_why isn't a recluse. I thought he just didn't want strangers poking around his private life, and quit when people wouldn't stop prying. That's not really like Hughes, or Salinger, or even Bill Watterson.
You have to admit that his sudden disappearance was a little strange. OK, he didn't want his real name known; understandable. But -- as much as I miss him -- I'll never fully understand why he would shut down most/all his sites and nearly deprive us innocent fans of all his previous work. That smacks more of a hissy fit than a logical decision about personal privacy.
Net net, entrance to exit inclusive, _why has been a win for the Ruby community; an asset, even in his absence.
Respectfully, and notably like myself, I can't see comparable contributions from Steve Abatangle. I looked. Maybe I missed them; if so, I'm sorry.
If I didn't, though, let me suggest that you be more cautious about attributing "hissy fits" to people who clearly bent over backwards to help other people, just because they removed their own web pages without warning you first.
You're right, I have not contributed to the degree that _Why did. I think you misunderstand my point, though. When you do contribute to a high degree, and people begin to use and depend on your work, then it's not especially cool to just take it all away in a huff. _Why didn't just remove his web pages; he took a lot of his code with him. People managed to put up mirrors and otherwise reproduce what he took.
_Why is indeed a win for Ruby. I'm sorry he's gone, and I wish he had not. I also wish he'd chosen not to leave in the manner that he did -- whether you call that a "hissy fit" or just an abrupt exit.
