Slashdot Mirror
GNU-Friends and Free Software Development Network
An Anonymous Reader writes: "Jonas Oberg announced the launch of
GNU-Friends, a news site for
friends of the GNU Project based on the Kuro5hin Scoop-backend.
GNU-Friends is intended to provide news from and by the Free Software
community, especially such news that does not generally make it to onto other news channels. Also started with GNU-Friends is the Free Software Development Network.
More info on how to join it can be found here."
I wish there were a site that would carry all open-source related news together and sort them a out a bit ... because it's rater annoying to visit 5, or perhaps 10 sites a day to catch up with the changes in the open-source "society"!
Life sucks.
I've found your post a very interesting comment on the state of karma capping in Slashdot, and your approach to dealing with it intrigues me.
As such, I'm giving you a +1. Unfortunately, I don't have any real karma to throw your way.
A site like this is much needed. I hope it is successful.
;-).
The other sites (Slashdot, Register, etc) seem to have got into the "entertainment business" -- creating controversy and conflict, making celebrities and knocking them down. I hope they will not post any controversial stories without checking them with the people involved -- if so this will be the place to come for "real news". I would much prefer to read the facts a bit later than counterproductive speculation.
Other sites are also victims of excessive commercialism and merchandising -- the assumption that everyone is part of a 'geek' community and interested in the same sort of things outside software. I like to keep an eye on free software news but it's a professional interest, not a lifestyle choice.
Generally I have a dislike of too much "news". Concentrating too much on details stops people thinking about the bigger picture. As we know free software is a long-term project and what is important is steady progress, rather than break-throughs that news media in general seem to need. So it will be good if on this site there is no desire to "create" stories -- if there is nothing happening then it's fine by me if you just post something saying "Nothing is happening -- people are working hard on their projects"
I know that running a database backed website is expensive -- I think it would be a good if the site can be supported by donations from its users, and be independent, rather than have to look for a sponsor if it becomes too costly as the userbase gets larger. On their donations page they could post some information on how much it costs, how much they have received, and how many users there are -- in order to get an idea of what each person should donate to keep things running. If there is an easier way to make a small donation electronically that would be good, it's too expensive to transfer money internationally for a small donation unfortunately. The cheapest way to send money is by a money order from the post office, but this usually requires standing in a queue and filling out a form (on paper).
This has potential to be a nice site.
The thing that makes me unable to read the other news sites is that they are generally a huge pit of very off the wall conspiracy theories.
Or it's the merchandising.
I don't like anime that much.
These sites that think everyone loves japanese cartoons is way off.
I don't dislaike it, but if some new anime series comes out on dvd in america, well i don't care.
Besides, if I did I'd go an anime site, heh.
Also i am not amazed by GPS technology.
Some sites have been posting stories about anything that even mentions GPS.
GPS systems are sorta nifty.
But really the excitement of the whole thing has worn off.
Are these people still amazed by cellphones to?
Or did a GPS company drop em some cash for the gratuitus postings...
Anyways... This place is awesome.
FSF people tend to have the right idea.
Liberal, but not liberal fundamentalists who can't think on their own.
Generally when i read the writings of FSF people (RMS, Moglen, etc.) i pretty much agree with their position.
I'm just happy to have found a new news site that's really about what i'm interested in.
I'm not interested in paranoid conspiracies, FUD, Anime, Xbox or whatever else these places post lately... I am interested in Free Software and the issues surrounding it, whether they are political, technical, social, etc.
There isn't much there as yet, but I guess it could grow. What happens will partly depend on how much feeling there is for free (rather than open source) software and partly, let's face it, on how much effort they're prepared to put into it.