▼ Summary
– The author first met Bill Atkinson in 1983 while reporting on the Macintosh team, where Atkinson stood out for his intense personality and groundbreaking work on blending art and computing.
– Atkinson was a key software developer for the Macintosh and later created Hypercard, a program that foreshadowed the World Wide Web, leaving a lasting impact on technology.
– Originally a neurobiology and computer science student, Atkinson joined Apple in 1978 after being inspired by the Apple II, and his work on the Lisa and Macintosh introduced foundational features like menu bars and QuickDraw.
– Atkinson invented the “Round-Rect” (rounded-corner boxes) after Steve Jobs persuaded him, and his innovations became ubiquitous in modern computing interfaces.
– After the Mac launch, Atkinson envisioned the iPad-like “Magic Slate” in the 1980s, but the technology at the time couldn’t support his ambitious, affordable design.
Bill Atkinson, the visionary behind MacPaint and HyperCard, passed away at 74 after a long illness. His groundbreaking work at Apple in the 1980s helped shape modern computing, bridging the gap between art and technology in ways that still resonate today.
Meeting Atkinson for the first time was an experience few forgot. With his wild hair, piercing blue eyes, and intense energy, he radiated the kind of passion that defined Silicon Valley’s early days. During one memorable encounter, he proudly displayed a flawlessly rendered insect on his Macintosh screen—a feat unheard of for personal computers at the time. “The barrier between words and pictures is broken,” he whispered, capturing the essence of his mission.
Atkinson never set out to revolutionize computing. Originally studying neurobiology, his path changed when he encountered an Apple II in 1977. Joining Apple as employee #51, he became instrumental in translating Xerox PARC’s graphical interface concepts into consumer-friendly tools. His QuickDraw technology laid the foundation for on-screen graphics, while his stubborn insistence on perfecting the rounded rectangle—after Steve Jobs famously made him notice them everywhere—became a signature of Apple’s design language.
When Jobs shifted focus to the Macintosh, Atkinson followed, creating MacPaint to democratize digital art. Later, his HyperCard software foreshadowed the World Wide Web, blending databases and multimedia in a way that inspired future innovations. Even after leaving Apple, he dreamed up the Magic Slate, a precursor to the iPad, though the technology of the time couldn’t match his ambition.
Atkinson’s legacy lives on in every pixel we interact with today. His relentless curiosity and belief that technology should empower creativity made him not just a pioneer, but a guiding light for generations of developers. The digital world owes much to his brilliance—and his willingness to chase ideas others couldn’t yet see.
(Source: Wired)