Jef Raskin dead at 61


The Digibarn Computer Museum reports that Jef Raskin died on Saturday, Feb 26 of cancer. Hired as employee No 31 in 1978, he was the early driving force behind the Macintosh.

His official website (linked above) describes Raskin as "...an interface and systems designer, a writer, and a consultant, concentrating primarily on making computers more usable and their interfaces efficient, as well as pleasant. He is also well-known as an expert on the aerodynamics of miniature aircraft."

It's worth noting the the Digibarn link at the head of this piece includes video and audio recordings of Jef Raskin, as well as some written anecdotes, from January 29, 2005.

Additional information on Raskin is available on Andy Hertzfeld's Folklore.org.

Editor's note: Often one of the more controverial characters in the Mac universe, he nevertheless will always be "dad."

Also, there is a certain level of irony here in that Raskin died of Pancreatic cancer, which Steve Jobs has survived.