Ask HN: Who are the Van Gogh of coders?

by thomasreggi on 5/24/2023, 10:20:09 PM with 2 comments
Vincent van Gogh was notoriously unable to enjoy his fame. It was only after his death that he became the renowned figure we know today. I am curious whether this phenomenon of post-mortem recognition is also observed within the software community. With the advent of the internet, I wonder if there are coders who have innovated and remained unheard, fervently writing about their ideas with no audience, until their work is eventually discovered over time and gains notoriety. I can envision an engineer who creates a GitHub repository that receives no stars during their lifetime, only to strike a chord with the masses after their passing. Are there any notable software engineers that only garnered recognition after they died?

  • by rossdavidh on 5/24/2023, 10:46:04 PM

    One thing weighing against this, is that most software does not last nearly as long as a van Gogh painting. Imagine what gems might have been in SourceForge, for example, lost when that went down the drain if there was no one who knew about them to rescue them. Not much for later generations to look through.

  • by ftxbro on 5/24/2023, 11:05:19 PM

    terry davis