Andy Hertzfeld Quotes

Powerful Andy Hertzfeld for Daily Growth

About Andy Hertzfeld

Andy Hertzfeld is an American computer scientist, software engineer, artist, and author, renowned for his significant contributions to the development of the Apple Macintosh computer. Born on March 31, 1956, in Queens, New York, Hertzfeld grew up in a family that valued both creativity and technology. His father was an electrical engineer and inventor, while his mother, a painter, nurtured his artistic sensibilities. Hertzfeld's interest in computers began at a young age. He learned assembly language programming on a Time-Shared BASIC system while attending Cornell University. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science in 1978, he worked as a software engineer at Xerox PARC, where he was part of the team that created the graphical user interface (GUI) for the Xerox Star, a pioneering personal computer. In 1979, Hertzfeld joined Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak at Apple Computer Inc., working on the Apple II. However, it was his work on the Macintosh project that truly defined his career. As one of the original members of the Macintosh development team, popularly known as the "Mac team," Hertzfeld contributed to various aspects of the Mac's design, including its user interface, graphics, and iconic operating system. Post-Macintosh, Hertzfeld worked on several other projects at Apple before leaving in 1990 to pursue other interests. He co-founded General Magic, a pioneering mobile device company, and later co-authored "Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made," which offers an intimate account of the development of the Apple Macintosh. Today, Hertzfeld continues to be active in the tech industry as a consultant, speaker, and author, often reflecting on the past while looking towards the future of technology and design. His quotes often encapsulate his vision for intuitive, user-friendly interfaces: "Good interface design is like a joke. If you have to explain it, it's not that good."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The Macintosh will start up in 40 seconds and be ready to use in a minute."

This quote by Andy Hertzfeld emphasizes the intuitive design philosophy of the Macintosh computer, promising a swift startup time and immediate usability within a minute of powering on. It symbolizes the Apple's vision of making technology accessible and user-friendly by reducing the complexity associated with setting up and using computers at that time.

"Real artists ship."

The quote "Real artists ship" by Andy Hertzfeld emphasizes that creativity and innovation are not just about creating ideas or concepts, but also about bringing those ideas to fruition and delivering them to the world. It suggests that true artistry is demonstrated not only in the conception of an idea, but also in the execution, production, and distribution of that idea, transforming it from a mere concept into a tangible reality. In essence, this quote encourages us to be doers as well as thinkers, and to embrace the courage and discipline required to 'ship' our ideas, making them accessible for others to experience and appreciate.

"We're not just designing a computer for five years from now; we're designing a computer for five years ago."

The quote "We're not just designing a computer for five years from now; we're designing a computer for five years ago" by Andy Hertzfeld suggests that the goal of technology development is not only to create innovative solutions for the future, but also to make them accessible and usable for the people of the past or present. It highlights the importance of creating technology with an understanding of historical context and user needs. This quote can be interpreted as a reminder that technology should not just advance beyond current capabilities, but also be easy enough for those who have grown accustomed to older technologies to use effectively.

"Humans are tool builders, and the computer is the ultimate tool."

This quote emphasizes that humans are inherently innovative beings who create tools to enhance our capabilities. In this context, a "tool" represents not just physical objects but also abstract concepts like technology. The computer, as the ultimate tool, signifies a revolutionary invention that can process vast amounts of information and perform tasks beyond human capacity, thus extending and amplifying our intellectual powers in ways previously unimaginable. This quote underscores both the transformative impact of computers on humanity and our inherent drive to innovate and build tools for continued progress.

"The Macintosh project is what happens when you assemble a group of misfits and rebels, and then ask them to do the impossible."

This quote suggests that innovative and groundbreaking work often arises from a diverse group of non-conformists who are given a challenging task. The impossibility of the task encourages out-of-the-box thinking, unconventional approaches, and collaboration among these individuals, ultimately leading to remarkable outcomes. In essence, assembling a team of misfits and rebels and asking them to do the impossible fosters an environment that breeds creativity and pioneering work.

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.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Empathy, Need, Side, Interface

In fact when I first got my Apple II the first thing I did was turn it on and off, on and off, just because I had the power to do so, which I'd never had on a computer before.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Fact, Before, Had, On And Off

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

- Andy Hertzfeld

Path, Obstacles, Some, Idealistic

We were developing an innovative Personal Information Manager called Chandler but a couple years ago I took off from that to do a project writing down my memoirs essentially, reminiscing about the development of the Macintosh.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Developing, Couple, About, Personal Information

But typically for a project like the Mac, the size we had was pretty good. And it has different stages. The team grows as you have to write manuals and do testing... though the Mac had no formal testing.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Pretty, Grows, Though, Stages

I was a grad student at UC Berkeley when I bought my Apple II and it suddenly because a lot more interesting than school.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Student, More, Bought, Berkeley

The Macintosh having shipped, his next agenda was to turn the rest of Apple into the Mac group. He had perceived the rest of Apple wasn't as creative or motivated as the Mac team, and what you need to take over the company are managers, not innovators or technical people.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Next, Technical, Innovators, Managers

Apple was our benefactor at starting General Magic, but about a year later decided they would rather BE General Magic and tried to make us blink out of existence... which we eventually did, but it took a few years.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Magic, Year, Year Later, Benefactor

I developed some unique software to public it on the web that I call the Folklore Project.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Software, Some, Call, Folklore

Working long hours being single helps because your time is yours. Once you have a family your time isn't all yours anymore. Most of the Mac team, we were in our mid-20's, most of us were single, and we were able to essentially devote our lives to it.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Anymore, Devote, Your, Yours

The Apple II was not designed like an ordinary product. It used crazy tricks everywhere.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Product, Apple, Like, Designed

I knew the Apple II was great when I bought it, but as I dug into the details it just completely blew me away the creative artistic approach that the designers had taken.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Away, Designers, Bought, Blew

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.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Excellence, I Think, Main, Besides

I left Apple in April of 1984, pretty soon after the introduction of the Mac.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Apple, Pretty, Left, Mac

Scotty heard that I was thinking about quitting Apple because of his actions, so he called me into his office and asked what it would take for me to stay? I said, maybe if I could work on the Mac project, which Steve had just taken over from Jef Raskin.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Project, Maybe, About, Mac

I left General Magic in 1996 to become an Internet hobbyist - got a T-1 line to my house. At one point I had all four food banks of the Bay Area hosted from this house here.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Magic, Bay Area, Here, Bay

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

- Andy Hertzfeld

Software, Bitten, Mozilla, February

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

- Andy Hertzfeld

Hands, Kind, Ring, Grabbed

I started working at Apple about 18 months after I bought my Apple II.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Apple, About, Months, Bought

A lot of people thought Steve Jobs was a CEO of Apple but he never was until he came back to Apple in 1997.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Thought, Back, Jobs, Steve

Part of Steve's job was to drum into us how important what we were doing actually would be to the world.

- Andy Hertzfeld

Doing, Drum, Part, Steve

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

- Andy Hertzfeld

Small, Silent, Some, Thermal

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