Just stumbled across this: Eulogy to _why For me, _why is/was a key Ruby figure, a legend one could say. Even tough I couldn't read his texts (too crazy for me ^_^) I've used more than one of projects. Then... suddenly he removes himself from the internet and everyone (including me) is thoroughly bewildered/sentimental. Thoughts?

I found _why when I started learning Ruby. His style was ... eccentric ... to say the least. But intriguing. And fun. And hot damn, he was a fantastic hacker. His stuff on github is awesome. His ramblings are hilarious, and his exploration of languages is unparalleled. He loves to dive deep and really get in there.

Where o where did _why go?!

He truly made programming an art.

I found his style amusing at first, but over time it seemed to become a parody of itself. He spent more time talking about cats and elves in diamond mines than he did actual programming. I fully support injecting humor and style into the learning process, but he definitely went way overboard.

I think he's awesome. He does some really solid work. I was actually planning on using bloopsaphone in an upcoming project.

Yeah some of his stuff was really out there, but at least it was entertaining. You can't blame a guy for trying to inject a little fun into an otherwise bland and emotionless industry. But even if the crazy cartoons were not your thing, you have to appreciate that he gave us some great open-source code.

Anyway, hope he comes back.

I'm only familiar with his guide to Ruby. In fact, I didn't know he had publicly released any other work.

I enjoyed the pictures in his Ruby guide but frankly couldn't bear to actually read it for the purpose of learning the language. That said, he gets my respect for his sheer sense of fun and all the hard work he obviously put into that guide.

Quote: Original post by pinacolada
I think he's awesome. He does some really solid work. I was actually planning on using bloopsaphone in an upcoming project.

Yeah some of his stuff was really out there, but at least it was entertaining. You can't blame a guy for trying to inject a little fun into an otherwise bland and emotionless industry. But even if the crazy cartoons were not your thing, you have to appreciate that he gave us some great open-source code.

Anyway, hope he comes back.

Well that's what I'm saying. Yeah, it's great to inject some fun into the industry, but _why kinda missed the broadside of that barn with the Ruby Guide and forgot to inject industry into his fun.