this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2024
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Terry Davis was the programmer who made TempleOS. He was a pretty brilliant programmer, all things considered, but what really elevated him to meme status was that he very clearly had untreated schizophrenia. He truly believed that God was speaking to him and that God lives inside the OS that he made (hence why he called it TempleOS). The design decisions for TempleOS range from unusual to downright wacky, because he believed that those design choices were divinely inspired. In short, TempleOS is a meme among the tech sphere.
If I recall correctly, Terry Davis ended up becoming homeless and died several years ago
He did indeed die a few years back in 2018. Tragically, he was hit by a train after another stint of homelessness. Considering his mental state at the time, it's not clear if it was suicide, the result of schizophrenic episode, or just a freak accident. It's a really sad story; he was a brilliant programmer as you mentioned, but he was plagued with mental illness throughout his life.
I often wonder what he could've accomplished if he didn't have such struggles or at least was able to manage it better. A man of his talents could've potentially left a lasting and significant mark on the tech world similar to Torvalds or Stallman, but as it stands his legacy is mostly just an impressive and intriguing novelty project.
Man! I had no idea. Thanks so much for the insight. What a story.
There's a "Down the Rabbit Hole" video on YouTube about him that I'd recommend. Really fascinating guy.