SGML: Memory of Yuri Rubinsky (1952-1996)

[Via CTS Digest, (c) Erik Naggum]
Article: 12361 of comp.text.sgml
From: lubell@nist.gov (Josh Lubell)
Newsgroups: comp.text.sgml
Subject: Yuri Rubinsky
Date: 29 Jan 1996 16:22:05 GMT
Organization: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Message-ID: <LUBELL.96Jan29112205@villars.nist.gov>
Cc: apde


I first met Yuri in 1994 at a workshop whose goal was to promote
interoperability between STEP (ISO 10303, The Standard for the
Exchange of Product Model Data) and SGML.  At this workshop, he gave a
brief overview of SGML, and I was struck by how clearly and engagingly
he communicated.  Yuri had a gift for extracting the essence from
difficult concepts and making them understandable and exciting.  He
was able to make people see what's possible.  He was truly a
visionary.

The group I work with at NIST has been collaborating with SoftQuad for
the last couple of years, and SoftQuad has generously given us
software to use for developing an SGML application for producing STEP
standards documents.  Yuri was the catalyst that made this
collaboration happen.

In reading all of the tributes to Yuri that have been posted to
comp.text.sgml, I was surprised to learn that SGML was merely one of
Yuri's many areas of expertise and accomplishment.  However, I really
shouldn't have been surprised.  I think that the diversity of Yuri's
skills and accomplishments gave him the world view and sense of vision
responsible for his remarkable success in the SGML arena.

I will miss Yuri's intelligence, wit, warmth, and spirit.

Josh

____________________________________________________________________
                                   Josh Lubell | lubell@cme.nist.gov
National Institute of Standards and Technology |
                       A127 Metrology Building | Voice:(301)975-3563
                    Gaithersburg, MD 20899 USA | Fax:  (301)258-9749

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