Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Fortune
Fortune
Dave Smith

Bill Atkinson won the respect of Steve Jobs by creating a high-level programming language in just 6 days

(Credit: Michel Baret / Gamma-Rapho—Getty Images)
  • Bill Atkinson died on June 5 after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 74. Atkinson was one of the earliest Apple employees, responsible for key Mac software and its graphical user interfaces. But he ultimately won the respect of his boss, Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, by creating a version of a high-level programming language for the Apple II computer in just six days.

Bill Atkinson, who worked at Apple from 1978—two years after its founding—to 1990, died on June 5 after battling pancreatic cancer, his family wrote on Facebook. He was 74.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.