Call in absence

[Philippe Gerum <rpm@xenomai.org>]

Dear Wolfgang,


So you are gone. I spent most of last week reflecting on your departure,
how to cope once again with a friend moving towards those new horizons
we can't see, what should be said in an eulogy to you. This left me
nowhere: I can't comprehend why this had to be you leaving us, I find no
relief in trying to rationalize this, I don't know where to start
describing your positive influence, how instrumental you have been in
several occasions, I'm just receiving E2BIG on and on.

At this point of our long distance call, I can hear you saying: "Please
stick to the facts, explain the rationale, keep it concise". I'm trying
my friend, I really do.

When we met in August, the discussion about Xenomai went on for a while,
revolving around questions your witty mind likes to challenge me with,
such as "where should this go next?". This reminds me that at defining
moments of this project's history, you found ways to keep me focused on
the essential issues.  Coming from the great engineer who founded the
U-Boot project, those benevolent hints made a difference, I have to
thank you for that.  I also have to thank you for the indefectible
support your company, Denx Software Engineering, brought to me during my
freelance years, sustaining the work on Xenomai decisively.

A lasting legacy you will be leaving to me, to all other orphans at Denx
and elsewhere, is your irreducible belief that a joint effort of people
collaborating openly creates software which makes sense. I suspect that
your reasoning goes much beyond software here, the synthesis you
achieved between idealism and practicality has always been remarkable.

I know, this all sounds like too many compliments to you and I'm not
concise enough to your taste. Well, I'm just sticking to the facts, fair
enough, right? I did not even mention the fascinating extent of your
culture, the way you are able to match issues in ordinary or
extraordinary times with teachings from science and literature. By the
way, when I offered you those novels by Saint-Exupéry lately, I realized
that you did read them long ago, didn't you?  Stories about humanity,
honesty and will, of course you knew about them already, living by those
principles yourself, accepting those gifts with a grateful heart
regardless. Your silent and playful glance at me was in line with a
fundamental belief of yours: kindness gives its actual value to
smartness.

Wolfgang Denk is a noble man. I know I won't make you grumpy saying so,
because this is based on rationally considered facts. I'm sure this time
only, you may bear with me for the lack of conciseness.

Time has come to end this call, hang up that speechless phone, knowing
you won't ring back. As often, you listened a lot and I was overly
talkative.


I wish you fair winds and following seas,

-- 
Philippe.