Windows for the rest of us
By Margie Wylie
Staff Writer, CNET NEWS.COM

It's really too bad that such a nice guy should be labeled a traitor. You see, Macintosh fanatics just can't understand how Steve Capps, inventor of the Mac's Finder, Betsy Ross to the original Macintosh pirate's crew, and former Apple Fellow, could work for Microsoft. But Capps just couldn't resist the challenge of trying to give Windows the soul it never had.

If you've never heard of Capps, it's no surprise. In the desert of Silicon Valley egos, the 41-year-old software engineer is a refreshing oasis of humility. Capps worked on Apple's first computer, the Lisa, and co-authored the original Macintosh Finder, the iconic interface that lets you "find" your way around the computer. He also led the team that created the Newton, Apple's technologically dazzling, though commercially disappointing, handheld computer.

All that's in the past. Now he's designing the Web experience for Microsoft's much vaunted "active desktop," the project that will integrate Web browsing with the Windows OS. If Microsoft has its way, Capps will influence how all Windows users see the Web. And why not? There doesn't seem to be anything Capps can't do, inventing toys, restoring antique electronics scrounged from thrift shops, and even the unthinkable: leaving Apple.

NEWS.COM interviewed Capps in his San Carlos home where we talked about his departure and how he's going to make Windows for the rest of us.

NEWS.COM: Why did you leave Apple?
Capps: I left Apple basically because I wanted to do something on the Web. As near as I could tell, the two major players for user interfaces, which is my main interest, are Netscape and Microsoft. It just seemed like there was an opportunity to get involved helping to define the user interface for the Web. I thought it was a neat opportunity, so I took it.

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