In Memory Of Ueda San (UPDATED)
The funeral of Ueda San of Sony took place yesterday. Many of us have known him for many years. Some of us have known him for a little while. Others, perhaps, have only recently heard of him.
One important thing to know about Ueda San is that he built the open source community in Japan alongside others such as Hashimoto San, Eto San, Shibata San and the rest of the “old guard.”
Building the open source community in Japan was not easy. Previously, companies operated in silos, and it was a radical idea to throw open the doors and allow engineers to mix and mingle. There was risk, there was fear, and there was the stubborn tide of habit.
It takes an iron will to change an entire industry. Ueda San was extremely kind and gentle, but he would not yield on the importance of open collaboration. He knew the value it gave to people, to business and to society. Ueda San really believed in community and collaboration. He was tireless in promoting it, and he insisted that more and more people should be educated in its value.
UPDATE
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Rest in peace Satoru Ueda
[Satoru Ueda] The OpenChain site carries the sad news of the passing of Satoru Ueda. Your editor first met Ueda San at the 2007 Linux Foundation Japan Symposium, where a small group of dedicated developers and managers was working hard to bring open-source development practices to the country. Ueda San was always a strong advocate for this cause and deserves much credit for the success of Linux and open source in Japan. He was also always a warm and welcoming person; he will be much missed.