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I read comp.lang.lisp from 1998 - 2006. Lot's of interesting technical material. Many of Erik's technical posts are insightful. A few of these quotes make him l

by vdas 5y ago

I read comp.lang.lisp from 1998 - 2006. Lot's of interesting technical material. Many of Erik's technical posts are insightful. A few of these quotes make him look like a doofus keyboard warrior, but I could tell after reading his writing for so long that he was a genuine good guy, albeit at times a bit abrasive. Can't believe that it has been twenty years since I was introduced to common lisp. Think that I will go back to it after I retire.

Beltalowda 5y ago
At least Naggum's was creative and entertaining in his abrasiveness. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed actually interacting with him, but I always chuckle a bit reading through his old rants. If you read these things with a bit of humour it's quite funny.
- whartung 5y ago
  I was a denizen of c.l.l deep into the Naggum era. And, yes he could be abrasive. Notably he did not suffer idiots well. But if you read many of the threads, you'll notice that the provocateur upon which Erik focused his attention, the majority of the time, is talking past what Erik was saying. Most of those threads are folks yelling past each other, rather than actually addressing the points being made (and most of the folks he was directing his attention too dumped the technical side of the, uh, "discussion", almost immediately). He didn't suffer those people well either. My friends used to get into these spittle flying, lips shaking, table rattling lunch arguments at high volume. And whenever that happened, they were always talking (or, rather, shouting) past each other. And this happened face to face, 2 feet away from each other. The internet just makes that dynamic all the worse. I never had a bad interaction with Erik. He was always responsive and respectful to any communications I had. I wasn't close to him, but more than not enjoyed his commentary and his typically well thought out point of view (even if I didn't agree with it). He certainly doesn't need someone like me to defend him, but I do miss him. I consider his loss a blow. I had another friend, a closer friend, also an Erik. He had a caustic side to him as well, and we lost him just as the pandemic was starting. I miss him dearly as well. Maybe it's the name.
- sundvor 5y ago
  I did interact with Naggum in a limited fashion back in the mid/late 90s when I briefly worked as a writer. I can't recall the specifics, but he was deeply involved in a number of heated discussions on the no.general Usenet group. I sought his opinions in relation to one of these as it made for an interesting story. I found him fiercely intelligent, strongly opinionated - and he probably made himself vulnerable by getting too personally involved in the topics. Yet, he spoke to me respectfully. I was very sorry to read of his early passing only just a decade and a bit later.

by vdas 5y ago

Beltalowda 5y ago

At least Naggum's was creative and entertaining in his abrasiveness. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed actually interacting with him, but I always chuckle a bit reading through his old rants. If you read these things with a bit of humour it's quite funny.

whartung 5y ago
I was a denizen of c.l.l deep into the Naggum era. And, yes he could be abrasive. Notably he did not suffer idiots well. But if you read many of the threads, you'll notice that the provocateur upon which Erik focused his attention, the majority of the time, is talking past what Erik was saying. Most of those threads are folks yelling past each other, rather than actually addressing the points being made (and most of the folks he was directing his attention too dumped the technical side of the, uh, "discussion", almost immediately). He didn't suffer those people well either. My friends used to get into these spittle flying, lips shaking, table rattling lunch arguments at high volume. And whenever that happened, they were always talking (or, rather, shouting) past each other. And this happened face to face, 2 feet away from each other. The internet just makes that dynamic all the worse. I never had a bad interaction with Erik. He was always responsive and respectful to any communications I had. I wasn't close to him, but more than not enjoyed his commentary and his typically well thought out point of view (even if I didn't agree with it). He certainly doesn't need someone like me to defend him, but I do miss him. I consider his loss a blow. I had another friend, a closer friend, also an Erik. He had a caustic side to him as well, and we lost him just as the pandemic was starting. I miss him dearly as well. Maybe it's the name.
sundvor 5y ago
I did interact with Naggum in a limited fashion back in the mid/late 90s when I briefly worked as a writer. I can't recall the specifics, but he was deeply involved in a number of heated discussions on the no.general Usenet group. I sought his opinions in relation to one of these as it made for an interesting story. I found him fiercely intelligent, strongly opinionated - and he probably made himself vulnerable by getting too personally involved in the topics. Yet, he spoke to me respectfully. I was very sorry to read of his early passing only just a decade and a bit later.