Once upon a time in the west

Dave Winer is leaving the blogosphere. His work here is done.

It reminds me of the ending to Shane. Dave’s the title character, the lonely, haunted codeslinger who rides into the Valley one day to save the little blog-farmers from the blackhats who run the M.S.M. Ranch and are trying to keep all the land for themselves. In the final battle, Dave triumphs, but he’s wounded. He realizes his time is coming to an end. “The 20th Century is fading and the new century is going strong,” he says, the stoic hero. “Blogging doesn’t need me anymore. It’ll go on just as well, maybe even better, with some new space opened up for some new things.”

He rides away, across the web’s vast empty plain. Mike Arrington, playing little Joey, runs after him, begging him to stay.

“Dave, no,” he calls out. “Don’t go, Dave. Dave! Come back!”

Darkness falls.