On: Niklaus Wirth has died

[pjmlp]

A sad day for the history of computing, the loss of a great language designer, that influenced many of us in better ways to approach systems programming.

[FpUser → pjmlp]

It is sad but the guy had long and fulfilling life many can only dream about. I would raise a toast to that. Hopefully he is in a coding Valhalla.

[082349872349872 → FpUser]

Not just coding: he was also interested* in hardware and built whole machines.

(* might Carver Mead describe him as a metaphorical "tall, thin, person"?)

[kragen → 082349872349872]

he very well might, dave. i miss talking to you

[frognumber → pjmlp]

I am not very sad. Death is part of life.

I'm much more sad when life sort of decays (Alzheimer's, dementia, or simply becoming slow/stupid/decrepit), ends early, or when life is simply wasted.

He was about to turn 90.

He lead a long, impactful, fulfilling life.

That's a life to celebrate.

[marttt → frognumber]

This is beautiful phrasing, very much how I think about life myself. Let's hope the last days of Mr Wirth were free from physical pain. Thinking of my grandpa who died all of a sudden, apparently without serious physical impairments or aches, at age 90, after a happy, well-lived, ethical life.

Heaven is happier by one person now for sure, again. And maybe some compilers over there also need tinkering. Rest in peace, Mr Wirth.