger that cancer is still stealing talented people away from this world.

  If you’d like to hear some stories about Steve by Apple staff from the early days of Apple Computer, head over to http://folklore.org.

• [Art Delano]

  To bring even more of us old-school computer users to tears, you would render Steve Jobs’ portrait in black and white pixels. (suggestion via @PhotoPuck:twitter )

  • [فلليپ وان ليو]

    It is both tears of joy and sadness that I have for Jobs. It only felt like yesterday that news of Apple purchasing NeXT came around and to see Jobs back at Apple as “iCEO”… the endless joy that I had when I knew–simply KNEW–that Apple will turn around and prove how absolutely and completely wrong everyone who counted Apple for dead was.

• [Jandra]

  Steve Jobs will be remember for being an authentic visionary. His innovation was magnificent.

• [Chris Furniss]

  Just adding my noise to the din. Yet another designer deeply affected by Jobs during his lifetime. Very very sad day.

• [bo1n6bo1n6]

  RIP Steve. I knew this whole 4s thing was not the big news we were waiting for. You will be missed. Love the theme, makes me want to fire up a old MacClassic and play some Shadowgate…

• [Valéry Moyzes]

  Самое печальное для меня известие за несколько последних лет. Страшно жаль, что великие люди умирают так рано, а многие уроды продолжают жить. Стив был одним из немногих людей, которые значительно изменили наш мир, нашу жизнь. Низкий ему поклон, и будет земля ему пухом.

• [Chris Walton]

• [Charles Apple]

  What a genius way to pay tribute to the Stevemeister. Way to go, Boing Boing!

• [Felicia Mitchell]

  My first computer was an Apple (and seeing this design makes me nostalgic) and lasted my father for nearly 20 years. His new Apple is something he likes, and my mother might get an iPad soon. He’ll be missed so much, not just by those of us who enjoy Macs and Apples. 

• [Kendall Fahey]

  Tim better have some balls like Steve did!

• [TJ Lambert]

  Love and comfort goes out to the Jobs family on this sad day.
  I was really hoping he was going to be able to spend more time with his family after he resigned. I knew he was sick… But I just hoped.Feels good so see all the love here – and even the H8erZ felt the need to say something.Posting this from my new MBP, but now I think I’ll fire up the old PowerBook 170 for a little reminiscing.
  Thank you BoingBoing for the tasteful tribute.

  • [TJ Lambert]

    Oh, yeah;
    Cancer SUX!

• [CharredBarn]

  R.I.P.

• [ELL]

  I saw the news on my iPhone, emailed the news to a friend on my iPad, and as I sit in front of my MBP, all I can say is, thanks for the ride Steve! Sincere condolences to his family as well.

• [manooshi]

  He died too young.  Thank you for being such an innovator and dreamer.  RIP. 

  Opened up my iTunes. Listening to Ulrich Schnauss’s album, ‘Goodbye.’ 

• [frogpad]

  Never tiring, imagine what he will do now that he has blended with the Universe

• [JayHavvic]

  My first computer was an AppleII #447. Still have it. A very fitting tribute Boing Boing to one who truly changed the world! Brings tears to my old eyes….. Thanks Steve!

• [Casey]

  Steve’s death has truly left me in tears. Thank you Mr. Jobs, for all that you have done. Thank you for my Macbook, my iPod Touch, and my iPhone. It was an honor to me you, and you will truly be missed. :’(

  (via Macbook)

• [buddha]

  He hung on until Sara Palin confirmed she was not running for President. RIP big dawg for you there would have never been computer lab at School in the 80′s…Rock on in the great beyond DD

• [JIMWICh]

  I can say, with no question, that Steve Jobs made my entire career as a User Experience Designer and self-employed person possible.  While in Design school I first used an Apple II+.  And then just two months after I graduated as a young product designer, the introduction of the Macintosh presented to me the vision of what I wanted to do with my career along with the means to do it.  I mortgaged my Camaro to purchase a Macintosh 128k and an Imagewriter printer and began my career as a young user experience design consultant, working on both hardware and software and using my little Mac as my workhorse.

  Nearly 29 years later I’m still an avid user of Apple computers and devices, and have designed countless devices and software applications inspired by the same qualities and values that I learned from Steve.  I cannot imagine how my life would’ve been possible without Steve’s visionary work and leadership.

  In the 1990s I would sometimes see Steve at the Whole Foods grocery here in downtown Palo Alto, and though I respected his privacy and never spoke to him, I always wanted to thank him for everything he’s done for my life and career.

  Rest in peace, Steve.  You were, and will remain, my hero.

• [Andrew Singleton]

  I’m not a fan of some of his practices and i don’t like the current Apple Ecosystem. 

  However he helped shape and make Desktops what they were. He and Woz built Empire out of a garage.

  My first time spent around a computer was at an Apple ][e.
  Oh and I’m also a fan of the System 6 skin, but I’m seeing lots of lag. MIght be due to the massive number of comments.

• [Janki Gandhi]

  Here’s to teh crazy ones….And BoingBoing, thanks for the layout.

• [scionofgrace]

  I’m no Apple disciple, but just thinking for a bit… when I was a kid, all the schools had IIe computers.  I learned to type on an Apple.  My family’s first desktop was a Mac.  I don’t own an iPod but I was planning on getting one soon.  Who in the world of computer technology has had such an influence on how we interact with it?  Jobs was a genius, full stop.

  (Also, love the choice of tribute, BoingBoing.  I think we’ve all seen this layout at some point.)

• [Chris Davis]

  Rest In Peace, Steve. I was first introduced to Apple, Inc. back in 1992 when I started toward a career in Graphic Design. A day never goes by when I was inspired by something that Apple made or did that was truly visionary. The world will miss Steve. Let’s all burn a little brighter in our lives from now on.

• [David Litherland]

  Steve Jobs’ death marks the beginning of the end of a computing era. We are quickly moving towards the future, and, with Mr. Jobs’ death, we have a little less foresight into that future. He was a visionary and one of the most innovative men ever to live.
  While I am often adamantly against Apple’s current business model, Steve Jobs was a
  brilliant man and changed the shape of society with his ideas. I respect his intelligence, and wish him and his family peace. Farewell, Mr. Jobs.

• [joe blough]

  also, steve may you find nirvana. you earned it.

  • [Alan]

    thanks

• [Taran Morgan]

  Dammit, I was completely holding it together for many hours since the news until I saw the theme switch… now, I’m balling.  Thank you BB for this meaningful and heartfelt tribute, it really touches me that someone out there cares enough to do this.  Long live Jobs, maybe the most important human being in history. 

• [teapot]

  RIP Steve Jobs. Thanks for all the apples.

  A very complete history of his achievements:
  Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jqmWL9NW8Q
  Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObEWNpeCAGc
  Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf5M4TkFhMs
  Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUXSZlkIwL8

• [m m]

  so it goes

• [k.eel]

  Oh shit, first Jack Layton and now Steve Jobs?  What happened to retirement?  I’ve been watching Steve’s old keynote presentations since I heard the news… really an inspiring guy especially for a dropout like me!

  I’m pleased to see Boing Boing has adopted the Mac Classic System 7 theme – I made my first WordPress theme almost a year ago in this very style – albeit way way better (pixel perfect including system fonts, woot).  Labor of love…http://mentallyeel.org/2011-10-05/rip-steve-jobs

• [michael b]

  Apple with Jobs was able to take a computer company, that made beige boxes with electronics in them, and turn it into a encompassing lifestyle, whether you dig it or not.  Great designs, with some missteps along the way.  My first computer was a Mac, it’ll probably be my last as well.

• [Alfred Jansen]

  …..

• [ocpick]

  I converted to a Apple computer 10 years ago with the iMac G4. While I bought many other Apple products since then, that original purchase still runs today. I believe that is as much a testament to Steve’s vision as the products themselves. My heart goes out to his family.

• [Sean M Puckett]

  Would be really nice if the embedded photo could be replaced with this: http://mlkshk.com/p/80SV  (tip of the hat to Art Delano)

  • [Andrew Singleton]

    I put said photo on my blog.

    Thanks for sharing. I”ve attributed with the proper link. Want anything else?

• [Stephen Anderson]

  Apparently it doesn’t matter how rich and famous you are.

  R.I.P.

  I cry in 7 colors.

• [voiceinthedistance]

  Thanks for giving us the bicycle for the mind, Steve.

• [lavardera]

  I don’t think Steve would want us to all be moping around – have a good evening with ones you love, and then tomorrow, don’t forget to be awesome.

• [13tales]

  A short Apple-related anecdote: 

  I live in Japan, where I teach English at elementary schools and junior high schools for a living. At today’s elementary school there’s a little girl named Nanako, about 7 years old, one of the special education students. I haven’t taken scientific measurements, but I believe she’s possibly the sweetest kid in existence. If I’m in the teacher’s room, and she comes by and sees me, then I’m going to be hugged, regardless of what my plans were. I don’t get a say in the matter ;)

  She’s been unusually downcast the past couple of weeks, apparently because of a semi-serious fever that she recently recovered from, that had kept her from school for an extended period. Anyway, last week I used a fairly cool little music app on my iPad that lets you record really short video clips, and then use them on a grid as a touchscreen percussion/sample pad. In a couple of minutes I made a silly little mix using clips of us making weird sounds together.Nanako couldn’t get enough of it, and couldn’t stop laughing. It put a massive smile on her face, and she was totally fascinated, touching the screen and seeing the sounds and videos play. She was pretty solemn again today, so I loaded it up and let her play around with it, and within about 10 seconds she was grinning again.

  A reminder that tech is only as good as its human connection.

• [Andy III]

  I can honestly say that my world is more interesting, convenient, and fun..every single day… because of Steve Jobs.

  Sleep well sir.

• [Ian Wood]

  “Oh…one more thing….”

• [George Karpel]

  My 1st computer was a 1980 Apple II … opened up a new world of learning for me….  Jobs + Woz = Miracle for millions …
  - Sorry that S.J. couldn’t stay around and see a few more of his miracles come true.

• [AlekNovy]

  I actually grew up on this mac that BoingBoing is themed on right now. Ah the memories…

  BoingBoing has done a great tribute to Steve Jobs by implementing this theme for today. I’m sure if he could see it, he would be pleased.

• [Guest]

  This man changed my life.  I will miss him and now I dread what will become of OSX since now mere business people will be in charge.  The App Store was already a bad sign . . .

• [NOwMoreEpic]

  boing boing thank you for this grab layout.  it’s a loving tribute,  and very clever.  my brother works at 1 infinite loop – he said it is silent.

• [moonxie]

  Thank you, Steve. The world will miss you more than you will ever know, and Apple will never be the same. Sleep tight.

• [Halloween Jack]

  Thank you, Steve.

  And thanks to whomever at BB came up with this theme. I still remember the first time I laid my eyes and hands on an original 128K Macintosh, after having had my appetite whetted by all those ads. The first thing I printed out was in about seven different fonts, I think.

  

• [ajs_in_mn]

  deftly done on the homepage theme there, boingboing.

• [dgatterdam]

  The most creative being on the planet will be missed by the whole world.
  We need more like him especially now.
  Thank you Steve for sharing your genius with us.

• [justin george]

  icame isaw iconquered n ilive……

• [gong]

  Truly we live in an age of enlightenment, due in large part to his gifts. Thank you, Steve Jobs.

• [NefariousNewt]

  Let us honor the memory of this man, by taking the tools he provided us, and using them to lift our fellow human beings up. Steve jobs gave us the tools — let us have the will to use them to make humanity stronger.

• [$16228947]

   The best way I know how to say “Thanks!” to Steve Jobs is to enjoy using my Macbook and iPod Touch, which I most certainly do.

• [Faith Landsman]

  I bought my first Apple IIc in 1983 with my bat mitzvah money. Thanks for an awesome 28 years Steve. RIP.

• [Islington]

  Not sure why my philosophical statement was deleted. Oh well. Kudos on the cool retro background BB. While we’re discussing Apple products, i still have my archaic iPod Shuffle…it looks like a lego block but it still works like a charm.

• [MassachusettsNo1]

  I am really sad; I have so many memories as an early user of Macs – mainly that learning can and should be fun – and that new technologies belonged to everyone, not just geeky men. Do you remember how women were ignored for years by the computer industry?  Jobs not only believed that computer technologies could be harnessed for social good, he also knew that ‘half the sky’ deserved to be included as an important customer. All people are special, and some lead the way to help the rest of us find our own unique voice. Steve Jobs gave so much to so many. I hope his life continues on, as we all grapple with the brave new world he did much to usher us into.

• [3William56]

  I suspect Heaven is in for one heck of a redesign.
  Happy trails Steve. My Mac will miss you.

  (and I’d like to echo the sentiment that the site redesign is by far the best tribute I’ve seen. Would love to see it spread to the whole net for a day every year. Well done BB).

• [robuluz]

  Thankyou for changing the way humanity interacts with technology. You will be missed, but you leave a greater legacy than most of us can reasonably aspire to.

• [Craig Fishburn]

  Bill Gates made products we “had” to buy. Steve Jobs designed products we “wanted” to buy. This guy is hugely important in our American story. He put the Home computer actually in homes back when IBM was still developing big, ugly, box machines that most families could not afford. He never lost that sense of adventure, that American DIY mentality, he literally started Apple in his garage, like the kids with a band down the street. He ran a company that was “fun” to work for and he designed products that changed the game for artist, designers, and musicians on a budget. Thanks man. 

• [Syn -]

  Fuck you, Cancer. Goodbye, Steve. 

• [Katey Corrigan]

  I feel like… I did when I was a kid and Jim Henson died.

  Thanks, Steve. I never drank the Apple Koolaid (I love my iPhone AND my Sony laptop…), but I can’t imagine life without your operating system and portable device innovations.

• [Ted Brennan]

  the format is great tribute.

• [jmcdaid]

  Follow the Clear Light, Steve. And thanks, BoingBoing.

• [Guest]

  Thank you bOING bOING for the special post/style. This is exceptionally heartwarming and very much appreciated.

• [peteywheats]

  Hrs2ThCrzy1s.ThMsfts.ThRbls.ThTrblmkrs.ThRndPgsNThSqrHls.Th1sWhCThngsDffrntly.ThyrNtFondORls.&ThyHvNoRspctFrThSttsQo.
  UCnQtThm,DsgreWThem,GlrfyOVlfyThm.AbtThNlyThngUCntDoSIgnrThm.BcsThyChngThngs.ThyInvnt.ThyImgn.ThyHeal.ThyXplr.ThyCr8.ThyInspr.
  ThyPshThHmnRceFrwrd.MybThyHv2BCrzy.HwElsCnUStr@NMtCnvs&CAWrkOArt?OrSitNSlnc&HearASngThtsNvrBnWrttn?OrGaze@ARdPlnet&CALabrtryOnWhls?
  WeMkTls4ThsKndsFPpl.WhlSmCThmSThCrzy1s,WCGns.BcsThPplWhRCrzyEnf2ThnkThyCnChngThWrld,RTh1sWhoDo. #Crzy1s

• [Teller]

  No more pain for him. I like knowing that.

  • [Rain Taylor]

    And thanks for reminding me of that. It helps a little. </3

• [jdk998]

  Thank you Steve.

• [bobcorrigan]

  We are the music makers,
  And we are the dreamers of dreams,
  Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
  And sitting by desolate streams;—
  World-losers and world-forsakers,
  On whom the pale moon gleams:
  Yet we are the movers and shakers
  Of the world for ever, it seems.
  – Arthur O’Shaughnessy

• [Ken Snider]

  Thanks, Steve, for popularizing minimalist design, bringing unix to the desktop, and creating a culture focused first on design, above all else.

• [Richard Gabriel]

  Gives me goosebumps seeing this design.  I had a Mac back in 1984.  Thank you Steve, for your vision and for making it work.

• [Weston Sisson]

  You have effected us all and the future of us all, Steve.
  You already have revolutionized technology and the way we think of it, perceive it, and use it in our everyday lives. You have changed the world, forever.

• [WaylonWillie]

  nice tribute BB, now i miss my SE-30

• [Carlos Ojeda]

  Compre mi primera compu en 1985 (era la Macintosh 256kb) y hoy siento que perdi la garantia… Se fue un grande. Gracias Steve

• [missmiranda]

  BoinBoing – What a beautiful tribute. Absolutely beautiful.

  • [Steve Holmes]

    I totally agree, I remember my 128k Macintosh.  Thanks Boing Boing

• [grimc]

  First computer was an Apple ][+. Thanks Steve.

• [hab]

  I learned of his passing from another iPhone user amidst many glowing apple logos at parent-teacher conferences with my iPad-wielding daughter. Like many in my generation, the first things I learned about computer were in grade school on an Apple II.

  Thanks.

• [zombienietzsche]

  Goodnight Sweet Prince.

• [Terrin Bell]

  :o(

• [Oscelot]

  I think in tribute, those of us who can should donate to pancreatic cancer research.

  • [Rain Taylor]

    Yes. Fitting. Let’s fight this cancer for taking away this monumental genius. Everyone who rocks an iPod, connects to work, friends and family from an iPad or a Mac, and connects to the world on their iPhone can donate via their device and in memory of Steve Jobs by going to:  https://www.kintera.org/site/c.htJYJ8MPIwE/b.6699683/k.8449/Make_A_Donation/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=htJYJ8MPIwE&b=6699683&en=gtIZL4MDJeJSKZNEKfJSLZOGJfKXLiOVIkJWIaONKmKWJ3MMIoJ9E

• [Jupiter BFPOE]

  Boing Boing, I Love You!
  Great Solute to a man who was a huge influence on many of our lives.

• [social_maladroit]

  He died at the height of his reputation. And he brought out my inner Happy Mac.

  (My Mac Classic says goodbye)

• [jl]

  I saw the news first on BoingBoing.  The new theme was a shock.  A perfect, wonderful, fitting, and much appreciated tribute.

  He was my hero.

• [haineux]

  My pal Art, who is good at making art out of bits, did this:

• [jaytkay]

  RIP, Steve

  You helped me a lot. All the best to you and your family.

  Dang. You really made the most of your time here on Earth. You are an inspiration.

  Thanks.
  Jeff

• [Maria Pranzo]

  Every word I type, every piece of music I listen to, has been affected by this great mind. As my foremothers and fathers would have said, buon anima, Steve.  Travel well.

• [Djinn PAWN]

  Please, can I command Z this?

• [George Tirebiter]

  Honestly, there were things i admired and disliked about Steve Jobs.  i admired his genius and outspokenness, but didn’t care for his penchant for marketing machines with proprietary designs that couldn’t be upgraded or connected with anything else.  

  I remember being thrilled when my dad got his first MacIntosh.  it was the first Graphic user interface i had seen, and it was so much EEEASIER to use than the clunky PC’s on the market.  Apple was riding that first big wave of desktop publishing when Horst Wackerbarth snapped a photo of Jobs on a red sofa on the Apple assembly line for a concept photography book called The Red Couch Book.  Since Jobs was an icon of innovation at the time, Wackerbarth wanted to create a sense of motion.  Here is a link to the photo:

  http://www.mizozo.com/arts/06/2010/21/photographer-horst-wackerbarth-s-famous-red-couch-….html

• [Ian G]

  Goodbye Steve, you are missed already. The world was made a better place by your work, we are all richer because of your passion and vision. A true loss…

• [The Gatekeeper Of Dreams]

  Thank Goodness Apple came to their senses and brought Steve back when they did… WITHOUT STEVE JOBS… ” i ” Would just be another letter of the alphabet… Thanks Steve… you will be missed!

• [niktemadur]

  When my wife relayed the news as I arrived home tonight, it didn’t fully sink in.  Then I logged on here and it’s starting to hurt, my first computer was a Mac Classic with OS4.

  A very elegant tribute, BB, well done!

  PS. Nice touch putting the famous bomb in the bottom, although some Chicago typeface would have also hit the spot.

• [skyhawk1]

  This is a great tribute. Condolences to the Job family, and my Apple buddies.

• [turbogeezer]

  That iconic, perfect portrait… does anyone know who created it? 

• [cool progeny]

  President Obama said it best in his statement: “Steve was among the greatest of American innovators – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.”

• [David Cruz]

  Ok – anon here.  I had a Mac in 1984.  My uncle worked at a Mac distributor, and had access to the machine early on.  He called it a pre-release, but to be honest, I cannot vouch that it was.

  What I can say is that the Mac was obviously playing on a separate playing field.  I was 15/16 years old and realized early on that the Mac redefined computing.

  Although I never fully drank the koolaid (owned an iPod or 2, outside of the original Mac, but stuck with WinDoze), I realized that Steve Jobs was truly a visionary.  When he resigned recently, I trudged out to the garage.  I found the original Mac, with all the 3.5 diskettes, and to my amazement….it fired right up.  And, although simplistic, the interface was friendly and inviting; even in 2011.

  Here is to you, Mr. Jobs.  I am happy that your pain has ended.  Thank you for giving us another perspective on how things can be.

  And truly sincere thanks to Boingboing for the beautiful theme.

  RIP Mr. Jobs.

• [jimjambandit]

  Goodbye Mr Jobs

• [janusnode]

  A good life, well lived. I am sad.

  Thanks for the great tribute, BB.

• [CHoldredge]

  Look. A dent in the universe.

• [RuthlessRuben]

  I never was a fan of Apple products (the only apple product I own is an Ipod sock my sister gave me out of a set of 7, for my cellphone) but it cannot be denied that he had a massive impact on the way we view consumer technology today.

  I for one salute the man, for he was one of the giants of his generation.

• [singe]

  RIP. Stay hungry, stay foolish.

• [Locke Berkebile]

  Steve inspired me to be a product manager and create insanely great products.  A light has gone out of the world.  Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Steve.

• [Rain Taylor]

  Wish we could reboot Steve. Sad Mac, he ain’t coming back.

  My personal life and career are directly affected by Apple. I have used a Mac since system 4 some twenty years ago. I can never thank Steve enough for his brilliance. I feel like a member of my family passed. We’ve been blessed by this illuminating visionary.  I wonder how he’ll update heaven. Shutting down in 3..2..1

• [CH]

  One of the big ones is gone. I was never in the Apple camp, but that doesn’t matter, he truly was somebody to admire. He was a man driven to do and driven to fulfill his vision, and made everybody else in the indursty work harder to keep up with him. He truly pushed forward every industry he worked in. I hope his legacy will be a lasting push, for everybody to truly work towards excellence.

  Thanks also BoingBoing for the layout today. It really felt nice and proper to see this when I loaded the page (I had just read the news from my local newspapers home page).

• [PKMousie]

  Goodbye to a man who shaped my entire career more than any other.

  You’ll be missed.

• [Sooper8]

  Quote from Steve Jobs…kinda makes you pause for thought
  “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”– Stanford commencement speech 2005

• [Tom O’Leary]

  I also am very sad tonight; the world is a little darker, a little less human. He profoundly changed how we interact with computers by profoundly changing computers. I remember the first time I saw Mac OS X. It was, and still is, gorgeous.
  And thanks BB staff for the very fitting tribute. Most kind.

• [tonytown]

  Very touching tribute, boingboing. Very well done, guys.

• [TharkLord]

  The most lasting legacy of Steve Jobs will be the revolutionary innovation of making computing power accessible to people who have no programming or technical skills. This has been amazingly empowering for ordinary people throughout the world. No command line, just icons, clicks and intuitive applications. It’s as powerful as the freedom to vote or the ability to read and write. I wish we could have had 40 more years of his life. Peace to us all. Stay hungry, stay foolish.

• [frederic dugenoux]

  in 1984 you have changed my life 
  thanks Steve 
  and Rest in Peace

• [mofo_ohno]

  The World doesn’t give us many Steve Job’s. 
  Thanks Steve! No Really Thanks! alot; a real lot! RIP

  Boing Boing – you hit one out of the park with the MacOS 6 theme. 
  Stuart Brown – u rock.

  edit. Still have my Original Mac 512K – Still runs too! Can anyone say Dark Castle?

• [beth twomey]

  I remember as a kid talking with my Dad (who made me a SciFi fan) about the future and wondering if would we ever see in our life times such amazing devices as the handheld computers, with video, maps, and search capabilities that we read about in many wonderful books. My Dad passed away before Mr. Jobs brought such innovations to us and it was with great sadness I learned of his passing through the very amazing handheld computer (oh-it’s a phone too) he developed.  Thank you Mr. Jobs and my sincere condolences to his family and friends.

• [HenryPootel]

  Time to boot up the old Mac 128 in homage.

• [bepresent]

  If it wasn’t for Steve’s style, we’d all be living in a much tackier world. He was possibly the singular example of somebody at the top whose goal wasn’t profits or shareholders or whatever. It was something like: do awesome stuff. And everything else followed.

  • [Jack Lavelle]

    It seems to me that Steve’s particular genius was in creating images in people’s minds of what the Apple computer COULD be – long before it was even close to delivering on the promise.  People put up with crappy looking screens and slow performance because the evangelist in Steve Jobs convinced them that soon – ANY time now – things would be different and really really cool. And you wouldn’t want to MISS it, now, would you?

    RIP to a true visionary.

• [rattypilgrim]

  BoingBoing, it’s already been said, but your flash to the past memorial site (right here) to Steve Jobs is nothing less than brilliant and a tribute to the man. This is one of your best moments. Oh, and the sight of that little bomb below sets off the Pavlovian freakout like it did how many years ago?
  RIP Mr. Jobs

• [bvdon]

  My career path as a designer turned programmer was made possible by the Mac…. Long time user since 1984.

  Thank you, Steve Jobs…. RIP.

• [R. Scott LaMorte]

  Sad Moof. 

• [Cowicide]

  Even the haters can’t seem to escape his influence…

• [TheMudshark]

  Seriously, fuck cancer!

• [maryblack]

  I am thinking for a moment that what we have and cherished over the last decade is totally from him. He has become the pioneer in technology of consumer space, and the spotlight has shined on him to be a superstar.

  In the passing day to come, may his spirit live on as he lives on in our hearts.

• [Mister44]

  Well, that really is too bad. He did a lot to shape our world.

• [GlenBlank]

  The iPhone was the first Apple product I ever actually bought (though gosh knows I’ve programmed and designed on quite a few Macs in my time).  

  There wasn’t anything else like it at the time – AND I could afford it.

  That was the first time in my life that both of those things came together – always before, either I couldn’t afford the premium for the Apple product, or I needed/wanted something else for a variety of reasons.

  But Steve Jobs still made a tremendous difference in the tech I used – even when I used some other computer, it was better than it would have been if it hadn’t had to compete with Apple and Steve Jobs.

  He was a genius and a visionary, and he made the world a better place.  

  He will be sorely missed.

• [Chris Hudson]

  It’s great to see the blogging community coming together to pay such nice tributes to such an amazing man. I’ve been on both sides of the PC versus Mac argument, but honestly can’t even begin to express my sadness at the thought of losing such a great thinker and innovator as Steve Jobs. His legacy will continue to touch thousands not just in terms of the technology we see in our every day lives, but in motivating those who follow in his footsteps to build amazing businesses based on dreams and great ideas. 

  It’s a great reminder that technology can inspire millions, and Steve’s legacy will continue to be seen in the creations of great things with the tools he helped to create- I can’t think of a greater business man or technologist than Mr Jobs.Thank you, boingboing, too, for giving us all a place to share our thoughts and feelings- many of us won’t have met the man, but have been touched by his work, and it’s truly amazing (a blessing of the internet) that we can all share our grief over the loss.

• [Summer Seale]

  I just want to add my voice to the condolences pouring in. I will miss your artwork and design, Steve Jobs. Thank you for bringing style to many things around us.

• [Adrian Anhorn]

  I’ve just heard about Steve Jobs passing a few hours ago – it was shocking news to hear.

  Apple lost its leader today, but more importantly, the world has lost a very special individual. Steve Jobs has been a monumentally important business leader in American history, among Henry Ford or Thomas Edison. Steve has been a real-life phenomenon of an order that most people won’t get to experience in their lifetimes.

  Steve had the intelligence, insight, courage and leadership to propel Apple from near-bankruptcy in the late 1990s to where it stands today, as the world’s largest and most valuable company. 

  Steve created a new culture of thought at Apple. Apple would no longer be a company that followed the competition in well defined markets; Apple, through its revolutionary product design, would define the market categories that it would compete in. Subsequently, Apple revolutionized the music industry with iPod and iTunes, dominated the smartphone market with the iPhone and practically created the tablet computer market with the iPad.

  But I’m not here to speak on Apple’s market capitalization or business achievements. I am here to remember a man who followed a unique path in business and in life. Not only was Steve able to follow his gut instinct with no hesitation, he also possessed an innate ability to deeply inspire those around him to create and contribute.

  Steve Jobs had a personal net worth of more than 8.3 billion USD when he passed, but you couldn’t peg him as your typical billionaire if you had passed him on the street. Instead, Steve was warm and personable to those who knew him in person. He would never pass up the chance to stop and take a few minutes to catch up and exchange a few ideas. Steve was a person who truly believed in the meritocracy of thought.

  I could go on, but my words simply can’t do this man justice, so I’ll leave you with his. Goodbye Steve, and thank you for all the memories.

  - Adrian

  “When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

  Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

  - Steve Jobs, 114th Stanford University Commencement Ceremony Address, June 12, 2005

• [ransom notes]

  this is a really beautiful tribute. thank you for this guys.  It takes me back to my college days when I bought my first Mac Plus and was BLOWN away by it’s power. I got my first full-time creative job because I was one of the few graduates who was Mac literate. I owe many of my creative skills to the amazing programs that were created in large part for the Mac platform. I am personally grateful Steve Jobs was among us if only for a short time.

  • [tubacat]

    I’m pretty sure I was admitted to grad school at UC Berkeley at least in part because I told the crusty old professor who was interviewing me that I could use a Macintosh computer. This was 1984. I’d been working in tech support, and the company had a couple of Macs (as well as a Lisa!).

    Bought my first Macintosh from the campus computer store, and haven’t looked back… thank you Steve Jobs.

• [perchecreek]

   Here’s my memorial to Steve Jobs. Yes, it’s on Mac Mini that’s running Linux Mint, but I do appreciate the elegance of the OS X. Jobs took Doug Engelbart’s ideas, and made them manifest. That’s no small feat.

• [Haz 0]

  A man has died and what is left is his works; that is sad. What is
  sadder is all the work he did not do, what could have been done, to make
  the world a better place. Such is a paradox of human existence. For all
  we can do, we can still do more.

• [Little John]

  Depression Widens as Record Number of Americans Now Without Jobs

• [Vic Houghton]

  There will be no RIPping for Steve Jobs. How can there be when his name will forever be associated with the introduction of lifestyle-changing tech to the masses? His genius will be measured by the empowerment of the weak, the delivery of entertainment, the sharing of knowledge, and the ability of millions of people to destroy the encampments of pigs using implausibly designed vengeful birds.

• [mguffin]

  We all cross the bar in the end. The great ones get to raise it a little before the tide takes ‘em..

• [Jim Saul]

  Moving tribute to a colossus. I can’t get over how young he was. Part of me hopes he made arrangements with Alcor.

  Hilarious that all the negative reaction to the new iPhone is all about the name.  If they’d called it 5, the awestruck apes would be reaching for its monolith once more.

  Interesting point made here:  http://waxy.org/2011/10/apples_1987_knowledge_navigator_only_one_month_late/

  “In 1987, Apple released this concept video for Knowledge Navigator, a voice-based assistant combined with a touchscreen tablet computer.

  “Based on the dates mentioned in the Knowledge Navigator video, it takes place on September 16, 2011. The date on the professor’s calendar is September 16, and he’s looking for a 2006 paper written “about five years ago,” setting the year as 2011.

  “And this morning, at the iPhone keynote, Apple announced Siri, a natural language-based voice assistant, would be built into iOS 5 and a core part of the new iPhone 4S.

  “So, 24 years ago, Apple predicted a complex natural-language voice assistant built into a touchscreen Apple device, and was less than a month off.”

• [License Farm]

  This was obviously coming, but I still gasped in dismay when I heard. We’ll forever speculate what other wonders he could have shown us if he’d only had more time. His record wasn’t spotless, and some code purists will forever loathe him for democratizing computers, but for the other 99% of us he is and will remain a hero.

  (PS: I love the System 6 tribute, but it does kinda eff up the rest of the site. Let’s not keep it up TOO long.)

• [Cowicide]

   Guy Kawasaki on the Death of Steve Jobs

  http://www.vimeo.com/30115815

• [Fokke Jongsma]

  We lost a man that was not only a vision-air but also somebody that revolutionized the world and changed our way of living.
  For sure if heaven exist he will revolutionize it.

  RIP Steve Jobs

• [ookluh]

  My sincere condolences to the Jobs family.  Thank you for everything Steve: your work, your words, and your vision.

• [Tariq Zufar]

  He was a great visionary. You would sorely be missed. R.I.P.

• [Brother Phil]

  Steve changed the game, several times. A sad loss.

  PS As so many others, love the theme – a great tribute. Any chance of a download link?

• [Raoul Murfitt]

  RIP Mr Steve Jobs.  I’m in awe at his impact on the modern world, and I also wanted to say, thank you for the ipod that was one of my only friends for so long.  Rest in peace. 

• [David MacGregor]

  Mr Jobs famously said – let’s put a dent in the universe. I believe he did. Steve Jobs’ influence in my working life was profound. Without Apple innovations things would have been very different indeed. He was a great man.

• [chris]

  Thanks Steve.
  It was the Mac 512k that I had growing up that made me choose the path I am on today. That little beige box sparked my imagination. The Apple ][ taught me how to program. Wow. You will be missed.

• [alissa mower clough]

  And from the grave “….and oh, yes, one more thing…..”  Goodbye, steve. Thanks for the letter. Our prayers go with you, once again.

• [Thorzdad]

  The System 6 skin made me smile. Well done.
  I was watching tv last night when my daughter came running to tell me Jobs had died. In my heart, I knew this day probably wasn’t far off when he had resigned as CEO, but it was still a shock.

  I’m not a geek, by any stretch. I don’t write code. I’m just a graphic artist. And old graphic artist, at that. One of those guys who learned his trade using markers, pens, and pads of paper. I knew immediately that the Mac was the way to work the first time I sat down and used one, after struggling to get my work done on other systems. It just made intuitive sense.

  Thanks, Steve.

• [jon shipman]

  Here’s to the crazy ones…

• [zoestercoaster]

  Thanks for everything you’ve done Steve.
  Today, I’m a Mac.

• [benher]

  No… 
  Irreplaceable, Inimitable,… you worked so hard. The world will never forget your efforts. Sleep well.

• [mr monojack]

  a sad day. goodbye steve.

  /bb – your tribute is lovely. thanks.

• [Jeff Ritzmann]

  Rest in Peace sir, you’ve given so much, and brought so much with you – your eternity is so very well deserved. 

• [cymk]

  Sad news, he was quite the visionary. RIP Mr. Jobs.

  Edit: Awesome tribute BoingBoing staff.

• [Ali Razzouk]

  The first thing that happened this morning: I got a message telling me Steve’s dead. I just froze there. I still can’t believe he’s gone. It’s all so sudden! Such a great man. He will always be my inspiration and hero. RIP Steve.

• [Reed Millar]

  When folks have talked recently about a depression, I had to think, can you have a depression with ipods?  The answer is yes, but its clear now that depression isn’t as bad as it once was because guys like jobs have made luxury and art more accessible.

• [yri]

  I’ve been frustrated by, and yes, derisive of, the “walled garden” approach of Apple technology over the years. That being said, even a PC-and-Android guy like me recognizes the huge impact Mr. Jobs has had on the world, and I’m quite saddened to hear of his passing. He was a remarkable man, and I’m glad he was here.

  And yeah, even I wound up buying an iPad, eventually…

• [PhantomPeanut]

  I love the tribute. 

  Steve was one of my earliest influences. Though I became more of an art person rather than an engineer. It was his products and vision that helped shape the out of the box at the time methods I still use in earnest today. 

  I posted a blog that doesn’t do anything justice. There aren’t enough words that express the huge bucket of win he managed to create despite being fired from his own company and the many other things most would see as career ending situations. He took it in stride and refocused. A lesson I take on myself. I doubt I will even approach the level he has, but the things he said and did are universal. 

  Godspeed, sir.

• [skeptacally]

  You turned a tiny music player into a personal computer and communication device. You saw beyond the limits of keyboard, mouse, and monitor and replaced them with intuition and touch. You helped us talk with, to, and through computers. You changed the way we think about computing and how it fits into our lives. Come to think of it, you changed how we live, for better and for worse. You opened so many channels of communication and helped bring the world closer together through technology.

  Thank you, Steve.

  The world lost one of its great minds last night.

  • [Art]

    “The world lost one of its great minds last night.”

    And a brilliant American entrepreneur whose prolific imagination we will all benefit from for many years to come.

• [William Joseph Dunn]

  Old comedians have a joke when one of their own dies. They say, “he’s not dead, he’s just unavailable”. I think another way to think of Mr Jobs passing is that “he is on another, more advanced operating system now”. Hopefully it’s the same OS that Hendrix and Telsa are located on.

• [Scooter Pietsch]

  As a thank you and tribute to Steve, how about all iPhone/iPad users change their email signatures on them to “Sent from my iPhone created by Steve Jobs”?

• [dahlia]

  omg, i just clicked over from my rss reader and saw the boing boing background, it’s awesome — i’m overcome with nostalgia.  classic mac ftw.  i’m kind of wishing i could turn on that old mac II again for old time’s sake.  and then immediately put it on ebay.  :)

  it’s astounding how much one person can accomplish in a relatively short lifespan.  it’s as if he burned life-fuel hotter and faster than the rest of us, like a ferrari.  we plodders might live longer, but i dunno — you gotta envy that ride. it must have been amazing.

• [Their feldspars]

  What Syn said.

• [missteru]

  I was definitely shocked to hear the news…the man definitely had a great mind. He was very bold and adventurous in his pursuit of defining the latest technological advancement. a different man…knew what he wanted to do and did it well.To be able to change the world..and affect millions of lives and their lifestyle…that is amazing.

• [Pjay (Patti) Pender]

  Sudden?  People have been speculating as to his health since his first LoA!

• [Brian Gray]

   Nice tribute, BB… It made me smile even though I’m so sad he’s gone!

• [George Tirebiter]

  Hmm, I watched Steve’s Stanford commencement address and found myself very moved by it.  I especially liked the bits about connecting the dots in reverse.  Does that make him a Heyoka –the sacred clown who does everything backwards so that people observing can think differently and learn?

• [JonnieRebel]

  Sad day. He will be missed.

  Goodbye, Steve.

• [Krzysztof Rożnowski]

  Goodbye STEVE… time to change Another World

  Create in Peace

• [Rise and Fight!]

  My personal tribute to Steve Jobs and how that damn iPhone ruined my life for a couple years. God bless him.
  http://www.riseandfight.net/2011/10/rip-steve-job-wireless-salesmans-view.html

• [SolarSaves]

  Nice tribute, BB. I did my first corporate computer project on a Mac Plus with Excel and its’ 9″ black and white monitor. It just worked and I fell in love with the Mac then.
  Thank you Steve Jobs for doing everything that you did so well!

• [John Philipp Krois]

  My dad died of the same cancer last year. Horrible untreatable cancer that kills people that are at full health and with full mental capacities (my dad was a non-smoker, liked to jog every day, didnt drink and was eating very healthy). Thats life for you.

• [opmaroon]

  The estate of Albert Hoffman, inventor of LSD, has released correspondence with Steve Jobs, a keen advocate for and user of psychedelic drugs.

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-grim/read-the-never-before-pub_b_227887.html

• [Olle Mattsson]

  You changed the world, Steve. You are the Prometheus of our age. Thank you, wherever you are!!

• [trademark]

  I think a grave disservice is being done on boingboing. The deletion of so many posts was really offensive. BoingBoing was generally thought to be this kind of pro-DIY community, yet one of the greatest adversaries to DIY dies and we are not allowed to comment on that? I don’t think that’s fair.

  Steve is dead, that’s really too bad, but please understand that his company and his attitude hurt a lot of people and many of us still feel the sting.

• [Jack Holmes]

  One thing’s for sure–from now on, Heaven’s keynotes are going to be AWESOME. Rest in peace, Steve–you were and will remain an inspiration to nerds and entrepreneurs alike.

• [Aima Littetipot]

  Steve found out what was at the core of the apple – the seed, and kept that seed alive to reiterate, over and over again, breeding more and more perfection. There is no death; there is only change. He’s still here.

• [Vinil Mehta]

  may his soul  RIP .He was a real legend as well as  man who push out fear of loosing anything and then got everything he desired of.A real mentor  left us .

• [Cameron Postelwait]

  pre-ordering the iphone 4S on Sprint today… thanks Steve!

• [unit_1421]

  Xeni, my heart goes out to you. I saw you on Rachel and was touched by your unfettered grief for a great man whose job above all was to not be satisfied with the status quo. To borrow from “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” Steve created a system that is far from perfect, but IT WORKS. I think the best testament to his legacy is a marketplace that is truly not satisfied with what is and will always want what should and must be the next step forward.

• [Brian Elston]

  An amazing man with a vision and a determination to make a difference. He changed how we all work, play and view technology. Thanks for all of it – I could not have asked for more.

• [jerome ngassa]

  Jerome Ngassa
  RIP,Mr Jobs was an insanely great creative and amazing human being.He has contributed immensely by changing the way we the world consume information and the landscape of work of the 21st centruy God Bless him and his Family 

• [Craig Fishburn]

   Apple actually put the idea of a family owning a home pc a reality. And you bought a PC that may have cost 1000 upfront but it was loaded with all the software you could need.

• [CountZero]

  Boingboing, my heart soared and I had a huge grin on my face when I saw what you’re done with the site. A wonderful tribute that took me back to the mid-90′s when I changed from a shonky PC to a Mac.
  So many on here have put things much better than I ever could, but as someone who has always appreciated the way an object becomes more than just a useful tool when it’s form is created as a thing of beauty instead of just being functional, my iPod, my PowerBook, my iPhone and my new Mac Mini could only have come from someone with a true vision of what could be, and the insightfulness to find the people to enable him to create those devises, in particular Jony Ive.
  Thank you, Steve, for what you’ve given to the world. Rest easy, now.