I would say that enduring a few days of Steve Jobs tributes on HN is small price to pay for the massive contribution that Steve made to this community, albeit i

I would say that enduring a few days of Steve Jobs tributes on HN is small price to pay for the massive contribution that Steve made to this community, albeit indirectly. Steve is, in many ways, the prototype for taking an idea from the garage to boundless success. Many HN readers aspire to live a life like Steve's, so it's no wonder they are affected by his passing. Not everyone likes Steve or Apple, but you have to respect their ability to convert "fringe" thinking into mainstream success. Those of us who remember first-hand the direction that personal technology was going in the 80's are somewhat helpless to show our appreciation for Steve doing much of the "dirty work" to right the ship for the benefit of "the rest of us". If we want to lay our virtual flowers at his grave in the form of dupe posts, I would only ask for a little patience from those who find it annoying. It's just really, really important to some of us – as hard as it might be to empathize.