Gary Birkett: A Community Heart

Some of us like to think that systems and data and processes are the bones, brains and blood of any venture.  And for the most part that’s true.  But what body can thrive without a heart? This isn’t just rhetorical.  The question came up for me a few days ago when I received the devastating news that a very good friend had passed away.  image courtesy Kathy Smith Gary Birkett was no ordinary acquaintance for me.  I first encountered him online in the maemo.org community, when Maemo was still pulsing with fresh interest and (despite occasional lapses) Nokia seemed strongly behind the mobile Linux effort.  Gary showed up as “ lcuk ” in early 2008 and began peppering the discussion forum with unusual questions and wild ideas.  He exhibited an amazingly deep and broad understanding of graphics software and hardware, so deep that even with my own background in the fields he lost me easily.  I think that was true for many in the community.  His useful knowledge and friendly manner made him an instant hit in Maemo circles. He wasn’t a prolific forum poster, but made up for that lack with a persistent presence on IRC.  It didn’t seem to matter what time or day, or that I am in Texas and he was in Manchester, England– whenever I signed on, there he was.  Always greeting new arrivals and sometimes pulling me into impromptu private conversations about nothing and everything.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites