Dave was smart and funny, but above all else he was considerate, a gentle man and a gentleman.

Our community lost a long-time friend earlier this week, David Yedwab passed away. Dave was smart and funny, but above all else he was considerate, a gentle man and a gentleman.

In the 2+ decades that we were friends, Dave served as a consultant, analyst and market researcher, first with some of the bigger firms, but later he and Paul Robinson formed their own operation--Market Strategy and Analytics Partners.

Dave came out of Bell Labs and so, not surprisingly, he had a deep grasp of and appreciation for technology. But he also understood the economics of the communications business, and the cultures of the organizations within it. And he was generous with what he knew, which endeared him to me and many others who have covered this industry, whether in print or on the web.

Because of our respective roles, we'd get together several times each year, mostly at industry events. We shared time on podiums, sometimes exhilarated, sometimes bored out of our minds. We drank what passes for coffee at press events and, thankfully, stronger stuff at both fancy soirees and crummy bars.

Dave had an opinion on just about everything, and he didn't need much encouragement to share it. I enjoyed hearing his perspective, because it almost always came wrapped in a spicy, sarcastic dressing, which was almost always on target.

He made me laugh and he made me think, and I'm going to miss him. All of us on the NoJitter/Enterprise Connect team send our condolences to his wife and family. May his memory be a blessing.