Breakout for Atari! I used to love that game.

Comment from E-mail

Hello, I am hoping to contact Mr. Steve Wozniak. I have become interested in the history of personal computers over the last year. Did you see the TV movie PIRATES of Silicon Valley? After seeing that show, I read the book Infinite Loop, which is all about the evolution of Apple computer- very interesting story! Good thing for Steve Jobs that there was and is the WOZ! Are you interested in DVDs? Computer games? The game everyone is holding their breath for now is Quake3- Arena. The 3D videocard accelerators on the market these days are awesome. I currently have a Matrox G400 Max running on a P3-450 machine. I will probably buy an Intel Coppermine 667 next year- he he, it is the only 1990`s processor that has not ended in 0 or 6.My favorite DVD is the DTS version of Saving Private Ryan.Anyway, I was hoping that you might be an E-mail/chat pal!Please E me back! You invented super breakout for Atari! I used to love that game.The classic 1980s game I still like is Centipede.

Woz

Hi, this is Woz.

I’m interested in almost everything fun and technical, especially entertainment things like DVD’s. I don’t have time for all the great computer games but I have sons and I get to see them all. I play a few but I play those few for years and years. I’m hooked on Snood and Spades Deluxe right now. Occasionally I play Solitaire. I play a lot of Tetris on Gameboy and I play very well.

I’m glad to hear that you have such extremely good computer equipment. It’s amazing how much a good graphics accelerator can add.

It’s best not to get in a lot of email with me. Thousands have the idea. I get 200 emails or more a day and am totally consumed by it and I miss out on family time even. But I do like hearing about what people out there are doing and how they feel.

Why did you leave?

Question from E-mail

Hi, I watched the TNT movie, The Pirates of Silicon Valley and I was wondering if you quit your job at Apple because of Steve’s behavior during his “leadership” time at Apple, and also what computer were you designing just before you quit?

Woz

I never quit. I just left the direct site to develop a remote control on my own. There was a lot of mistaken publicity along the lines that I left because of things that I didn’t like there and it’s totally wrong.

I Never Left Apple

Question from E-mail

I’m not sure what your current relationship is to Apple Corporation, if any? I read a comment you made: “I only served at the bottom of Apple’s org chart all these years.”

Did you ever leave Apple? If so, why? I assume you’re still a large stock-holder either way?

Woz

I never left Apple’s official employee list, but I left direct work inside on a few occasions. After a plane crash, I took a year off to finish college and then sponsored a couple of rock concerts. I came back to Apple and worked as an engineer. Eventually I wanted the fun of the early days and left to create a universal remote control. But I always sort of represent Apple when I make appearances or give interviews.

I’m Glad You Didn’t Know

Comment from E-mail

Thank you so much for replying to my first email! I wanted to ask you if you have seen the movie Pirates of Silicone Valley. If so I am wondering what was the best part of the movie for you? And was there anything untrue in the movie that you would like too bring to my attention? Did Jobs really let people throw food at each other like what was shown in the bar scene of the movie were you quit Apple. Jobs was portrayed too have a rather strong personality and seemed to step on people. Well I’ve bothered you enough and, can’t wait to tell my family that I had the opportunity to speak with you. I am glad you didn’t know what your invention was going to turn into because then I would probably not be able to write you tonight….lol thanks for everything.

Woz

The personal drives portrayed in the movie were amazingly accurate. So were the key personalities, but not some others. The incidents themselves were all a best try to represent events that really occurred but they often happened much differently or at different times or with different people.

I never quit Apple. That suggestion was based on an incorrect Wall Street Journal that said I was leaving Apple because I didn’t like things there. Actually, I had told the Wall Street Journal writer that I wasn’t leaving Apple because of things that I didn’t like and that I wasn’t even leaving, keeping my small salary forever as a loyal employee. I just wanted a small startup experience and a chance to design a smaller product again, a universal remote control.

Did Steve Get Along with…

Question from E-mail

In the Pirates of Silicon Valley it appeared that Mike and Steve didnt get along too well…. What was their relationship in real life like??? Same question for Steve and John Sculley.

Woz

Mike and Steve got along very well, up until Steve was demoted and the board, including Mike, supported John Sculley. They conversed well and shared similar and constructive thoughts about ways to change the world and to do important things. Mike was the portrayed in the movie in a very inaccurate and unfair way, making it look like he was financially shrewd. Actually, he was intellectually open and contributing and, more than anyone else, he ran and structured the company in the early days, while Steve floated around getting his feet wet at running a company and learning to be a top executive. John Sculley was like Mike in the sense that Steve saw him open to great thoughts, although not as astute in our business. But John was largely Steve’s shadow in areas of where we should go with products. Eventually, John was more concerned with the total company operation and keeping things going while Steve wanted to keep advancing on the future, company and profits or not, in his own internally conceived directions. Actually, John Sculley promoted technologies like AppleTalk and PowerTalk and QuickTime and PlainTalk and the Newton. He was very supportive of the rare technical geniuses in the company. He was not just a “marketeer” who dressed things up in colors. Any downfalls in the company that weren’t coincidence were probably due more to his marketing mishaps (like not licensing the Macintosh technology in early days) than to hardware ones. This is only my opinion and is based largely on only a few indirect contacts.

A comment from a school

Comment from E-mail

Hello My name is Phil Grace, I am the tech cooridinator at Heber Springs public schools in Heber Springs, AR. For years our school has been a windows only school that’s how it was when I came here 2 yrs ago. I was also a windows only user for years as well until we had virus problems in our business labs that shut them down for about 2 weeks. During that time I was just fed up with windows so I started to look and investigate alternitive os options mainly Linux. I really enjoyed Linux it is a very good system but the desktop isn’t there yet. It’s not that user friendly and the mainstream software isn’t available. So I moved on in my quest and while doing some research I found out that there hasn’t been a virus created for OS X. This really intriged me and I wanted to find out more about Apple. So after seeing the machines that Apple is building, and getting a chance to try one it was love at first sight. I had seen the light of the tech world, this wasn’t just a temporary fix like anti-virus software, or windows patches, this was the solution. As soon as I got the chance I started moving in the Apple direction for our district. We do have a ways to go but so far about half of the library now has Mac Minis, one of our business labs that specializes in multimedia is all mac, the new server that serves our whole district is now an xserve, we have a mobile lab with iBooks, and I am typing this on an iMac G5 right now. The students are really getting into Macs and iLife, teachers are really enjoying it to. Woz thank you for the contribution that you made to the world of technology, the world needs a company and computer like Apple. Phil Grace Technology Cooridnator Heber Springs School District