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Your weekly report from LWN
It's time for the weekly "report from LWN" column. Read on for the latest
subscription information, the new search engine, gift certificates, and
more.
As of this writing, there are just under 2300 individual LWN subscribers. In recent times, that number has been growing by about 100 per week - not quite what we might really like, but enough to keep us reasonably happy if it continues. Making it continue could prove challenging, however. A number of subscribers signed up for only one or two months, and those subscriptions are beginning to expire. Unless those subscriptions get renewed (hint, hint...), we could conceivably start going backwards. Here's to hoping that doesn't happen. One way to help keep that from happening would be to shower your friends with LWN gift certificates. It's a great way to support LWN and, simultaneously, deal with your holiday shopping problems. We have sold about twenty group subscriptions, including a couple of reasonably large ones. Next week, perhaps, we'll publicly thank the companies which wish to be acknowledged in this way. Meanwhile, LWN once again has a search engine. It has the basic features one would expect, including the ability to filter on category and content type. It is indexed as content is generated, so search results always include the newest content. For now, only the new site (i.e. content back to last June) is covered; we're still figuring out what the best solution is for all of our older content. We may, as one reader suggested, simply put in a link to Google... That's pretty much it for this week. Thanks to all of you, again, for supporting LWN.net. (Log in to post comments)
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 6, 2002 16:26 UTC (Wed) by stuart (subscriber, #623) [Link] I don't know how you're progressing with the whole European bank account issue but I urge you to fix it! I can't believe its *that* difficult and even kids of 16 have debit cards (in the UK anyway). Oh and people do go for discounts (ie on an annual subscription).Out of interest what level do you expect Students to subscribe at? Stu.
European bank accounts Posted Nov 6, 2002 16:35 UTC (Wed) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] We are working on it, but the simple idea of a European bank account is almost certainly not going to go anywhere. Opening an account requires a "presence" in Europe that we don't have. There is a great distance between simply having an account and being able to deal with the mass of debit card systems found in Europe; our investigations tell us that there really is no way for us to accept debit cards that are not based on the Visa/MC networks. And, for all the talk of monetary union, bank transfers across EU borders are still difficult and expensive.Trust me, we really want to find a way to encourage more of our European readers to give us money. We are not ignoring this issue. But it is not an easy one. Student subscriptions: we expect students, like all other subscribers, to pick the level that they think is appropriate for them. In the case of many students, the "starving hacker" level is probably right. We remember well what the student life was like... Of course, what we would really like students to do is to go to their university library and encourage them to buy a group subscription for the entire campus. We have made it quite affordable for universities to do that.
European bank accounts Posted Nov 7, 2002 3:47 UTC (Thu) by a_hippie (subscriber, #34) [Link] Greetings: This is just a thought, so please pardon me if you have already I belong to ARRL (http://www.arrl.org). I also belong to my local Would it be possible to pick larger, strategic LUG's in Europe that Wishing you the best as always.
European bank accounts Posted Nov 7, 2002 14:19 UTC (Thu) by tres (guest, #352) [Link] I'm not a European so this may be a totally bogus idea -- anyway here it is. There are many companies in Europe that are friendly to Linux and most likely LWN; SUSE in Germany, Mandrake in France, and Turbo Linux in Japan (or whatever its name is now and I know it's Asian and not European). Is there anyway that you can possibly get them to be an extension of LWN? That would provide you with a presence there. I'm sure the salary of a single author, translator, marketeer, etc. would be worth the income that the citizens of Europe seem to be trying to give you. How about exchanging some consulting for the aid of a European bank in this endeavor? It just seems to me that there are so many people trying to find a solution to this problem that it has to be there somewhere.Tres (class5@pacbell.net)
European bank accounts Posted Nov 7, 2002 16:56 UTC (Thu) by hamjudo (guest, #363) [Link] From a technical point of view, anyone with a credit card and a European bank account can buy LWN gift certificates and resell them.Are there any legal, marketing or practical issues preventing the resale of gift certificates? Which issues make it unattractive as a business?
European bank accounts Posted Nov 14, 2002 11:50 UTC (Thu) by gerard (guest, #1478) [Link] While only an option for the annual subscriptions, PayPAL is Launching "Multiple Currencies" soon, they are going to accept payments in Canadian Dollars, Euro, Sterling and Yen.
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 6, 2002 21:04 UTC (Wed) by xoddam (subscriber, #2322) [Link] Kids of 16 have debit cards? My!<rant> In the UK for some astonishing reason you need proof </rant> In .au I had a bank account when I was seven and a New US/UK-style debit cards work perfectly anywhere a
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 6, 2002 23:48 UTC (Wed) by azz (guest, #371) [Link] These days, you don't need a job to get a bank account in the UK; I've held accounts at two major banks with debit cards since my early teens quite happily, both of which were upgraded to current accounts as I passed 18. The requirement for a fixed address still stands, though (for instance, a friend-of-a-friend looking for a house inherited some money and couldn't open an account to pay it into, since there was nowhere that the bills could be sent).
non-current account? Posted Nov 7, 2002 15:04 UTC (Thu) by xoddam (subscriber, #2322) [Link] Perhaps I'm not sufficiently familiar with all the terminology.What sort of bank account can be 'upgraded' to a current Maybe British minors get some sort of exemption, but I'm
non-current account? Posted Nov 8, 2002 11:19 UTC (Fri) by Wol (guest, #4433) [Link] Q) What sort of account can be upgraded to a current account?A) A current account for minors. The score with UK bank accounts is simple. It is a legal requirement to provide a proof of identity, and a proof of address, when you open an account. Seeing as we don't have any form of official identity other than a passport (only required if you travel abroad) this can catch many Britons, who have no "legally acceptable" proof of identity/address. It is also illegal to seek to enforce debts against minors (under 18s). So banks don't give minors the ability to go overdrawn. Within those constraints anyone can open any account. There's no reason why children can't have debit cards, provided the technology is there to provide instantaneous verification. That's probably why you don't see many children using plastic - so much of our banking system relies on end-of-day verification. But my step-daughters have been using cash machines for years - and the eldest turned 18 only last year. It's just that they could only use a Building Society card in the Society's own machines, because real-time checking wasn't available to other cash machines :-( Cheers,
OT: non-current account? Posted Nov 8, 2002 16:03 UTC (Fri) by robot101 (subscriber, #3479) [Link] Certainly in my early teens I had live-balance-checking cash and debit cards on networks like Plus which changed to Visa Electron and Solo which is on the Switch network. Shops that take Solo are becoming more common, but Visa Electron is still pretty few and far between.The Link network of cash machines does live balance checking, and most of my cards have supported that, so since I've had a real bank card I've been able to use it at most banks and in some shops. I didn't need to be 18 or have a job. Incidentally, I did manage to get accounts overdrawn once or twice, once with a standing order they paid out on my account at the wrong time, and another by spending in a shop with the solo card and then using a cash machine very soon after. In the former case they put my balance to 0 because it was their fault, in the latter they sent me a nasty letter so I had to go and pay money in to my account, but I got them to repay the charge they gave me for sending the nasty letter. =) Being a student now they're happy to give me a huge overdraft and Switch or Visa debit card to indebt myself as much as I want, and being 18 I can get a credit card if I wanted too. Evil people. Regards,
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 14, 2002 11:57 UTC (Thu) by gerard (guest, #1478) [Link] "In the UK for some astonishing reason you need proof of address "Most all (even the USA) require proof of identity & address to open/operate bank accounts. Tis prevent money laundering. "New US/UK-style debit cards work perfectly anywhere a credit card would" Not true, Many debit cards are only be used in Country of Origin, also many are for "ATM Use only". Until last year, many UK "Swith/Solo" cards were UK & ATM only. Gerard
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 6, 2002 17:48 UTC (Wed) by csigler (subscriber, #1224) [Link] I'm wondering if the example of Mandrake can help with the problem of processing memberships from Europe. Mandrake accepts major credit cards and accepts currency in US$ as well as Euros.I suppose this may not apply because Mandrake has a corporate presence in the US while LWN doesn't have one in Europe. OTOH, maybe a partnership with Mandrake, if feasible, would simplify things? Clemmitt Sigler
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 6, 2002 18:03 UTC (Wed) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] But we, too, accept major credit cards. The problem is in supporting readers who don't have credit cards...
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 6, 2002 18:29 UTC (Wed) by welinder (guest, #4699) [Link] I think he's right. Mandrake (as well as anyone else in Europe withwhom an "agent" agreement could be reached) could take Euro-denominated checks (or locally denominated funds of other kinds) and send you the money via a credit card purchase.
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 12, 2002 15:43 UTC (Tue) by mwilck (guest, #1966) [Link] Perhaps LWN can convince Mandrake to include LWN subscription in their Mandrake Club benefits at a certain level.
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 6, 2002 20:58 UTC (Wed) by iabervon (subscriber, #722) [Link] So far we've gotten a good idea of the target ranges for individual subscriptions and the number of individual subscriptions. But, unless I've missed it, we don't know much about the sizes of the group subscriptions (or, really, how they work; is it an individual subscription price/person, paid for in a lump, a bulk rate/person, or a fixed rate for the whole group? Do you get more money if more people join a group that has a subscription?), or how this affects LWN's finances.
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 6, 2002 23:44 UTC (Wed) by butcher (subscriber, #856) [Link] > A number of subscribers signed up for only one or two months,> and those subscriptions are beginning to expire. I was one of those, and it was only because at the time that's how far Next Big Thing: Make the textarea boxes (like the one I'm typing in now) Seriously, keep up the great work...
Your weekly report from LWN Posted Nov 7, 2002 12:51 UTC (Thu) by Peter (guest, #1127) [Link] Next Big Thing: Make the textarea boxes (like the one I'm typing in now) autowrap. At least that's my preference, and I'm a bigshot paying customer now!!! ;-) Yes, please do - I'm a bigshot paying customer too. (: I think it's just a matter of adding 'wrap=virtual' to the <textarea> tag. At least, that's what slashdot has. Interestingly, Moz does wrap the text here. But elinks, my usual browser, doesn't.
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