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Linux Foundation Purchases Linux.com
darthcamaro and several other readers have noted that the Linux Foundation has bought Linux.com from SourceForge Inc. (Slashdot's corporate parent). The Linux Foundation (employer of Linus Torvalds) will take over the editorial and community stewardship for the site; SourceForge will continue to supply advertising on it. "[Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim] Zemlin says the Linux Foundation wants to build a collaborative forum where Linux users can share ideas and get information on the Linux operating system. A beta of the site will be released in the next few months. ... Linux.com is being redesigned as a central source for Linux software, documentation and answers regardless of platforms, including server, desktop/netbook, mobile and embedded areas." What do you think should be on Linux.com?
How about the proper spelling of the namesake's name?
Howtoforge.org has fulfilled that role for a long time which Linux.com aims to do now.
Linux Torvalds? The guy that made the Linus kernel?
The one-stop, easy-install, multi-distro place for all your linux software needs.
A centralized source of Linux info would be GREAT! Especially if it had a search function that pointed you to a good complete answer to inexpertly phrased questions. Right now, pointing newbies at Google is one of the big linux turnoffs for them.
Most of us experienced users know where to find good help and info so I think they should make linux.com primarily a site for beginners. It would include a broad overview, tutorials, howtos, information about distros and a lot of zealous pro-linux content to spread the love. linux.com is the obvious domain name for someone looking to learn about linux. Notice I say primarily for beginners and not totally. It should of course contain more detailed information.
but does it run Linux?
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
A redirect to .org seems to be an appropriate option.
3.243F6A8885A308D313
I don't know for a fact, but I'd guess that a number of visitors will be people who have heard of "that linux thing" and punched in www.linux.com to find out more. While I think it's great that Ubuntu is great for having critical mass and gaining mainstream momentum, I also think it's in everyone's interest to explain, in simple terms, that Linux != Ubuntu, and that Linux is, in a manner of speaking, a whole lot more than Ubuntu.
With such an obvious name, linux.com is where many newbs go first. The forums were not that great to begin with, and in the last few weeks they even lost all formatting, including newlines. I'm glad to see that such an important domain name will be put to good use now.
A neutral communications medium is essential. It is the basis of science, by which humankind should decide what is true.
What do you think should be on Linux.com?
One thing I would like is for it to be a clear and professional page that invites and excites people to learn more about Linux.
What I mean is this: Right now if you google "Linux", the first hit is linux.org. That site has some good info, and even has an explanatory paragraph about what Linux is... but (how to put this nicely?) it doesn't look professional. It doesn't scream "this is a sophisticated and powerful (yet user-friendly) system supported by (and supporting) billion-dollar industries." Instead the impression a first-time visitor will get is that Linux is arcane, old-fashioned, and disorganized.
The fact is that when any of us talk to others about Linux (whether as a home desktop or for business-use), the person will go and search "Linux" and end up being confused. So I would like "linux.com" to have a really carefully designed frontpage, that explains what Linux is, looks very professional (maybe with tie-ins to big-name companies to make the suits feel more comfortable), and helps people get what they need (links to downloads, FAQ, community sites, all that good stuff...).
The Ubuntu homepage is pretty good in this regard. I'm sure I'm not alone in having switched over the last few years from telling people to "read more about Linux" to telling them to "read up on Ubuntu". It's just easier to pick a distro for them (they can always change when they learn more), and Ubuntu has put a nice "face" on the Linux ecosystem. Their homepage doesn't overload you with info, and provides clear links to downloads, community, etc.
So while I hope linux.com becomes many things to many people (and has all the news and content that we geeks want), I hope they take this opportunity to make the mainpage a useful portal for people who want to learn more about Linux. (Since it will be an obvious place for a newbie to first look.)
1. monthly debate on the best Linux distro
2. monthly debate on binary kernel modules, proprietary software and GPL, plus ridiculing RML's mustache
3. quarterly email exchanges between Linus Torvalds and other users with the latter calling the former former arrogant bastard and the former calling the latter "a bunch of wanking monkeys"
4. weekly discussion on how Windows sucks and bookkeeping on the number of chairs thrown out of Redmond buildings
5. monthly whining about how slow Debian development is
6. bi-annually mention of Hurd and that it's going to be ready "soon"
"The Linux Foundation (employer of Linux Torvalds) will take over the editorial and community stewardship for the site; Sourceforge will continue to supply advertising on it."
Good, I was worried they would run out.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Welcome to Linux.com!
You can do anything with Linux, anything at all!
The article never said it was sold and I know that it wasn't. It was given by Sourceforge to the LF. But hey, this is slashdot and headlines almost always are incorrect :-)
We have Nethack. There is no need for anything else.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
Email addresses, of course. I'd pay for a @linux.com email address...1gb storage, SSH access to mutt/pine/emacs, IMAP/POP, decent webmail package... yeah, I would definitely pay for that. Premium for good service. :)