Simon J. Wright

Simon J. Wright

[Dirk Craeynest]

Simon J. Wright passed away recently.

Simon is well known through his work supporting GNAT on the Mac,
his participation in many Ada forums, and by being a very active
and helpful member of the Ada community until the end.

https://forum.ada-lang.io/t/simon-j-wright-rip

He will be missed...

Dirk

Re: Simon J. Wright

[moi]

On 31/05/2025 09:34, Dirk Craeynest wrote:
> Simon J. Wright passed away recently.
> 
> Simon is well known through his work supporting GNAT on the Mac,
> his participation in many Ada forums, and by being a very active
> and helpful member of the Ada community until the end.
> 
> https://forum.ada-lang.io/t/simon-j-wright-rip
> 
> He will be missed...
> 
> Dirk
This is very sad news indeed.
-- 
Bill F.

Re: Simon J. Wright

[Niocláisín Cóilín de Ghlostéir]

Many Adaists began during this week to express sadness over Simon J. 
Wright's death but following hyperlinks via a first hyperlink on that 
Discourse Ada-forum webpage from May 29th, 2025 gives the notion that he 
died before April 3rd, 2025.

I noticed no alert on Team Ada and USENET and that Discourse Ada forum 
that Ms. Charlene Roberts-Hayden died on May 11th, 2025. Cf. Bryan 
Marquard, "Charlene Roberts-Hayden, pioneering Black woman in computer 
programming, dies at 86", "The Boston Globe",
HTTPS://WWW.BostonGlobe.com/2025/05/18/metro/charlene-roberts-hayden-computer-programming-pioneer-passes-away
which David Emery hyperlinks to from the LinkedIn group that is called Ada 
Programming Language since circa May 31st, 2025.

She wrote to Hal Hart via Team Ada in 1997:
"Hal,

 I strongly agree with your comments.  I know here in the Boston area,
on various committees I participate on, I have heard nothing but
distress and regret  from the proponents of Ada who know the worth of
the only highly reliable HOL in existence today,  and sarcasm from Ada's
opponents, "even the DoD has given up on Ada".  I think that without the
Ada mandate, given the popular, existing languages unreliability and the
software explosion far surpassing that of the 1980's,  the DoD is headed
for an even more catastrophic software revolution than that which
preceded and was the impetus for the Ada language."

Re: Simon J. Wright

[Stéphane Rivière]

Niocláisín, thanks for your comments

Some related links (no paywall)

https://www.blackcatholicmessenger.org/charlene-roberts-hayden-obit/

https://hart-site.net/Purdue-CS-Panel-Reunion/WhateverHappenedTo/HalHart.html


> She wrote to Hal Hart via Team Ada in 1997:
> "Hal,
> 
>   I strongly agree with your comments.  I know here in the Boston area,
> on various committees I participate on, I have heard nothing but
> distress and regret  from the proponents of Ada who know the worth of
> the only highly reliable HOL in existence today,  and sarcasm from Ada's
> opponents, "even the DoD has given up on Ada".  I think that without the
> Ada mandate, given the popular, existing languages unreliability and the
> software explosion far surpassing that of the 1980's,  the DoD is headed
> for an even more catastrophic software revolution than that which
> preceded and was the impetus for the Ada language."

This was very true and has been verified.

-- 
Stéphane Rivière
Ile d'Oléron - France

Re: Simon J. Wright

[John McCabe]

On Sat, 31 May 2025 08:34:23 -0000 (UTC), Dirk Craeynest wrote:

> Simon J. Wright passed away recently.

As I'm occasionally catching up with things in the Ada world, I've only 
just seen this, but that's very sad. Simon has been one of those 
stalwarts that, since my first forays into Ada in the 90s, was always 
around, as far as I remember. He was very helpful and knowledgable, and 
will be missed.

RIP