Interview by Michael Dexter with FreeBSD developer Hans Petter Selasky who passed away this summer in a traffic accident in Norway.
Post on the FreeBSD email list https://lists.freebsd.org/archives/freebsd-announce/2023-July/000076.html
File Info: 29 Min. 14MB
Ogg Link: https://archive.org/download/bsdtalk267/bsdtalk267.ogg
6 comments:
Tragic accident but nice to have a new episode of bsdtalk. Thanks!
Absolutely ghoulish. Very poor taste.
How long ago was this interview recorded?
Mixed feelings on this one. Glad to have learned more about him, but posthumously published can be hard on those who were closest to him.
Dear Anonymous,
I too was concerned that posting an interview from 2008 would be in bad taste.
Accordingly, I inquired publicly on Mastodon if I should edit the "unsalvageable" recording and the feedback was 100% positive, including from author and BSDCan team lead Michael W. Lucas. So I proceeded to invest half a day into what was normally a two hour task, doing my best with the recording.
Having seen your comment while at EuroBSDcon, I reached out to more colleagues, including the EuroBSDcon Program Committee Lead, Peter N. M. Hansteen from Norway, and Patrick McEvoy of the NYC*BUG, BSDTV, and the A/V team. All were positive given that they found no malice in recording or its presentation.
Patrick circulated a memorial book that many of us signed for Hans Petter's family, and Will and I will not hesitate to remove the recording if the family has any issues with it.
Hi, Leif-Conrad Selasky here (Youngest brother of HPS).
I on my end don't see anything of bad taste in this. He was very diligent and serious when it came to programming, and from the responses I have read from people appreciating him in the FreeBSD community and otherwise, it is only a credit to him that the community still wants to put forth an interview he took part in.
It is a bit sad to hear his voice again, but not in any bad way. He was quite introverted, and since I never understood much about programming nor complex mathematics, our conversations revolved more around personal matters, society, relationships and things like that.
He chose his direction in life and what he wanted to spend time on - and honestly, even if I were to be affronted by this somehow (which I'm not) my conviction is that the FreeBSD community he contributed to and felt a part of, has a valid voice and an equal say in what has to do with matters pertaining to his legacy in that regard. And this interview, and also the concern regarding posting it, seems to me to fit the views, values and ideals of sharing and making things more accessible, that he believed in. It is a testament to his discernment that this community appreciates and cares for him this way, even when he no longer is sitting behind his keyboard or pacing the floor (which he sometimes did) to add new ideas, inspirations and feedback.
So only good on you to post this, and if this is a question others have in the BSD community (not too familiar with the terms here), of whether posting something might be bad taste, I don't see any issue with it - especially since that part of the story is his personal desire and interest. I am convinced that it is much better for the "informed"/aka those who truly understand his work, and have worked and cooperated with him, to evaluate and appreciate what to do with things like this.
All the best,
Leif-Conrad Lawrence Sirevåg Selasky
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