R.I.P. Linuxbox

Submitted by many: Linuxbox (AKA MassLinux), the hosting service that provided free server space for many open source and free software projects, went offline today at noon. Chris Gann, the company's owner, told me (by phone) that he's about $7000 short of keeping things going, which is almost exactly how much he's owed by deadbeat "paying" customers. Chris is a truly nice person, which may be why so many customers figured they could get away without paying him. If so, this is a sad commentary on the current Internet business climate.