Comment from E-mail
I sent this email to you before, but didn't see a response and i sent it to webmaster@woz.org so im not too sure you even got it, but here it is again, sorry if you received it already once, im sure you're a busy person.
Woz
When you have hundeds of emails stacked up, it takes a while. Also, the webmaster links get your email to one of three friends (Dan, Alex, or Auri). Some other link gets your email to my secretary, Laura. A new one gets your email to me (host).
This note went to Alex and he didn't forward about 160 of them until tonight. Also, Laura forwarded 140 tonight. I can't answer email in minutes when things are this crazy, sorry...Steve
All terms: email
Comment from E-mail
How accurate was the movie when it showed the scene where you and Jobs were at a technology convention and when the doors opened and crowed flushed in, crowding yours and job's booth, which was displaying, Apple I, i believe?
Woz
It reminded me of the West Coast Computer Faire where we introduced the Apple ][. We had the best booth space of all, right as you came in. We also had a video projector, which was quite a feat in that year. Our product was the Apple ][. I did pull a rather large prank at this show, distributing thousands of brochures for a non-existant product called the "Zaltaire." But I don't have time to elaborate here...Steve
All terms: Apple I, Apple II, Pirates of Silicon Valley, West Coast Computer Faire, Zaltaire
Comment from E-mail
this is a dispute that a friend of mine is having did or did not Bill Gates work for Apple at one time. Was he an employee, my friend said that that was inaccurate in the movie and I am under the impresssion, why would the film want to stretch something that far out to say that he worked for Apple, if only to foreshadow that one day, indirectly Bill Gates would own a piece of Apple and subsequently, Jobs would be working for him?
Woz
I find this interpretation humorous. Bill Gates did not work directly for Apple. But we did work deals and commission software to be delivered by Microsoft for our computers. In that sense he worked for us, but not as a programmer, i assure you. It's funny to hear you say that Jobs now works for Bill. I'll have to remember that one!...Steve
All terms: Apple, Bill Gates, Pirates of Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs
Question from E-mail
Steve: I am writing about your last name. My last name, Wasnick was originally spelled Wozniak. The last name was changed when my family imigrated to the United States. I wonder if we are distant relatives? I'd really like to speak with you about this topic.
Woz
I like hearing about so many other Wozniaks as there are in this country (and beyond). But I can't really talk about it because I'm no heritage expert. There are other Steve Wozniaks and a local one gets email intended for me all the time. On the other hand, I was picking up a ticket at Air Cal in San Jose one day and the agent said "aren't you..." to which I nodded my head "...the DJ?", to which I had to explain that I was 'another' Steve Wozniak. Our namesake John Wozniak had a tremendous hit song, "Sex and Candy" by his group, "Marci Playground." I know that there are many other highly credible Wozniaks. I even have an uncle who is a priest (I've never been to church though).
This Polish name helped a lot when I visited Poland. I actually have photographs of one of my sons teaching Lech Welensa to use a PowerBook.
All terms: Lech Welensa, Poland, Wozniaks
Comment from E-mail
Woz, I would like to hear your opinions on modern computer directions. Are we where you expected to be by now? What do you see that is exciting for the future?
Woz
Too vague for me. Too unpredictable too. My latest hopes are for humanistic software but it may take until about 2020, assuming that Moore's law ends for atomic reasons around 2012.
All terms: Moore's law
Question from E-mail
Hello, Is there any chance I could get a copy of those Apple I specs that you mentioned? I'd love to learn some hardware hacking, and can think of no better way to start than by building one of the computers that started it all.
Woz
Sorry. There were only 200 Apple I's made and this was during 1976, a long time ago. I might have such specs in storage somewhere but don't have time to go looking for mine. There are a few people that have Apple I's and handier specs but not myself, sorry.
All terms: Apple I specs
Comment from E-mail
Dear Woz.. for whatever reasons i have always been a fan of you and Andy Hertzfeld. i know where you are, but i have lost track of Andy since his general magic days. have any idea where he is or what he is doing? Thanks for everything you have done for all of us, Ryan b. G.
Woz
Andy, one of the original Macintosh software geniuses, is one of the most incredible persons that I have ever known. He also has an incredible memory for interesting things involving Apple. Andy got interested in internet servers and related facilities some years ago. He set up his own domain and T1 lines and routers and all the stuff that I've done for a long time. He is a hands on person. He got interested in Linux and is working on open software. Most importantly, he got married. Next most important, he is great fun for everyone around him. The list of things that I could say about Andy is way too large, but he might be able to tell you.
All terms: Andy Hertzfeld, Linux, T1
Comment from E-mail
Thank you for your time, and I hope that the recent increase in fame does not make life too crazy.
Woz
Unbelievably crazy. I'm trying to read and answer each email.
All terms: Thank You
Comment from E-mail
I read in your comments that you were giving away your early designs. This seems to fit with the current popularity of the "open source" movement, and I wonder if you feel that the recent opening of the OSX Darwin kernel is a step in the right direction for Apple. Many people develop free software for free operating systems. Do you? If so, does the new Apple initiative inspire you to code for OSX?
Woz
That's a very astute observation. I gave away schematics of the Apple I at the Homebrew Computer Club. I also demoed enhancements to the Apple ][ every 2 weeks at the club. It was the opposite of normal corporate secrecy.
I don't have time to develop now but I appreciate the people who do so in the open source movement. It's been a long time since that was halfway normal. It makes me hopeful because young talented people have a chance to do more than stand by and watch and be paid a salary.
All terms: Apple I, Apple ][, Homebrew Computer Club, OSX Darwin
Question from E-mail
What are your views on the importance of computer games in the role of a platforms sucess? Do you still play computer and console games? If so, what are some of your favorites?
Woz
Not much due to lack of time. My kids beat me at almost anything. I am extremely good at Tetris on the Gameboy and had my name listed in Nintendo Power magazine a few times in the early days for my top scores. After they wouldn't print my name any more I submitted an entry with my names spelled backwards, Evets Kainzow, and they printed it! When I saw the issue, I'd forgotten that I'd sent it in and was worried that someone was challenging my own level! My current high score is 702,000 and my goal is 750,000. I gave GameBoys to Gorbeshev and Bush when they were in office. A week or so later Bush had heart problems. On TV he was shown playing the Game Boy in the hospital.
I also roll the score over (1,000,000 points) on the Williams "Defender" arcade game, which I have in my home.
I play solitaire on my PowerBook and once won 33 games in a row, standard settings. The trick is to only play the ones that deal a very good setup and to back up as much as possible to find a win if it doesn't come easily.
I like reading the Bridge column in the paper, and our paper carries a ScrabbleGram word game. I play this almost every day and wrote programs to solve it and I put it on the web (Scrabblegram.com) for a while a couple of years ago.
I don't mind gambling. Video Poker slot machines are my favorite. But I'm watching my 14 year old daughter for luck. She was in Las Vegas with me (and my class of 11 year olds, who were attending a "Mac Academy" in Ceasar's Palace and played Keno for the first time. She won $1600 on a $1 ticket. This was at age 9. Her second time was at age 12. I told her not to expect to win when she plays Keno. But, during breakfast, when I looked up she'd won $7500. I wish I'd copied her numbers.
All terms: Bush, Evets Kainzow, Gameboy, Gorbeshev, Powerbook, ScrabbleGram, Tetris