Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

The time has come when computing is well passed its infancy and the legendary developers that have shaped our lives pass on and become history.  For anyone who has cut and pasted solutions from Stack Overflow has Larry Teslar to thank for the Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V we use each and every day, Sir, we are in your debt.

Last week, 20th February the final Ctrl +X saw Larry move on from this world and he will be missed. Lawrence Gordon Teslar was born in the Bronx to a Physician and his wife. Larry soon became interested in the emerging technologies of the 1950s and the early computer models. Having seen computers begin the predict election results in the early 1960s, who knows how he feels about computers being used to affect election results in modern times.

Graduating from Stanford he began to work at Stanford Artificial Intelligence before moving the Xerox were he met Steve Jobs. He moved to Apple following Jobs in 1980.

The seemingly facile actions of copy and paste have shaped all of our lives and it is hard to estimate the number of lives he has impacted upon. But this empty chair is just one among many computing pioneers that will be leaving our tables and lives as time progresses. Do not let the names be forgotten or their achievements be taken for granted. These are all our computing heroes that should be celebrated and remembered. Join me in raising a glass to another empty chair and another empty tables. Let the shadows that they cast on our code be reflected to our windows as a constant reminder of our debt.