Not about cycling, but he was a bike racer.
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 [email hidden].