But the tone of this message from his peers and the fact that this man kept working and contributing to open source (and software in general) until the end is deserving of more than 0 comments on hn.
My condolences to the family, friends and best of luck to the rest of the team that is working on (t)his framework.
RiP Mr Joe Mancuso.
No mention of the software work, but he sounds like a pretty upstanding guy and a huge loss to his family and community.
So easy to forget
I've always felt like the code I write is a piece of myself; a monument to leave behind for others to admire and interact with once I'm gone.
For me, software development creates an unmatched feeling of alignment. The idea that you could be dead and still share this feeling of alignment with others from beyond the grave is uplifting.
I suppose some people could say similar things about artworks, films or books. For some people, it's code.
Many people appreciate beautiful art, films, books, buildings even; but few people appreciate beautiful code. I think it's partly because most people have never seen beautiful code and partly because beautiful code doesn't pay the bills when maintenance work is billed by the hour... Probably why it's rare to begin with; though generally, open source provides a refuge from this by removing (or reducing) the financial incentive.
I think there's a a bit more of fundamental difference. For art, film, and books, the output isn't really intended to be functional as much as aesthetic. Buildings do also have function, but they're also visually striking even to those who aren't architects. Software usually has some functional goal beyond just aesthetics, which for most people makes the code a means to an end rather than the end itself. Most people generally don't spend a lot of time appreciating the individual pigments of a painting or the engineering behind making the skeleton of the building that ensures it stands up either.
Reminds me that life is short. We should all be thankful and make the most of what we have.
Morbid humor is underrated. RIP Joe.
RIP, Joe
