Debian mourns the passing of Ian Murdock

[DimitriP]

 

https://bits.debian.org/2015/12/mourning-ian-murdock.html

 

[VinzC]

I switched to Linux back in 2004 and at that time I didn't realize what the people behind did actually achieve to allow me making that choice. It's only years walking "off-the-track" (if I can say so) until I could truly measure how important fellows like Ian Murdock were. 42 is too young to die. Or just a nerd's way to quit...

[MrSlack]

Circumstances are really not right:

https://web.archive.org/web/20151229122811/https:/twitter.com/imurdock

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/12/30/ian_murdock_debian_founder/

Edit: Debian user for about 20 years now so this is a shocker for me.

Edit 2: only police report says suicide. After police harassment, needs independent verification.

[timb]

Huh, those tweets are very...disorganized? I wonder if he was suffering some sort of mental break? Or on some sort of drug...

I'm not sure I buy the police brutality angle just yet. Either way, something major happened.

[nctnico]

Either way: someone who has made the life of many people better has passed away!

[timb]

Either way: someone who has made the life of many people better has passed away!

Right. Which is why I'd like to see *all* the details come out surrounding this. If it was police harassment, it needs to be exposed. If it was mental problems or drug abuse, that should also be exposed as well, as it could help others get help. There are very few cases where suicide is an acceptable answer to a problem.

Just like with Aaron Schwartz, the suicide itself might be shocking and sad, but it's not the real story. The real story is what drove him to it and what can be done to prevent it happening to someone else.

[dannyf]

Suicide seems to be an extreme and ineffective reaction to policy brutality, even if when raped by a female policy officer.

That's why I am a big supporter of community policing: people in a community should have the right to determine which laws to enforce (and which not to) and how it should be enforced. That way, we can all move to a community where law enforcement is customized to our personal liking. No more police brutality problems.

Otherwise, the only way to get rid of police brutality is to get rid of the police.

[MrSlack]

dannyf/timb: spot on.