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W. Richard Stevens Passes On
Tybstar writes "Looks like W. Richard Stevens has passed on, according to this Deja article. The poster of that article is listed in the credits of UNIX Network Programming, and the book mentions his place of work.
" Thanks to mpearce, we have a link to an obituary. It's weird to think that just yesterday I almost bought one of his books...
Optimize? Look, 'M' is of type 'int,' whereas 'strcat()' requires arguments of type 'char *.' Even if you were to fix all of this errors by changing the character constants into string constants, constants are just that; in other words, you can't concatenate (which is what the 'cat' in 'strcat()' stands for) anything to a string constant. You've just embarrassed yourself further by trying to 'prove' that you know what you're talking about ('would probably just optimize to 0x4d!') when, in fact, you are an ignorant slob.
Whether you agreed with him or not, the man knew his stuff and was Unix to the bone.
:)
Maybe in tribute, we can all pour a Jolt (or caffeinated beverage of choice) on the sidewalk in his honor.
-- "God, Root, what is difference?" - Pitr, "User Friendly"
Look, I hate Microsoft as much as anyone, but isn't this all a bit much?
Jesus it's scary that people like you even exist. If Gates died tomorrow, I wouldn't miss him, but there's such thing as respect for the dead.
What the hell is wrong with you people?
Dude, you need help. You may not realize it, but it's obvious to everyone else that you are disturbed in ways that require professional help to sort out. You can do yourself a favor by admitting that you have a problem. At that point, a mental-health crisis hotline could probably refer you to an appropriate practitioner. This sort of thing is usually covered by health insurance policies, so you really have nothing to lose (and a lot to gain) by seeking help.
I wonder if Richard Steven's family would agree to keep his wonderful Kohala website permanently open as a tribute?
You don't. You live by your own words and actions. Frankly, I wished you'd signed all your posts so the rest of the world would know what a fool you are. May your demise be met not with the hatred you've shown here, but complete apathy.
Only you would be dumb enough to actually stick to strict syntax w/ a /. sig. I know a single char is an int (0x4d is the ASCII value for "M", which you apparently didn't know). I KNOW this won't really work. But you get the general idea. This is where that "imagination" (Geez. A man is (apparently) dead, and we're arguing over which one of us is stupider. Get a life.
... he'd a wife and kids. They might have to read that "died". It's hard enough to know already at times. Just a thought, although I am a all time cynic.
Only you would be dumb enough to actually stick to strict syntax w/ a /. sig. I know a single char is an int (0x4d is the ASCII value for "M", which you apparently didn't know). I KNOW this won't really work. But you get the general idea. This is where that "imagination" (<- look! a string! this _would_ be a pointer) thing I spoke of comes into play. Unfortunately, spending too much time coding has killed yours.
Geez. A man is (apparently) dead, and we're arguing over which one of us is stupider. Get a life.
I never knew of the guy (until this article).
I don't care how much of a Linux or Perl hater (if at all) he was. A human died.
Linux is just a fucking operating system.
Rob: this is pathetic. Slashdot has turned into pure trash.
Slashdot is ran by Linux bigots with Linux bigot readers. I like Linux.. hell I USE Linux. Slashdot is not about Linux. Slashdot does not like Linux for being Linux. Slashdot likes Linux for being the way to destroy Microsoft. Pathetic software pirates. Just pissed because Windows is crap and you are forced to use this hard to use operating system called Linux which has no applications or hardware drivers which Windows had.
Give it a break you dumb fucks.
(I would apologize for the rude language, but I don't think Slashdot is worth using friendly human-to-human conversation on.)
God, now I feel sorry for Christiansen - imagine having to count you as a close personal friend. Ugh.
Do you know any language, any OS besides Perl on Linux? Or are you just a fscking Perl groupie?
By the way, how old are you? Got your learners permit yet?
Hell why not go whole hog, I bet they arent just Linux running Perl users I bet they are jews too. Burn em all.
There's a reason you're hiding being an Anonymous Coward shield.
Being an elitist zealot may impress your mad-hacker-script-kiddie friends on IRC, but a point comes at which you have to realize a person for their humanity and not their superfluous opinions on technology.
The guy wasn't fond of Perl -- it wasn't like he was encouraging slave-labor in Indonesia or funding slave-trading and supplying nuclear arms to third-world nations.
The open-source movement, if nothing else, is an effort to recognize the value of differing opinions, needs, thoughts, and the strength of humanity -- so show some.
---
icq:2057699
seumas.com
Slashdot is not full of Linux bigots. Most of us (AFAIK) are extremely contented Linux users that use it because we (*gasp*) like it. Slashdot has a very few but extremely noisy Linux bigots.
People loved this guy. I know I did. NOBODY wrote like he did. Hell, he wrote like he fscking INVENTED the internet, PERSONALLY. He knew this stuff that well.
You know a person is beloved when...
Speculation that his death might be a hoax emerges.
Iconoclasts start pissing on them right away.
Our microcephalic AC's have actually heartened me this day. They bolster Stevens' greatness all the more.
I will, however keep an eye out for him at my local 7-11. Ya just never know...
Brak: What's THAT?
Thundercleese: A light switch.. of TOTAL DEVASTATION!
A good writer of many books I read and enjoyed very much died and here we have some stupid kid going around making fun of it. If you're going to be a troll at least post something humorous rather than totally discraceful. I gotta admit getting a good laugh at some of the "troll" posts here but this is certainly not funny, it's trash. As far as the guy hating linux/perl he didn't. Just because I don't use operating system 'X' or programming/scripting language 'X' doesn't mean I hate it and niether did Mr. Stevens. Linux isn't for everyone and as soon as people realize this the better. I didn't personally know the man but I still respect him for what he's given to the Unix community nonetheless.
yikes! i cant belive i just saw that!
this space unintentionally left blank
My copies of "Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment" and "UNIX Network Programming" are well worn from years of use. I have only the highest esteem for Mr. Stevens, truly a giant
among technical authors.
If he's still alive, it's good news. Strange to see how many people came down on him after his death was reported. Respect for the dead is one of man's oldest and most fundamental rules. -If the internet is a collective consciousness, it may be time for a collective psychiatrist. or! -If the internet is a collective consciousness, then the NSA is "in" your head. Which also makes me wonder why /. hasn't posted the news about the NSA's latest evil...
Nick
-- "It's a sad day for American capitalism when a man can't fly a midget on a kite over Central Park" - Jim Moran
I don't have anything to say, I just like the idea of "THE REAL IDENTITY OF I HATE STEVENS" being one of the most prominent topics on a board that will be linked to by ABCNews tomorrow morning...
I produced camera-ready copy of the book (PostScript), which was then typeset for the final book. The formatting system used was James Clark's wonderful groff package, on a SparcStation running Solaris 2.6. (Reports of troff's death are greatly exagerated.) I typed in all 138,897 words using the vi editor, created the 72 illustrations using the gpic program (using many of Gary Wright's macros), produced the 35 tables using the gtbl program, performed all the indexing (using a set of awk scripts written by Jon Bentley and Brian Kernighan), and did the final page layout. Dave Hanson's loom program, the GNU indent program, and some scripts by Gary Wright were used to include the 8,046 lines of C source code in the book.
I just had a big smile on my face after I first read this. Stevens was Unix to the very core.
My condolences to his family. Through his books he made a deep contribution to the future of the Internet.
Please stop this hoax!
These posts are part of a kind of of dirty tricks campaign by a troubled person. What you have witnessed is a clumsy heavy handed smear campaign by someone jealous of the popularity of Linux and Slashdot. It didn't work.
Who needs indentation when you can have spaghetti code?
I can't but help feel a loss... I have a well used
copy of Unix Network Programming and was looking at his TCP/IP book just the other day.
John Casey
p.s. I can't but help feel people are now going to list all the books they own that he wrote
He was a very good at protraying complex ideas the most logical way. He will be missed, and if anyone doesn't think so. They dont program networking products :)
Most moderators have a finite number of points, and really shouldn't be wasting them on assholes like this. (I've personally already blown 3 of my five points on him.) At the very least, we need another category for crap like this, something that completely deletes a post from existing, if 3 or more moderators decide on it (to prevent abuses). I tend to keep my alignment at 0 or -1 because there are a few good comments that get moderated down there, but nobody should have to put up with this crap.
This is sad, truly sad...
Regardless of what he thought about Linux and/or Perl, he was a very influential person on the Linux/*BSD scene, even though he was not an actual Linux/*BSD coder - his books have taught a lot of 'real' techies much of what they know about system calls and networking. Ya' don't see writers like him everyday, or every year.
The torch isn't going to be passed for a long time, folks.
-Chad,
Rather disusted by a lot of the posts, even some which weren't lowered to -1.
Some things in life matter more than being able to download the source to a web server.
oh you noble person you, you've found your cause in this world. There's more to this world than whether someone likes or dislikes perl/java/gtk/qt/windows/linux/de-caff/caffeinated /blue/red/etc. etc. etc. I am VERY glad that you've found your niche in this world though, because I'm sure you'll do lots of good, and we'll all benefit from your contributions to society.
He communicated the subject matter perfectly, and was friendly and helpful during the entire class.
A good guy, and one who will be missed.
Sorry I didn't set up an account... Leonard Samuelson
Uhh...Maybe he was on the other side from you, but it's still not good that he died. Sheesh. Engaging an intelligent person with opposing opinions in thoughful debate is a more productive than anything else.
Yeesh!
-awc
I'd hardly call that 'moster' you must have a 3.5inch cock or somthing, to think that 6" is large...
"Subtle mind control? Why do all these HTML buttons say 'Submit' ?"
ReadThe ReflectionEngine, a cyberpunk style n
I see, you're in a bad mood, so you get to ruin everybody else's Slashdot experience. I'm sorry you didn't want to see people grieve over the death of someone they respected. Maybe when your mom dies or something you'll get some condolence cards describing how everybody wants to jizz on her face. Won't that be nice?
And I'm glad you've made some of the highest-ranked AC posts ever. That really makes you a good person. Or, more likely, you really know how to suckup to the moderators. Congratulations.
rooooar
I was in the textbook section of Barnes & Noble on 18th and 5 Avenue here in NYC last Friday looking at his books. This is a great place to see what books the professionals use. There was a large stack of new and used copies of his Advanced Programming ITUE book. This to me indicates they sell and sell and sell. Of course the number of copies I see every day at the large Unix based companies I work at is another clue. A great man, and a great loss, but not a disaster - the books remain and clearly a lot of people were touched by his spirit as well and will keep his memory alive.
Chris Morgan
This is truly a sad day for /.
see subject.
Where do these ideas come from. Movies? Books? Television news? Certainly not from experience.
Could it be true that people become computer geeks because they are antisocial? Some of these postings certainly suggest it.
More than likely it's that there are assholes in any cross section of the population and this guy is one of them.
I trust there's TCP-based Internet in heaven. I've leafed through your classic book "UNIX Network Programming" more than ALL other books I own put together. We are all in your debt. I credit much of the Internet's success to your books clear and insightful descriptions which inspired the programmers that went on to forge the very infrastructure of the web. You will be missed.
He's been active participant of tcpip usenet
discussion group. I've received some very
useful responses from him.
I've met him once in Boston, about 6 years ago.
He gave a presentation on IPv6 with an emphasis
on programming perspective. It was very
informative.
As I'm writing this message, two of his books -
TCP/IP illustrated, and Unix network programming
sit on my desk.
News of his death simply blew my mind.
Grunt. Oink, oink.
Thanks, Richard, for some fine work.
If I were to die unexpectedly, I'd probably still be logged in, too. The only time I'm logged out is when I reboot... :)
------
Chris Siegler wrote:
* **
:-)
* **
"I just wish I'd written and thanked him a long time ago. RIP."
Very sad news. Stevens put a lot of himself into his books -- read
Prentice-Hall's interview with him, linked on his site. Stevens talks
about how he writes his books, and what his ideals are in that respect.
I took the opportunity to express my appreciation while visiting his
site recently; I'm glad I did.
***********************************************
From: rstevens@kohala.com (W. Richard Stevens)
Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1999 01:13:45 -0700
[In your message of Aug 31, 8:06pm you write:]
> The bottom line is that your books are in my experience the best
> available -- I'm thinking of APUE, TCPIP Illustrated (v1 is all I've
> read of it), and UNP (I see v2 is out now -- I'll order it tomorrow!) I
> thoroughly enjoy reading your books; it's sort of a geek communion.
Many, many thanks.
Rich Stevens
***********************************************
This is a sad, sad day for Slashdot.
Vidi, Vici, Veni
Stevens was a wonderful writer that had a real
knack for getting tough technical points across
in easy to understand language. His books have
been a big help to me over the years and I own
a ton of them. They are worth every penny I paid
for them. I think the computer industry just lost
a wonderful teacher today.
You'll be missed..
As for slashdot... WTF is going on with this
place lately??? Anyone notice over the past few
weeks that the number of A$$holes has increased
10 fold? This article is about a great mans death
and you F%ckheads have to consume over 100 posts
bashing each other back and forth? "Suck my dick,
Fuck you, No Fuck you" etc..etc..etc.
I can live with the first post morons..
And even tolerate the occassional wacko. But
recently its exploded. IF YOU DONT HAVE ANYTHING
CONSTRUCTIVE TO ADD, STOP TYPING PLEASE! Your
wasting all our bytes. Dam.. I gotta change my
preferences... sheesh
Flame all ya want.. I am sure ya will..
Anyway.. Mr. Stevens you will be missed by many of
us.
Malice95
Linux was huge in 1990.
I just r00ted his box and started a talk session with him... or someone pretending to be him. Hmm.
Have you considered a career as a suicide victim? Or, at least considered taking your worthless banter to a more appropriate place?
From a Sun Microsystems bug report (#4102680):
Pining for the days when The Glorious MEEPT!!! graced SlapDash with his wisdom.
/. should mark down all posts from the same IP once moderated. this idiotic anonymous coward is trolling here with an inifinte supply of postings.
That was, indeed, a refreshing reprive from the flame-fodder that usually pollutes this site. You speak with both eloquence and truth, and I lament only not having said these things before you. Thank you, sir.
From a Sun Microsystems bug report (#4102680):
Pining for the days when The Glorious MEEPT!!! graced SlapDash with his wisdom.
Worst discussion ever read on Slashdot :-(
While I do not agree with this moron that you replied to, I must comment that Slashdot is written in Perl. I find it quite useful.
First, I'd like to say that like many other people, I am a big fan of Rich's books. From the first edition of his "Unix Network Programming" book to his most recent books, I have found his writing to be extremely useful in both my professional projects and in my personal hacking. He certainly had an ability for explaining difficult concepts in a way that was easy to understand. In a field where "making a buck" is often foremost in peoples' minds, Stevens has always struck me as a person willing to go beyond that and share his knowledge willingly. His frequent posts to newsgroup discussions is a testament to this. He will surely be missed.
Second, I join a lot of the Slashdot posters in expressing annoyance at many of the worthless banal comments being made in this discussion. It seems that Rich died rather suddenly and unexpectedly, and as someone who lost a father a few years ago under similar circumstances, I can assure you that it is a very bad way to lose a loved one. I would hope that the AC's would have a bit more decency than has been displayed so far, but that does not appear to be the case. That said, however, I would like to suggest that the Anonymous Coward posting ability is a useful Slashdot concept and removing this feature should not be considered. I personally have taken part in discussions as an AC when I would not have otherwise due to not wanting to make comments that might have impact on my professional life. However, a similar-working concept might be in order. What if every Slashdot poster was required to have an account, but at the time of making a post was given the ability to mask that account name and post anonymously? Then, moderation of that user's posts could be applied to the account even for anonymous postings. That way, each user would accrue, over time, a sort of "baseline" posting value; if they post several good posts that get consistently moderated up, they automatically get a higher score when making posts, and if they consistently post trolls or stupid stuff, their posts automatically get a lower score until a moderator views them.
Finally, while I hesitate to even post about this connection, I feel that it has to be said that the actions we have witnessed from some AC's in this discussion today are exactly the types of things that make people consider Linux to be a bunch of "kiddie hax0r d00dz". I too share Rich's enthusiasm for BSD-type operating systems, but like Rich also use Linux. However when people make deprecating comments about someone who has died because of something as trivial as their choice in operating systems, it really makes one question the maturity of the people posting the comments. If you really want to see Linux continue to increase in people's perceptions and peoples' ideas of Linux users to change from "prepubescent kids who don't shower enough" to "serious computer users", it might be useful to consider the message your actions are sending. It is a sad fact that the entire Linux community gets lumped together. I'm sorry to see many fine, talented people tarnished by some thoughtless ones.
--
Insanity Takes Its Toll. Please Have Exact Change
Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
Someone very respected has died. His books have become an indispensible resource to anyone developing under Unix. His family is, without, agrieved to see this happen. So what happens on Slashdot? Every single sad, disrespectful cretin comes rolling out of the woodwork. I'm disgusted by the lack of respect too many of us have shown the man. I am equally disgusted by the attitude of a minority of the readers of Slashdot who have chosen to decry this man not because of things he did in his life, but because he did not fully share our viewpoint on OpenSource, GNU/Linux, and many other issues. He did not have to write the books he did, but he did so none the less. I sincerely doubt that his family would like to read some of the things that have been posted here today. Some of you have seen fit to celebrate his death as another gain for our community. It is no such thing.
As long as our community speaks out with such depravity and immaturity, even such a small minority, it will not receive respect many of us desire, and have worked for. The events last week with Unisys (a company whose policies many of us, rightly, disagree with), and many other times, here on Slashdot, the usenet, the web, and in other forums will continue to harm us. Until we choose to grow up and cease our continues flaming, we will not achieve our goals. Grow up people, this is not a religion, this is not a war. This is about debating our ideals and achieving our goals in a mature, productive, fashion. Instead of sending filthy, offensive emails to everyone you don't agree with, sit down, pick a project, and get to work on it. Or start a project of your own to address a need or shortcoming in Linux, or something you think would be pretty cool. That is what RMS, Linux, ESR, and the rest have been fighting for. That is what we all, I hope, believe in.
I had no idea he was a pilot. This man could
reach two major dreams of my life- be a networking
specialist and be a pilot.
RIP, great man, shine your light upon the
coming generations.
KuroiNeko
I remember the first time I met him. HIs latest book had just come out and I had spied it. I didn't even notice he was there, but I just exclaimed right there, "oh man, this book is out, I love this book!" Out of no where, I heard a voice that said, "Thank you". And there he was larger than life. I talked to him for a couple of minutes, talking about his book and ipv6. He was so pleasant. He even autographed my book! I'll never forget the man, and now his 2nd edition Network programming book will be one of the most precious books in my collection.
Good bye Richard, I hope you are at peace. The world will grieve your loss and the contributions you might have made.
sri
One bad thing about /. : if you don't get here when a story is posted, then you usually miss out, because 9 times out of 10 whatever possible link there was (his homepage) is /.'d within minutes.
~Steve
--
"<r-xr-xr-x> Just try to edit me" -- www.ircnews.com
No, I have found AC posting can be useful except that we now have a bandwidth hijacker gone postal and carpet bombing the posts. Let's say if his identity could be tracked down within a few hundred miles, I might visit the knucklehead or his peers and ask what's up. I would imagine he would be sure to retaliate if he could.
This is like someone showing up at a funeral and spitting on the grave while others who wish to look at the contributions of a person. Its distracting and makes me think about what could make a person so detatched.
Rich was always gentleman: pleasant, helpful, and courteous. Despite his fame and his skill, no prima donna was he. He was never bitter nor spiteful, never arrogant nor condescending. His humor and his insights inspired many of us, and not merely in our programming.
In the last few years that I came to know Rich a bit better as we shared a meal at random conferences scattered about the globe, I was always impressed by his irrepentantly positive attitude. Whatever the tale he told, whether a personal one relating to his children or his delightful rediscovery of the piano, a professional one related to programming and computers, or simply some incidental anecdote, that tale he presented with a childlike delight and glee. Rich displayed a perpetually positive attitude rare in a man even half his age. He was uplifting merely to be around.
Never was I so honored as on that day when Rich lamented not bringing his Perl Cookbook with him so he could get my autograph on it. I was deeply touched and completely surprised. Rich is acknowledged in the credits for his indirect help in preparing that book from our discussions of troff and systems programming matters. Despite his good taste and obvious skill, he had been for some time using Perl for various daily jobs. It's true that Rich had minor issues with Perl's cleanliness, but these were subsumed by the practical concerns of simply getting a job done easily and quickly. In short, it worked and he used it, and he was thankful it saved him time. The very things that the HTML crowd find hardest with Perl -- its Unix roots and proclivities -- Rich found immediately familiar and obvious. I am proud that I had ever so small a part in helping out a man who had tremendously helped me and thousands of others.
It is with nothing less than complete shock and surpassing shame that I have read here what so many insensitive malcontents have cruelly and unjustly scrawled. Doubtless these are the same twisted perverts who torture kittens and kick pregnant mothers, a sickness upon this medium and this planet. I hope these sociopaths find help soon, or at least remove themselves from the company of men and the gene pool.
Forget not this one inescapable fact: that where Rich has gone, so too inexorably goes each and every one of you walking shadows, and tragically sooner than you dare fathom. May you be remembered in the same measure as have you remembered those who preceded you down that lonesome path to dusty death.
It does not take a particularly compassionate and sensitive person to be sickened and hurt by these inexpressibly horrible postings. It takes nothing but a decent and caring human being, the sort of which we seem to have so few of these days--and today, to our loss, one fewer.
Disclaimer: I can't figure out how to post directly on a story, only on someone else's comment. I picked this one cuz I thought it was nice and expressed itself coherently.
/. I still felt the pang of sympathy when I realized that this guy meant enough to someone warrant a /. story and over 300 comments, all of which I have (sickeningly) read.
/. moderation system. It's a good system. I love, even relish, reading through the posts that accompany every story. Despite practically inducing vomiting on myself reading those 300+ posts, I STILL believe that freespeech is important.
I think people need to step back somewhat from the perspective-draining provincialism that has been seen here on the various postings. I'll admit to complete ignorance of this man's positive or negative attributes. I never even heard of him till I read this. I didn't know ANYTHING about him, only that he was techical enough to have Rob place an announcement of his death on
I think that people need to realize that there are a few sacred cows that transcend CS, that affect us all due to our greater abstraction than IT, *humanity*. Don't get me wrong. I'm a die-hard techie, as my parents will, to their chagrin, vouch for. I spend far too much time at my computer, the one I saved for 6 months to buy. But I still recognize the power of greater things than CS, let alone Linux or KDE or any of the other 65 kazillion CS things I like or don't like.
Notably:
Religion - by definiton (or at least by the definition of my religion (christianity)) religion supercedes *everything*.
The Search For Knowledge - exemplified perfectly by the
and, last but not least:
Humanity - For any kind of exchange or enriching experience, the participants must, at pain of waste of their own time and that of others, hold to the basic tenets of respect and kindness. Very simple values that have been simeaultaneusly trumpeted and rejected by many of the world. I am continually apalled by the lack of my fellow teenagers respect for *anything*. The gifted (yet shortsighted) of these tend to cry wolf, very perceptively and rightly, at all the various injustices of the day, and wax nostalgic about how kindness is going down the drain.
It pains me to see such myopic tendancies that surround my daily life pollute my _escape_ from such pettiness, the usually clearheaded tech culture.
Take a step back, look at the greater things you sacrifice when you fight over meaningless things.
Micah McCurdy
Bill Gates is not dead. Last I checked. When someone dies the rules of taste change. Of course, when this particular AC dork dies, I doubt anyone will care.
As a more extreme example, consider the phrases "Good riddance, Hitler", and "Good riddance, Stevens", uttered right after the deaths of the respective individuals. If you are to be impartial, you should moderate both the same way.
I just can't let this pass. To me, the quoted assertion even more dangerous than the foul effluent spewed by the obviously sick individual who finds it somehow fun to trivialize the untimely death of someone whose family and community mourn him and who made such a positive contribution. Dangerous, because on the surface Lauri's comment seems innocuous, even agreeable. But where are Stevens' death camps? Where are the tens of millions who died due to his schemes? "Who are we to judge?" Lauri might say, but I say, "who (or what) are we if we do not judge?"The idea that good and evil are entirely a matter of personal judgement is a pernicious one. It is individualism turned into solipsism, a grotesque distortion of the philosophy of freedom into one where common opinions are considered invalid merely because they are commonly held. Taken to this extreme, individualism and relativism become just another form of absolutism. Despots will soon triumph over such a misguided form of "impartiality."
That is truly disgusting.
Put aside any dislike for MS you may have, but how could anyone be that twisted?
I don't like Microsoft or it's products. I don't hate them, or even Gates for that matter, and if he were to die tomorrow, I wouldn't celebrate. The death of anyone is a sad affair.
It amazes me how callious and disgusting people can be.
-Tom O'Rear -- tomed@radiks.net
I doubt that simply ignoring objectionable posts will ever cause the people responsible for those posts to ever go away completely. /. community, condone (or at least accept) these posts.
OK, it probably does perpetuate the problem to get into conversation with these people, but if they persist in posting irrespective of the amount of activity they cause, then we have gained nothing by ignoring them. We have certainly lost something, however - anyone reading the message will see unworthy material going uncontested, and will think they we, the
This thread does demonstrate the basic effectiveness of moderation; reading with the threshold at 1, didn't see any of the material causing the furore.
What an illiterate fucking idiot you are! Get a dictionary, get a clue, and get the fuck out of here. Damned trolls.
whats wrong, kid? doesnt barney use big words? or is it the long sentences? once you hit kindergarden, youll see that barney doesnt know everything.
How do I take all my posts back. Does anyone know?
'Nuff said. Why do the scum always trash their betters?
Man he will be sorely missed. He was my favorite technical author. He was an excellent author. In contrast to many other writers his writings were clear, and thorough. He seemed to persue each topic from all angles which is what you need when you are in need of a good technical book. He didn't just gloss over topics to make sure that they were covered, he covered each and every topic in depth and he did it in a way that it was reasonably easy to read.
Last time I talked to him (at SANS last year) he was working on an update to Advanced Unix Programming and expected it to be done and released around the beginning of the year 2000. I wonder if it was close enough to done that the editor can patch it together and release it. I am sure that it has all sorts of wonderful knowlege in it.
-ben
These ACs are really getting out of hand.
'Coward' doesn't begin to describe these fscking crack whores.
I only know of one of Richard Stevens' books, but I know it well. It is TCP/IP Illustrated 1. I have seen that book on Network Admin's bookshelves and open on Hacker's desks (often they are the same person, seperated by time). This book has taught teachers. I have used it often, and learned much. It is exremely well written, and can turn a lamer into a true hacker, a student into an network guru.
Because of it, more people know more about low level networking. The Internet and the World is better because this man lived. Forget all the politics, That is all that matters.
From a student, I would like to say Thank You, Richard Stevens, and Good Night.
Directly under the story is your preferences bar (with your moderation level, how comments should be listed, etc). There is a "reply" button on the right of this bar. That replies to the story.
It confused me too, at first, since it's a different interface than the reply to comments hyperlink, which is much more numerous, of course
Why don't you go play minesweeper, Zico?
It's not just the need to inject Linux into every single topic that's annoying. What's troubling (and disheartening for people concerned with the current state of humanity) is the huge number of attitudes expressed at Slashdot with attitudes like:
I honestly do believe that there's a relatively high number of people here that have damaged psyches and could use some mental help. Stuff like this makes me think of Jon Katz's Hellmouth series and wonder if these people suffered abuse when they were younger which turned them into such despicable human beings. No matter how much it might seem like a short-term fix, cutting down other people instead of improving yourself will never give you the peace that you seek.
This site can be an entertaining read, but when you look at the big picture, it can be one of the most depressing sites on the web.
Cheers,
ZicoKnows@hotmail.com
Linux didn't start until 1991.
Linus 2.0 should be fully modularized, with pluggable extremities, upgradable interface and full Unicode and other internationalization support, beyond mere Finnish and English. Linus 2.0 should include advanced power management to prevent blackouts and tune-outs, even though there is now some failover capability beyond Linus 1.0. Most importantly, Linus 2.0 should be fully open (as opposed to Linus 1.0 which runs on a highly secretive server called Transmeta).
Why do you say that? Death is a simple fact of life, that's going to happen to all 100% of people.
I personally think it's rude to go outright and say "I don't care".. But the fact that someone feels that way shouldn't be such a sticky topic...
-Erik-
First of all, for any outsiders who may read this thread, I am confident that the overwhelming majority of Slashdot users would support me in apologizing for the acts of the one individual who seems to have no sense of decency whatsoever. For this story particularly, I suggest you keep your threshold at 1 or 0 and good riddance. Secondly, Slashdotters... there is obviously only a single person who has decided to sabatoge our wish to remember this man. As far as this poster is concerned, please realize that some adolescent males (of any age) find it difficult to express emotions like sadness. "Men", their society tells them, aren't "supposed" to be sad. So sometimes, when a death or other loss occurs, they find it difficult to express their actual feelings. In their turmoil, they may resort to the childish tactics we have seen demonstrated so elaborately in this discussion. This may not justify his actions, but please don't allow one pitiful creature to bring down our community. It is disgusting, but please try to remember what it was like to be immature. To the poster: you don't have to do this. I understand, and perhaps others will too.
Dammit, thats not funny! You made me blow a mouthful of soda all over my keyboard!
Shane
Zontar The Mindless,
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
The dude is obviously infatuated with PERL. It's probably his first language. PERL is great for it's designed purpose, but those who know it best also know when it's use is inappropriate.
Scared the shit out of me when I first saw it. Now I've got as my background. Damn its hot! Course, I'd better take it off before the boss comes around.....
this is strange...
i was just reading the links on his homepage yesterday and i thought it would be nice to bookmark it. i returned to his page today and kept reading. i was wondering when he is going publish his unpv3. i have been reading his books for 2 years now. i still think they are the best unix books around.
what more can i say? i am shocked beyond words. i actually read his page about jon postel a while ago. now he will join him...
eric.
ixjzv@altern.org
>>I hope for your sake I don't find out where you live! Just because there are some weirdos here, does not mean you (or anyone for that matter) should go stoop to their level (threats and all). Besides, these people need a psychiatrist, not a chiropractor.
I too am shocked and horrified to see the level of completely unjustified invective and filth directed at this man. A man who's only "crime" is that he is alledged by some to have not liked Perl.
True or not, who cares?! The man contributed to our community, and is now lost forever. To insult him is to deny whatever shreds of decency you may have had left.
But to me, to see this coming from a _perl_ person (of which I am too) is horrifiying. What would Larry say, to find such disgusting behaviour done in his name?
This is what it must be like to have a child grow up to become a serial rapist.
For the rest of the world that may be reading this - these vile comments are not indicitive of the true state of the Linux, Perl, or Free Software community. These... I'm at a loss for a word that accurately conveys my disgust... are not one of us.
I truly hope that the "trollers" are part of some Microsoft plan to discredit Slashdot. As unlikely and as paranoid as that might be, it is far better than for these miscreants to come from within our own ranks.
DG
Stevens will be missed. After reading the disgusting comments in Slashdot, I wonder if the Slashdot crowd really have a clue about life. How would you feel if you were a family member of his looking at the filth on this page? Stevens accomplished more in his life than most of us have the imagination to dream about. He was a giant in the Unix community and he deserves our respect even now. He may well be irreplaceable in our lifetimes. So few Unix wizards are also blessed with the ability to write clearly and have a desire to teach. Rest in peace Richard.
You Linux motherfuckers really need to grow up. Fuck Linux, fuck Perl, and fuck you.
I am imploring the AC or AC's who insist on posting their drivel to this page to desist. One of Stevens' sons loves to read Slashdot and is extremely distressed to see some of the posts that are being "written" here today. If you have a heart, just give it a rest.
I've had hours to think about it now, and I'm even more depressed by his death than before. So I went to his homepage and dug around some. His FAQ is interesting. My favorite excerpt:
Surf around some more and you find out he loved to ski (he used to have a GIF of an old ski pass on his home page), he was a pilot, got his Ph.D while working a full time job at Kitt Peak observatory, has lived in Zambia, Utah, New Mexico, Virginia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgia, California, Arizona, Connecticut, and South Africa.
And among all the people who understood Unix systems programming and networking in 1988, this was the guy who had the courage to actually sit down and start writing his first book, Unix Network Programming. Just think of all the people who didn't write that book. He was a unique mix of talented engineer,programmer, and author. It's really no suprise that nobody beat him to writing APUE and his TCP/IP series.
And you thought Linus was unique.
First of all, lets respect Richard Stevens, he's already dead. He is one of the Best in the Computer Industry and He's the author of some of the BEST UNIX programming books and that is UNDISPUTABLE. Second, he's NOT anti-linux, when he was working on UNP vol. I 2nd ed. one of the unix system he was using was Linux. AND SECOND, even if he does hate LINUX, who cares? alot of people hate linux, bcoz compared to 4.4BSD, linux is shit. My Respect to Richard Stevens, His books transformed me from being clueless to "some-how knowledgable" =). Richard Stevens is the BEST!
I'm a close personal friend of Tom Christiansen. And Stevens was no Christiansen
Close personal friend or not, judging by the following quote I don't think Tom shares your opinion:
'Unix Networking Programming and the three-volume TCP/IP Illustrated by W. Richard Stevens are indispensable for the serious socket programmer...'
- Perl Cookbook p.603
His books are cited a couple of other places as well (I'm too lazy to refer to all of them). Additionally I see in Advanced Perl Programming that the reader is referred to two of his books each in at least two chapters (again, too lazy).
I think this indicates how the people who matter in the Perl community (that is, those who are actually Perl hackers) regard W. Richard Stevens, whatever he might of thought of Perl. It might be a good idea to follow their example.
Chris
San Francisco values: compassion, tolerance, respect, intelligence
Go to hell. You are not contributing to this discussion at all, and I seriously hope his family has not seen what you are saying. You are not being funny, and if brains were leather, you couldn't saddle a flea.
Not liking Perl or Linux does not demand a death sentence. Both are far from perfect. You would probably justify your comments under "free speech", yet you condemn this man (which you are not) for what he said.
Just crawl back into whatever dark, smelly hole you came out of and die, 'K?
No, most people join the military because they need a job/education, and/or they feel it's their duty to their country. Think about it (but don't hurt yourself).
The TCP/IP Illustrated book is perhaps the most read book on my shelves. I bought it a while back just wanting to know how the Internet worked - what I learned from it is amazing and I will always be grateful to him to educating me.
Gonna miss you, dude.
Mister programmer
I got my hammer
Gonna smash my smash my radio
and you suck
"Subtle mind control? Why do all these HTML buttons say 'Submit' ?"
ReadThe ReflectionEngine, a cyberpunk style n
Ah I see, anyone who doesn't use/like linux should die? Hmm. This is an interesting new phase of Linux advocacy although not really too surprising.
This may be too personal a question, but I'm going to ask it anyway:
Why are you cynical, disenchanted and jaded?
Why, for that matter, are so many people, especially on Slashdot ?
Is this just a technology industry thing?
I have a hard time understanding the deep seated bitterness that underlies many people's attitudes. Perhaps I'm just too much of an optimist.
-Stu
When I read the topic, I was hoping it meant something else, I was smacking myself for thinking and believing the topic meant he was dead. It took 10 years for the fucking page to load, and it turns out to be true. What will I be with APUE, UNP and TCP ill? I was looking forward to his next TCP/IP book when ipv6 makes it out here. He will be greatly missed.
------ Curiosity killed the cat. {satisfaction brought it back | it didn't die ignorant | lack of it is killing mankind
I never met the man, but I can vouch for his books. They've been an invaluable asset. He will be missed.
OT = 1;
I don't want to start another pro/con thread on the need for or want of the AC option, but perhaps its time to reconsider the whole issue. Many of the postings here are obviously a sick joke. And, considering the context, depressing to say the least.
Sure, I could set my threshold above the noise, but then some of the occasional interesting off-topic notes would be missed.
Sad...very sad.
NULL
I haven't read any of Mr Stevens' books. However, due to the number of folks who have posted their thanks and their sadness at his passing, I will make a point of going out and finding them. He sounds like someone I will have wished I had found before. As for the trolls, my guess is these are the same people who send less than intelligent emails anytime an article is posted criticizing linux. It is our misfortune that they have chosen linux as their cause, as it makes the rest of us look like assholes. Only difference is, instead of some author somewhere they are posting about a man that a lot of /.'s admire and respect. Maybe now we can get a little more militant about policing our own. Unfortunately, I don't think rational, intelligent , logical reasoning why being a dick won't help linux advance and does more to hurt than help will work. Perhaps only a massive amount of emails from other linux users who point out that they think the poster is a total asshole will make them rethink their attitude and behaviour. Then again, maybe not. Sorry, rambling. Anyway, there were a lot of heartfelt posts here about a man that I know very little. And it's made me want to know more. So for that, thanks. And as for the trolls, ignore them. Not worth the time.
how did he die? the obit doesn't say. apparently he's less than 50 years old. that's pretty young.
I suspected there was some sort of corporate relationship between the systems, I just didn't look for it. Particularly as the Star's web page called the classifieds by yet another name. But it was also possible that the same obit was sent by the family to several places.
W. Richard Stevens was that rarity in modern humanity: a gentleman and a scholar. I am deeply saddend to see the number of people posting hateful comments about this man because he didn't like perl and he didn't like linux. I can assure you that professor Stevens knew what he was talking about and had reasons for those statements. The fact that one might not agree with them is not a justification for assailing a man's character or intelligence.
In 1993 I was writing some networking applications software for RS-6000's at a large IT shop. I was, like almost everyone else in the industry, working from W. Richard Steven's excellent "Unix Network Programming." I was testing code examples from that book and found (to my mild concern) that Steven's code to run-time detect whether you were on a system V or a BSD style system (for signal handling) was returning true for both cases on the version of AIX I was on.
I was pretty sure that AIX wasn't so deviant that such standard stuff as is found in that book would not work, but I'm certainly not too proud to seek expert advice. I hopped on over to USENET (web? What web?) and posted a question basically asking if Stevens' code would work on AIX. Later that day I got an e-mail from Stevens himself with details on what works, what doesn't and why (almost all of it worked, BTW). In 1993 the 'net wasn't quite the sea of raging lunatics that it is today, but even then USENET was full of loudmouthed know-nothings. That Stevens would take the time to review newsgroups and help out an indivdual questioner says something about the man.
His contribution to the modern net is difficult to overstate. I would venture that almost every serious developer of Internet applications (esp. those who were here before the explosion of the WWW) learned his or her trade from Stevens (and Comer, and a handful of others). Whatever he thought of Linux and Perl, or about NAFTA or any other damned thing, he was a knowledgeable and generous man. Such a man is worth ten thousand foul-mouthed AC's. Shame on you.
Now you know what it feels like to argue with a Linux zealot.
I learned a lot from his book, UNIX Network Programming. I still have it on my desk and pick it up from time to time. Since I probably won't be going to his service, this is my only chance to say goodbye to him. So thanks for everyting Mr. Stevens.
This is the last time I post on slashdot, this is the last time I even read slashdot comments. I am fed up with all trolls around here.
Assuming that his death is real (and not some sick hoax), this truley is a great loss for programmers, and ultimately society, everywhere.
Judging by your sarcasm I assume you think human life has no real value too. Well how bout I kill you then? Would you like that? Since your life has no value, then it wouldn't matter, would it?
Asshole!
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken - Tyler Durden
I was with people who work in net-related stuff, and they are people I respect. As soon as they heard the news, they were truly upset. This was someone they all knew and valued. I value their estimation of the man far more than I value anonymous cowards (and no, creating a stupid account name does not absolve you from being an anonymous coward).
I second the motion. "X is dead." is clear and concise. "X has passed (away, on, or simply "passed")" has unfortunate resonances with passing the bar, passing a test, and passing gas. "We lost him." suggests he should be found. However, one can say (at least around me) "the passing of an era" (time passes) or "community mourns loss of a leader" (who might not be dead, but retired, incapacitated, or simply not leaderly any more. Rob, DO something.
teleny, friend of cats.
I took a class based on his "Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment" several years ago (at a Usenix conference) and it remains one of the best classes I've had. I refer to his books constantly. He was a terrific writer and instructor. Very sad news indeed.
WTF? No shit death is a fact of life! That has not a damn thing to do with it.
The fact that someone doesn't care about the lives of others, that's pretty damn sick!
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken - Tyler Durden
OK, so I haven't read all the replies (sp), but
I think that those that are bitchin' about bad
posts are doing so prematurely. I mean come on
this place (slashdot) is just a slice of society
and there are bastards here as there are elsewhere
come on guys, you are seasoned enough to know who are trolls and who are not so lets stay serious. A very important man is lost but your
mention/reply of the trolls are not good, so stay
real!
-haffi
Goodbye, Mr. Stevens.
... with a heavy, blunt, iron object. /. all day and diss every AC who posted this sort of crap. But I realized I wouldn't be able to keep up.
Shortly after this story was posted, I thought I'd just hang around
No - I must disagree here. This is not an event signifying anything having to do with "the GNU generation." This merely acknowledges the passing of a noted author of well-written technical books.
Yes, I am prejudiced; I, too, like many other posters own well-worn copies of Steven's books. Steven's death does not do anything to add legitimacy to "the GNU generation" - whatever that means. The torch that you speak of will be picked up by the next author who can express technical concepts with clarity.
For once, let's think beyond our own petty squabbles and try to show a little respect for the dead.
--
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 4th Ed., Vol 2
I have UNIX Network Programming and will soon be getting his IPC book. Don't know much about the man, but his writing style is/was clear and easy to understand. I guess what I'm saying is, bummer about losing a good author, espescially since most of 'em suck.
/. again" and proclaiming the "downfall of anonymous posting" and complaining about the existing moderation system, try using it -- raise your reading threshold to 1 point or so. If the trolls upset you or you just don't like to read them, you don't have to.
As for the troll, it is not a huge tragedy that someone is going around saying not-nice things about Stevens. It is just an occasion for liberal use of moderation. So before getting angry and "never using
There is a reason /. has moderation. It's to let people read messages with actual content w/o reading the trash that has apparently been posted on this thread (I haven't seen the actual messages, just the responces to the morons. I set my prefs so that I only read messages with a score >= 2.) If you're tired of reading the idiotic trash some people post, set the filter to 1 or 2!
Linus 2.0 is already quite a bit different from Linus 1.0, though.
It seems strange. Checking out Dejanews I see that he was posting on 8/31, the day before his "death". Clearly he didn't die of a debilitating illness. So it must have been an accident, suicide, or surgery.
The news reports on his death are all conspicuously missing one crucial piece of information, namely: how did he die? The fact that none of them are saying suggests a coverup. That rules out accident, leaving suicide or surgery. I really doubt he committed suicide, he seemed quite cheerful in his USENET posts. That leaves surgery.
Did he die in surgery, or is there an alternative explanation? Without an explanation, speculation is going to run rampant. I guess we'll find out at his funeral. It seems odd, though, that a recovering trans would have a 'funeral' for his/her previous self.
Oh by the way everyone, Salon magazine regulars have this saying: "DNFTEC" (Do Not Feed The Energy Creatures). It's good advice, I suggest you follow it.
- As a representative of the Linux community, participate in mailing list and newsgroup discussions in a professional manner.
- Refrain from name-calling and use of vulgar language. Consider yourself a member of a virtual corporation with Mr.Torvalds as your Chief Executive Officer. Your words will either enhance or degrade the image the reader has of the Linux community.
- Avoid hyperbole and unsubstantiated claims at all costs. It's unprofessional and will result in unproductive discussions.
- A thoughtful, well-reasoned response to a posting will not only provide insight for your readers, but will also increase their respect for your knowledge and abilities.
- Don't bite if offered flame-bait. Too many threads degenerate into a ``My O/S is better than your O/S'' argument. Let's accurately describe the capabilities of Linux and leave it at that.
- Always remember that if you insult or are disrespectful to someone, their negative experience may be shared with many others. If you do offend someone, please try to make amends.
- Focus on what Linux has to offer. There is no need to bash the competition. Linux is a good, solid product that stands on its own.
- Respect the use of other operating systems. While Linux is a wonderful platform, it does not meet everyone's needs.
- Refer to another product by its proper name. There's nothing to be gained by attempting to ridicule a company or its products by using ``creative spelling''. If we expect respect for Linux, we must respect other products.
- Give credit where credit is due. Linux is just the kernel. Without the efforts of people involved with the GNU project, MIT, Berkeley and others too numerous to mention, the Linux kernel would not be very useful to most people.
- Don't insist that Linux is the only answer for a particular application. Just as the Linux community cherishes the freedom that Linux provides them, Linux only solutions would deprive others of their freedom.
- There will be cases where Linux is not the answer. Be the first to recognize this and offer another solution.
Linux Advocacy mini-HOWTOSo shape up or ship out!
Embarrassed
belbo
--
"Just believe everything I tell you, and it will all be very, very simple."
Whenever young programmers and admins venture
:)
far from shore--they hope to see a beacon of
light to guide them away from the hidden rocks
and the cruel currents of the ubiquitous internet/unix ocean--destined to take young men and women who knew too little too late out to sea--forever lost--until they come upon the glimps of those solid lighthouses...
...until these young adventurers pull out the precious maps placed in their trust by past sailors...
--Richard had though enough of us mere mortals to map the world so new to the immigrants of DOS, Macintosh, and other platforms. So that we can arrive safely and roam this new continent with confidence.
Richard's succinct thoughts and illustrations will be sorely missed. I hope I will someday afford the
other books he has so kindly nurtured into
intellectual giants. I already thoroughly enjoy
my copy of APUE & TCPIPv1 and skimming through NetProgramminge2v1 at the bookstore.
I'm very happy to hear from Tom (of Perl Cookbook fame)--who in a early post helped me paint a more complete picture of Richard. I'm quite glad to be informed that Richard is fond of his living years, that he love his life, that he wants everyone around him to love it as much as he did. I believe Richard 'is' now heading to a better place--with bigger challenges--I wish him well in his eternal journey of excellence. Thank you Richard. I look forward to seeing the great maps and lighthouses you'll continue to create when we all join the big party
No, it's not a conspiracy. The two 'obits' have the same content because the first (the 'Big Deal Classifieds') are part of the second (the 'Tucson Daily Star'). For those Perl-haters who are too stupid to understand, I'll make it very clear: the Big Deal Classifieds is the name of the classifieds section of the Tucson Daily Star. Thus it is not at all surprising that the two 'obits' are the same.
No, it is not "trolls" but ONE troll--look at the phrases, the misspellings, the vocabulary--the trolls originate from one vandal. It is one person, a vandal. Rob should delete these posts and blacklist the IP. It is *not* a freedom of speech issue. This individual's intent is to disrupt freedom of speech. Going into a public library and spray-painting the books, and scribbling profanity on the pages with a marking pen is not freedom of speech. And that is what is being done here. Removing a vandal from a public library is not supressing freedom of speech, and neither is removing a vandal from Slashdot. I hope Rob has some guts on this one.
nothing more to say...
The real silver bullet to good programs is caffeine; lots and lots of caffeine! *twitch, twitch*
If, by telling the trolls to go elsewhere, I am branded a troll, does this not also brand BIG> Moderators as trolls?
Just a thought.
From a Sun Microsystems bug report (#4102680):
Pining for the days when The Glorious MEEPT!!! graced SlapDash with his wisdom.
It's up your asshole, bitch
Can any smart developer translates a man's mind (the way s/he thinks, h(is/er) logic, character etc.) into software codes? Software brain.
Hello. This, like many other comments here, is meta-discussion, and thus not really on topic. I wish there was a better place for it, but I cannot think of any. Pardon.
I don't find the several derogatory messages appearing here a disastrous problem. Practically all of them have been moderated down, and I must commend the moderators for such prompt action. Everyone is aware, hopefully, that at threshold -1 you do get to see utter crap. This time there is more of it, mostly because of a few persistent flamebaiters. However, as always, you get what you ask for, if you don't want to see the worst of the worst, keep your threshold higher. The moderation system works, in my opinion, remarkably well in general.
However, please, people, do not feed the flames by replying to completely obvious trolls. Trust the moderators to do their job. Flaming flamers is just a waste of mutual resources, most notably reading time.
I suspect that starting IP banning would not be worthwhile. It would open yet another can of worms about censorship, and IP banning is not a foolproof protection against misbehaving individuals in any case. Like I said, I find the current moderation system doing its job commendably well. The only problem that I see that the comments on this story have revealed is that people who really see effort to abuse the system may overwhelm, or at least overload the moderators, and it must be frustrating for them. I cannot really see an obvious way to remedy the situation.
There is one thing that I actually am worried about, though, perhaps reflecting the frustration of the moderators. There seem to be several comments that have been moderated down, that I for one really don't see deserving it. Please, moderators, remember that you should only consider the topicality, language, and information content of a comment, not the opinions it expresses.
In addition to the hordes of (quite appropriately downmoderated) comments mainly concerned with bodily fluids, there are some comments which merely criticize the late Mr. Stevens and point out that something good may, in their opinion, result from his demise. I find it most unsettling to see posts such as these, not blatantly offensive and quite topical, moderated down. Yes, the dead should be respected, because it's unfair to abuse someone who cannot defend himself. But that doesn't mean that one should suddenly only start saying positive things about the dead. People have a right to their opinions unbiased by their subject's death, and as long as they are expressed with dignity, and are topical, I see no reason to moderate them down, even if the moderators are offended by them.
Like some comments have already pointed out, had Bill Gates died, it's doubtful that comments remarking that his demise might be positive for Linux would get moderated down. As a more extreme example, consider the phrases "Good riddance, Hitler", and "Good riddance, Stevens", uttered right after the deaths of the respective individuals. If you are to be impartial, you should moderate both the same way.
Actually, I cannot help being reminded of the Daria episode "The Misery Chick" where a local celebrity dies, and Daria, being the only one criticizing him after his death, gets shunned by everyone. I wouldn't like to compare Slashdot readership to the students of Lawndale High...
Lauri Alanko
la@iki.fi
PS. I wouldn't be at all surprised if JonKatz were to write a piece about this story, and all this discussion that followed, and again try to psychoanalyze the readership of slashdot..
Someone else here mentioned that these kinds of comments are off-topic, and that he felt the need to put them in anyway. I agree. Why is it that when I read this article, and I look at the posts, the ones that were moderated up really high are "nice" replies to a bunch of things that are -1? The whole point here is that I want to get rid of the noise! While Tom's remarks are moving, they are not on topic any more than this post is. What we really need is a place to talk ABOUT Slashdot. Anybody registered www.metaslash.org yet? Also, why are these "off-topic" posts moderated up so high? Perhaps it's because the "insightful" label means so many things to so many people, and is frequently used whether or not the on-topic condition is met.
Well I do believe that his spirit will live among us
Simply put, you're the one guy in the world in whose presence I would have been in awe of. I wouldn't bother asking for Michael Jordan's autograph, didn't shed a tear for JFK Jr., and couldn't care less about shaking the hand of a U.S. President, but it would have been a great honor just to say "hi" to you in person.
Your work served as the foundation of my own work, and many others as well. The most influential book in my life so far has been Unix Network Programming -- without it, I simply would have done what most college students do and simply go to class just to get it over with. Your work inspired me to do something outside the realm of the classroom and filled my head with ideas and dreams, and for that I can't thank you enough.
Your obituary cites you as a "noted author of computer books", but your books weren't simply "computer books" nor "programming books", nor were you simply an author. Your works stand as great works of computer science.
We will miss you, W. Richard Stevens, and we regret that you were taken from us when surely you had 20 more years of knowledge yet to bestow upon us.
Sincerely,
Mike Gleason
NcFTP Software
I've enjoyed his books.
I may be most sad for selfish reasons.. I was looking forward to more. Who's going to update his books when/if IPV6 gets rolled out?
Rich Stevens co-wrote RFC 2553, the socket extensions for IPv6, and if you get a copy of UNIX network programming 2nd ed, it's all in there too. To answer the question "who's going to update his work for IPv6?", the answer is that he already has.
I fond his book "Unix Network Programming" more a revelation than just a book. It is truly sad that he is not among us anymore.
My condolences to his family.
Linux, coming to a desktop near you!
Though I have never met Mr. Stevens, I have read both Advanced Programing ... and the first edition of Unix Network Programming. The examples and explanations they gave made my job much easier, so I can only offer my condolences to his family.
As for the response from a small number of imbecilic children on Slashdot, all I can say is that I don't know whether I can bring myself to continue reading Slashdot.
I hope that the individual or individuals concerned feel proud of themselves for there downright stupidity.
I've linked Richard's page for years. http://www.rumour.com/links.html It's still there. I wouldn't have to type my page address out if Slashdot wouldn't keep losing my login password and information. It's one thing to lose a cookie, quite another to try to log back in and be unsuccessful every time! Dammit Rob! Anyways, here is Richard's web site. It's still up: http://www.kohala.com/~rstevens/
Good man, good books
exit(EXIT_SUCCESS)
If even the slightest bit of unrepentance or virulence remains in anyone implicated by Tom's words, it shows digusting social habits coupled with the insouciance necessary to spew them everywhere.
good use of sarcasm
Why is everything I write continually moderated down? I raised some good points. Click on "Parent" of this note to see them.
I was really sorry to read that Stevens had died (and nauseated by most of this whole sorry thread). APUE is a true classic: informative and with lots of illustrative examples, including some non-trivial ones, and above all, *fun* to read! I read the whole book not to solve some problem but simply because I enjoyed it.
Now I seem to have heard/read a rumour somewhere that a third volume to Unix Network Programming (2nd ed) was planned -- and his homepage only mentions volumes one and two. Is this true, and if yes, does anybody know the status of the third volume?
--- Premature complacency is the evil of all roots
Heard of the draft? Do you think that Hitler was just going to disappear if we ignored him for a really long time. Sure, the United States has abused its power both economically and militarily in the past but to say that the men and women in modern armies are nothing but blood thirsty kill mongers is insane (you're generalizing, it's a bad technique to use in a debate).
He wrote on Linux e.g. in related to its special handling/programming of raw sockets (SOCK_PACKET) in his 2nd edition Unix Network Programming book, see e.g. 707 page. Although it's true contrary to FreeBSD, SunOS, etc Linux isn't mentioned in the index. Anyway, his books were the most well written ones, a must have for every Unix programmer. He will be missed.
s/Linuz zealot/idiot/
I'm talking real proper respect. If you're down, pour a 40 for Stevens. We'll miss you 'til we join you!
Read Heinlein's 1953 Revolt in 2100, now more than ever.
On the Internet, nobody knows you're dead. On the internet, nobody knows you're dead, they just add patches and life evolves. Forever.
Slashdot is suffering from the USENET syndrome. The more people use it, the lower the signal-to-noise ratio. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
Sad day indeed. It is greatly distressing that such young man was taken away from his family. I really enjoyed his books. He will be missed.
Just one question: why?
Sad to see you go. Thanks for many great books. You willl be missed.
The way I remember Rich will be at conferences, standing at the front of a room where he has just presented, with a small mob of people around him, all eager to ask him some esoteric point of network programming or argue some vanishingly trivial point or just to shake his hand and tell him how much they admire him.
I learned more from Rich than from all my CS professors combined. Over lunch one day at a conference, I chatted with him about his plans for starting TCP/IP Illustrated all over again, rewriting it for IPv6. I remember being excited about these updates, and telling all my friends about them, even though they wouldn't be out for years.
It breaks my heart to think that these, and all the other good works that mind was capable of producing, will never come.
I have 5 books by Stevens, I think I am going to go out and buy another today. I love all of his books and especially his style of writing. He can take pleasure in knowing that he helped educate thousands of people around the world.
If Bill Gates died, you'd see a lot of cheering on Slashdot. And it wouldn't get moderated down either.
Does this mean the price of TCP/IP will go up?
Seems to me like we may have some very jealous people posting here. They are pissed because Mr. Stevens has accomplished much more then they ever will, and they don't know how to accept that. Maybe with maturity and age they will learn that some people are here to do some wonderful things (Mr. Stevens), and some are here for no reason at all.
Quote the COWARD:
No, this is not flamebait. I'm serious.
Stevens was a noted anti-Linux, anti-Perl bigot who happened to be a high profile author of some very good Unix books. This event
signifies the passing of the torch to the GNU generation.
MY Response:
Do you really feel that this is adding anything positive!?!(*&@#
Get a login && post when you can add a sensible comment.
had you even read his books? pha!
Don't waste moderator points.
=later
His home page is here, and reading it is to find out what a truly great guy he was. My favorite is his recipe for chocolate chip cookies, which are harder to make than a bug free threaded tcp/ip stack.
His books were the best. Well written with the best exercises of any books out there. I think the reason he obviously put so much thought into the exercises at the end of chapters was because he knew that's where readers did most of their learning. Unlike other fine books like Knuth's, his books actually got used, reread, and handed around to be used again. He accomplished better than any author I can name exactly what he sought to do--teach.
I just wish I'd written and thanked him a long time ago. RIP.
You people make me sick. I dont care if he hates perl..hates linux..loves microsoft..it DOESNT MATTER!! What matters is that a truely good person died at a young age. Put yourself in his kid's shoes. If they came across the trash I see in this form I know that they would collapse crying. If your mom/dad/bestfriend died would you like reading posts about them saying how screwed up they were and how they deserve to die? As for you AC what the hell is your problem? To turn this around i hope to god that you die or someone you truly love dies! How does that feel? If you have a heart you would be sickened by that. Would act like this at his funeral? I think not. As for the rest of you. Dont complain that he didnt like something or that he did like something. He just wrote a few books. Now back to crying (not cause of his death but the crappy posts that all of you loosers had to post)
What was the response by one such person hiding behind an AC shield? "Don't send flowers or donate to a charity in the bigot's name. If you want to help humanity -- code a GTK IRC client".
I'm astonished that the same community that so fiercely argues for freedom and fairness also witnessed a strong chorus of "But what has he done for [insert your favorite cause] lately?"
I'm as jaded, disenchanted and cynical as the next person. Probably more. But the death of a good man who is remembered fondly by his colleagues and readers is a time to keep your mouth shut about some gripe you have with his philosophy. Each of us feel pain and fear death. Underneath our beliefs, causes and actions, we all share those two primal aspects of life. If we can not sympathize and feel compassion for someone who is suffering great pain or has died, then we can never feel compassion. Compassion isn't an honorable thing. It is a basic trait of mankind that separates us from gorillas and slugs.
I'd like to think that the shallow comments made in Slashdot were by those of us who have spent our entire lives in front of our monitors and in our bedrooms or dens hidden away from society, because anyone who has a healthy composition of civility, humanity, and sociable skills could not possibly be so thoughtless. There is a time for personal opinion and debate and a time to practice the art of knowing when to shut up and be a graceful man.
Real men fight on level playing fields -- they don't kick someone while they're down.
Thankfully, the same person who tought me Perl and has his own chunk of shelf-space next to my desk also gave some depth to the man so many articles of harpooned. I encourage everyone who displayed their ignorance and carelessness to re-read Tom's post and then visit Richard's website.
Yesterday it was Postel. Today it was Stevens. Tomorrow, it could be your favorite geek.
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seumas.com
> No, this is not flamebait. I'm serious.
> Stevens was a noted anti-Linux, anti-Perl bigot
> who happened to be a high profile author of some
> very good Unix books. This event signifies the
> passing of the torch to the GNU generation.
I'm speachless, and that doesn't happen very often. I was going to let this slide, but I just fscking can't.
<RANT mode=REALLYFUCKINGPISSED>
It's not a fscking crime not to like Linux, or Perl. It's a matter of opinion, and the last time I checked, the GNU movement is all about giving people a little empowerment, and more choice.
The contribution of Stevens' books to the computing community has been enormous. There are so few good technical books available, and his are among the best technical books I have ever read.
How much code in the world is better because the author(s) of that code read and applied some of these books?
Now a lot of that code is in commercial software, but vast, incalculable KLOCs of Free Software/Open Source have benefitted from Stevens' insights. This man has advanced the Free Software community by leaps and bounds, without maintaining a single program (that I know of.)
One of the biggest weaknesses in the computer industry (and the Free Software movement is no exception) is the shitty documentation and books. Any author that reliably comes out with well written, concise, insightful, and experienced books deserves to be sainted IMNSHFO.
I'm a sysadmin by trade. I don't fscking care if you run GNU/Linux or *BSD or SCO or Ultrix or NT or VMS or NetWare, if you're crazy enough to maintain computers for a living, you need all the decent documentation that you can get, and TCP/IP Illustrated has helped fsckloads of people understand the subtle interactions of the various protocols that make the 'net work.
In conclusion, if I thought you were reprentative of the GNU generation, then I would probably toast my fscking Linux and FreeBSD partitions and put NT back on, you selfish, short sighted, ungrateful punk.
</RANT>
Habitat for Humanity, 2950 E. 22nd Street, Tucson, AZ 85713
You have to love this comment, "Please wear colorful clothing to the service; Richard loved colors."
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Perhaps you didn't notice that Perl isn't part of the GNU project, nor even distributed under the GNU GPL. Many people think Perl sucks. Many others like Perl. No one group is inherently superior to the other - it's a matter of preference.
As for his dislike of Linux, perhaps this signifies the passing of the torch to the Linux Jihad generation. All opponents of the penguin must be destroyed! Hail Tux! Death to nonbelievers! A curse upon that fiendish daemon Chuck!
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Is this for real ?
What happened ? He wasn't old - 40 something is not the age to die !
Anyone knows what was the cause ?
The web site of the Tucson Daily Star has the same info for the Stevens funeral notice. I don't know the relationship with the other obit which has the same content.
Give it a rest dude... You obviously have no taste!!!!
Although it seems that computers haven't been around for all that long, they have existed for over 40 years. A lot of the earlier pioneers of computing will start passing on in the near future. Eventually even the Great One Linus will go on to a better place.
-------------------------------------------------
The U.S. military is an organization dedicated to mass murder, and yes, even genocide. If you think military men have more respect for life than civilians, you haven't been out much.
i have almost all his books except TCPv3 and UNP vol II (i'm still saving money) and i must say that W. Richard Stevens is definitely one of the best in the Computer Industry..it is so sad that he died. He died Sept. 1, to think that i e-mailed him on Aug. 29, i gave him complements and praise and ask questions, he was very thuoghtful in his reply... i must say that he thought me how to strive to be the best!!! he's coding styles, the way he thinks in his books, the way he explains things..it just gets into you i always wanted to be like him..kinda like my idol..its so damn sad he died.. He's the BEST!! Goodbye Rich Stevens!! =(
You see , this is realy unfortunate that people like you are still alive and Steven is gone.
Even if you not intended this to be flamebait, it is simply extremely rude and ,frankly, shamefull to write stuff like that ...
Fuck Perl. How about that ?
I don't give a shit about Perl, however, Stevens talent was something you don't see every day.
Stevens was not anti-Linux. It is well known that one of the OS he used was Red Hat Linux. But his favorite OS was the commercial offering from BSDI. Do a Deja Search. See how he was critical of the free versions of BSD and Linux because he didn't like tracking patch levels. He prefered to pay for support and leave patch level details to the pros. He wasn't "anti" anything. He just favored professional support. Nothing wrong with that. He clearly had more important things to do with his time.
Get them while their "hot", and before they assume room temperature!
Not to take away from the topic, but if slashdot installed a filter to kill messages with 'first post', this one would be gone :)
I think I hear your mother calling ...... (It should be bedtime by now).
CC
"Pray arm me further by your reply" Winston Churchill
Gee.. could you guys try to hold back from stilling Steven's work at least for a fucking week after his dead.
...
What a bunch of fucking morons
Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux, where when a man dies they celebrate because he was anti-GNU or anti-whatever. When do you guys start hunting people down with guns because they are not part of your 'great political revolution"? Maybe you can come to my house and kill my family. Maybe just burn a cross in my front yard or drive by and scream insults. Linux advocacy gets closer and closer to outright fascism everyday. I guess this is what "freedom' is all about huh? Sad, sad, sad, sad little people.
Ok...I think this has gone on enough, this guy is abusing the posting system here. IP ban may be extreme, but posting here is a privilege, not a right... Stevens was a great author.
shove your own no doubt inadequate penis into your distended asshole and jerk off until cum dribbles down your chin...
just a suggestion.
stfu idiot and pay respect to author of best books around. only books that beats oreilly books
And the hacker community will feel this loss for years to come. I don't know any hacker who hasn't turned to his books for guidance. He provided the bridge which took us from slovenly error filled man pages to working code. He showed us the pitfalls and the details. His handprint is on all software that runs the net.
It is frightening that there is no apparent heir who can fill his shoes.
what does that mean? does it mean that if i go to that channel i can ask around for a text file containing a list of the title of books in his personal library? or maybe there is a bot there dispensing it? i never heard of book warez before. can you explain more about waht it is?
Yeah. Sad but true. There is always going to be an asshole around. Personally, I would rather find out who he is and have him eat couple of "Programming Perl" volumes ...
use python
Or perhaps, if Bill Gates finds success with his bio-engineering investments, Linus will finally indeed be assimilated by the Borg of Redmond.
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Obviously, Christiansen's circle of friends includes some truly stupid assholes.
Mothererate down this motehrfucker ... ..
With a bit of luck maybe he will get hit by a bus on his way home
dude... are you serious?
Why IP ban when they can just be moderated down... Assholes are what pub(l)ic forums are all about.
Yeah .. he doesn't like Perl ? So fucking what ?
I don't like you and now you should be scared, really scared.
Fucker !
hmm i am going to start "i hate perl" page because of you asshole
your a jackass
Go fuck yourself again if the first time didn't quite work...
You're right. I just had to vent. IP Ban would just make things worse. Man just imagine the censorship threads.
If they did that, the Slashdot owners would leave themselves wide open to charges of hypocracy when they not only allow, but actually moderate up the many posts from the typical Slashdot zealot celebrating the death of, say, Bill Gates or the CEO of SCO.
Rest in peace, and thank you, Mr. Stevens.
Cheers,
ZicoKnows
If I have not mistaken, he is only 48. Anyone know how he died?
Ban anonymous posting. This is insane.
------------------
Right. Like you're going to write an OS, or anything useful for that matter, in Perl.
$ finger rstevens@kohala.kohala.com
L ogin Name TTY Idle When Where :0.0 :0.0 :0.0 :0.0 :0.0
[kohala.kohala.com]
rstevens W. Richard Stevens console 1:41 Sat 17:52
rstevens W. Richard Stevens pts/1 3d Sat 17:53
rstevens W. Richard Stevens pts/2 8d Sat 17:53
rstevens W. Richard Stevens pts/4 1d Sat 17:53
rstevens W. Richard Stevens pts/5 5:40 Sat 17:53
rstevens W. Richard Stevens pts/6 11d Sat 17:53
rstevens W. Richard Stevens pts/3 3d Sat 17:53
Everyone's getting all righteous about the "trolling" (believe me it is a parody of Slashdot idiots) and guess what? The entire story is a troll!
strcat returns a pointer to a string, which can be used by another strcat call. Yes, I know that 'M' would probably optimize to 0x4d, and it would be better written as
char *s1 = 'M'
and so forth. But that would be too long. So have a little imagination, huh?
And besides, who cares?