#cpp #cplusplus #RainerGrimm #inmemoriam
As a teenager, I used to take the public transportation home in front of a large school. On the building's pediment, one day after another, I used to read the then-enigmatic Latin inscription by Virgil: 𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐑 𝐎𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐔𝐒. I read the inscription, over and over, unable to decipher its full meaning.
Years later, having seriously studied Latin, I understood the meaning of this Virgil's teaching, expressed in his 𝐺𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑠: 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. With that classical strength and powerful synthesis that characterized the Romans.
At that time, nothing would have led me to imagine that, decades later, I would have the honor of meeting and working with a colleague in my professional life as a Software Engineer, 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐌.
I began my exchange with Rainer on this platform a few years ago, given our shared dedication to software development and engineering in C++.
I witnessed the onset of his illness, ALS, and, to my admiration, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭.
For that reason, I began calling him 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐦, changing his name from "Rainer" to "Fighter", impressed by 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞. My teenage experience, with the aforementioned phrase, flashed before my eyes as soon as 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.
During that short time, I had the honor of being invited by Rainer to start working with him on a new C++26 book, which, unfortunately, could not be advanced due to the untimely progress of his illness, which 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲.
These lines are intended only as 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐦.
I can say with certainty that, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞, 𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐦, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠.
Rest in peace, and may God reward you with 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐝𝐮𝐭𝐲.