I don't know what "The Ruby Community" is, but I can tell you that I respect this guy. I'm unsettled about the documentary. If it was made with his blessing, I'm ok with it. If not, if it's a kind of "unauthorized biography," then I have some questions to ask. But it could very well be a documentary about how he affected people's lives without digging into who he is and the private life he may want to lead. I'd be ok with that.

But of course I respect him.

I don't know if you're referring to me when you say "pretending to respect him," so I won't direct my remarks to you personally, but I will say that I would find the suggestion that I am pretending to respect anybody insulting.

Why should we not at least respect him a litte? He did do a gazillion things for the community and made learning (I knew ruby already at the time, but his teaching methods and his excitement off all things Ruby made me revisit the language in a completely different way) quirkily fun.

He might have taken all his work down knowing that it would probably live on through source control and people at the time using his work and making it available for everyone no? Anyways, the fact is that he made a mark, and because of it I believe people (including me) respect him so much.

I'm supposed to dislike an incredibly prolific and inspiring guy because he took some stuff offline?

No, I just think its an odd contradiction to respect that guy, and simultaneously make a video publicizing the dude.

He disappeared himself, and I thought that particular community was good with leaving well enough alone. Especially in light of the reaction I've seen them take when other people have dragged _why back into the limelight after he left.

Seems strange. Just a thought.

I would have thought the main point was the email not the documentary which is why I gave it a title referring to the email, not the documentary... C'est la vie.

Oh, you're saying that this isn't respectful of him. I thought you were saying that he is not deserving of respect.