Years ago, he paid for a site license for one of my small shareware projects when he only needed a single copy. I was so happy. I heart woz.

Woz's coolness and enthusiasm knows no bounds - and he is probably a bit more relaxed about it now that the other Steve won't be going nuts about it :)

( I remember not so long ago Woz said something good about Android and then retracted afterwards! )

Woz is a real technologist. He loves hardware and software. I really admire him.

Once again, I must post the link to Jessica Livingston's full, extraordinary interview of Steve Wozniak. In case someone has not yet grokked it.

http://www.foundersatwork.com/steve-wozniak.html

Love that interview, especially his brilliant hack to create color.

Small nitpick: I believe you're misusing the word "grok".

It's a shame that so few of the big figures in tech really exude passion and enthusiasm (like the other other Steve also did).

I hope that some day I can be as great a man as Woz. Everything I read about him just leaves me with a grin a mile wide.

It is a little ironic that Steve had camped outside a store and was basically ignored by Apple to buy an iPhone 4S and was captured by a legion of Google admirers when trying to buy a Galaxy Nexus. People of Apple, this is Woz. Atleast let the man go in and take a picture, for gods sake.

I remember hearing him say in an interview, if he wanted the device early Apple would've gave it to him, but he wanted to queue up at an Apple store on launch day because it was more exciting that way.

I think he prefers it that way. Plus, it gives people the chance to interact with him in the lines.

I don't think he was ignored by Apple, I think he does that more to rally the fans. He said he did not have to wait in line to get the phone.

As far as the story goes he likes to stop by on the launching queues

I think Woz might actually be Santa Claus.

He must have a stack of phones and tablets a mile high in his backyard.

guys this is basically a useless comment but I really admire Woz. In the hope that he might stop by this thread (don't know if he reads hacker news or not), I just wanted to say "thanks for everything!", I really like the guy!

Now, it would be really cool if he wrote a review of Android ICS from his point of view...

I would PAY Verizon to take my money and sell me a Nexus. Come on!

how & why does this make the front page?

Mostly because of Apple's (or let's say Steve Jobs') attitude of "Android is crap, they stole everything from us, they are scum and need to be exterminated". Many Apple "fans" also have the same attitude. So it is great to see a man who founded the company just go over there to check out the latest phone they have done, knowing that technological progress is never coming from just one company.

Because it's Woz. This is Hacker News an Woz is the überhacker.