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How The Macintosh Was Made: Interview with Andy Hertzfeld
Andy Hertzfeld started at Apple in August 1979 and was one of the main authors of the Macintosh system software, working on the core operating system and the User Interface toolbox, as well as most of the original desk accessories. He later went on to co-found three companies: Radius (1986), General Magic (1990) and Eazel (1999).
In this interview, we discuss his career and friendship with Steve Jobs, and what it takes to hold a seemingly impossible vision, build a pioneering team capable of achieving it and, most importantly, when and how best to execute.
Newnham: My first question is really about your childhood. I want to know more about how Andy Hertzfeld came to be and what led to the path that you ultimately chose?
Hertzfeld: I always I loved reading. I learned to read in first grade and was a voracious reader my entire life. I also loved math. I had a good talent for math. And I was really lucky because in the 60s it was really hard to access computers but I went to a high school that had a time sharing terminal — a time sharing General Electric computer about ten miles away. And I took a programming class when I was in 10th grade and was totally smitten with computers. I quickly used up the entire budget for the computer class, and had to invent applications to convince them that they…
