Molly Holzschlag has died

[thraxil]

I worked with Molly for years at the Web Standards Project. We all owe her more than most people realize when it comes to being able to use and build on the modern web. There aren't many single individuals out there who had a larger impact than her. She was also just a lovely and inspiring human and those of us who were fortunate enough to spend time with her are better for it.

As sad as this is, it also isn't much of a surprise if you've been paying any attention. She's been very sick for a long time and publicly struggling with enormous medical expenses (there have been various crowdfunding efforts over the years and she had to sell her `molly.com` domain to pay for treatment).

[gcanyon]

> She's been very sick for a long time and publicly struggling with enormous medical expenses (there have been various crowdfunding efforts over the years and she had to sell her `molly.com` domain to pay for treatment).

My wife and I were both born in the U.S. and have lived here most of our lives; we love this place. The above is why we have zero intention to retire here.

[geerlingguy]

"Dr. Glaucomflecken" [1] is doing a satirical daily video on the US a healthcare system this month, and the short videos cut right to the heart of the insane practices that reduce patient welfare, from insurance policies to hospital administrators.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/@DGlaucomflecken

[kevmo]

F'ing incredible that the USA doesn't have universal healthcare yet. We lose so much efficiency, productivity, and creativity because of it. One of the primary reasons our average living standards keep going down.

[Brajeshwar]

If you were actively building for the Web in late 1990s and early 2000s, you would have definitely stumbled on Molly’s work in one way or the other.

The web will miss Molly E. Holzschlag.

Now, I could not find her on LinkedIn; she must have deleted her profile. She was reaching out to people when her illness progressed (I think it was LinkedIn). I remember feeling sad watching her videos, talking about how the treatment was tiring her.

It was always an excitement in the early days of the web when you are in a discussion forum and Molly was around too, answering to the list question. Looking up old emails, she owned https://www.molly.com but this seems to be something else now.

[henvic]

It's really sad. It looks like financial hardship hit hard and she decided to sell it to afford medication.

https://web.archive.org/web/20151211202252/http://www.molly....

https://web.archive.org/web/20151204202343/http://www.molly....

https://web.archive.org/web/20150711215305/http://www.molly....

https://web.archive.org/web/20160202163909/http://www.molly....

[hellweaver666]

This is super sad. I learnt HTML and CSS from following tutorials by Molly, even met her a couple of times at conferences. I really can't understate how much this woman shaped the web as we know it today. Rest well Molly!

[fergie]

I met her a few times at Opera in Oslo, and she was truly somebody who embodied the spirit of the utopian promise of the web. A smart and charming woman.

Its weird- she suddenly popped into my head the other day having not thought about her for years, and I was wondering how she was doing.

[jzb]

I used to follow Molly's blog and writing and really enjoyed her voice and learned a lot from her. I'm embarrassed to say that it's been a long time since I thought about her, and it's really heartbreaking she passed away so young and after so much struggle.

Our systems suck. Nobody should have to fight so hard to get the treatment they need. It's doubly sad when it's someone who has made significant contributions to the world and then is essentially forgotten. But that shouldn't happen to anybody.

[jacquesm]

Oh that sucks. She's one of the few authors whose books about the web actually helped me build stuff. 60 only, way too young.

[souvic]

Her Twitter bio read, "It is the true teacher who leaves the class knowing they have learned the most."

Such a mesmerising human being!

[jeremiahlee]

I remember the first time I met her at a Web dev conference. She chatted with me for a half hour, telling stories of browser rivalries and HTML5’s renegade group that saved us all from XHTML. We ran into each other several times over the years. She always was kind, encouraging, and genuinely interested in what I had to say. She gave us all so much. Her suffering over the last decade was a cruel fate.

[eddielement]

I sent Molly an email when I was a kid with a few questions about one of her HTML books. To my surprise, she sent over signed copies of a few of her books and wrote about me on her blog, something about inspiring the next generation.

Well, 20 years later and actively coding for a living, count me as having been inspired - Thank you Molly!!

[JimDabell]

This is sad. She was omnipresent in the web development community, especially during pivotal moments for interoperability. Many of the things we take for granted these days we owe to her, the Web Standards Project, and people like her.

[jdelsman]

Molly was incredibly kind to me. I met her a few times at conferences, and she always seemed to be bright, quirky and impossibly energetic. I am sorry to see this happen to such a lovely person. I hope she rests in power!

[simulo]

That is sad. She was with the web from its early days (her first book on the subject is from 1996), taught a lot of people, and bridged several communities: design, web standards, and accessability

[wink]

Sad to hear this. As I wandered away from frontend work more and more over the years that's a name I haven't heard in a while, but in the late 90s/early 00s you definitely stumbled over her work here and there if you were around in those circles. When frontend development encompassed mostly HTML and CS (no JS).

[andirk]

Anyone who was an advocate of web Accessibility from the early days is someone who knew that we are all God's (or whoever's) children. Rest in peace, Molly.

[toomuchtodo]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Holzschlag

https://webwithmolly.com/

[meigwilym]

One of the giants of the early Web 2.0 and standards movement. Like many others I learnt a lot from her writings on the practicalities and ideas of modern, accessible websites.

May she rest in peace.

[kubafu]

Thank you Molly for all you did, a lot of us will keep building on that.

[terminous]

I think in this case, it would be OK to add [mollydotcom] to the title. That's how I knew her, not by her last name.

[mdenny453]

In the 80s when I lived in Tucson, Molly and I would perform our songs together at the Drinking Gourd on 4th. I am beyond sad to hear this news. Long live Molly! Send us love from Paradise.

Mark Denny

[out-of-ideas]

it always baffles me why websites like this use such high cloudflare "security" features; ironic that somebody who was an advocate for the Open Web (according to wikipedia) to have a death-announcement be on a not-open page. Thanks tusconsentinel, your site is now a joke to me ! (and no i shall not turn off JShelter)

[jethronethro]

Damn! So sad to hear this. She was a force of nature.

[oldmillalmond]

Could we get a black bar?

[jeremiahlee]

Absolutely worthy!

[simulo]

that would be fitting, I thought the same.