Original text from SunWorld, February 1996 by Michael McCarthy and Mark Cappel. This was such a bad idea that in the very same issue it was announced a potential Sun/Apple deal had fallen through. CHM Sun Microsystems Founders Panel in which they discuss close encounters with acquiring Apple. I’m glad Sun didn’t buy Apple because by the turn of the…

A short story about long cables. Original text by Steve Riggins. Macworld San Francisco 1999: Steve Jobs pokes fun at legacy parallel SCSI-1 versus FireWire.By Derek

Scott McNealy stands as a prominent figure in the tech industry, celebrated for his role as the co-founder and former CEO of Sun Microsystems. Established in 1982, Sun Microsystems quickly rose to prominence in Silicon Valley, renowned for its groundbreaking computer hardware, software, and network computing solutions. Its transformative contributi…

Brian Smith is the innovative entrepreneur behind UGG, the iconic footwear brand known for its luxurious sheepskin boots. Originally from Australia, Brian founded UGG in 1978, aiming to bring the relaxed Australian lifestyle to the United States. His vision and determination transformed UGG from a small business into a global sensation, beloved for…

Ashley Tisdale rose to fame as an actress, singer, and producer. She gained prominence with her role as Sharpay Evans in Disney Channel's "High School Musical" franchise and as Maddie Fitzpatrick in "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody." Ashley’s versatile talents extended into music, where she released three studio albums, showcasing her pop sensibiliti…

In Bolo’s world, players form alliances, pilot tanks and command little green men. Original text by Steve Silberman. GlobalTalk Overview, or how to run AppleTalk over TCP/IP around the world. Gursharan Sidhu quote at the end of this episode: “It worked across very large multi-segment networks… Apple’s own corporate network [for example]. You could …

Curt Jones is the innovative mind behind Dippin' Dots, a revolutionary frozen treat that has captured the imagination of dessert lovers worldwide. As the founder and inventor, Curt pioneered a unique flash-freezing process in 1987, transforming ordinary ice cream into tiny, flavorful beads. This innovative approach not only created a delightful new…

Col Needham is the visionary founder and CEO of IMDb, the world's most comprehensive and trusted source for movie, TV, and celebrity content. With a passion for film and an unwavering commitment to providing invaluable information to movie enthusiasts worldwide, Col has played a pivotal role in shaping IMDb into the go-to platform for entertainment…

Original text by Henry Bortman. Be’s roller coaster ride from 1990-1998: the 1995 O.J. Simpson trial, Commodore’s Irving Gould, a thirty-mile hike to the sea, headhunting disgruntled Apple employees, and what to do when Apple says you’re not allowed to exhibit at WWDC 1996. Pictures of an AT&T Hobbit BeBox motherboard from ex-Be-er Jean-Baptiste Qu…

Stephen Kaufer is the co-founder and former CEO of Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform which helps hundreds of millions of people each month become better travelers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Before that, Steve was President of CDS, Inc., a successful independent software vendor specializing in programming and…

Original text by Henry Bortman and Jeff Pittelkau, MacUser, January 1997. How does BeOS measure up to System 7.5, and could it have become the next-generation Mac OS? The authors examine why Copland would not have been the crashproof operating system we had all hoped for. Official BeOS demo video from … I’ll have to guess 1998, the year the x86 por…

Jonathan Neman is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sweetgreen, the mission-driven restaurant brand that serves healthy food at scale. Jonathan and his co-founders and fellow Georgetown classmates Nathaniel Ru and Nicolas Jammet started Sweetgreen in 2007, opening their first location in Georgetown, DC, just three months out of college. The trio were disappo…

Giada De Laurentiis is the Emmy award-winning television personality of Food Network’s Everyday Italian, Giada at Home, Giada’s Weekend Getaways, Giada In Paradise, Giada In Italy, Giada’s Holiday Handbook, Giada Entertains, Giada On The Beach, a judge on Food Network Star and Winner Cake All, a NBC Today Show contributor, and a successful restaura…

Nick Green is Co-Founder & CEO of Thrive Market, a membership-based online platform that makes healthy living easy and accessible to all. Since launching in 2014, Thrive Market has grown to 1.3 million paying members and become a touchstone example of a mission-driven company at scale. In addition to offering the world’s best natural and organic pr…

Original text by Dave Mark, MacTech, January 1997. Bryan Cantrill on interviewing at Be, Inc. (perhaps with Dominic Giampolo?) and inadvertently buying a VFS architecture at the Be bankruptcy auction. Apple wouldn’t have gone OS shopping if Copland had worked out. CodeWarrior for BeOS was a thing. Naturally, IBM made the most use of their System Ob…

Welcome to a riveting episode of The Founder Hour, where we explore the captivating journey of Seamus Blackley, the ingenious mind behind the creation of Xbox. Seamus takes us on a compelling odyssey through his personal story and entrepreneurial ventures. From his fascination with physics to an impactful career in video games, including a stint wo…

Original text by David Pogue, Macworld December 1994. Watch the CD3 compact disc storage and retrieval box in action. Photos of the salami-like CD3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The product lasted into the 2000s and the companion DiscGear website is still up, featuring no less than three CD3-like units on its front page. Decorate your classic Mac desktop: Holida…

In this episode, we sit down with the visionary entrepreneur Chuck Templeton, the mastermind behind OpenTable. From his humble beginnings to revolutionizing the restaurant industry with OpenTable, Chuck's journey is a tale of innovation and determination. Tune in as we explore his inspiring story, discussing the challenges he overcame, the lessons …

Our guest today is Isaac Larian, the visionary founder of MGA Entertainment. MGA is home to some of the biggest brands in the toy space, including Bratz, Little Tikes, L.O.L. Surprise!, MGA’s Miniverse, and more. Join us as we embark on a journey through the fascinating life and entrepreneurial saga of a man who has not only shaped the toy industry…

Simplicity, sophistication, oversimplification, and At Ease. I rant about the usability of modern Apple software, Steven Levy rants about the complexity of the Mac and the oversimplified environment provided by At Ease, and Josef Morell rants about the damage At Ease does to first impressions of the Macintosh in retail channels. Original text by St…

Original text by Erfert Fenton, Macworld September 1991. Roger Heinen “engineers are a dime a dozen” story from episode 40 of the Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs Podcast. Engineer interviews from “Apple of the Future”, preserved and uploaded by The Byte Cellar. Apple campus decor in the 1980s was pretty ugly, though less so in the cube farm…

Howard Marks is the co-founder of StartEngine, one of the leading equity crowdfunding platforms in the U.S., where everyday people can find and invest in early-growth companies and startups, as well as a variety of alternative assets and collectibles. StartEngine has helped more than 750 companies raise over $700 million. Before co-founding StartEn…

Welcome to The Founder Hour, where we uncover the stories behind the world's most remarkable entrepreneurs. In this episode, we have the distinct honor of sitting down with a true pioneer of conscious business, John Mackey, the visionary founder of Whole Foods Market. Imagine a time when the term "organic" wasn't part of our daily lexicon, and heal…

Original text by Deke McClelland, Macworld February 1994. RayDream Designer and Infini-D merged into a new product called Carrara, which is still marketed by Daz3D. It must still be Carbon under the hood since it only runs on macOS 10.14 and earlier. 27 years is a pretty good life for a personal computer software product. StrataVision 3D evolved in…

Welcome to another exciting episode of "The Founder Hour," the podcast where we dive deep into the stories and experiences of some of the most inspiring entrepreneurs and visionaries of our time. Today, we are thrilled to bring you a conversation with a true pioneer in the world of specialty coffee – the one and only James Freeman, the brilliant mi…