Lin Xin-Liang (Chinese: 林信良; 1975–2022), also known by the pseudonyms caterpillar and JustinSDK, was a Taiwanese software engineer, technical writer, translator, and educator. He was known for his programming tutorials, the educational website openhome.cc, and his long-running contributions to iThome.[1][2]

Career

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Lin was associated with the website openhome.cc, also known as 「良葛格學習筆記」, where he published programming tutorials and educational material. He also worked in technical training and writing.[1]

He served as a technical consultant at a Sun Microsystems training center and was an authorized instructor for Oracle training. Under the nickname caterpillar, he participated as a moderator on JavaWorld@TW.[2]

In April 2012, Lin began writing the 「程式人」 column for iThome, which he continued for a decade, producing 459 articles.[1] His work spanned multiple programming languages, including C, C++, Java, Ruby, Python, JavaScript, and Haskell.[2]

OpenSCAD work

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Under the name JustinSDK, Lin contributed to the OpenSCAD community through the development of dotSCAD, a library for procedural and parametric modeling.[3] The library provides a collection of modules and functions for geometric construction, transformations, and algorithmic design.

dotSCAD includes utilities for generating curves, surfaces, and complex parametric forms using code, and is organized to support composability and reuse of geometric operations.[3] The library has been used as a reference implementation for code-driven design approaches within OpenSCAD workflows.

In addition to library development, Lin published generative designs on platforms such as Thingiverse under the username justinsdk.[4] These designs demonstrate the use of procedural techniques to produce complex geometric structures.

Following his death, elements of his work, including his caterpillar design, were featured in community projects such as the OpenSCAD Advent Calendar 2022.[5][6]

Death

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Lin died in 2022 at the age of 48.[1] News of his death circulated on November 16, following reports that he had died of illness the previous day.[7]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 "〖林信良紀念專輯〗". iThome (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  2. 1 2 3 "林信良". iThome (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  3. 1 2 "dotSCAD". GitHub. GitHub, Inc. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  4. "Designs - JustinSDK". Thingiverse. MakerBot. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  5. "OpenSCAD Advent Calendar 2022". GitHub. GitHub, Inc. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  6. "Advent Calendar 2022". OpenSCAD. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  7. 鄭心連 (2022-11-16). "程式達人「良葛格」驚傳離世!全網悼:看他文章受益良多". TVBS新聞網 (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2026-03-20.