Rob Levin
Robert Levin (December 16, 1955 – September 16, 2006), also known as lilo, was the founder of the freenode IRC network and Executive Director of the PDPC charity that helped fund freenode.
A computer programmer since 1968, he worked as an administrator and an applications programmer from 1978 onwards.
From 1994 onwards, he worked to encourage the use of Internet Relay Chat for Free and Open Source projects. He was one of the founders of the OpenProjects Network (OPN), which quickly grew to become the largest IRC network used by the free software community.
As the leader of freenode and later the Executive Director of the PDPC, Levin was often accused of mismanagement of funds and conflicts of interest. He made numerous appeals for funds, often to all users connected to freenode (via a "global notice"). These appeals were often justified on the grounds that he was personally in need of money, independent of the PDPC. He later supported himself totally through his status as the sole paid employee of PDPC. Levin at one point solicited funds to purchase a motorhome (RV) for him and his wife to live in, among other things, in a $312,000 fundraising drive. [1] [2] [3]
All this led to speculation that the PDPC was merely a fraudulent scheme to enable Levin to avoid paying taxes.[citation needed]
Disgruntled IRC server operators eventually responded by forming several splinter networks. The OFTC network was initially set up by people who were unsatisfied with the state of freenode at the time.
On September 12, 2006, he was struck by a car while riding a bicycle at night in Houston, Texas in a hit-and-run collision. After the collision, it was reported that he was hospitalized for several days. He died on September 15.[4][5][6][7] Levin's death certificate says that the cause of his death was accidental blunt-force head trauma[citation needed].
The origin of his nickname
Contrary to popular belief, his nickname, lilo, did not come from the Linux Loader nor from the movie Lilo & Stitch. It stems from John Varley's The Ophiuchi Hotline, where lilo is the female main character of the story. In his own words:[8]
I'm named after a favorite science fiction character, in John Varley's THE OPHIUCHI HOTLINE. I am not named after the LInux LOader, and I didn't write it! :) -- lilo, winter 1993 || Nor am I named after the little girl in the movie, nor the air mattress, nor Last In Last Out. ;) -- lilo, summer 2003
References
- ^ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/01/29/buy_a_piece_of_net/
- ^ http://antisec.wordpress.com/2006/06/27/eyeballing-rob-levin/
- ^ http://qreeves.blogspot.com/2006/04/rob-levins-feenode.html
- ^ Chatmag News (2006-09-21). Robert Levin Death Confirmed by Houston Police, other Area Sources. (English). Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ Chatmag News (2006-09-16). Rob Levin of Peer-Directed Projects Center and Freenode Dead. (English). Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
- ^ "Rob Levin, lilo of Freenode, Passes", Slashdot, 2006-09-17. Retrieved on 2006-09-17.
- ^ http://freenode.net/news-2006-09-16.shtml Freenode.net news
- ^ Rob Levin (2003-12-03). #uml log. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
External links
- bloggage and dunnage - Rob Levin's freenode-related blog.
- spinhome - Rob Levin's personal blog.
- Rob Levin - Memorial at Freenode.net