Bill Atkinson, the Apple Computer designer instrumental in creating the graphical user interfaces that made the Lisa and Macintosh computers accessible to millions, has died. He was 74. His family confirmed the cause as pancreatic cancer in a Facebook post. He had a close relationship with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs during the early 1980s when they worked on the Macintosh. Apple CEO Tim Cook has extended his condolences with a post on X (formerly Twitter).“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Atkinson. He was a true visionary whose creativity, heart, and groundbreaking work on the Mac will forever inspire us. Our thoughts are with his loved ones,” Cook said in a post.
Bill Atkinson: The brain behind QuickDraw and HyperCard project
Atkinson was the programmer behind QuickDraw, a foundational software layer for both the Lisa and Macintosh computers. This library of small programmes efficiently displayed shapes, text and images on screen. Embedded in the computers’ hardware, QuickDraw provided the distinctive graphical interface that presented a simulated “desktop” with icons for folders, files, and applications.Atkinson is widely credited with inventing key elements of graphical computing, including “pull-down” menus and the “double-click” gesture, which allowed users to open files and applications simply by clicking a mouse button twice.Before the Macintosh debuted in January 1984, most personal computers were text-based, requiring users to type complex commands. Graphics were not an integrated function, and mouse pointing devices were not common.QuickDraw was initially developed for Apple’s Lisa computer, launched in January 1983. Though the Lisa offered early easy-to-use features for business users, its high price of $10,000 (nearly $33,000 today) led to its commercial failure.QuickDraw soon became the basis for the Macintosh’s successful graphical interface. This approach to computing originated from the “Dynabook” project led by computer scientist Alan Kay at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970s. In 1979, Xerox provided Jobs and a small team, including Atkinson, a private demonstration of Kay’s work. Since they could not examine the software code, the Apple engineers made assumptions about the technology, leading to fundamental technical advancements and new capabilities.After the Macintosh’s release, Atkinson conceived HyperCard, a programme that wove together text, images and video in a simple database. This software became a significant precursor to the World Wide Web.
Atkinson was convinced by Jobs to become 51st team member of Apple
Atkinson was pursuing a Ph.D. in neurobiology at the University of Washington when Jobs convinced him to become Apple’s 51st employee. Their relationship was close during the early 1980s as they worked on the Macintosh. However, when Jobs was forced out of Apple in 1985 to found Next, Atkinson declined to leave, citing his commitment to the HyperCard project.