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Section :: Rants and Raves
It is with great sadness that I announce the death of Wilf Hey. Wilf wrote the wonderfully eccentric and always fascinating Mathematical Digressions column in Bitwise and is well known for the Wilf’s Workshop column in PC Plus magazine.
I always looked forward to our long and rambling telephone conversations in which Wilf and I frequently discussed a bizarre range of subjects ranging from mathematics to magic and often digressing into languages, music, science, art, life, the universe and (almost) everything in between. He really was a man of great intellect, boundless enthusiasm and considerable charm.
Wilf died on January 2nd, 2007. He will be very keenly missed. I extend my deepest sympathy to his wife. Forum
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I was 13 years old when I got my hands on a PC in 1991. From then on I was fascinated and bought all the PC magazines I could lay my hands on. PC Today, Computer Shoper, Which Micro and of course PC Plus. As I started to meddle with things, batch files and then assembler first using debug.exe I read with interest Wilf’s pages each month. I seem to remember him talking about cats too. I just happened to Google his name last night and came to this page which was not what I was expecting and I felt compelled to write a short message in response.
Rikki
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7 February 2007, by Ingvar Nilsen
There have been two persons who stand out from the crowd of computer magazine journalists who have had important influence on my career as a software designer and developer.
First there is Huw Collingbourne who with his Borland Delphi 1 review in PC Plus in 1995 convinced me that Delphi was the way to go. If I can say that there is one person that has changed my life in a positive way, which I at the same time never have met, it has to be Huw.
To make a long story short - Delphi meant everything, it became a success for me using Delphi.
Then there is Wilf Hey. How comes this? Yes, I am a self taught person, an autodidact, and back in 1996 I had no Internet, my main source for information was the computer magazines at the news stand.
At one time I was stuck, saw no way out, could not get further. Then the next issue of PC Plus came out and with it precisely what I needed.
It was an article by Wilf Hey about the Windows BMP format and accessing its various headers combined with Wilf’s often peculiar, but to me familiar - way of approaching a subject.
Suddenly I saw the light! And like a dam bursts, I wrote Delphi code like mad, everything fell into place.
So this was the second important turn-point for me, and this time Wilf was the star.
I never got tired of reading his articles, and had looked forward to reading much more here in this online magazine. Now, this is how life is, unpredictable, one have to enjoin sunshine while it is there, one day it rains, the sun is gone.
The name Wilf Hey only brings good feelings to me, I am happy I had the opportunity to be there at the right time when he shared his unusual insight with us!
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This is sad news indeed 
Regrettably I never met Wilf in person, though I felt I knew him in an odd way through the articles he wrote here and in PC-Plus.
I never met his family either, but I would like to offer my condolences if I may.
Goodbye Wilf, and give Einstein a run for his money should you meet him.
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5 January 2007, by ghostDancer
I’ve never met him, only read his articles and columns and always enjoyed them a lot, they were interesting not only as computer or mathematical but he always managed to put an extra bit about life and made them different. I always thought he was a person i’d like to meet and have some beers with, give my condolences to the family and friends, bye Mr Hey.
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5 January 2007, by Steven
I know it doesn’t mean much but, my condolences to Wilf’s family - he will be missed.
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9 January 2007, by Rob Fenwick
I worked with Wilf when I was a soaking-wet-behind-the-ears commissioning editor on PC Plus, and every time I met him it was with the greatest apprehension - what conversation could I possibly make with a man who had a brain the size of a planet? Yet I needn’t have worried - he was always charming.
In my days as technical editor, I never once altered his column. How could I? I didn’t understand a word of it. But the readers who did understand it loved it and you can’t, and shouldn’t, argue with that.
Rest in peace, a computer publishing giant.
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"Goodbye, Wilf"
hear hear
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22 September 2009, by Emad-ud-deen Richard Leiman
I remember him as Steve Hey and visited him many times around the late 1980’s before my work permit ran out and had to return to the US. At that time he lived in Bath. He and his wife took me to many great places over there like Sally Dunns and the Roman Baths.
He was the head of the London Clarion User Group which I was a member.
It’s a shame he passed away. He will be missed.
I give his wife my condolences.
Truly
Emad-ud-deen Richard Leiman
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Sad news indeed. I was just reading an old article of Wilf’s from PC Plus magazine. I used to always look forward to reading his column, Wilf’s Workshop. This was the main reason I purchased PC Plus every month in fact. I saved a number of his articles and even to this day refer back to them for his insights. Having just re-read another of his old articles I decided to run a web search to find out where Wilf was, what he was up to. It’s sad to learn he is gone, and so many years ago now too. Hard to believe it’s nearly 2010 already. I’ll remember Wilf through his columns and how they helped guide me in my studies and career. I hope he knows they continue to guide me to this day.
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