[GLLUG] [Fwd from Wftl-lug] ReiserFS creator charged with murder

[Alec Warner]

>   http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061011-7956.html
> 
> Kind of makes you want to reformat those ReiserFS partitions, huh?
> 

For an unproven and untried allegation against someone?  No.

Recall that in the US (contrary to what some people seem to speak of) 
you are innocent until proven guilty.

Heck even if he is convicted I probably wouldn't care.  Should I stop 
using XFS because one of the developers was a kitten killer and I have 
this thing against kitten killers?

I would prefer to separate the technical accomplishments from the 
personal mistakes of a person.  Yeah if convicted he probably ruined his 
career and history will remember him as a convicted killer.  I don't see 
  how that invalidates his research into filesystems or makes ReiserFS 
any less worthy of being placed into a distribution (or it's defaults).

The only argument against this (that I can agree with anyway) is that 
using reiserfs somehow implies that you support him and his actions; and 
that not using reiserfs somehow implies that you disagree or boycott his 
actions.  And really both of those are silly in the context that 
although he is the architect for the FS he is not the sole author of the 
work.

Using a product doesn't necessarily mean you endorse it; it just means 
it's the best thing you've found so far.  You may have no further 
attachment than that.

-Alec Warner