Comment from E-mail:
Hello Mr. Wozniak it's an honor to write a message to you. I'm an italian Mac user, and I'm reading a book about the story of Apple computer (Infinite Loop by Michael S. Malone). It seems that this Steve Jobs has ever been a problem for the Mac development and I'm doubtful about his projects about this new Apple's gold era. Will it ends as usual, that after a period of wellness Apple will fall again in disgrace or this time Steve Jobs has really get the right direction on which to bring Apple and its fellows believers? Please tell me wat do you think about it.
Woz:
I think that as long as Steve keeps Apple running tightly and profitable, all will be well. The newest products are innovative and exciting and no other company is doing as much to make new changes. So I'm optimistic. Even any foreseeable downturns would be very slight. Apple has 4 clear product areas now (consumer laptop, consumer tower, professional laptop, professional tower) and isn't as subject to customer fears as when there was only one product with a lot of unclear variations. Also, there's a lot of positive advances to come. We have more room to grow than Wintel. Obviously the financial community agrees with all of this, as the stock price is by far at it's highest ever.

Comment from E-mail:
I just installed IBM's Via Voice and when I went to run it, it told me to adjust the Virtual Memory setting. Only trouble is that when I opened the Memory control panel, Virtual memory was nowhere to be seen. What happened to it? It used to be there!
Woz:
Ouch, aren't computers nice?

You should try quicker fixes first. Some standard ones for the Macintosh are to rebuild the desktop, reset the PRAM, and trash the Finder Prefs file. You should find how to do these things in the troubleshooting book that came with your computer, or in the Help menu.

If those don't work, you might reinstall the OS, or even buy and install a more recent OS. This takes very little time and no thinking and can fix some things.

The worst thing is that sometimes system files get corrupted. You can perform a "Clean Install" to create a new System Folder. It should work properly, but won't have all the system pieces left over from other programs that you installed. You either have to reinstall these pieces or move them over (which requires some experience) from the prior System Folder, which is saved when you do a Clean Install on a Macintosh. This is a somewhat painful step but it virtually always works.

The worst case of all might be if you have some 3rd party software that disables Virtual Memory. For example, RAM Doubler might do this, as it supplies an alternate method of Virtual Memory. I'm not sure what Via Voice says about this.

Good luck. Computers don't always work the way they should. But nothing with wires does all the time.

Comment from E-mail:
Are WozCam and ValleyCam in different time zones? It is Sunday morning 10:03 in Harrisburg, PA and WozCam says it's 7:12:33 and ValleyCam says it's 8:10:34.
Woz:
Excellent of you to note this. I'll check on it when I get time and am in the office where both cams are.

Comment from E-mail:
I ASSUME that WozCam and ValleyCam are both in California.?
Woz:
Yes.

Comment from E-mail:
The other Cams Took too long to load so I couldn't check them.
Woz:
The ClassCam is down and the ArcadeCam may not be functioning (the server may need a kick, I haven't checked on it in months).

Comment from E-mail:
Interesting site, as I often wondered what happened to the other Steve. Got here through reading a Motley Fool newletter.

Used to have an Apple II Plus, gave it away 5 years ago to my neighbors kids. Still have a Mac 512ke, with Dove 2 Meg upgrade, although I seldom use it I have it up and connected to a Roland Electric piano and keep thinking I'll really get into "Practica Musica" with it now as one of my retirement activities.

Although I've been into PC support since 1986, and have 3 PC clones at home now thinking of getting an iMac. Probably the plain vanilla, er blueberry model.
Woz:
It's hard to find anyone that regretted such a move.

Comment from E-mail:
Do you agreee with me (and all the other Apple loyalists, for that matter) that Windows (and Microsoft, and anything connected to Microsoft, and/or Bill Gates) absolutely blows? I think that Wintel should (must?) be stopped before they take over the world, and I think that you creation will be very important in reaching that goal. Please respond with your comments on the matter. Josh, 13.
Woz:
I think that the anti-Microsoft sentiment is simply due to their having been so successful selling a lot of crap. They have done some good things though, even for the Macintosh. But they are a company that has been as bad a guy as any monopoly could be, not a good guy. I don't trust them with the future in their current form.

Then again, you can sense that Apple's recent Operating Systems favor Microsoft (browser, email) over Netscape and AOL. AOL has even been left out of Apple's AirPort Base Station and out of the most recent version of MacOS that ships with Macintosh computers. This just catches my attention. Why leave AOL totally out of the System CD's? The Apple-Microsoft connection might be stronger than we think.

To be honest, I trust AOL even less than Microsoft, due to the worst support imaginable from them and due to atrocious acts on their part like disconnecting accounts, including ones that were in no way misused, and giving no simple remedy. They also disconnected a lot of accounts over the years and notified the account user (students), but not the billed party (myself). So they didn't notify the person who could give them the new credit card expiration date. Also, it took me almost a year to break down my accounts so that I could see how much each one was being paid, user by user, and they never did give me the usage time per user. So I couldn't even find out whom that I was paying for accounts were actually using them. I'm sorry, but my rage against AOL is much stronger than against Microsoft.

Comment from E-mail:
I finished reading Michael Malone's book "Infinite Loop" and having never read anything on the history of Apple before this book am really astonished at your accomplishments. I'm sure you've heard this before so I'm not going to repeat the many things you've done for computers. The question I have is do you think Michael Malone's representation of you is accurate? I know you are a nice guy and have done wonderful things for children at schools, but Malone made you out as an overgrown child that couldn't think on his own. I thought that it was a little false when I read it. Any comments on this would be greatly appreciated.
Woz:
I get the many Apple books confused but I believe that this is one that was totally shortsighted and wrong about me and my contributions. It seemed to have been written from a lack of first hand info in these areas, so what do you expect? Most of the Apple books are this way. I just don't often read them. They are also pretty boring to me.

I wasn't even going to watch "Pirates of Silicon Valley" for this reason, expecting the same early day inaccuracies, but I saw the movie by accident when my wife wanted to see it. Hey, you know that any story you read is very wrong if it doesn't bring me out as a fun loving and excited engineer impressing people with my designs, and choosing to design what I dreamed up myself.