Difficult News about Bruno

[Scot]

To the greater SNF and Linux communities:One of our nearest and dearest is fighting the last battle of his life. He deserves our prayers, best wishes, and a place in our hearts.For seven years, Bruno managed our popular All Things Linux forum and helped to administer all of SNF. He's been part of the innermost management circle of these forums. His counsel and tireless help have been invaluable to me and the forums. Far more importantly, Bruno, who lives in Amsterdam and is a native Dutch speaker, has helped countless Windows users test drive and eventually master the Linux operating system. His All Things Linux forum is by far the most trafficked forum on SNF. And the community that he and the other ATL mods have created during this time is friendly, helpful and highly successful in helping would-be Linux users take the plunge.I won't mince words. Bruno has cancer that has spread throughout his body, and his excellent healthcare providers in the Netherlands have let him know that there isn't much that can be done. He is at home with visiting healthcare, living out his last days in the company of his family. I will let you know that from the communication I have had from Bruno, he is facing this very bravely and with honor. So, Bruno has stepped down from his role as SNF Admin and Lead Moderator of All Things Linux. He has asked that people refrain from emailing or PMing him. He doesn't have the strength to answer individual messages, but he hopes to post here.No matter what, ATL will always be Bruno's forum. And we will endeavor to keep it running just as he ran it -- with the same purpose and the same friendly, helpful, knowledgeable manner. Bruno's personality and opinions are part of the bedrock of SNF. It would not be what it is without his strong influence and the generous contribution of his personal time. We are clearly diminished by his absence. But we will not forget what he gave to the members and visitors of ATL and SNF. We will continue to pay Bruno's contribution forward as best we can.Bruno, this is the paragraph I dread. As you know, I'm seeing this with my own personal double vision. I want you to know this: If the last seven years of virtual friendship are anything like the other phases and aspects of your life, you've given far more than you might have received. Just in this corner of your life, you're a hero who has left his positive mark on thousands of people. My only regret is that I never met you in person. But you are a true friend nonetheless. As true as can be. I shall miss you very much.-- ScotP.S. Jack Carlson (a.k.a. "Jeber" to Highlanders), has also posted a touching blog post to Bruno that I invite you to read.

[Guest LilBambi]

Thank you Scot (and Jeber) for your wonderful thoughts on our very dear friend from Amsterdam.Bruno, our thoughts and prayers and love are with you always!Thank you Bruno for all your selfless dedication to us here in SNF and the Linux community as a whole.I can't tell you how much your patience and solid, unwavering help and encouragement has meant to me in my quest for knowledge in Linux, open source, and troubleshooting.And how much your caring on an individual basis has touched my heart.You will be missed more than you realize by all of us. Fran

[Urmas]

Bruno,Scot and Jack have managed to express the feelings and emotions that are running through my head. I feel unable to find the right words - or any words at all.Thank you for having been a good friend.As for the immense value of the selfless work you've done... Bruno, let me quote the final passage of The Kalevala in Dutch:

Maar hoe ook dit alles zijn mag,zangers kon de weg ik wijzen,'k wees de weg en boog de toppen,brak de takken, baande wegen,daarmee is de weg geëffend,’t pad geopend voor de toekomst:zangers, kundiger en rijker,meer begaafde runenzangers,onder jeugd die nu al opgroeit,in het jonge volk der toekomst.

I wish you and your loved ones strength, Bruno. My thoughts are with you.Your friend Urmas

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Bruno, my friend...I'm not sure if you knew this from reading about it on any of my boards or not, but I was the sole caretaker for my terminally ill mother the last three years of her life. I know what your family is going through right now and my heart goes out to them. My advice to them would be to stay strong... stay strong for you and for themselves. Time heals all. There will come a time when they will laugh and smile again. So many fine words have been spoken here already. I don't know what else to add other than you are a fine man, Bruno. You are our teacher. You are our friend. Those things will always be so. As Aryeh says elsewhere, don't give up the fight. When the sun does finally set, as it inevitably does for us all, rest easy. We will carry on here just as you would have us do.Lastly, thank you for being you. You made a difference in my life and the lives of many others that you touched. I will always be proud to say, "Yes, I knew Bruno of Amsterdam. He was my friend."I hope to bump into you again on our next whirl around the universe, my brother. ~Eric

[Scot]

I took the liberty of using Google Translator to provide a beginning on the translation of that quotation, Urmas. Feel free to adjust -- anyone who knows better:

But whatever it may be anything,singers could show me the way,'k pointed the way and bent the tops,broke the branches, paved roads,thus paved the way,'T path open for the future:singers, kundiger and richer,rune more talented singers,among youth who are already growing up,in the young people of the future.

[Urmas]

I'm sorry... those are the parting words of Väinämöinen - "the big guy" in the Kalevala. The idea is that he's "paved the way" for the future generations (in the original Finnish, more or less verbatim, "I made the ski piste [for future rune singers], fell the trees, removed the twigs, marked the passage. There goes the road now, a new path stretches yonder, for singers many, for poems plenty, within the youth arising, within our people growing.")Here is the original:

Vaan kuitenki kaikitenki la'un hiihin laulajoille,la'un hiihin, latvan taitoin, oksat karsin, tien osoitin.Siitäpä nyt tie menevi, ura uusi urkenevilaajemmille laulajoille, runsahammille runoille,nuorisossa nousevassa, kansassa kasuavassa.

I am sorry for my poor translation, but I hope you get the idea: Bruno has worked hard to make us - and "the future penguin generations" - a road. A smooth fine road for us. Something to be VERY, VERY grateful for.

[Scot]

Nothing to apologize for Urmas, I just had an urge to get a feel for the quotation. I knew that Google might not do a great job of translating it. Thanks for coloring it in a bit. I love this in the English:There goes the road nowA new path stretches yonderFor singers many, for poems plentyWithin the youth arisingWithin our people growing.

[muckshifter]

I have no words that can express my sorrow ... I salute thee, and thank thee for all your kindness

[V.T. Eric Layton]

That's something a biker like myself always appreciates, Urmas... a smooth, clearly marked road:

[rpiz]

I would like to reiterate all that has, already, so eloquently been said about my friend and teacher.I too wish you and your loved ones strength, and I pray that your next teaching assignmentwill be just as rewarding for those individuals as it has been for everyone here at 'All ThingsLinux'. My prayers will be with you.rpiz

[lewmur]

Bruno;My father had a simple appellation he reserved for exceptional people. "He's good people." I know he would count you in that number. You will be sorely missed.My thanks for not only all the help you given, but the example you have set for us all.Lew

Edited January 3, 2010 by lewmur

[rakemup]

In late 2003 I asked and received help for the first time from Bruno. It was around that time that I discovered Linux for the desktop. Try this -- do a search for your early posts and see just how far we've come in the past years with Bruno's help. It amazes me the patience he has always shown - especially with this NEWBIE! There - I said it. Newbie, newbie, newbie! Compared to B - I will always be one - and I'm darn proud of it!Here is a quote that I will save - and cherish."We try to avoid the word ¨newbie¨, it does no justice to the efforts we, also the beginners, put in to learn a new operating system. I think the wish to learn Linux shows a brave attitude and deserves a better qualification." --Bruno

[V.T. Eric Layton]

That's a quote I will continue to use when appropriate.

[teacher]

The news is terrible. Bruno, you are missed already. Your friendship over the last years has meant a lot. It has been fun to go through all the trials of different distros. You have given thousands of hours to this forum and to any member who has set foot inside the ATL. We appreciate all you have done and we now turn you back over to your family. Please tell them for us how much we appreciate them and their understanding and tolerance of what you have done for us.I can not think of anyone I have "met" on the internet that has been a greater, truer friend. You have always given, without ever asking for anything in return. Give not a worry to the forum. Everyone will step up with what they have learned under your tutorage. You have opened our eyes to another world full of open source, but more importantly, you have demonstrated what friendship and helping out is all about.I can't do the smilies of Colin nor can I be as eloquent as clutter. I just want you to know your memory will go on and we all hold a place in our hearts for you. For old memories sake I just went through many, many of our posts as well as a look at your "Tips" site. Needless to say it brought many smiles to my face. I'll miss you my friend.You and your family will be in my prayers. I am sure that God will say "well done" at the end of this road. Julia

[Guest LilBambi]

Back in 2005 when my Dad passed away from a brain tumor, I saw a movie called Ladder 49 where I saw the life of a very dedicated fireman, who was loved and cherished by his family, his station and his friends, die in a terrible fire trying to help people live; and how his Captain during the Memorial service, noting that they would all be strong and brave as he, Jack Morrison had been (when he would go into fires when others run from them so he could help save lives), by not mourning his death, but celebrating his life.I think what we are all trying to do here is pretty much the same thing ... celebrating the life of a very dedicated and giving individual who has touched all of our lives in a profound way. I think nothing will make this loss much easier to take, but it will give meaning to the memories.As my Jim told me when my Dad passed away, he will never die as long as you keep him in your heart and remember all the good he did. It is how my Jim keeps his Mom alive as well and I do that with my Dad and plan to do the same thing with Bruno.

[Bruno]

My dearest friends,Sometimes I think ( and of course you all know I don't really mean it ) that it would be easier if we all were mean spirited, that would make this farewell so much easier . . . Thank you all for the heartwarming friendship you addressed me over all these years, it was a true pleasure to teach and to guide you through the Linux learning process.I know that all of you visiting the ATL forum see Linux in another way then ever before you visited Scot's forum . . . and I am thankful that I was able to be part of that process.Exactly this achievement feels good and turns a smile on my face . . . !!!This week I will try do another few short messages in this thread, but please excuse me if I do not address / reply anyone personally, It's hard enough to keep my head clear in this state. BrunoPS: The exact date of the by now "famous" quote was May 25 2003 and from that day on the "N" word was banned.Here is the text I copied and pasted whenever needed:

We try to avoid the word "newbie", it does no justice to the efforts we, also the beginners, put in to learn a new operating system. I think the wish to learn Linux shows a brave attitude and deserves a better qualification. --Bruno

NOTE: I am in the process talking to my hosting provider to keep the site http://brunolinux.com on the internet for at least the coming 5 to 7 years so you will still be able to link to specific "Tips" in your post helping out people on the forum. ( The offline-tips will however soon no longer be available as download )

[Eggdog]

Bruno,I've thought about the word we don't use on BATL (and see in a lot of other places), and why we don't use it. In its own mild-mannered way, that little forum rule played into a lot of things I'd been concerned with. How words can create community, or elegant insults. How to remember that what I thought was "me" usually turns out to be some form or another of "us".You've done a lot of good in this world, and you know it. Maybe you've done more good than you know. I think so. There are prayers in Connecticut, and there will be more.Eddie

[sunrat]

Bruno, you're the greatest. Thanks.

[Peachy]

Bruno,I hope you are holding up in the face of mortality my friend. I wish to say that when Scot asked me if Bruno would be a suitable moderator/admin for All Things Linux I was quite thrilled he had recruited him. I had no idea how much he would make ATL the best Linux help forum on the Internet, IMHO, but I had a feeling he would do great things for us and I was not let down.

[SueD]

How often are we given the gift of telling someone how much we care and appreciate them before it's too late?Bruno, I would like to say that it has been a pleasure, an honour and a privilege to know you. God bless you, my friend, and thank you for all you've given us.

[BarryB]

BrunoI don't have the gift of words..What I know is, if not for your patience, kindness and understanding I would have never continued my linux journey. I know I'm not the only one. For that I thank you!Your light is a mark that will endure, my friend. I wish more had your traits, heck I wish I had your traits!! Thanks for the mentoring and support...and as someone else said, Thanks for being you!Hope to see you on the other side someday.God BlessBarry

[raymac46]

Bruno,Thank you for making such a difference in my Linux experience and that of countless others who visit this site.Your patient explanations and excellent suggestions encouraged us all to persevere, solve our problems and learn more and more.May peace be with you, now and always.

[jimtheplanner]

Bruno,It's very hard to find the words.....I first had your words of wisdom away back 18th June 2004 (I had to check up) trying to get a speedtouch modem working as it was on Mandrake. I'm happy to report I'm still using Mandriva 2010 (still using the 64 bit PWP) - that's "statement" to your influence on where I am with Linux today - Stuck with the same bloody distro!!!!!!Fun aside; I can't thank you enough for all your patience and assistance over the years.Your in my thoughts.Jim

[angeldust]

Knowing Bruno from other sites, some of which many posters here also belong to, I can state that Bruno has touched many lives in many places.It has been an honour to read his comments & know that he is there to help when needed. It will now be our privilege to carry on his tradition and thereby keep his memory alive. As long as one of remember to do so Bruno will always be alive in this world.May the Angels wing you to Glory & May GOD grant your family His Loving comfort, as Eric said til we meet again.

[Citadel80]

All the best Bruno. You are the best.I've been a member of these forums for a long time. I've never really had much to say here online but I can say, I have checked into here nearly every day since 2003. There's always an answer here and if no one knows the answer then someone finds an answer.Bruno is the heart and soul of this Forum and everyone takes their lead from him...God Bless, Bruno.Reg Anderson

[C_P]

Whoa, just wow. I just do not know what to say. I read the post and read the replies and am having a difficult time in coming up with the words to say. I know this, when we live our lives we all hope that when our time comes people will look back and think what they have achieved and hope others will remember them. Bruno I will remember you sir. I have met many people on line and rarely met any in person, I too would love the opportunity to meet this man face to face and tell him how much he meant to my experience with Linux mostly PCLinux. Without his kind help and patience I would have given up long ago. I never could get how this guy did so much for such little return but now I see how many true friends this man ahs made and that means more than anything in the end. As my signature indicates, I became a true fan of his long ago and will remain.Bruno sir, I will always consider you a friend, thank you.

Edited January 4, 2010 by C_P

[striker]

This is indeed sad news. It's difficult to find the words to express my feelings, it hit me tremendously.When there was a sudden change in the team a couple of weeks ago, I knew there was something going on, something no good. Now we know. (no offence to the new team, you're doing fine!)You know, I have seen many linux forums through the years, but ATL was/is a very very special one and I'm sure it stays that way. People came by one way or the other, they lurked around at ATL - now BATL - and went away, just to be back a couple of days later to have a look again.Thanks to your special gift of enthousiasm and never ever giving wannabee linuxers the 'NB' title, many of them came back, lurking around again, to finally take the plunge into linux land, just because you were there and you made everyone feel welcome and right at home. And most of them I know of are still happy with it after a little learning and handholding, which we all needed when we started. It were these little things above among others and your expertise which made people thinking 'I can do this!'. Bruno, I just want to say "thank you", thank you for all you did for us and for me way back then when I was just starting myself with linux. And also for the advises and fine conversations we had outside of the forums. My thought and prayers are with you and your family.I have to stop now, it's so difficult to grasp this...-- Ron

[zlim]

Just as a pond ripples and sends out waves to the shores when a rock is tossed into it, so can one person have such an effect on the lives of countless others. For me, that person is Bruno. I came to this forum, a stranger in 2003 spending time reading, mostly about linux, and eventually getting the idea, "I just might be able to do this - with lots of help". Help I got. Lots of it. I also received the gift of a lot of new friends who now seem like part of my family.For me, Bruno is "Mr. Linux". Never, ever would I have had the courage to try any distro, yet alone buy an eeepc with linux installed were it not for the kindness, patience, and instructions from Bruno. He is always cheerful and very humble. He is never arrogant about all the linux knowledge he has amassed and willingly shares his knowledge with anyone who is interested.My prayers are with you Bruno for a smooth road. My prayers are also with your family. You will always hold a special place in my heart.

[rolanaj]

I've read and reread this thread a few times now and I am still at a loss for words. Thank you just doesn't seem like enough somehow for all the help Bruno has given me over the years.I agree with Striker this is just so difficult to grasp.

[mlangdn]

Bruno,My heart is truly heavy upon reading this thread. It is amazing the strength of online friendships. These tiny little packets of electrical bursts forge a bond so strong that stands in testament to one we all love and admire.I wish you Godspeed on your journey to new life. My prayers will be with you and your family as well as all of us. Vrede zij met u.