June 3, 2026
Inbox of the Nerd Gods
Life and work is not meant to be spent in isolation
Coders Are Begging People to Just Talk to Each Other Already
TLDR: Johannes Ridderstedt says modern coders should reach out to living legends and each other instead of working alone. The comments turned it into a raw group confession about loneliness, surprise replies from famous people, and one hilariously alarming reminder that some of these icons are apparently just a phone call away.
A software writer tossed out what sounds like a simple idea: stop treating work like solitary confinement. In his post, Johannes Ridderstedt points out that some of the biggest living legends in computing — people behind everyday tools, famous games, and major programming languages — are still around, still active, and in many cases just an email or social media message away. His pitch is almost shockingly wholesome: go say hi, ask a question, make a connection, because life and work are not meant to be spent in isolation.
And the comments? Absolute emotional whiplash. One reader shared a bleak scene straight out of an office horror movie: moving to a new city, living alone, and working "by myself in a room with no windows" for two years. Another practically screamed the quiet part out loud: "I’m the only programmer around" and sometimes wants a real human conversation, not just books or artificial intelligence. That loneliness theme hit hard.
But there was also hopeful chaos. One commenter bragged that emailing coding legend Mike Pall got them a "refreshing reply," while another said they just started posting on open-source mailing lists as if they belonged there — and somehow that confidence hack worked. The funniest, most eyebrow-raising moment? Someone casually noted that these famous programmers are "even reachable via phone" because their numbers are easy to find. Which is either charmingly old-school or the start of a boundaries debate nobody is ready for. The vibe of the thread is clear: people are hungry for connection, a little starstruck, and maybe one impulsive message away from changing their lives.
Key Points
- •The article says many prominent computer science and software figures are still alive, actively programming, and accessible online.
- •Johannes Ridderstedt lists well-known programmers including Andrew Tridgell, Linus Torvalds, John Carmack, Chris Lattner, Miguel de Icaza, Fabrice Bellard, and Mike Pall.
- •Each named programmer is paired with notable software projects or technologies such as Linux, git, Swift, FFmpeg, qemu, Mono, and LuaJIT.
- •The article encourages readers to email or message these programmers directly and suggests this outreach could be meaningful.
- •For readers reluctant to write in English, the article also provides a list of Swedish-speaking programmers and ends with an invitation to contact the author directly.