A single human, who surprisingly changed the world in a way that most appreciate and respect. He created rather than destroyed. He innovated and brought new insights where others followed and tried to regurgitate and understand.

Many don't even know who Steve Jobs is. Most, I feel, do. That doesn't lessen his impact, or make it greater.

I remember getting my first computer--an Apple ][+. The decision to use a 6502 rather than an 8080 was significant back then, even though most people thought it was trivial. It was a friendly machine to program.

The Apples I owned morphed into various incarnations up to the Apple //c. It, again, was ahead of its time. A laptop/notebook wannabe with a handle. It was a friendly machine to program.

Then there was the Mac--my first was the 512. This was something truly revolutionary. Small, graphical, it talked. This took some relearning and a mindshift, but it was still friendly to program.

I never got the gumdrop iMac. I'm not sure why.

Then came the Newton MessagePad--I had several. No these weren't really Steve, but they had the mark of Steve all over them. Innovative, small (for then), and friendly to program. People claim this was not a Steve product, but it smelt and smells of Steve even now. No file system? Steve. And the MessagePad was easy to program, although you had to do a mind shift.

iPods, I've had many. This is where the "common man" "got" Apple.

MacPros, miniMacs, MacBookPros, ...Airs... melded with iPhones. iPhones. iPhones. It was just a few years ago (relatively speaking) when people had portable phones the size of a large lunchbox. Flip-phones such as the SLVR were "it". And then Steve made it "just work".

I had a problem shifting from the System 7 era to the OS X/iOS era, but I took the plunge. After I had the mindshift, OSX and iOS were easier and more friendly to program.

Star Trek...Steve obviously took and improved on the PADD concept. Even the name iPad harkens back to the origins. But he did it better. He took the future (fictional as it was) and made it real--and better.

A visionary deals in what might be and dreams of the future. Steve wasn't a visionary. He actually changed what was and became. He taught me (and I'm still learning painful lessons) that it should "just work." People shouldn't have to make things work--they just should. "Work", Steve understood that things should, people shouldn't. He made it happen.

I once joked that Steve had access to alien technology. He didn't. He just had a marvelous way of seeing the potential of technology and making it happen. He didn't rely on consensus. He knew what he wanted, and tried to make it happen. I'm certain he tried and failed more often than we have heard. Success encompasses all the attempts and failures. Success! Bam! He had it--but he worked for it.

"One more thing" became expected and somewhat of a joke. But "one more thing" seems to have been more of a philosophy than a catchphrase with Steve. It's obvious he tried to push the boundaries to include "one more thing". Something unexpected yet expected, and better.

Steve didn't appear to pander to the masses. He understood them well enough to give them what they needed--not necessarily what they wanted. His/Apple's marketing was unconventional. It was human-oriented, not product.

Passion. Emotion. Totally human, and totally Steve. No, I never met Steve in person, but I've sat through a couple of live keynotes. It was obvious he cared, and was proud of what his employees had achieved and created. That's more than many companies can claim. Charisma? People have it. Steve really didn't. But what people think is charisma with him was really just caring, passion for the product and company, and for what his people and company could achieve.

Did Steve improve the world or make it better? That's hard to say. He made lives easier. He made technology that worked and made tasks easier. He made things that "just worked". You didn't have to work through the technology to use it. Is this a good thing? That's up to the individual; but I'm willing to bet he made everyone's lives more interesting if not a lot simpler and more straight-forward. Doing rather than trying to get approval--that's how Apple technology works. An interesting metaphor. I'll let you decide whether Apple and Steve made your life better.

I have worked and used many different computer systems. More than I want to remember. There are only two that I deem worth my time and effort. Apple is in that list. Why? Because Apple products tend to do and work the way I want them to work, rather than working the way they want me to work. That's significant. "They just work." No, I'm not lazy. But why do extra work to do something simple? Apple products and Steve's imperative makes me more productive and creative--even when creating new software.

So, what comes after Steve? The "Dark Ages" after the "Enlightenment"? Inertia. Apple will continue to innovate until and as long as Steve's influence is felt. It's hard to get the Titanic to change course. But even the Titanic will eventually change course. I hope its to the correct course.

Steve Jobs is gone. He has a legacy. He has steered my personal life here. He has given me things to enjoy and ponder. I thank him for that. It's a wonderous thing when someone makes you think and question the obvious, rather than react.

The best tribute I can give Steve is that "Steve Jobs just worked."