Rob Levin, lilo of FreeNode, Passes

sneak was the first of many to tell us of the death of Rob Levin, known as lilo, the head of FreeNode and of its parent organization, PDPC. A transcript from the channel: ".:17:18:40:. [freenode] -christel(i=christel@freenode/staff/gentoo.christe l)-
[Global Notice] On the 12th September Rob Levin, known to many as Freenode's
lilo, was hit by a car while riding his bike. He suffered head injuries and
passed away in hospital on the 16th. For more information please visit
#freenode-announce
17:19:39==> Topic for #freenode-announce: Together with the PDPC board we are
currently preparing a general announcement, please also feel assured that we will
continue working with PDPC to ensure continuous service on freenode, in line with Rob's
mission." Richard Hartmann writes, I just wanted to add that we of FreeNode will create a condolence book. All wellwishes can be sent to [e-mail]."

Rest in Peace, lilo

[stesch]

This is a really sad day for freenode. He provided such a good service to all of us. :-(

RIP

[cbrocious]

I got my start on Freenode many, many years ago, and now have been involved with dozens, possibly hundreds of projects, all on freenode. I've talked with Lilo many times and have never had a bad experience. One of the kindest and most helpful people I've ever met.

My Condolences go out to his family.

RIP lilo

Re:LOL

[Anonymous Coward]

die in a fire.
same to the asshat that modded him positively

RIP

[tulare]

My condolences to his family. He worked hard for what we have, right or wrong, and we should respect that and be thankful for what he has left us.

'Passes' too bland a euphamism

[Bonker]

The first time I read the headline I was confused about what it meant. Was there some sort of position he turned down? Did he quit an important job?

I've always despised death euphamisms, though. Trying to tone the tragedy down doesn't make it any easier to deal with for friends, families, or looker-ons. It also takes away from the importance of the death itself.

He's dead. The man was killed in an auto accident. It's a sad, tragic ending, but it's the truth.

Freenode has been a great asset to open source

[starseeker]

I would estimate that Freenode was responsible for more realtime communication between developers and between users/support than any other single medium, and as such it was and is a major asset to the open source movement. It has undoubtedly helped make many projects much better than would have otherwise been possible/workable.

As a legacy, I'd say that's a pretty good one to leave.

Re:Who hit him?

[Anonymous Coward]

It is always hard to die. But it is even harder to live on with the knowledge of having killed someone.

Let the poor boy alone - he has problems enough on his own and does not need your childish revenge

"Passes"?

[Schraegstrichpunkt]

Enough with the euphemisms, already. Just say that he died. "Passing" is something you do with yesterday's lunch shortly after you've eaten today's.

Passed?

[munpfazy]

I've got no problem with friends and family members using passive, religiously charged euphemisms when discussing death. If people find it easier to talk about their sister having "passed," that's fine by me.

But when it comes to journalism (or the slashdot equivalent), it comes off as silly at best and offensive at worst.

Rob Levin didn't pass. He didn't "Pass", pass on, nor pass away. He DIED, and he was KILLED. This isn't just death, but death in a horrible, violent, disturbing way.

Getting your head smashed in by an automobile and living for painful hours in a hospital critical care ward isn't gentle. It's horrible, and cruel, and ugly. Using gentle words to describe it doesn't make it any less so. It does us all a disservice by belittling the tragedy of what has actually happened.

Rest in peace, Levin

[Tore S B]

Rest in peace.

He leaves the legacy of being a man who started and ran the IRC network that is by far the most popular network for free software developer communication, and an invaluable asset to the entire community. We thank him for his contributions, and offer our deepest condolances to the friends and family.

Why car drivers suck

[antifoidulus]

Car drivers, especially in the United States, have absolutely 0 regard for bike riders. A professor did an interesting study about how close cars come to bikers when they wear helmets versus when they don't [yahoo.com]. Not to mention in San Francisco they recently delayed a resolution that would build bike paths across the city so that bike riders didn't have to deal with ignorant SUV driving assholes too busy talking on their phone to notice a bike rider.
Sorry for the strong language, but as a bike rider car drivers in America for the most part just totally piss me off. I have to spend my tax money attacking some random oil rich country so you can drive your SUVs, but you get all in a tizzy when I want a bike path so I don't have to worry about you hitting me even though I have as much a right to the road as you do.
Ignorant car drivers disgust me. /Rant

Re:Who hit him?

[masklinn]

WTF?

I don't see any informations on the circumstances of the accident, nor what happened to the car's driver. For all we know it could've been a mechanical issue with the car, or the driver didn't pay enough attention and is in jail, or anything.

I know this is slashdot, but how about not being stupid and judgemental just for once?

And what does this teach us?

[Anonymous Coward]

For biker fans like myself: ALLWAYS wear an helmet! It isn't "cool" not to wear one when riding a bike, its plain out stupid. I know this sounds harsh, but after I read that he never bothered to put on an helmet I think different about this whole accident. However, despite my attitude regards to that I do wish his family strength and wisdom.

Roads more than drivers

[Infonaut]

It's not just the drivers. Many roads seem to have been created with no real thought for cyclists. While this is particularly true in big cities (like SF, where the roads are insane for anyone traveling on them), even nice crunchy places like Santa Cruz make bicycle commuting a risky proposition, because they don't see cyclist-friendly roads to be a high enough priority. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly been annihilated because on-street parking forces me almost into the auto lane. Potholes, poorly-designed merge and exit lanes, and fast traffic signals turn a ride to work into a dangerous proposition.

Until there are more people commuting in bikes rather than cars, I don't see the situation changing for the better.

Re:Passed?

[lewp]

I doubt the dead, were they asked about it before they died, would want us to dwell on how we described their death. Rather, I think they'd prefer to have us remember who they were and what they did in life.

I'm an atheist, but I have no problem with death being described as "passing". Losing someone you care about can be a lot to deal with emotionally. If using euphemisms helps with the process of coping, then I'm all for it.

(If this was a deliberate troll, it was in pretty poor taste, but I guess IHBT.)

Re:Why car drivers suck

[ubernostrum]

It goes both ways; I've seen plenty of asshole drivers, but I've also seen lots of cyclists who insist on ignoring traffic laws. Just yesterday as I was driving home from work, sitting at a stop sign, a cyclist came up behind me and went through the intersection without stopping -- quick reflexes on the part of the driver who had right-of-way were the only thing that stopped the cyclist becoming a stain on the pavement. Moral of the story: no matter what sort of vehicle you're operating, when you're on the road the laws of the road apply to you, and you need to be cautious and observant.

Re:Opportunity from Tragedy

[RonnyJ]

who the hell modded this as troll?

Probably people who read the subject 'Opportunity from Tragedy' - there's no opportunity from such a tragedy.

Re:Who hit him?

[nacturation]

Who's with me?

I hope the police are, so they can arrest you. What's missing in all of this are the details. Maybe Rob went down an embankment that was too steep and his brakes failed, causing him to veer into oncoming traffic causing an unavoidable accident for the unfortunate motorist who happened to be there. Perhaps Rob wasn't wearing a bicycle helmet, further complicating any head trauma. Maybe he was wearing dark clothing and cycling at night without any lights or reflective gear.

It's amazing that we live in an age where we have access to computers and, through that, to some of the world's best accumulated wisdom and knowledge. And yet there are still some shits like you who want to pick up the pitchforks and torches to arrange a lynch mob even when you likely don't possess any detailed information on the circumstances. But even if you were there and know everything firsthand, I still find your reaction a little too stuck in the dark ages.
 

RIP

[AlXtreme]

Thanks lilo for your work on freenode, you made many open source projects possible and brought together thousands of people. My condolances go out to his friends and relatives, I feel sorry for your loss.

Re:Why car drivers suck

[Anonymous Coward]

It does certainly NOT go both ways. Think about it:

- Bike rider makes a mistake, gets hit by a car and dies. Car sustains minor scratches.
- Driver makes a mistake, hits a bike rider or a pedestrian and kills him/her. Car sustains minor scratches.

Because of this asymetry in potential outcomes, car drivers carry far more responsibility than bike riders/pedestrians - especially as long as bike riders are forced to share the road with cars. Unfortunately, that realization seems beyond the mental capacity of a large fraction of US drivers who continue to drive with a laxness that is simply astounding.

Re:Roads more than drivers

[jesterzog]

Until there are more people commuting in bikes rather than cars, I don't see the situation changing for the better.

I don't think it takes more people on bikes than in cars to change things -- there are plenty of places around the world where lots of consideration is given to people on bikes, both by the majority of drivers and by city planning authorities, and it's not because there are more people riding bikes than driving cars. It does help to have a little recognition and help from local governments, however.

This is (for the most part) true in New Zealand, where I live. There used to be a lot less bikes here. What it took to change was a realisation for a lot of people that cycling was a preferable way to commute, and then city planning authorities (who agreed) nudged it by re-designing many areas with cyclists in mind. Once that's in place, it's much easier for more people to take up cycling.

Of course, this is New Zealand. We have highly taxed petrol, reasonable public transport systems in the largest of the main centres, and maybe there's quite a different culture here compared with parts of the USA when it comes to things like walking and exercise. I haven't been there, so it's hard to tell.

Re:Roads more than drivers

[archen]

And not just cyclists, but anyone not in a car in general. I had to walk to work after my car was in the shop for a week and took the bus. After getting off the bus I was actually sort of surprised to find that there were no sidewalks in one section of town - a newer part I might add. Fun stuff walking on the street waiting for someone to wheel around the corner in an SUV and kill you...

Re:Opportunity from Tragedy

[wpanderson]

Yeah, in retrospect, that subject wasn't very tactful.

Re:RIP lilo

[Anonymous Coward]

I would urge complainers, sycophants and jerks to back off for a while. Best wishes to his family and friends.

I have no idea who either Rob or you are. However, I can't stand people who have to push themselves to the front of the crowd to define how others should feel or act. How about you just back off and let others do what they will.

By the way, are you old/mature enough to lose the pansy locution, "I would urge ...."? Do you urge or do you not urge -- just say what's on your mind. Up or down. It's no less offensive or persuasive when you drop "would" into where it's not needed.

Re:Why car drivers suck

[dargaud]

I've also ridden bikes in Europe and the US, but noticed that in Colorado it's not too scary. It breaks down to this: if people have ridden bikes before, they pay more attention while driving. I currently live in a place where the roads are very narrow, there are thousands of bikers in summer, but very few accidents. A solution: force (?) everyone to ride bikes periodically, for instance when they are students...

Something related to that which pissed me off royally is the following logic: a teenage friend of mine had an accident with his first car (in the US); conclusion of the parents: let's buy him the biggest car around so he won't get hurt next time. In that case a gigantic (but slow) '70s oldsmobile. What kind of a sick mind or education draws conclusions like this ? I've even seen it on SUV advertisement, which can be summed up as "you may not have more accidents with our SUV, but if you do, we'll make sure you kill the other guy from sheer inertia. Better than the opposite, right? So buy our Lincoln Titanagator"

Like a fiend of mine said: "Best auto safety device? A giant pointy stick in the middle of the steering wheel. Just WATCH how carefully people would drive."

Re:RIP lilo

[owlstead]

Well, I cannot stand persons that nitpick on statements of regret that somebody died. Especially if they were not direct friends. How about that?

Re:You're daft.

[Anonymous Coward]

or when reasonably necessary to avoid conditions that would make it unsafe to continue along near the right-hand curb or edge

Which includes lanes that are too narrow for both a car and a bicycle plus a safe passing distance. Ergo, you've just conceded his point.