I first started playing Minecraft shortly after multiplayer was introduced to the alpha in mid August 2010. I thought it was a neat game with a lot of potential, and with the urging of some friends I started up my first server. Soon I found myself wanting more than what the base server could offer, and found a Java-based wrapper I could play with. I dusted off my limited Java skills and started poking at it, making embarrassing mistakes but overall improving the limited functionality that a console read/write wrapper can provide. I even integrated an IRC bot into the wrapper, to allow two-way communication between an IRC channel and the server. I was hooked on Minecraft, and hooked on building Java-based functionality to extend the game. Within a month, I had discovered there was far more to extending Minecraft than reading the console messages and sending commands in response: You could modify the game code itself to customize! I had discovered hey0’s hMod, which had an API granting coders greater flexibility in affecting the game as they wished. With hMod, a whole new world of opportunity had opened its doors to me and I excitedly dove into plugin development with earnest. I released my first plugin by the end of September, full of code disregarding standards and sanity. Yet, I found myself encouraged by others to continue improvement. I carried on with my coding in the welcoming development environment and even managed to get my own commits into the hMod code! I was a slow adopter of Bukkit but, once I did migrate, I discovered a whole new world of possibility. Through Bukkit, I found an excellent place to learn and try new things. In this community I met interesting people and gained a few friends along the way. I found the same positive environment at Bukkit that allowed me to continue improving my skills and sharing my creations. I progressed from a relative newbie to strong familiarity with Java, the Bukkit API, and the Minecraft servers internal workings. Most recently, I became part of the team updating the project to new releases of Minecraft and gained a lot of knowledge for which I am immeasurably grateful. Bukkit gave me a place to grow and I benefited greatly from it. From my various roles in the community - an adviser, a plugin developer, a moderator, a server administrator, a pull request reviewer, a file reviewer, an updater - I have had the pleasure of watching this community flourish from so many angles. Without the combined effort of this community, Bukkit would not have been able to thrive. Developers, server admins, and community staff together turned the project into something far more than just the Bukkit API and server. I am so proud of all that we have been able to achieve over the last few years, and that’s what makes this post hard to write. In the last few weeks, this project has experienced a rollercoaster of events. The project’s leader and my friend, EvilSeph, shut down the project in part due to the project’s stagnation. Mojang revealed their long-time ownership of some parts of the project, EvilSeph was removed from various aspects of the project, and Mojang declared the project would be updated. EvilSeph was the Bukkit project’s driving force and I feel that without him the project has a massive hole which will be hard to fill. In light of the recent events, I feel that now is the time for me to step down from my active roles in the community. I cannot fill the EvilSeph-shaped hole we now have, so I instead am moving out of the way to make room for a new generation of Minecraft improvement. I wish to thank a ton of people for their contributions. The past and present volunteer staff of the forums and BukkitDev who worked so hard to keep the magic flowing. The plugin developers who shared their awesome creations with the community. The server administrators who provided encouragement and ideas to the project and to plugins. The core team, PR handlers, and other developers who improved the project’s codebase over the years. Everyone who provided me with support and assistance in my time here. EvilSeph, TnT, and all the other friends I have gained as a result of this project. You all mean a lot to me, and I don’t feel I can adequately describe your impact in words.
You were the love of my life.... I will always treasure the tender moments we sharedtogether. You made me feel sexy in a way nobody else has ever done. In all seriousness... My life would be a h#II of a lot different right now, if not for your contributions to this community. You were invaluable, whether people want to admit it or not, you made a difference in more lives than you could ever comprehend. Opening up doorways to life paths we didn't even know we had, let alone loved. It's like a eulogy down up in here: We never want to believe that the things we love will die.... Once they do... It's a shock. I personally still refuse to believe it. Just as EvilSeph has left an un-fillable hole in bukkit... You will leave an un-healable scar in our hearts. Forget Minecraft never being the same, we, your work's borne fruits; and the people who will now never know you or your work... Weren't ready to let you go. I don't think we ever will be. Thanks for everything. I wish things could have been different.
Goodbye mbaxter, and thank you for your contribution (every other bukkit staff member as well). I won't forget the times I asked you for help, and it seemed like I annoyed you (I'm sorry lol).
I probably annoyed the hell out of you when I bugged you on IRC with stupid questions, but I will always be grateful for your contributions to the community. You will be missed. P.S. meow
I'll miss you bud Have an ice Bukkit, you know, for that challenge you never did Best of luck in your future endeavors
I'll miss you, baby. Thanks for all the laughs, and whatnot. You can still visit from time to time, and I'll give you some nibble. <3
I can't say you were my favorite, nor can I deny all of your contribution to the community, the bukkit project, and Minecrat overall. You will be missed.
Hopefully mojang will put some of its people onto it to help out the community and get it started back up again if that's the case.
It's been fun while it lasted. I enjoyed our chats in and outside topics revolving around Bukkit development. Keep in touch you crazy cat bastard. Make sure to keep meowing at people when necessary (I'm sure you will). Leaving this for good times sake:
mbaxter, Want to thank you for all the work you've done on this project. I ran a server for myself, my kids and friends and the Minecraft replay value from bukkit and plug-ins was tremendous. It really kept up the multiplayer interest and provided a way to make the game whatever you wanted it to be. I work in IT and was always impressed with how fast you (and all the plug-in devs) came out with updates, especially as volunteers and without access to real, commented source code for the game. Once again a huge thanks to all the bukkit volunteer staff and the plug-in devs.