Remembering and thanking Steve Langasek

The following is a post from Mark Shuttleworth on the Ubuntu Discourse instance. For more information, you can find the full post here.

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Steve Langasek is one of my heroes in open source and in life. He epitomises everything that is great about the movement – depth of technical insight, generosity of spirit, rigour in design, care for those who put their trust in us, curiosity about the future and a willingness to do hard work in the face of uncertainty to bring that future into being.

Our biggest choices are all about where we spend our time, who we spend it with, and whose lives we hope to improve in the process. Steve shone with a clarity of purpose that motivated many others to build the very best open source platforms they could dream about. He beautifully merged friendships and professional relationships, commercial and community goals, leadership and service. He touched thousands of people’s lives directly, and his work improves the lives of millions.

In recent years he battled illness with stoicism, humour and science. Through it all he remained active and engaged in our community and our exploration of the future. Even in terribly difficult moments I saw grace, precision and care in his actions and his priorities.

Steve passed away at the dawn of 2025. His time was short but remarkable. He will forever remain an inspiration. Judging by the outpouring of feelings this week, he is equally missed and mourned by colleagues and friends across the open source landscape, in particular in Ubuntu and Debian where he was a great mind, mentor and conscience.

It has been a singular honour to share these years and dreams. Thank you Steve. I will not forget, nor waver.