It is with great sadness that we announce that InfoQ editor Dr. Alex Blewitt has unexpectedly passed away. Alex was a well-known writer within the technology space, Java Champion, Eclipse expert, meetup organizer, and more. He was a frequent presenter and attendee at conferences held around the globe, and he will be deeply missed within the InfoQ community.
Alex was a technical leader in the financial industry for over 15 years and worked as an engineer for Apple and IBM at various points in his career. He earned his BA (Hons) in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge and his MSc and PhD from the University of Edinburgh. Alex joined the InfoQ editors team in 2008, building on the early success of his first published article in 1991 (when he was a teenager), which covered the topic of “Explaining Interrupt Requests” for the Commodore Disk User magazine.
During his tenure at InfoQ, Alex authored over 330 news articles across a wide range of topics. Alex was particularly well known in the Java space, especially in the domains of Eclipse and OSGi. He also covered Swift, security, ethics, and the history of technology. His news covering the “40th Anniversary of The Ethernet” has remained popular, as has an interview with Alex that focused on one of his books, “Swift Essentials”.
He conducted several interviews at the QCon events and presented many sessions. Alex’s most popular and influential talks included “Understanding CPU Microarchitecture to Increase Performance” and “HotSpot under the Hood”.
He is remembered fondly by his friends and InfoQ colleagues:
Alex was a kind, patient, and incredibly smart individual. I personally learned so much from him. Alex once reviewed a single PR of mine eight times, with constructive perfectionism. We both launched small businesses on the Apple App Store and had fun discussing, writing, and building iPhone apps - with a friendly revenue competition. Alex loved community and contributed in many different ways, including coaching and encouraging others to participate. Alex was a mentor and friend who will be greatly missed.
Jim Gough (Java Champion)
Alex and I joined InfoQ at roughly the same time, and he became a great friend and confidant. He was a brilliant engineer, of course, but also a fantastic tech communicator with a truly remarkable ability to explain complex subjects with enviable clarity and conciseness.
When I was InfoQ’s chief editor, he was someone I would always go to if I needed a difficult story covered, and I knew if he took it on, he would do it brilliantly. I could also rely on him to give me an honest opinion—a much under-valued quality—and he would always give freely of his time. We had detailed conversations about everything from the inner workings of modern CPUs, to grammar, and single malt whiskies. I think he knew more about all three than I did. I will really miss him.
Charles Humble (ex InfoQ Editor-in-chief)
Alex was one of our most reliable editors. He was always ready to help, and you could count on him if he committed to making a contribution. My deepest condolences to his wife Amy and his two children.
Roxana Bacila (Head of Editorial Operations at InfoQ)
Alex was a brilliant technologist and a great friend. He has been an exceptional InfoQ Editor, and I could always count on him to provide thoughtful and insightful feedback for both InfoQ and QCon. He deeply cared about our community and was always generous with his time to support anyone. Our hearts are saddened by his loss.
Dio Synodinos (President C4Media, creators of InfoQ & QCon)
Alex leaves a virtual legacy of hundreds of technical articles that will continue to be available over the coming years, both on InfoQ and other sites. Much of his writing was timeless, and we are confident we will frequently be quoting his work and ideas over the coming years.
Alex was an excellent InfoQ editor and an even better friend and mentor. He always had time to talk about technology and give career advice, and he was constantly looking to open the door to the next generation of technologists. Alex’s attention to detail and aptitude for providing effective feedback were legendary, and he was a go-to person for InfoQ editors wanting to bounce around story ideas. He was not only extremely knowledgeable but also a kind and gentle soul who touched the lives of many people worldwide.
Alex is survived by his wife, Amy, and two children. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
Donations can be made to one of the two charities that were very close to Alex’s heart, the Ronald McDonald House charity and MK Hospital cancer care unit.