Ken Dimson, Rest In Peace.

[Dan Ridinger]

Ken always was up for lively discussions and sharing of ideas. He had a good sense of humour. He always had a smile for you whenever you met. He will be missed.


> On Aug 14, 2018, at 5:14 PM, Gavin Foster <omnislist at dataweaver.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I have been asked to post the message below to you all, as John was unable to send it to the list.
> 
> Kind regards and with sadness,
> Gav
> 
> 
> It is with a heavy heart that I am writing an email to the omnis list that I was hoping to never have to compose.
> 
> My good friend and coding partner Ken Dimson passed away at 10pm Sunday night, August 12, 2018.
> 
> Those of you who knew Ken experienced his kind personality, helpful spirit, genuine concern, and excellent software development skill.
> 
> I met Ken in April, 2001.  We got along well immediately, and from that time forward spent countless hours together working on coding processes, window and screen design, and numerous other necessities at the core of our dealership applications.  There was rarely a problem I encountered that Ken did not have an answer on direction.  He was a problem solver at the highest level, and was instrumental in getting our applications off the ground, and in providing countless hours of support to our staff and our customers.
> 
> Ken loved Omnis.  He was also well read, studying many forms of software development, among other personal interests.  He would call me on occasion to discuss the latest book he was reading, or his ideas on how to improve our business.  Software design and writing code was truly his passion, his job, and his hobby.
> Ken was instrumental in our decision to move to PostgreSQL as our database back in 2003.
> 
> There were so many experiences we had together, it is hard to enumerate… 
> Our travels together to Ford in Detroit when we began the Ford interfaces back in 2001 - 2005.  Our astonishment that Ford was enthusiastic to work with us given the novelty of our project.
> Our trips together to GM in Detroit from 2004 - 2008 to approve various GM integration points.  
> Our travels over many years to various clients around the country to resolve numerous software bugs and needed enhancements.  
> Our travels to Galpin Ford from 2009 - 2013 to work on processes to improve our ability to handle large dealerships.  
> Our travels together to Euromnis, where we spent much time reviewing coding techniques, new releases, and the general excitement that only geeks can share.
> Our constant communication via email, Skype, and Teams that made it feel as if he were sitting next to me for many years.
> 
> My wife Becky and I were excited to have traveled to Euromnis in Italy with Ken and his wife Gail in 2016.  Ken frequently referred to Gail as my dear wife… an affectionate reference to which my wife encouraged I pay close attention.
> We had a very memorable and exciting time together hauling suitcases through the bumpy streets of Italy.  People raise their eyebrows when I mention that while Becky and Gail were spending time together in wine country, Ken and I attended Euromnis sessions, and learned about new omnis software!  It is a trip we will not forget.
> 
> Ken and I attended Euromnis together in Arnhem, Netherlands, in 2017, as we had numerous times in years past.  I noticed that Ken was struggling with the effects of the cancer.  His indomitable spirit was unbelievable, and was present to the very end.
> 
> His work ethic and philosophy was epitomized in his email signature over the years, which I have compiled below.
> 
> I will miss Ken, as will many of you.  He will not be forgotten.  Our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends 
> 
> Rest in Peace Ken Dimson.  
> 
> 
> 2001 to 2006
> “The best way to be ready for the future is to invent it.”
> - John Sculley
> 
> “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
> - Steve Jobs
> 
> "Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity." 
> - Charles Mingus
> 
> "A user interface is well-designed when the program behaves exactly how the user thought it would."
> - Joel on Software
> 
> 2007- 2012
> "Our job is to invent the future"
> - The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
> 
> “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
> - Aristotle
> 
> “If you want to improve your software, don't test more; develop better.”
> - Steve McConnell, "Code Complete"
> 
> “Don't try to solve the easy problem. Solve the harder problem.”
> - Sergey Brin Google Founder
> 
> 2012-2018
> “Vision is not enough. It must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.”
> - Vaclav Havel
> 
> “The future is not something to be predicted, it is something we achieve.”
> - Don Tapscott
> 
> "A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
> - Antoine de Saint-Exup'ery
> 
> 2015-2018
> "There are two ways of constructing a software design. One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies. And the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies."
> - C.A.R. Hoare
> 
> Kaizen:  The practice of continuous improvement
> 
> 
> <https://dealerbuilt.com/>
> John Hosmer
> DealerBuilt
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