There are those of us who see collaboration as orthogonal to innovation and thus don't put any effort into it. Fortunately, there's a good mix of talent and dispositions out there to make up for it.
> Imagine where windowing systems could be if his brilliant work, API thoughts, and insights weren't delivered with insults, arrogance and vitriol.
Imagine a world where everyone is the same and has the same set of values. That may seem like paradise to some, but it sounds like doom to me.
> At the end it is sad that he was proud of being right
He was proud that he didn't compromise, even though that would've been easier, and no one would've faulted him for it.
Working hard to build great stuff and arguing/fighting for what is right can be forceful without being debasing, divisive, or insulting.
Imagine where windowing systems could be if his brilliant work, API thoughts, and insights weren't delivered with insults, arrogance and vitriol.
At the end it is sad that he was proud of being right even though he was an _hole (his word). It could have been that he was right and his best ideas were in common use.