Communicating freely
Thoughts on how we can all talk a little easier, and how that can make life better.
One of our own has fallen
Today there was an email that I didn’t want to read. The subject said “To friends of Richard Rauch.” I sighed, and opened the message. Rob, Richard’s brother, had written “I have some very bad news: Richard was riding his bicycle when he was hit by a drunk driver; he eventually died from his injuries.”
What a sad moment. Not just for Richard’s family, but for the Free Software community. Richard Rauch was a contributor to NetBSD, and gave a great deal to many people who will never even know his name. He had worked for years to make NetBSD better, and in doing so I believe he has left an important legacy. He is part of the larger Free Software world.
Free Software is a big community. In every corner of the globe people start computers every day, and they use our work. Maybe it’s GPL software, maybe it’s BSD software (like what Richard worked on). Maybe it’s MPL. Maybe it’s something else. But it’s out there. What a wonderful accomplishment this is. It’s something quite unheard of. People like Richard have united in a fantastic mission to bring technology to everyone.
The very thought that someone can have a computer with software as good (or better) than commercial products without any restrictions is breath-taking.
Yes, we are doing so well. But Richard is dead. As many of us as there are, the loss of Richard has upset me. He was a pillar in his particular FOSS community. He will surely be missed.