Sometime around 1994, when I was 14, I remember using QModem to connect to my best friend's computer down the street. We spent all day sending text messages back and forth. Then I discovered BBSs and eventually an early version of the internet offered by my towns local library BBS. A whole world opened up from that moment.
Your father's work had a big impact on my life. I'm sorry for your loss.
I've tried to work with a number of WYSIWYG editors and they always get you part of the way before becoming a real pain. No one seems to do a very good job planning them out and maintaining them. I, for one, am really happy to see Facebook release something. Knowing Isaac I suspect this is some work related to Facebook Notes which is cool because it means they're using it in the wild.
Text UI is a great way to hide complexity but difficult to teach and form habits around. The learning curve is steep and probably something we need to invest more in because "have you read the man page" isn't gonna cut it for most.
Designers shouldn't look at Open Source as some kind of charity or that they owe something. Most of the best open source work is done out of necessity. If you believe in a product and it's something you need then contribute something that improves everyone's lives.
I've thought about this topic a lot and I honestly don't know how to involve more designers. My current stance is we need to figure out how to educate more engineers on how to make better interaction and product design decisions. It's a much bigger audience and if we can elevate the people writing code then we have a much better chance at creating better products.
Hackathons are just a formalization of what we already do when we're building something we care about. Everyone should take care of themselves but if you care deeply about something and want to change the world, hacking all night once in a while can be invigorating.
Your father's work had a big impact on my life. I'm sorry for your loss.