He’s probably going give me hell for making a public fuss, but I’ll take that hit. I’m travelling next week so I won’t be around to lift a toast on his last day.
John Brock is retiring at the end of this month after an incredible career here at McNeel.
John has been the voice of tech support for the entirety of my experience with Rhino going back to 1997 when I first saw a xerox ad for it pinned to a cork board at my office…
The enormity of the positive impact he’s had on the company and our community is impossible to adequately explain.
However, the Impact he’s had on me personally is quite clear.
Everything I have achieved professionally in the last 27 years can be very clearly traced back to the countless times he’s patiently answered my endless (often stupid) questions. And I for one will miss working with him more than I can explain.
It’s a dream gig for me working here at Mcneel, and John taught me just about everything I know. I am positive I would not be here without his guidance as I was coming up. I wish I had an other 27 years to study under his guidance, but his watch over us all has come to an end.
We are all better off for his efforts.
Selfishly, I hope he fails miserably at retirement and comes back in a week cuz he misses us.
But , I’ve never know him to fail at anything, and I’m sure he’ll be just fine.
It’s been a delight John, thank you for everything.
Very kind of you to say.
I started here at McNeel Seattle in January 1988, back when we were AutoCAD resellers, add-on developers for AutoCAD tools including, Allegro, PlotPack, IconTool, Accurender, printers, plotters, networks, etc. I even setup and ran a four-line Wildcat! BBS before the Internet came along.
On my first day in early January, I was teaching an AutoCAD class.
36 years is a long time.
It’s been a good run with great coworkers and excellent customers.
Bob, Sandy, and Lowell, setup a company and culture that I thrived in.
Back then we didn’t think it would last more than a couple years, but here we are.
All the best with your retirement @John_Brock !
Thank you for all the help and support your provided to us here, and on the old forum!
We will miss you.
If I have to summarize our interactions for the last few decades. They all pretty much go like this:
G: This ain’t right, needs fixing.
JB: That’s how it is, how’s always been and probably how will always be.
G: No John, this is messed up. It needs fixing.
JB: I know, just trying to help you embrace reality.
G: ugh… whatever.
JB: yup.
…A few weeks or year later (it’s always a matter of weeks or a matter of many years for some reason, never months) that thing gets fixed.
Thank you John for co-starring in all these drama sessions with me over the years to get attention from the devs. We’ve achieved a lot together.
Like I said before, besides our tense relationship, I’ll always love you. And I know you love me back, and you will miss me as much as I will miss you.
I wish you an amazing retirement. Have some great adventures!
John, the first question that comes to mind for many of us is, I suspect, “what problem are you trying to solve?” . Huge, huge and many, thanks for all your work and dedication and knowlege, and support - internally here at McNeel, too - over the years. We’ll miss you. It’s hard to imagine finding someone of your caliber.
Enjoy retirement to the maximum - I know you will. I hope we see you around from time to time. If your latest beer needs real world testing, you know where to bring it.
You’re a good man Charlie Brown. Your depiction of our dialog is spot on.
The difference is I generally didn’t take into account is you already understood how the tool worked. You were suggesting a redesign of the tool.
Most people did not know the specifics of the tool, had made assumptions, and were surprised it just didn’t do what they expected it would do.
I had to start with what it was designed to do and why.
You are a great designer and have always pushed Rhino in the right direction.
I will miss our occasional tense conversations.
For a long time, I tried to use Lowell’s initial reply, “What do you want to do that for?”
It never quite fit. “What problem are you trying to solve” seemed to work well for me and focused the user.
It’s probably no surprise I use it for many occasions, not just Rhino.
I’ll miss your mad skills, design sense, elegant artistry, and calmness in all things.
I still remember when we first met in person at the APMM convention in Costa Mesa in… 2003? You came in full kilt and played your bagpipes for us. I was like, “Who is this guy???”
That makes more than 20 years we’ve known each other now, and I fondly miss my office visits in Seattle and hanging out with you and Janet.
So thanks for all these years of patiently checking and filing my bug reports! You’re going to leave a huge hole in tech support and this forum…
But now you have absolutely no excuse to come over here so we can ride the alps together.
I’ll be waiting…
Does it seem a bit rare for a company to elicit a level of loyalty from users and employes alike that spans decades ? I think this may be Japan grade continuity in employment.
Many thanks to John for his life long work and support and also many thanks to McNeel for creating a company culture that is honest, fair, ethical, and welcoming for developers and users.
Just a quick note to say a massive thank you for all the support over the years @John_Brock . Your guidance has been invaluable.
As you head into retirement, I’m wishing you all the joy and happiness this new chapter can bring. May your days be filled with the leisure and excitement you’ve earned.
Take care and enjoy every moment of your well-deserved retirement, John.
Dear @John_Brock
Well, this might be the only actual “Dear John” letter I’ve ever written, and it’s not even me doing the breaking up In all seriousness, thank you for years and years of unrelenting support and help. I hope you will truly enjoy the next chapter - Take care!
Best regards, Jakob Normand
Thanks for the journey so far @John_Brock. It’s been an amazing ride and you have handled our frustration and wishes in a great manner. Not always in the way we might have wished for, but always in the manner of what we actually needed. Cudos, thanks and respect for that!
I wish you all the best for the future and hope to see you here a lot in the future too. Maybe now you can become a hobbyist user and sit on the other side of the table
All the best and again a huge thank you for your relentless service.
…and welcome to the club! 
Your videos and knowledge were informative and helping.
In all seriousness, thank you for years and years of unrelenting support and help. I hope you will truly enjoy the next chapter - Take care!