Mitchell David Waite | |
|---|---|
 Mitchell Waite in California | |
| Born | May 3, 1946 |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Known for | Programming books, iBird |
Mitchell Waite is an American computer programmer, author and publisher of a number of bestselling programming books [1] along with mobile apps. He was one of the first people to write popular books about electronics and micro-processor-based systems, [2] with his books encouraging the "rapid development of the Mac platform in the 1980s." [3]
Waite studied physical sciences and mathematics at the College of Marin in Kentfield, California from 1968 to 1971, and physics at Sonoma State University in the following years. [2] During this time, he was fascinated with electronics and spent his spare time hunting for circuits and computer parts. [4]
Waite's first book was Projects in Sight, Sound and Sensation, written with Michael Pardee and exploring various DIY electronic art projects. The book was published in 1974. [2] [5] During this time Waite worked as a technical writer for a telephone system. After writing two more books with Pardee in the following years, Waite decided to leave his job and write computer books full-time. [2]
By 1977, he was earing $18,000 a year as a technical writer, an income that increased seven years later to a quarter of a million dollars. [1]
in 1979, Waite published a computer graphics primer that became a bestseller. [1] Six years later, he had written or collaborated on dozens of computer books. [1]
Waite also created the website WhatBird and later developed iBird, a bird field guide app for iOS and Android.
While Waite never worked at Apple Computers, he was closely connected with people there. [6] Waite met Steve Jobs at the Homebrew Computer Club in the 1970s. [7] Jobs introduced the Apple I to the group and Waite was one of the first people to use the revolutionary computer, purchasing his at The Byte Shop in San Rafael. [2] Because the early users of the Apple 1 were such a small community, Waite was able to interact directly with Jobs and Steve Wozniak and learn how the computer worked. [2] These insights help him launch his career as a computer author. [2]
Jobs later found out about an elaborate weather station attached to the Apple I that Waite had running on his houseboat in Greenbrae, California and invited himself up to see it. [7] When Jobs arrived he spent the entire time bragging about the new Apple II he had developed with Steve Wozniak. It was 10X better than the Apple I he claimed and invited Waite to come to Cupertino to see it. Jobs later offered Waite a job as Apple's head of documentation, but Waite turned it down because of the harsh 24-7 work environment. Jobs was evidently infuriated, called Waite a bozo and said he was blowing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. [5]
Because of these connections, when the Macintosh 128K was released in 1984, Waite was in a "strategic position to introduce power users and programmers to the system," with the Waite Group publishing a series of titles on the computer. [6]
Waite established the Waite Group in 1977, an organization of more than 20 computer authors based in San Rafael, California. The group has published more than 130 titles in the computer programming field [8] and by 1984 was grossing $1.5 million in sales annually. [1] In the late 1990s, the Waite Group was the first publisher to bundle access to real teachers with their instructional computer books. [9]
The company was later sold to Simon & Schuster. [10]
Books written by Mitchell Waite include:
The Apple Computer 1 (Apple-1), later known predominantly as the Apple I, is an 8-bit motherboard-only personal computer designed by Steve Wozniak and released by the Apple Computer Company in 1976. The company was initially formed to sell the Apple I – its first product – and would later become the world's largest technology company. The idea of starting a company and selling the computer came from Wozniak's friend and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. One of the main innovations of the Apple I was that it included video display terminal circuitry and a keyboard interface on a single board, allowing it to connect to a low-cost composite video monitor instead of an expensive computer terminal, compared to most existing computers at the time. It was one of the first computers to have such video output, released at about the same time as the Sol-20, which has similar capability.
The Apple II series of microcomputers was initially designed by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer, and launched in 1977 with the Apple II model that gave the series its name. It was followed by the Apple II Plus, Apple IIe, Apple IIc, and Apple IIc Plus, with the 1983 IIe being the most popular. The name is trademarked with square brackets as Apple ][, then, beginning with the IIe, as Apple //. In terms of ease of use, features, and expandability, the Apple II was a major advancement over its predecessor, the Apple I, a limited-production bare circuit board computer for electronics hobbyists.
The Apple III is a business-oriented personal computer produced by Apple Computer and released in 1980. Running the Apple SOS operating system, it was intended as the successor to the Apple II, but was largely considered a failure in the market. It was designed to provide key features business users wanted in a personal computer: a true typewriter-style upper/lowercase keyboard and an 80-column display.
The Apple II is a personal computer released by Apple Inc. in June 1977. It was one of the first successful mass-produced microcomputer products and is widely regarded as one of the most important personal computers of all time due to its role in popularizing home computing and influencing later software development.
NeXT, Inc. was an American technology company headquartered in Redwood City, California that specialized in computer workstations for higher education and business markets, and later developed web software. It was founded in 1985 by CEO Steve Jobs, the Apple Computer co-founder who had been forcibly removed from Apple that year. NeXT debuted with the NeXT Computer in 1988, and released the NeXTcube and smaller NeXTstation in 1990. The series had relatively limited sales, with only about 50,000 total units shipped. Nevertheless, the object-oriented programming and graphical user interface were highly influential trendsetters of computer innovation.
Stephen Wozniak, also known by his nickname "Woz", is an American technology entrepreneur, electrical engineer, computer programmer, philanthropist, and inventor. In 1976, he co-founded Apple Computer with his early business partner Steve Jobs. Through his work at Apple in the 1970s and 1980s, he is widely recognized as one of the most prominent pioneers of the personal computer revolution.
Lisa is a desktop computer developed by Apple, released on January 19, 1983. It is generally considered the first mass-market personal computer operable through a graphical user interface (GUI). In 1983, a machine like the Lisa was still so expensive that it was primarily marketed to individual and small and medium-sized businesses as a groundbreaking new alternative to much bigger and more expensive mainframes or minicomputers such as from IBM, that either require additional, expensive consultancy from the supplier, hiring specially trained personnel, or at least, a much steeper learning curve to maintain and operate. Earlier GUI-controlled personal computers were not mass-marketed; for example, the Xerox Alto was manufactured only for Xerox and select partners through Xerox PARC from the early to mid-1970s.
The Homebrew Computer Club was an early computer hobbyist group in Menlo Park, California, which met from March 1975 to December 1986. The club had an influential role in the development of the microcomputer revolution and the rise of that aspect of the Silicon Valley information technology industrial complex.
Integer BASIC is a BASIC interpreter written by Steve Wozniak for the Apple I and Apple II computers. Originally available on cassette for the Apple I in 1976, then included in ROM on the Apple II from its release in 1977, it was the first version of BASIC used by many early home computer owners.
The Macintosh, later rebranded as the Macintosh 128K, is the original Macintosh personal computer, from Apple. It is the first successful mass-market all-in-one desktop personal computer with a graphical user interface, built-in screen, and mouse. It was pivotal in establishing desktop publishing as a general office function. The motherboard, a 9 in (23 cm) CRT monochrome monitor, and a floppy drive are in a beige case with integrated carrying handle; it has a keyboard and single-button mouse.
Burrell Carver Smith is a retired American computer engineer who created the first wire wrap prototype of the motherboard for the original Macintosh at Apple Computer. He became Apple employee #282 in February 1979 as an Apple II service technician. He designed the motherboard for Apple's LaserWriter.
Armas Clifford "Mike" Markkula Jr. is an American electrical engineer, businessman and investor. He was the original angel investor, first chairman, and second CEO for Apple Computer, Inc., providing critical early funding and managerial support. At the company's incorporation, Markkula owned 26% of Apple, equivalent to each of the shares owned by cofounders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Apple Inc., originally Apple Computer, Inc., is a multinational corporation that creates and markets consumer electronics and attendant computer software, and is a digital distributor of media content. Apple's core product lines are the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet computer, and the Macintosh personal computer. The company offers its products online and has a chain of retail stores known as Apple Stores. Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne created Apple Computer Co. on April 1, 1976, to market Wozniak's Apple I desktop computer, and Jobs and Wozniak incorporated the company on January 3, 1977, in Cupertino, California.
Chris Espinosa is a senior employee of Apple Inc., officially employee number 8. Having joined the company at the age of fourteen in 1976 when it was still housed in Steve Jobs's parents' garage, writing software manuals and coding after school, he is the company's current and all-time longest-serving employee.
The Disk II Floppy Disk Subsystem, often rendered as Disk ][, is a 5 +1⁄4-inch floppy disk drive designed by Steve Wozniak at the recommendation of Mike Markkula, and manufactured by Apple Computer It went on sale in June 1978 at a retail price of US$495 for pre-order; it was later sold for $595 including the controller card and cable. The Disk II was designed specifically for use with the 1977 Apple II personal computer to replace the slower cassette tape storage.
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman, inventor, and investor best known for co-founding the technology company Apple Inc. Jobs was also the founder of NeXT and chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar. He was a pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, along with his early business partner and fellow Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
Robert W. Lafore is a computer programmer, systems analyst and entrepreneur. He coined the term "interactive fiction", and was an early software developer in this field.
Michael James Halvorson is an American technology writer and historian. He was employed at Microsoft Corporation from 1985 to 1993 and contributed to the growth of the Microsoft Office and Microsoft Visual Basic software platforms. He is the author of 40 books related to computer programming, using PC software, and the histories of Europe and the United States.
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