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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Passing of a forum member Bill Roth ( Goeytex )
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5126 |
Received a email from Evan Venn this morning, letting me know of the passing of a forum member. In Evans words - William (Bill) Roth was one of the finest engineers I have ever known passed away today. A veteran, a mentor, and a master of embedded systems, Bill’s legacy lives on in the tools we use, the code we write, and the communities he quietly nurtured. 🎖️ A Life of Service and Precision Bill served his country with honor before embarking on a long and distinguished engineering career. He worked at Dell and many other companies, always bringing his signature blend of rigor, creativity, and humility. But it was in the trenches of microcontroller development—especially with PIC devices—that I came to know him best. 🧠 Eleven Years of Quiet Brilliance For over 13 years, Bill poured his time and expertise into the embedded systems community—especially into GCBASIC, BackShed and PICAXE where his contributions were both foundational and transformative. He never sought recognition. In fact, he actively avoided the spotlight. But I insisted that his work be attributed to him. Because it mattered. Because he mattered. Bill would work on an issue until it was resolved completely—not 90%, not almost there, but 100%. He’d write full analysis reports, dissect compiler behavior, and propose elegant, robust solutions. And he enjoyed it. He found joy in the process, in the precision, and in the knowledge that someone else would benefit from the clarity he created. 🐣 The Incubator Analogy At home Bill quietly and successfully built chicken egg incubators—devices that maintain the precise temperature, humidity, and ventilation needed for life to emerge. That was Bill in a nutshell. He developed ideas, turned them into reality, and then stepped back as others benefited from what he built. He didn’t just hatch solutions—he created environments where others could grow, learn, and thrive. His work was the incubator for countless innovations. 🔧 A Force Behind GCBASIC and Beyond Bill’s contributions were immense: Compiler logic and ASM optimization LATx-safe macros and RMW hazard prevention A complete library A complete re-write of libraries Demonstration programs and reusable code snippets Annotated documentation and simulation models His name is forever etched into the libraries, the examples, and the solutions we rely on. His work made our tools smarter, our code safer, and our understanding deeper. 💬 Personal Reflections I knew Bill for a long time. He was one of the greatest engineers I’ve ever met—not just for his technical brilliance, but for his integrity, his work ethic, and his joy in the craft. He didn’t just fix bugs—he understood them, documented them, and taught others how to avoid them. He made the tools we use better, and he made the people around him better too. 🕯️ Legacy The benefits to the community are his legacy. His name will be forever remembered in the solutions, the demonstration programs, the libraries, and the snippets. Rest well, Bill. You showed us what it means to care deeply, think clearly, and build things that last. The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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mikeb Senior Member  Joined: 10/04/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 175 |
If you've ever read a poem called 'The Dash' you'll know what I mean. Condolences to all of his friends and family. There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those that understand binary and those that don't. |
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Zonker Guru  Joined: 18/08/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 772 |
Good morning friends... I never knew Bill personally, but from the above post, sound like he was an excellent giving individual willing to help us all... He will be missed... Somehow the planet seems a bit smaller now...  |
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| PhenixRising Guru Joined: 07/11/2023 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1476 |
RIP Bill  I dread this type of news. Lost a few from other communities |
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stanleyella Guru Joined: 25/06/2022 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2624 |
Just read the news on mmbasic forum. Sad for all who actually knew him. |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3399 |
Goeytex made a lot of interesting, valuable, and rigorous contributions to the PICAXE forum. I would always look forward to reading anything he published there. I have 7 PICAXE programs which contain as a comment: "Written by: Bill Roth / Goeytex". PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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Marcel27 Regular Member  Joined: 13/08/2024 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 97 |
Although I never knew Bill, may his soul rest in the most beautiful hardware environment he could have imagined. |
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