I got bitten by the free software bug in February of 1998 around the time of the Mozilla announcement.

As you know, Microsoft eventually kind of grabbed the gold ring out of Apple's hands, I guess.

People who work on the user interface side need to have empathy as a key characteristic. But if you are writing device drivers you don't really need to understand humans so well.

Being idealistic really helps you overcome some of the many obstacles put in your path.

It's [programming] the only job I can think of where I get to be both an engineer and an artist. There's an incredible, rigorous, technical element to it, which I like because you have to do very precise thinking. On the other hand, it has a wildly creative side where the boundaries of imagination are the only real limitation.

I did some products for the Apple II, most notably the first small low cost thermal printer, the Silent Type.

But I think Steve's main contribution besides just the pure leadership is his passion for excellence. He's a perfectionist. Good enough isn't good enough. And also his creative spirit. You know he really, really wants to do something great.