[petke]

I don't think this obsession with Aaron and his death is any good. It feels like a morbid soap opera. He is more talked about in death than in life. I think its better to focus on the living. There is plenty of interesting tech entrepreneurs and activists out there.

[mercer]

Usually I'd agree, but this article did a good job focusing on stuff that I found valuable, because Aaron wasn't just an activist to me, but also a person with whom I identified, strongly at times.

The little bits of new information, but mostly just the reminder of him and his life, which prompt me to read his writings again, and they often help me get out of some funk I might be in and pursue things I find worth pursuing. His suicide is not the main point of the article for me.

As such, this article is, for me, probably the most useful link on HN today, if not the week.

[dineshp2]

It's a reminder of the world we live in. It's a world where challenging the status quo is hard to accomplish and one where challenging authority in any form(especially government) is almost unthinkable.

We need to remember the heroes who were brave enough to challenge the way the world operates.

This article in particular gave the reader a good insight into the thinking of Aaron.

[krapp]

I think it's less morbid soap opera and more propagandist soapbox. Aaron Swartz has been turned into a martyr for a cause. Ian Murdock, as well. We can expect any technologist suicide to be called a murder at the hands of the state from now on, and for conversation to be steered towards polemics against US policy at every conceivable opportunity, when their names are brought up.

I do believe the subjects (copyright law, police brutality, etc.) are worth discussing, but I also believe the politics around them make it difficult to discuss them rationally. People tend not to invoke Aaron Swartz to start conversations, so much as attempt to end them, or polarize them, or steer them into the same tedious and unproductive circles time and again.

I guess we're lucky there's no way to spin Marvin Minsky's death that way. If he'd gotten so much as a traffic ticket before the end, people would be implying his cerebral hemorrhage was caused by police batons.

[Chris2048]

two, seemingly valid, examples, and "We can expect any technologist suicide to be called a murder at the hands of the state from now on". Your'e the one being hyperbolic.

[krapp]

I think it's a correct assertion, although I'm aware of my hyperbolic tone.

[sarciszewski]

Somewhat agreed.

I wish technologists would focus less on Aaron and his death.

I wish the Department of Justice would focus more on Aaron and his death.

I also wish the CFAA would die in a fire along with its authors, but that's not likely to happen. :(

[newjersey]

Can we try to rally for discarding cfaa? Who benefits from it?

[fthssht]

There ought to be a check against a DA pursuing a vastly unpopular prosecution or pursuing a case with highly disproportionate threats. The incentives are messed up. A DA spends public money going after a case that might be good for their career but is totally out of line with what the public wants. I'm sure many people would be happy to see him face some consequences for what he did to JSTOR but I bet they would be overwhelmingly opposed to threats of the magnitude he faced. The problems aren't limited to the CFAA many federal laws are very broad and anyone can become a target. The situation is almost as if we have bills of attainder. If your name appears in the newspaper a prosecutor can find something to pin on you and make threats that force a settlement and or cost you a fortune in legal fees.

[akashtndn]

Those well, alive and kicking should and will continue to get the spotlight whenever its due. Some less than others but that's just how media works. That being said, media (and its consumers) will continue to display a heightened interest in the dead because it gives them a sense of certainty to work with. That and our own mix of sad and voyeuristic attitude towards the dead.

Aaron's case in particular captivates the internet because of what he stood for, and what a lot of us hope to stand for. This article is highly relevant because as great as Aaron was, he had his shortcomings as well. And for those who really look up to him (including myself), it's insightful to look at them.

[fthssht]

That's sort of like saying doctors are so focused on cancer patients they should focus on people who are perfectly healthy. This story is tragic. That is why people write about it. It also illuminates a lot of problems with our society such as mental health, over zealous prosecution, social isolation.

What baffles me is that people are so reactionary and outraged about anyone mentioning it. Like they hate him for trying to be a martyr and nobody should criticize the sacred infallible system. It seems likely he killed himself because of depression not to make the prosecutor look bad or make a statement so lets not resent him.

[asadlionpk]

Everyone is talked about in death more than in life. Same happened with Steve Jobs. But I guess it's okay to remember the dead along with their lessons than to just mourn for them.