Tell HN: Ralph Giles has died (Xiph.org| Rust@Mozilla | Ghostscript) • Hacker News Board

I am greatly saddened at this news. Ralph, or rillian as I mainly knew him through the Xiph-related IRC channels, was a stalwart "nice guy", always a kind word, a moderating beacon of gentle support and help, and just someone whose presence seemed to make any place a better place. He will be greatly missed.

Seeing the other folks from Xiph commenting here, I can tell that my take on him was not unique. We lost one of the good guys, for sure.

Re: Tell HN: Ralph Giles has died (Xiph.org| Rust@Mozilla | Ghostscript)

#27

Post by cmrx64 » Fri, Feb 13, 2026, 7:11 PM UTC

RIP

Re: Tell HN: Ralph Giles has died (Xiph.org| Rust@Mozilla | Ghostscript)

#28

Post by VivaTechnics » Fri, Feb 13, 2026, 7:13 PM UTC

fn main() { let mood = "awful";

    let mut msg = r#"
    We feel super sad.
    Rust in Peace.

    Steel dreams compile to dust,
    Silent threads unwind.
    Memory fades,
    Borrowed time returned.
    "#;

    println!("{}\n{}", mood, msg);
}

Re: Tell HN: Ralph Giles has died (Xiph.org| Rust@Mozilla | Ghostscript)

#29

Post by gsmecher » Fri, Feb 13, 2026, 9:05 PM UTC

Towards the end of my EE degree in the mid-2000s, I hoodwinked Ralph into dropping by my dingy east-Vancouver rental for a tech demo. I was trying to find a home for my thesis research project, which was a very niche-y DSP algorithm that had only the very faintest relevance to Xiph's mission. I was 100% enthusiasm and 0% practical sense.

Ralph was interested and engaged, and when he turned down the project (absolutely the right call) he was beyond gracious about it. It is rare that you can call someone "classy" and "nerdy" at the same time. Ralph was it.

Re: Tell HN: Ralph Giles has died (Xiph.org| Rust@Mozilla | Ghostscript)

#30

Post by arthuredelstein » Sat, Feb 14, 2026, 1:27 AM UTC

That is very sad news. I knew Ralph at Brave. He had such a calm, kind presence.