RIP Bill Morrow

The Cinelerra community is mourning the loss of W.P. Morrow aka Good Guy who passed away at the age of 66 after being hit by a truck while cycling near his home in Longmont, Colorado, last week.

Bill was lead developer of Cinelerra-GG video editor since 2016, and prior to that, he worked with Michael Collins on Cinelerra-HV.

I never really had the pleasure to talk to him. So I think it’s best to pass the mic to people who did know him.

Igor Vladimirskiy:

GG was the user-friendliest guy among Cinelerra-* developers. He had a lot of spare time, he was able to figure out complicated source code, and, what’s really important, he was really good at understanding and programming digital content creation software. There was nothing he couldn’t do. And he could explain it all in layman terms to users.

Sam:

He was never too comfortable to tackle even small problems and improvements to make the life of the users easier. You could tell that he enjoyed programming a lot. He enjoyed improving Cinelerra-GG and interacting with the community. He has acted selflessly and for the good of all, and through his commitment to free and open software, he has made this world a bit freer and better.

MatN:

I am devastated by this news. My condolences to Phyllis and family, I wish her strength in dealing with this loss. GG will be much missed, his support and dedication have set an example. And I am grateful for all he did to Cinelerra. He and Phyllis published over 50 monthly releases since 2016. He was always willing to explain how things worked.

Haldun Altan:

Dear Phyllis, please receive my love and wishes for courage, patience. And please imagine in these sad days this community communing with you in their thoughts and minds, grateful to a Guy who did Good to this world. Love and deepest condolences.

Is there future for this project with Bill gone? There could be. Here is what Sam had to say:

Phyllis has expressed the wish to resume work on the project at a later date, currently she needs some time off, and to participate in the documentation and correspondence as usual. I will continue to support this project as before. The monthly releases cannot be offered in the same way at the moment. Minor changes and improvements will take place from time to time. We are open for new developers and hope for your support.