I may be a bit late, as usual. But the news of Dave Täht’s passing hit me hard.

We weren’t close friends, but we did exchange thoughts from time to time, and what stuck with me most was how deeply kind and fundamentally good he was.

When I once shared some of my own struggles, Dave responded with empathy and generosity. He talked to me about his music and recommended a few books. “Time Travelers Strictly Cash” is still on my list to finish, and, most of all, he listened.

The last time we spoke, we were tossing around ideas on building a mesh of rural IXPs to strengthen local communities. I had been exploring the idea of using IXPs to connect isolated mountain regions, linking people and businesses in a valley without relying entirely on the broader Internet. Dave, as always, was a step ahead, envisioning town halls and libraries across rural America hosting IXPs. A true full mesh, of both networks and people.

We never got to finish that conversation. I regret not following up. But I’m grateful we had it. Thank you, Dave.

“In loving memory” post by the LibreQoS project