Near’s contribution to SNES emulation is unequalled, covering perfect dumps of every game possible, the most accurate emulator, and even pushing the envelope on what the SNES could do with HD mode and widescreen support.
Such a brilliant hacker, such a loss. Thanks for all the effort.
Near, the emulator developer of bsnes, higan, and more, has died
31–40 of 180 posts
Re: Near, the emulator developer of bsnes, higan, and more, has died
#32Kiwi Farms is the scum of the earth. Sadly it has many victims.
This terrifies me: > Near survived that. Many wouldn’t, but Near was strong enough to overcome that level of emotional abuse. But Kiwi Farms is relentless. Not to be defeated in their pursuit of utter emotional and psychological destruction, they went after who Near treasured most: their friends. Doxing some, directly harassing others, and even specifically seeking out suicidal people to target. > That broke Near. [.…
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Re: Near, the emulator developer of bsnes, higan, and more, has died
#33Very sad that they are gone, byuu's work on emulators has been very useful. Weird to hear about things like this and realize that people are real on the other end of the computer. Skimming through, I don't see a reason why they were harassed by Kiwi Farms. I don't get it, what caused that?
Kiwi Farms whole deal is to harass people online. I'm not sure they need a reason. A girl set herself on fire due to their harassment in 2013.
Re: Near, the emulator developer of bsnes, higan, and more, has died
#34Such a sad series of events. When folks bring up why people don't just walk away from the PC when being cyberbullied/harassed online, it is often because we attach so much of our lives to our online identities and internet friends. How can you just walk away from what may be your only social outlet?
Re: Near, the emulator developer of bsnes, higan, and more, has died
#35Very sad that they are gone, byuu's work on emulators has been very useful. Weird to hear about things like this and realize that people are real on the other end of the computer. Skimming through, I don't see a reason why they were harassed by Kiwi Farms. I don't get it, what caused that?
You really don't need to do much to catch their ire. It's enough to annoy one wrong person, especially if you're vaguely trans or some other minority.
Re: Near, the emulator developer of bsnes, higan, and more, has died
#36[deleted]
Re: Near, the emulator developer of bsnes, higan, and more, has died
#37Very sad that they are gone, byuu's work on emulators has been very useful. Weird to hear about things like this and realize that people are real on the other end of the computer. Skimming through, I don't see a reason why they were harassed by Kiwi Farms. I don't get it, what caused that?
A nit: it'd be more respectful to use "Near". They really wanted people to call them that and not their old pseudonym.
I never personally interacted with Near, but I've been following them and their work since the days of the zsnes forums, back in the mid-00s. I'm a huge fan - not just of their technical achievements or their ideological commitment, but also of the seeming grace with which they carried themselves in the past few years. I don't know if I'll get all the details right, but I'll try.
My understanding is that KF chooses to harass people who are marginalized, easy to bully, and on the basis of how dramatic, embarrassing, or "cringe" their response would be. Near was gay, autistic, non-binary, and involved with furry communities (though IIRC they may not have been a furry themselves - not that it matters), which made them an easy target. They were sensitive and struggled with depression - KF knew their harassment would be effective. And Near was a controversial public(ish) figure who'd, in the past, courted a fair amount of scene drama and flame wars (sometimes blamelessly, sometimes not, as I'm sure they'd tell you themselves) that occasionally got very personal. In other words: KF looks to stir shit up, and Near sadly provided an ample amount of shit to stir.
No one deserves to be harassed like this, but it feels especially cruel that it was done to someone as remarkable as Near. This is a terrible loss.
Re: Near, the emulator developer of bsnes, higan, and more, has died
#38The behavior Kiwi Farms encourages seems like it should be illegal. How is this not murder?
Re: Near, the emulator developer of bsnes, higan, and more, has died
#39Very sad that they are gone, byuu's work on emulators has been very useful. Weird to hear about things like this and realize that people are real on the other end of the computer. Skimming through, I don't see a reason why they were harassed by Kiwi Farms. I don't get it, what caused that?
You really don't need to do much to catch their ire. It's enough to annoy one wrong person, especially if you're vaguely trans or some other minority.
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Re: Near, the emulator developer of bsnes, higan, and more, has died
#40Very sad that they are gone, byuu's work on emulators has been very useful. Weird to hear about things like this and realize that people are real on the other end of the computer. Skimming through, I don't see a reason why they were harassed by Kiwi Farms. I don't get it, what caused that?
There isn't a reason because that is what Kiwi Farms does–they harass, dox, and troll relentlessly. This is not the first suicide Kiwi Farms has been responsible for.