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Still, you're surprised to see an Apple founder on a list of networking people. Well, consider this: Apple was the first company to bundle networking with its computers. Furthermore, AppleTalk is still the easiest method of file and print sharing for casual computer users.

To this day, however, Apple's integration with other networking systems and services is limited. Embracing standards has never been Apple's strong suit, and that's certainly true of network connectivity. While Mac OS X ("X" for 10), Apple's next-generation operating system, integrates well into Unix environments, it still offers little connectivity to Microsoft Windows, Novell NetWare and other operating systems.

As chairman and CEO of Apple Computer, Jobs tended to the company and its employees like an overbearing father. He inspired creativity, yet micromanaged with a vengeance. Some thought him a visionary, while others resented his perfectionist drive. In general, Jobs was too focused on the Apple religion and not enough on business success.

Enter John Sculley, president of PepsiCo at the time, whom Jobs courted to bring business savvy to Apple. His challenge to Sculley is legendary: "Do you want to sell sugar water the rest of your life?"

Determined to run Apple like a "grown-up" company, Sculley began reining in lavish spending, cutting research and parties alike. He and Jobs were often at odds, and shortly after Jobs helped launch the Macintosh, he was urged to leave the company.

Jobs, dissatisfied with his inability to innovate (and control) at Apple, turned his attention elsewhere and founded NeXT Computer. His new vision was of an operating system that would be both object-oriented and easily programmed.

Unfortunately, the market--particularly developers--never took to the NeXT platform; it became the computer of choice for a narrow variety of scientific applications only.

Yet there was no doubt that NeXT machines and the NeXTStep operating system were capable of great things--one of the more notable projects initiated on NeXTStep was the first HTTP server. Object-oriented programming, meanwhile, seemed like a great idea, but few took advantage of it.

In 1996, Jobs returned to Apple with great fanfare--and the company finally turned the corner back to profitability. Jobs, currently the CEO of Apple, managed the buyout of the remaining NeXT holdings and integrated those technologies into Apple's Rhapsody project, now marketed as Mac OS X Server and WebObjects. Today, Apple is progressing toward an operating system with roots in the Unix world, while retaining the interface elegance of the traditional Mac OS.

What lies ahead? Apple has always gone off in its own direction, so it's unlikely to penetrate the offices, homes and minds of most users. While the company continues to push the envelope in the area of GUI design and ease of use, Apple's products still don't fit the pattern required to make the grade in corporate America's IT shops. Attribute all this, if you will, to Jobs' vision of the Macintosh: It's for people who "Think Different."