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Ad Block Plus Filter Maintainer "rick752" Dies At 56
A user on Reddit pointed out that Richard "rick752" Petnel, maintainer of one of the most popular filter lists for Ad Block Plus, has passed away at age 56. In an article last year Petnel described a bit of what he was up against in the ad world. "'I'm playing against some pretty big players,' he said, explaining his reluctance to step forward. 'I don't want to be harassed. . . . I don't want to be bribed. I started it because I was frustrated with getting my computer infected from ads -- malware and spyware and all that stuff,' he said. 'I kind of went overboard with it. But you have to admit, it's pretty amazing, right?'" Update 15:05 GMT by SM: updated to reflect Rick's status as maintainer of the most popular Ad Block Plus filter as opposed to Ad Block Plus itself.
I feel for his family. I use and really like adblock plus but that is trivial compared to what his lose means to his family and friends.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
You might have annoyed advertisers, but that's fine with me, because advertisers used to annoy the shit out of me. Thanks to AdBlock Plus, I no longer have to be annoyed by adverts when I go online.
I write sci-fi for metalheads
Didn't know the man, but I love the product. It's comforting to know he won't have to worry about ads any more.
He made the world a little bit better for a whole lot of people, quietly and effectively. There's almost no higher purpose in life.
I've been using adblock plus for years now, and I can count the times I needed to disable it or allow something through it because a item or site I wanted to use wasn't working.
Shadus
I read the article associated and all I heard from the content owners' side was "If you block our ads, we lose revenue!" It seems to me that if websites stopped using more and more intrusive ad techniques that people would be less likely to want to use ad-blockers. You already know your customers hate pop-ups, so the ads get blocked. Your answer is to use pop-unders instead, trying to circumvent the wishes of your target customer. You know they block half the ads on your site, so you double the ads and spread the content out over twice as many pages. Again, your customer has already told you what they want, but you insist that you know better.
Seriously, I'm getting tired of website owners and advertisers continuing to whine about how we won't let them bug us. If you want me to look at your ads, stop making them annoy me so much! Stop using blinking, flashing banners (too bad the BLINK tag didn't take you with it when that died), stop using javascript banners that are as likely to infect my computer as not. Stop trying to "bundle" your adware with anything I want to install.
If you make your ads play nice with me, I'll stop using ad-blocker software. I'll look at your ads and I might even buy something from them.
"Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
If you liked the software, donate money to his family to help cover funeral costs, or donate money to the charity listed in his obituary, Community Hospice of Albany, as a last tribute to someone whose work you've enjoyed over the years.
Someone else will maintain adblock plus. It could even be you!
...Though it'd be deliciously ironic as a Googler's 20% project.
No it's not trollish. Most people have never met the guy. When a loss occurs you react in a way in line with how they impacted you. For the majority of people here, that was by creating and maintaining Ad Block Plus. Yes it's sad for his family and friends, but the primary concern for the users is what happens to the project.
On top of that he asked on a tech site where someone might know, he didn't go up to the guys widow (or mother or whatever) and ask what's going to happen with the project.
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
Trollish, No.
The poster brings up a very poignant and VERY on-topic question even if it was tactless. Not all of us have social skills.
If the poster had posted anon THEN I would consider it a troll.
how is this a troll?
Because there is no "-1 Classless" mod?
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
Seriously, who cares about "social skills" on an online forum for geeks? It's not like his family are going to read it. There's nothing insensitive about it, because the only people who will be offended will be people who didn't even know the guy having mock outrage on his behalf. I'm sorry if I don't want to cater to their imaginary grief.
If Linus died, I would say that sucks, who is going to be the face of the Linux kernel now? I don't know him, a handful of people on here have probably interacted with him on a professional level, but I doubt there are any that would really be effected on a personal level. I'm sure there would be tons eager to proclaim "how dare you talk about the kernel at a time like this" etc. ad nasuem. Fuck that. They don't actually give a crap about the guy who died, in fact they are probably thinking the same question. They have just seized an opportunity to be the high and mighty self-appointed moral police, and to that I say Fuck you. I'd take a troll over you anyday.
So essentially not too much to worry about, but yes that was indeed trollish to care more about yourself rather that the family and friends and publicly ask that question.
I disagree. When someone ties up I-95 with a big deadly car crash, I want to know when they'll re-open I-95, not how everyone is feeling.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Trying to play Devils advocate.
As a user of AdBlock plus myself, I do often wonder how many services that I perceive free have advert revenue behind them. Will we see these services disappear as usage of ad blocking tools continue when they cannot generate enough revenue?
One day, you'll have kids. Then come back and read this comment :)
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
You must make a distinction between the egotist and the egoist. The first boasts to his friends and holds their opinions of himself above his own. The second looks to himself for his inspiration and motivation. They both claim "pride", but the former is a false pride. You can expect the first to manipulate/lie to others when it is convenient to do so. The latter would not even conceive of it - not because of some commandment that must be followed, but simply because it would never come to mind.
I'm not sure it's so goddamn classless. It shows that someone who didn't know the anonymous guy or anything about him still cares about his work. It might be "insensitive" in some situations, but right here and now it's also a display of appreciation. This is Slashdot, not a funeral.
If Linus died, I would say that sucks, who is going to be the face of the Linux kernel now? I don't know him, a handful of people on here have probably interacted with him on a professional level, but I doubt there are any that would really be effected on a personal level. I'm sure there would be tons eager to proclaim "how dare you talk about the kernel at a time like this" etc. ad nasuem. Fuck that. They don't actually give a crap about the guy who died, in fact they are probably thinking the same question. They have just seized an opportunity to be the high and mighty self-appointed moral police, and to that I say Fuck you. I'd take a troll over you anyday.
Agreed.
Yeah, it sucks that Rick died... I'm sure he was loved and his friends and family are in mourning... And I guess I'd rather he hadn't died... But, really, I don't know the guy. Didn't even know his name until this story showed up. I'm supposed to act heartbroken and sympathetic and stuff? Over some guy I never even knew?
People die literally every second of every day. Turn on CNN and you'll see dozens of stories about shootings and disasters and accidents... Am I supposed to just sit around in a permanent state of mourning for all the people who are dying?
A week or two back when Natasha Richardson died in that ski accident they had people calling in, weeping over their loss... Except that they didn't know Natasha. They weren't her friends or family. They were just random people who happened to see her in a movie, or hear her give an interview, or see her at a gathering... They had no real emotional connection to her. Whatever relationship they had, whatever person they thought she was - that was a creation of their own mind, not reality. And they were weeping as if their best friend had just died.
Yes, it sucks that this person is gone. It sucks when most people die. But I didn't know them. I didn't know their friends or their family. I've got absolutely no ties to them at all. The only connection I have to this Rick guy is the fact that I use his filter... So, yeah, I'm concerned about the filter living on.
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde
It's interesting the socially correct thing to do is pretend you care about someone whose name you may not even have heard before and to offer insincere condolences. Personally I wouldn't want to be hearing from a bunch of strangers if I lost someone again.