Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run

Seth Vidal
Source: @skvidal Seth Vidal, long-time member of the Fedora community and lead developer of yum, was killed in a hit-and-run bicycle accident on Monday. Robyn Bergeron spoke for the Fedora Project and community, saying: "He was a gifted speaker, a brilliant thinker, a clever wit, a humble and genuinely funny person, and a good friend" and that the community owed "an enormous debt of gratitude to Seth's dedication to Fedora and other free software projects, his commitment to community values, and his passion for excellence in his work."

As well as creating yum, Vidal had helped maintain the Fedora project's infrastructure and helped create the original Fedora Extras system, and had contributed to the CentOS project. "To say he will be missed is an understatement," said Bergeron. Vidal is also remembered on LWN.net, where his friendly and helpful nature was recalled.

Vidal had been riding in his home town of Durham, North Carolina, where he lived with his partner Eunice Chang. He had been on the Hillandale Road when he was struck from behind by a sedan which did not stop; the driver has since turned himself in and has been charged with felony hit and run and driving with a revoked licence.

(djwm)