Toast to Dean

kees-b · 2018-01-20 09:56:53

Just a personal memory.

I found textism way before textpattern existed and got addicted to Dean’s writing, photos, his view on graphic and webdesign and most of all his wit and humor. His posts about almost anything and his personal view on that were a daily anchorpoint.

I was more than pleased to read he was working on a cms that turned out to be textpattern. I have used it from it’s first day and based my little webdesign business, beside my main work as a photographer and printmaker on and with it. This has never changed since. Dean asked for translators and I volunteered immediately for the dutch localization. Still on it btw.

I met Dean in early February 2006 in Utrecht, at what was called a textmeet. We met at the meeting point in the Utrecht central railway station and it was fun from the first moment. We, several dutch txp users, forum members, and developers like mark wubben (sifr), and also Alexandra (founder of txpmagazine) who came by train from Cologne.

We walked in town chatting and having fun and ended up in a café where we stayed and talked about almost anything. Those where the crazy early textdrive days and Dean was somewhat on a high because of all the new ‘bussiness things’ he had to do. Like managing a growing company with Jason. That took him away from textpattern and more. That made me a bit worried, and that turned out to be right. In the end he had to leave all. But we also talked about french country life, children, personal life and so much more. When I told him I was from Amsterdam he said he did not like the town because he was mugged there at his first visit.
When we parted Dean insisted to pay for all drinks and food!

It’s sad to know he is not with us anymore.

Kees

candyman · 2018-01-20 18:26:52

A very sad news: we all grateful to Dean for the software and all that is derived as consequence, first of all this community. I hope he has been proud.

gavnosis · 2018-01-20 20:37:09

I’m sad about Dean dying – and I don’t quite know why. I never knew him, and he always seemed quite elusive…

Somehow he represented to me a part of what was ever ‘cool’ about the web: to do stuff because it was fun, and because there was a need… not because of a need to make tons of money. And to share.

There was something quite nice and human-scale about Textpattern and its community. Quirky but kind somehow.

I remember watching Wordpress do a sort of VHS
-versus-Betamax when I first became aware of Textpattern, when the thing which everyone decided they had to use was the thing that perhaps wasn’t the best.

Maybe Textpattern did miss a trick by not having themes to be easily swapped in and out (like the Chinese alphabet caused problems when typewriters were invented). Or didn’t have a regular fanfare around its own amazingness. And made obscure jokes about pottery…

Also, the world has obviously changed beyond all recognition since RC 1.0c or whatever strange version it was 10+ years ago, and I am really not quite convinced that being permanently glued to my smart phone is really progress either, with big corporations wanting to monitor my every move so they can better flog me stuff I don’t need…

However, I do still have a need to communicate rather than just consume, and it’s kind of ironic that I actually write in Dean’s Textile (in Ulysses App, on various Mac gadgets), to do this.

The small web projects I’m still involved with do still use Textpattern, too.

And somehow the Textpattern community does still feel like the ‘good guys’.

bici · 2018-01-20 23:22:13

retooling

bici · 2018-01-21 00:08:30

gone to spirit

jstubbs · 2018-01-21 05:42:50

Farewell Dean. Sad to see you go, but thank you for Textile, your writing and of course Textpattern which keeps a bond amongst many people who have never met. Thank you.

Dragondz · 2018-01-21 06:42:08

R.I.P Dean, never met you but feel sad for your gone, thanks for all what you did for webdev and textpattern community.

bici · 2018-01-21 18:27:30

Reading Design
Dean Allen created and abandoned Textism and Cardigan Industries so he could bring the world Textpattern.

michaelkpate · 2018-01-21 20:18:32

bici wrote #308794:

Dean Allen created and abandoned Textism and Cardigan Industries so he could bring the world Textpattern.

Upcoming · 30 July 01

Some screenshots of the listing, editing, posting and category editing sections of the web publishing thing I’ve been working on – the thing that runs this thing, and that thing, which I hope to unleash upon an indifferent world, soon. It’s intended to be somewhat easy to use, though there is testing to do.

I could use a couple more PHP/MySql enthusiasts to do some thrashing/testing and optimizing. Do let me know if you’re interested.

saccade · 2018-01-22 08:01:57

Very very sad news! Rest in peace!
It was Textism, TextDrive and Textpattern which brought me into webdesign and set the right focus.
He made me feel happy with Daily Oliver and Hugo, pictures of creatures enjoying life and great photographs, for years.
May it be true: Everything is going to be alright!
Thank you DCA for being here!

moon · 2018-01-22 14:43:08

Saddened to hear about Dean’s passing.
Finding TextDrive and Textpattern was a big boost in my learning curve.

philwareham · 2018-01-22 16:29:30

Hi all,

Thanks for the kind words about – does anyone have a photo of Dean that they would be willing to allow us to post onto the Textpattern website?

Textpattern CMS

Textpattern CMS support forum

#25 2018-01-20 09:56:53

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#26 2018-01-20 18:26:52

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#27 2018-01-20 20:37:09

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#28 2018-01-20 23:22:13

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#29 2018-01-21 00:08:30

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#30 2018-01-21 05:42:50

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#33 2018-01-21 20:18:32

Re: Toast to Dean

bici wrote #308794:

#34 2018-01-22 08:01:57

Re: Toast to Dean

#35 2018-01-22 14:43:08

Re: Toast to Dean

#36 2018-01-22 16:29:30

Re: Toast to Dean

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