Steve Jobs sadly spun off this mortal coil today and although I had expected this for a while now, I was shocked by how much the news of his death actually affected me.

But looking back on the man that people so often (and rightly) reviled, I look back on him and his impact on my life fondly.

Ever since I got my hands on a Commodore 64, I’ve loooooooved computers.  Typing away for hours, writing programs from books then accidentally turning off the power and having to start all over again (well, that’s how I learned to touch type) – ah, those were the days peeking and poking things.  But even then it was due to the AppleII that the Commodore 64 existed and the indirect reason that I got into programming at 12 years old.

I own more Apple computers than I am comfortable admitting, and I rarely regret an Apple purchase (expect that damn 17″ MacBookPro that I returned 5 times).  Steve Jobs helped bring us Pixar and arguably most of the current mobile device landscape.  This man for better or worse has been one of the most influential figures in my life and has helped shape some of my thinking.  I’ll miss the man, if only the idea of the man and I’m simply glad he graced us at all.