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Announcements Software Linux

Linux Foundation Purchases Linux.com 231

Posted by kdawson from the new-life dept.
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?
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Linux Foundation Purchases Linux.com

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  • What do you think should be on Linux.com? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:25PM (#27057375)
    How about the proper spelling of the namesake's name?

  • howtoforge.org does that just fine (Score:5, Informative)

    by lordsilence ( 682367 ) * on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:27PM (#27057411) Homepage
    Howtoforge.org has fulfilled that role for a long time which Linux.com aims to do now.

  • Linus kernel (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:29PM (#27057437)

    Linux Torvalds? The guy that made the Linus kernel?

  • LinuxAppStore (Score:5, Interesting)

    by godglike ( 643670 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:29PM (#27057441)

    The one-stop, easy-install, multi-distro place for all your linux software needs.

  • Sounds like... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by XaviorPenguin ( 789745 )
    ...they want to do something like Windows.com and showcase all what Linux can do and be installed on and overall, share a wealth of information for all to enjoy.

    It would be neat to see all of this and I can't wait to see what it will be like in the months to come.

  • Yes! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by quixote9 ( 999874 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:30PM (#27057455) Homepage
    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.

    • Re:Yes! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by larry bagina ( 561269 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:38PM (#27057551) Journal
      using google is worse than no information. Many guides and howtos are years out of date. (Google gives a higher page rank to older pages)

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by RiotingPacifist ( 1228016 )

        Its a shame the "best source for information" keeps dying and being replaced, a good wiki is all thats needed. Hell play about with mediawiki and you could probably put up one wikipage with tabs to display distro specific details underneath a generic guide to the software.

    • Re:Yes! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Jurily ( 900488 ) <<jurily> <at> <gmail.com>> on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:46PM (#27057645)

      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.

      You cannot get more centralized than Google. And it also has a search function! Also, maybe there is no "good complete answer" that will work for everyone.

      The main reason it's a turnoff is "Google it you moron" vs. "Have a look at http://www.google.com/search?q=nvidia+direct+rendering+slackware [google.com] and see if someone already solved it". See the difference?

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Blakey Rat ( 99501 )

        People who know the hardware in their computer, the specific distro they run, and what the problem is related to don't need the help. Well, they do, but they might already be serviced by Google.

        You need to give the help to the people who ask, "hey, last week the doohickey worked with the internets thing, but now the button doesn't go anywhere and the doohickey disappeared!" That's a substantially harder problem, and if you could solve it you'd have one-up on Microsoft and Apple.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Jurily ( 900488 )

          You need to give the help to the people who ask, "hey, last week the doohickey worked with the internets thing, but now the button doesn't go anywhere and the doohickey disappeared!" That's a substantially harder problem, and if you could solve it you'd have one-up on Microsoft and Apple.

          Yes, it's called the Cupholder Problem, and it's been haunting tech support workers for decades.

          How exactly do you plan to help someone who can't even tell you what distro they run? The only thing you can do with them is to point them to the Smart Questions Howto [catb.org] and some generic information collecting howtos so they can choose the right place to look for help. Maybe something like this [googleguide.com], too.

          • The third paragraph of the Smart Questions How-To calls its readers idiots. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more unfriendly article.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Jurily ( 900488 )

              The third paragraph of the Smart Questions How-To calls its readers idiots. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more unfriendly article.

              I think you misread something. Read further:

              If you're reading this document because you need help, and you walk away with the impression you can get it directly from the authors of this document, you are one of the idiots in question. Don't ask us questions. We'll just ignore you. We are here to show you how to get help from people who actually know about the software or hardware you're dealing with, but 99.9% of the time that will not be us.

      • LetMeGoogleThatForYou [lmgtfy.com] FTW!

        Some people just need a little more of a clue about computers in general before they start attempting the things that they come into help channels asking about. You must have come across them, the kind of person that wants to run before they can walk; install a fully working LAMP server before they know how to use a CLI. Some people need talking to rudely, some people just need a nudge in the right direction. If you don't know which you are, then you should probably wonder why pe
    • Agreed. A well-written and easily-used "standard" linux documentation for a lot of distros would be very, very excellent. And targeted, distinctly targeted, to the beginner. "linux.com" is going to be what very beginning beginner linux users are going to type in, right, not advanced computer users. Centralized and standardized Linux help would be great.

      • The reason why that will be hard is because each distro has a slightly different way of doing things (different menu structure, different shortcuts, different config utilities, etc). You would have to have separate instructions and screenshots for each distro. The only way to be (mostly) distro-agnostic is to use the CLI. That is why most help forums don't bother with GUIs, but it is distinctly not beginner user friendly.

    • A search function... yes, but it has to be very good. Would Google perhaps donate one of their search 'appliances' rather than insist everything go in their great database?

      Linux.com has to be really good to serve any sort of evangelising purpose, and search will be critical to that.

      You, tangentially, touch on another major issue with any computer related stuff - poorly phrased questions. Pose them to a search engine? You get squat. Pose them to a discussion area? Someone will probably ask you a bunch

  • Make it beginner friendly (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Xs1t0ry ( 1247414 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:31PM (#27057461)
    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.
    • You're looking at the same paradigm as:

      www.javasoft.com (aka java.sun.com) www.java.com

    • I think they should make linux.com primarily a site for beginners.

      The problem is that beginners need to ask questions; if you have a site for beginners, there won't be many or any people to give good answers.

      It's sort of "a self taught man has a very ignorant teacher" 2.0 - scaled up for crowdsourcing.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by LWATCDR ( 28044 )

      Actually I was thinking even more new user friendly.
      1. A section on what is Linux.
      2. A list of Distros and who they are recommended for.
      3. Instructions on how to burn a CD/DVD.
      4. Maybe a store where you can for a small price BUY Linux CDs, DVDs, and Swag.
      5. Links to companies that sell computers with Linux preinstalled.
      6. Links to "Linux approved" hardware. Stuff that has been tested and is known to work.

  • ...and forget the advertising bits.

  • That's fine and all (Score:5, Funny)

    by Daimanta ( 1140543 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:33PM (#27057497) Journal

    but does it run Linux?

  • A redirect (Score:5, Insightful)

    by apankrat ( 314147 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:33PM (#27057505) Homepage

    A redirect to .org seems to be an appropriate option.

    • Not to linux.org, I hope. It would need a major overhaul first.
      My use of Linux was delayed many months thanks to that site.

  • Role of linux.com? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jgurling ( 1333517 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:37PM (#27057535)
    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.

    • Re:Role of linux.com? (Score:4, Informative)

      by Abreu ( 173023 ) on Wednesday March 04, 2009 @12:25PM (#27066417)

      I think the linux=ubuntu mindset is cyclical... not too long ago, it used to be linux=redhat

  • Here's to some serious improvement! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by red_blue_yellow ( 1353825 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:39PM (#27057565)
    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 "face" for Linux. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by JustinOpinion ( 1246824 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:39PM (#27057577)

    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" [google.com], the first hit is linux.org [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 [ubuntu.com] 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.)

    • Instead the impression a first-time visitor will get is that Linux is arcane, old-fashioned, and disorganized.

      I know this will sound like a troll post... but, Linux IS disorganized. Arcane and old-fashioned, no, but disorganized, yes. There are tons of distros. Those distros have very different organizational structures even (deb vs. rpm, to name one). Even something as simple as dvd playback and sound is sometimes hard. Last evening, in fact, I spent an hour trying to get Amarok 2, kscd, and Kaffeine to work.

      • Amarok 2 was fine, but kscd and Kaffeine wouldn't work. If I had used Amarok 2 that session, Kaffei

    • I like that linux.com for commercial ventures, linux.org for individuals, I know thats a blury line but perhaps it is two different area's to address. Linux in the commercial environment has a different focus to what individuals want from their linux systems.

      Corporate Linux solutions for 100's of desktops and servers is a bit different from the usual newbs cry of my wifi won't work...

      So yes commercial applications and solutions with Linux for the .com org for the rest of us who use linux because we want to

    • Linux.org hasn't even had a new site design in the last 10 years. I remember going to that site probably around 1997 or 1998 when I was first trying out Linux, and seeing it exactly as it looks today (old-looking, plain, disorganized). It has that boring 90's beige box sort of a look and feel to it that's an immediate turn-off.

      Linux has always deserved more enticing and more helpful sites than linux.org and linux.com.

  • Linux.com [linux.com] was one of the very first sites I used to frequent on a daily basis. But I quickly lost interest as I found the site ugly and Slashdot together with other sites did a better job.

    I hope the new owners can put some serious work into the site.

    By the way, Slashdot too needs some love. Details like number of comments submitted to date are missing or are deliberately hidden from non subscribers like me! Heck, we need to know all sorts of statistics. I appreciate the need for cash but I thought that's

  • My list (Score:5, Funny)

    by microbee ( 682094 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @05:58PM (#27057793)

    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"

    • You're a 'tard. What about vi vs emacs?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Rob Riggs ( 6418 )

        We've moved on to KDevelop vs Eclipse. Don't even get me started about those Code::Blocks posers.

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by PReDiToR ( 687141 )
          No, the vi/ema*coughshitchough*cs battle has been replaced by KDE/Gno*coughshitchough*me argument.

          Even more so, KDE has two camps, those that run a full featured desktop suite with a rich experience for the users with everything they will ever need, and those fools that use 4.x.

          See? =)

  • Those who dont learn from history... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Seraphim_72 ( 622457 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @06:02PM (#27057835)
    So why did Sourceforge let Linux.com go essentially dead at the turn of the year?

    All I ask for is the clear, thorough (mostly), and timely writing that was the hallmark of the articles that were on the front page of the old Linux.com.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by John Hasler ( 414242 )

      > So why did Sourceforge let Linux.com go essentially dead at the turn of the year?

      Lack of money, most likely.

  • Advertising (Score:5, Funny)

    by Hatta ( 162192 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @06:05PM (#27057883) Journal

    "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.

  • Doesn't Linus own the Linux trademark? This seems like a fairly cut and dry trademark squatting case.
  • How about no more Microsoft advertisements. I understand its a money thing but you wouldn't take money from a crack dealer would you?

  • I mean, honestly, my general daily haunts are slashdot, the register, BBC news, and failblog, and occasionally b3ta.

    If I want to learn about linux, then I go to slashdot. That said, if I'm a total linux kernel developer geek, then perhaps I do need to see a daily news update on what patches got accepted and rejected, but somehow, I expect the whole site to be dedicated to boring shit like "linux gets used in some school somewhere", or "some country installs linux box somewhere in the basement of some gover

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mcubed ( 556032 )

      Well, I did, for one. Actually, I subscribed to the Linux.com feed and would regularly read the articles that interested me. There were a pretty fair number, usually focused on a particular topic, like round-ups of audio tagging tools available for Linux or vim tips or an introduction to services and run levels. I have a number of these types of Linux.com articles bookmarked and some I refer to still.

      It was definitely haphazard and catch-as-catch-can, but I feel I got a reasonable amount of useful inform

  • Let 'er rip (Score:2, Interesting)

    by NotBorg ( 829820 ) *

    What do you think should be on Linux.com?

    If they really want the community to decide then they should just make it a blank Wiki and let it go with the only restriction being that content be related to Linux.

  • games (Score:4, Insightful)

    by doti ( 966971 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @07:05PM (#27058439) Homepage

    What do you think should be on Linux.com?

    Linux games.

  • needs BitTorrents of various Linux distros. That way we can download Linux better.

  • Welcome to linux.com (Score:5, Funny)

    by shutdown -p now ( 807394 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @07:10PM (#27058497) Journal

    Welcome to Linux.com!

    You can do anything with Linux, anything at all!

  • domain not sold.. was given. (Score:5, Informative)

    by nsanders ( 208050 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @07:22PM (#27058615) Homepage

    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 :-)

  • Email! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Rgb465 ( 325668 ) <gbk@in[ ]htbb.com ['sig' in gap]> on Tuesday March 03, 2009 @09:16PM (#27059731) Homepage

    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. :)

  • A beta of the site will be released in the next few months.

    Surely this transition of ownership has been negotiated for some time now?
    They can plan and build a website long before they own the domain. Why didn't they?

  • Python (Score:4, Funny)

    by hitchhacker ( 122525 ) on Wednesday March 04, 2009 @03:26AM (#27061975) Homepage
    Now can we please acquire (NSFW): python.com [python.com] and redirect it to (SFW): python.org [python.org]?

    -metric

  • Brand recognition (Score:3, Interesting)

    by starfishsystems ( 834319 ) on Wednesday March 04, 2009 @01:27PM (#27067273) Homepage
    The Linux brand has enormous leverage. We should make the most of it.

    The best function that linux.com could serve is as a portal into Linux resources and the entire Linux community. But it has to be organized in such a way as to make Linux adoption as easy and painless as possible. There's no conflict between that and all the other capabilities we might like the site to have.

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