The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 2:06 UTC (Thu) by cyanide (guest, #2236) [Link]

We're losing a lot more than a good technical news source, but also a great window on the world of technology and its role in making us a freer society.

I hope you can continue your vigil in otherways, and I hope you all find a better way of making a buck!

Travel well,

Oliver White

Posted Jul 25, 2002 3:48 UTC (Thu) by radeex (guest, #765) [Link]

I'd like information about the editors: do any of you have other jobs in the news industry? I'd like to check out any other publications you're involved in. At a quick glance I see no "About the editors" page anywhere.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 4:03 UTC (Thu) by Strike (guest, #861) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 4:23 UTC (Thu) by ksoonson (subscriber, #2730) [Link]

So sorry/shocked that lwn is closing down. Even I, who visited here at least once a week for over 4 years, did not even post a message, donated anything, just read what you provided. That really makes me feel sorry.

To me, Lwn was the *best* source (better than /.) to quickly overview what is going on the linux development community & what is the main issue in the free software world.

Your editorials were to the point and always loyal to the ideal of free software, your summary of current development issues (especially the kernel section) really helped to broaden my knowledge.

Thank you for your great effort for long time again and hope everything is fine.

Good bye...

Posted Jul 25, 2002 4:28 UTC (Thu) by msphil (guest, #1378) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 4:47 UTC (Thu) by guybar (guest, #798) [Link]

in an internet filled with soot, your site stood up like a diamond:
a non-paying site, but with professional attitudes, keen analysis
and an ability to choose the important issues.

I'm sure this came at a personal price to each of you, and that
price is highly appreciated, here at the receiving end.

good luck to you all whereever you go !

Posted Jul 25, 2002 4:57 UTC (Thu) by mbp (subscriber, #2737) [Link]

LWN, particularly in the front-page leaders, reached a level of journalistic excellence rarely seen in the world at large, to say nothing of online technology magazines. It was always a pleasure to read.

I wish everybody involved with LWN all the best for the future.

--
Martin

Posted Jul 25, 2002 5:05 UTC (Thu) by fiber_guy (subscriber, #2733) [Link]

Perhaps there is some tiny chance that a miracle
could happen ... last minute funding by those of
us who really value this publication. I'm reading
all these comments from people who are sad that
you're closing, and I understand that - but are
we really sad enough to change that outcome?

A previous poster offered to donate $100. I'll
pledge to match that if you can keep publishing.

How much money do we need to raise to keep you
guys going for an additional month - to delay
shutdown from August 1st until September 1st?
I believe there's a chance we can raise that.

The truth is there's simply nothing else on the
net like LWN, and I've personally learned a lot
about linux from reading here. LWN is more than
just another news site.

I'm suggesting we take this rescue effort just
one month at a time - and the month we fail to
meet LWN's minimum - that's when they'll close.

Ladies and Gentlemen ... Will you join me?

Posted Jul 25, 2002 5:06 UTC (Thu) by DeletedUser2738 ((unknown), #2738) [Link]

I hope that other sites are able to bring themselves up to LWN's level to fill the void.

Thanks for the past 4 years.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 5:07 UTC (Thu) by jonabbey (subscriber, #2736) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 5:30 UTC (Thu) by vblum (guest, #1151) [Link]

I suppose there was not too much interest from the industry to keep a valuable newssite going ... truly sad.

Incidentally, I would have preferred a subscription-based model over the loss of LWN (maybe some permanent money would actually have brought back some really useful features that went earlier, like the desktop page). How many others would have joined in?

anyhow, thanks & good luck with your future endeavours!

:-)

V.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 5:54 UTC (Thu) by primorec (guest, #2740) [Link]

It is really sad that you are gone.

There is nothing similar and better than LWN on the net.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 5:55 UTC (Thu) by DeletedUser2741 ((unknown), #2741) [Link]

Why not sell/give the current content to slashdot to archive so that it can at least be on the web once this site is gone?

And, another idea, is to replace some of the....more biased and disliked slashdot writers (*cough* Jon *cough* Katz *cough*) with better counterparts from this site.

In my experience, good writers and good coders don't go away because there company does; they simply relocate.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 6:01 UTC (Thu) by lonely_bear (subscriber, #2726) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 6:23 UTC (Thu) by aleXXX (subscriber, #2742) [Link]

I will miss LWN.net very much.

I just had a look at the donation page, I don't have a credit card and no paypal account yet (I'm just looking into it).
Is it actually possible to make repeated payings via paypal ?
(like 5 Euro every month ?)

How about creating such a fixed-price-regular donation, I wouldn't hesitate to pay let's say 1 to 2 Euro per week for LWN.net.
This would take away the burden of defining the amount yourself.

Bye
Alex

Posted Jul 25, 2002 6:57 UTC (Thu) by amacater (subscriber, #790) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 7:17 UTC (Thu) by rkms (guest, #919) [Link]

I too have been reading LWN from its inception. I have donated $200
which I rationalise as $50 a year in overdue subscription. This is
not that far removed from the cost of National Geographic, for example,
and I spend more time reading LWN.

Should LWN cease, then be glad that so many thought so well of
your efforts. I will raise a glass and wish the best of the best
to all of you.

Should LWN continue, then I vow to pay my donation/subscription
more promptly in future...

Posted Jul 25, 2002 7:32 UTC (Thu) by DeletedUser2746 ((unknown), #2746) [Link]

There's really no way to market linux, as it's not really feasable to sell something that is otherwise free. This is a problem I've seen over and over again. One day, I sat down, and tried to figure out how you sell linux. Simple answer: you can't.

I don't want to be a troll, but I have to be honest. This is bound to happen to any company who is trying to specifically market to linux. I can't think of any linux companies right now that are actually making a profit. By linux companies, I mean their entire business model revolves around linux, not just a part of it.

Anyhow, peace be with you all, and I'm sorry.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 7:39 UTC (Thu) by yem (guest, #1138) [Link]

Friday's just won't be the same.. *sniff*.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 8:05 UTC (Thu) by tajyrink (subscriber, #2750) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 8:25 UTC (Thu) by alexr (guest, #2752) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 8:35 UTC (Thu) by DeletedUser2755 ((unknown), #2755) [Link]

Tom White

Posted Jul 25, 2002 8:42 UTC (Thu) by eru (subscriber, #2753) [Link]

But in case things don't work out: Thanks for the great
gift you have given to use all, and good luck with new projects!

Posted Jul 25, 2002 8:43 UTC (Thu) by smulcahy (subscriber, #2758) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 9:39 UTC (Thu) by DeletedUser2762 ((unknown), #2762) [Link]

I also agree with the readers that suggested to make detailed information about the costs of running LWN available on the site and with the "Abut the Editors" page. I'll definitively try to follow you guys if you keep on writing about Linux.

Good luck and thanks again.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 9:43 UTC (Thu) by alspnost (guest, #2763) [Link]

I wish you all the very best - please let us know where you guys move on
to, and please keep writing. For me, the high point in a superlative
site was Jonathan's kernel page: you, sir, have a brilliant knack for
explaining hellishly complex kernel-bowel concepts in a way that normal
mortals can understand :-)

I also wish I could a find a miracle - but I don't yet have a roof over
my head and my dot.com shares bombed :-(

Posted Jul 25, 2002 9:44 UTC (Thu) by yaneti (subscriber, #641) [Link]

Thursdays have always been a better part of the week for me just because of LWN weekly edition. I'm not sure for how long I've been reading it (years) but the quality has always been a level above the rest and presented in a form and style that I cannot find anywhere else at this moment.

Sadly I am not aware of any usable way for me to donate the tiny amounts of cash that I can afford to pay. Right now that would be 1 - 2 euros a week at best.

I really hope for a miracle

All the best to everybody involved in making LWN.
You'll be missed.

Yanko Kaneti

Posted Jul 25, 2002 10:01 UTC (Thu) by dion (subscriber, #2764) [Link]

I've just donated 111 USD in overdue subscriptions and I have some suggestions about how to improve the donation process:

1) Where is the "Thank you"-page? I want my name up in bold letters so I can parade the page around to all my freeloading friends and guilt them into topping my donation.

2) You should definatly have a progress meter thningy somewhere, so people can tell how the donations are going, I want to know how far the current funds stretch and how much is missing in meeting the next thursday in the line.

Something like this:
Funding secured until 12:00 25/7/2002.
Need 600 USD to bring secure funding until 1/8/2002

Posted Jul 25, 2002 11:35 UTC (Thu) by DeletedUser2767 ((unknown), #2767) [Link]

Just posted this on Slashdot...

I'm pleased to see all the positive comments about LWN. It's also been my favorite Linux site, going back to 1998. In fact, LWN broke the news about Zope going open source, one hour after I announced it at a Python conference. We weren't ready for the exposure they provided, so we had to haul *ss to catch up. :^)

What isn't discussed here is the personal side. I think Liz, Jon, and Dennis are some of the most honorable, decent people in the world of Linux. They've all given a lot to the community, even beyond LWN.

Lots of others shoved wads of cash in their pockets when the bubble inflated. LWN held out until an offer with integrity showed up. Alas, it turned out to be a moral but non-lucrative choice.

To Liz and Jon and Dennis: kudos for being Good People. You've already created a warm legacy, something not enough people in the community can claim.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 11:47 UTC (Thu) by DeletedUser2767 ((unknown), #2767) [Link]

I like the idea from an earlier comment, where the poster (fiber_guy?) suggested a pledge challenge. He put in $100, some others put in a $100 to match it.

I'm ready to put in $100 also. But we all need to understand that this money is a going-away present. All the talk about trimming costs by removing whitespace from the pages? I'm only guessing, but that's probably not the real problem.

Liz, Jon, et al. deserve to make a living. Not many of us would do what they do for the pay they get. Unless we can get enough money to make this job at least not suck from a pay perspective, then we're just insulting them. "I'm addicted to your wonderful writing, please continue going broke so I can get my fix" ain't gonna hack it.

And unfortunately, this would be serious moola. Let's say we'd like to pay Liz and Jon each 1/2 of a livable wage. With taxes, we're probably talking $100k/year. That means we need 1,000 people to match the pledge.

I hope it happens. Still, I also hope that people will cough up some money either way, whether it is a going-away present or an attempt to keep them afloat.

I haven't put my money in yet. I'm going to wait and see if Liz and Jon want to try to buy some time from the donations, at which point I'll sign up for a recurring charge on my card (rather than a one-time payment).

Posted Jul 25, 2002 12:09 UTC (Thu) by andrewbennett (guest, #2007) [Link]

Thursdays in my office weren't renamed to LWNday without good reason.

Andrew

Posted Jul 25, 2002 12:54 UTC (Thu) by alonzo (guest, #2770) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 13:23 UTC (Thu) by a9db0 (subscriber, #2181) [Link]

Jon and Liz - you've done a phenominal job, and produced one of the few truly useful web sites around. You've provided good reporting, balanced commentary, and a filtered news source that has kept the signal to noise ratio just about perfect. Your deft touch will surely be missed (Liz's already is.)

I've tossed my $100 into the pot. If it helps keep LWN alive then great! If not, then I hope it helps keep the dogs at bay. If you can keep publishing then just let me know where to sign up for a recurring subscrition.

In any case, thank you for all of your hard work. We really do appreciate it, even if we don't say it often enough.

Dave

Posted Jul 25, 2002 13:27 UTC (Thu) by sjn (guest, #2775) [Link]

Hey... LWN is way to good to just let wither and die! Start with the subscription version of LWN, dammit! I'm more than willing to subscribe just to keep the shop running!

And to actually prove what I mean about LWN, I've donated $50. :-)

(Please Don't close down LWN... Please? :)

Posted Jul 25, 2002 13:32 UTC (Thu) by fdesloges (guest, #291) [Link]

I mean, there is a misunderstanding here!

I _ABSOLUTELY_RELY_ on you for any usefull information I need.
You save me at least a full day per week in pointer gathering
and mailing list analysis, you simply cannot go.

I mean, I refuse until you've tried everything else.
I mean, the hell with the great principles, this _IS_ a crucial service,
and it just cannot die.

There as been many solutions suggested in the past and I think that with
the new site code some clever compromise solution is possible:

Create a free "Public" lwn.net that is one week (or two?) late.
It would just do not publish pages that are younger than 7 or 14 days.
This is necessary for new comers to realise what a great value you
provide and for people in a desperate financial position (unemployed,
etc) to be able to follow up somewhat. Most of the stuff still carries
a value after a week or two.

Provide a subscription with one or two levels:
Say:
1$ per week: up to date security news + editorial
2$ per week: up to date everything

This is pure speculation: You know what your readers value and what
revenue you require.

Play the full open book game, kind of what Mandrake does with its Club:
Here is our cost, here is the detailed break down.
Here is a nominal subscription we recommend, considering the number of
reader we guess will want to pay.
Here is a Silver and Gold subscription that we suggest for you if you
feel rich today, and here his the impact it will have.
Here is a Corporate subscription fee (the linking of many different
user to a single corporate subscrition may be a little more tricky
to implement though).

Every 2 weeks or month, depending on how critical the situation is,
get us informed of how the finance improves (or deteriorates).

Believe me there is nothing like numbers to make a geek move:
I haven't make any donation yet cause I'm unemployed and I had no
way to _feel_ the urgency of the situation. A simple money barometer
and the break down of the numbers would have do so a long time ago.

Besides, geeks _like_ feedback (isn't it what this Community thing
is all about?). Giving money in the void is OK. Giving money and see
the barometer improves gives a warn feeling.

Please, help us to help you.

FD

Posted Jul 25, 2002 13:33 UTC (Thu) by AAP (guest, #721) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 13:47 UTC (Thu) by atsmyles (guest, #2777) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 13:52 UTC (Thu) by fm2503 (guest, #2776) [Link]

Don't give up hope!

Posted Jul 25, 2002 13:56 UTC (Thu) by marchino (guest, #1171) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 14:09 UTC (Thu) by DeletedUser463 ((unknown), #463) [Link]

I started my own company in the Netherlands a year ago, and the economy is not that good currently, but I always say: there's always work for people who provide value for money. I will be glad to be a subscriber to lwn.net, I don't like the "everything has to be free" way of living, a bottle of beer is still something you have to pay for.

I hope to read better news next thursday.

Aschwin Marsman
a.marsman@aynik.com

Posted Jul 25, 2002 14:13 UTC (Thu) by nhasan (guest, #1699) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 14:25 UTC (Thu) by DeletedUser2783 ((unknown), #2783) [Link]

I cannot, unfortunately, offer money (as it costs money to keep my site running as well) however, I can offer a place for those that would like to continue writing about Linux.

I hope that the closing of LWN is not the beginning of a trend, lest the only thing on the net will be pr0n sites!

Posted Jul 25, 2002 14:31 UTC (Thu) by ddw (guest, #2779) [Link]

President/CEO/Top Dog, alone or with immediately available support, should:

1) stop doing virtually everything except raising money;

2) create a 'value package' consisting of advertising, sponsorship, apple pie, future trade show space. Do not sell this as charity but as cash in exchange for something in return;

3) make a list of the most appropriate donors such as IBM, Sun, Red Hat, even Microsoft (they bailed out other competitors in the past and they could stand the favourable publicity);

4) make another list of LWN contacts ideal to put the touch on these prospective donors;

5) follow up with personal letters to all prospects identified and contacted by the 'mutual friend';

6) enlist and engage everyone else in the organization to do likewise;

7) solicit specific people at computer vendors, software developers, Linux companies, LUGS, et al about corporate memberships for a single corporate fee so that all interested members could be emailed their customized copy of LWN;

8) plan (& announce the possibility) a 'virtual trade show' demoing various products in a uniform protocol so many user prospects could simultaneously participate. I suspect that Boardwatch (in its day) and PassageMaker (presently), both print magazines, generate(d) more revenue from trade shows than the publications themselves by employing their recognition. Sell position or space there;

9) plan (& announce the possibility) a real trade show and sell position or space there; and,

10) fight the good fight to survive.

Good luck.

Regards.

ddw

Posted Jul 25, 2002 14:34 UTC (Thu) by mckay (subscriber, #2782) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 14:47 UTC (Thu) by fredrik (subscriber, #232) [Link]

You have been doing a excellent work on covering the Linux arena. I have followed the updates here since 1998, first weekly then daily. I have yet to find any other site that is anywhere close to such professional attitude as you. If you really close down there will be a huge hole in the Linux news reporting arena. The front page and the kernel section have been my personal favorites, but really all of it has always been worth the time to read.

I have but one question, why don't LWN go subscription based? At least as a test. I know I gladly would pay to see the site go on. And I really wonder if there isn't another few thousand Linux users out there that could imagine paying a yearly subscripton to keep LWN on the road. How come there is this dense silence about how much money LWN needs and why you have not tried subscriptions. Is it really not a viable solution?

Well anyhow, thank you all again. LWN has been a great companion, best wishes on your future projects.

Regards, Fredrik Jonson

Posted Jul 25, 2002 15:36 UTC (Thu) by fpn (guest, #2790) [Link]

I have read your weekly news for a long time and have enjoyed the format. To me it was more interesting than Linux Journal to which I subscribe.

It seems sad to me that these days there seem to be more advertising $$ for print media than good web publications.

Maybe big banner advertisements like yahoo, etc. do these days are ok?

Anyway,
Thanks for the ride !

Posted Jul 25, 2002 15:40 UTC (Thu) by vblum (guest, #1151) [Link]

Please try and set up a subscription system, and evaluate how many of us will actually join. It can't hurt to find out ...

Thanks,

:-)

V.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 16:20 UTC (Thu) by haggai (guest, #2002) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 16:47 UTC (Thu) by DeletedUser2797 ((unknown), #2797) [Link]

Roland

Posted Jul 25, 2002 17:44 UTC (Thu) by fjacobo (guest, #2800) [Link]

:(

I'm so sorry, can't help. But you will be ever the one.

Thanks.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 19:04 UTC (Thu) by Deno (guest, #2765) [Link]

I find each of your issues worth at least one dollar (that's the price I give out for my daily newspaper!), and I want to keep you around. That's $48/year which you can have from me for the service you provide (I don't need any special members-only stuff). If you can get this ammount from 10.000 readers, you should be fine. Assuming that my estimate above is correct, getting 10.000 "donators" should not be a big problem, under one condition:

You need to organise the fund-raising better: look at the way blender folks are rising money, and learn something.
Your readers have given you some good hints too (DO SAY HOW MUCH YOU NEED!), and I've written a little story on MandrakeForum
which may also help you too.

One more thing: add a possibility to state which sections are interesting for your donators - that way you'll know what to cut first in case you find out that mony isn't enough to feed you all!

yours
Denis
PS: I've forwarded $20 your way today, and you can have $30 more from me in the fall - assuming you are still around and I haven't lost my job.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 19:04 UTC (Thu) by larsga (guest, #2801) [Link]

This must be a very sad day for the editors, but you should remember that there is no shame in bankruptcy, and especially not in this case. As Paul wrote, you chose integrity, even though you are paying the price for it now.

As for keeping the site going on donations, well, if you're not getting paid, and haven't been paid for a while I understand perfectly well that enough is enough. Going without pay only works up to a point, and once your financial reserves are gone and the debts are piling up there's only one thing you can do.

I wish you all the best of luck in your post-LWN lives. You certainly deserve it. Thank you very much for the ride; it was much appreciated while it lasted (the impeccable use of semicolon included :-).

Posted Jul 25, 2002 19:17 UTC (Thu) by amazingblair (guest, #2789) [Link]

Please reconsider your shutdown! LWN is the best of its kind on the Web and the announcement of its demise has caught me at least and certainly others by surprise.

Your "End of the Road" article was the first I've seen lately that dealt head-on with the financial situation at LWN; more of that sort are called for to inform your readers. I've just made my first donation because "End of the Road" drew LWN's dire straits to my attention.

THE PLAN
Please give us more details of how much money you need, ie, how many people paying X dollars every year or month or whatever. A system of sponsorship levels may suggest itself based on the data you uncover. As philwil said earlier, major Linux distribution companies "will lose something if you close." To my mind, that makes them likely marks to hit on as "Platinum Sponsors"! :-)

-Blair Peery

PS: Go to php.lwn.net/corp/supporters.php3 and watch the donor list grow!

Posted Jul 25, 2002 19:19 UTC (Thu) by ber (subscriber, #2142) [Link]

LWN certains is a very good source of quality information
for the Free Software world.

Now I will get the word out and help to make the miracle happen.
Bernhard Reiter

Posted Jul 25, 2002 19:48 UTC (Thu) by pkturner (subscriber, #2809) [Link]

BTW, the privacy policy is so good and simple that I increased my donation by 20% on the spot.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 20:52 UTC (Thu) by jee (subscriber, #202) [Link]

Best of luck.

(a.k.a "me too")

Posted Jul 25, 2002 20:59 UTC (Thu) by bbt (guest, #2812) [Link]

LWN has been a wonderful source of news. I always liked the weekly editions the best. The Front Page, Security, and Kernel sections were always the best most useful for me. If you can scale back and keep going, those would be the pages I would want to see.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 21:06 UTC (Thu) by pointwood (guest, #2814) [Link]

This is really a sad day :(

I'm not the kind of guy that normally donate money, but I would certainly pay for a subscription if there where a way to get a subscription!

I hope I'll be able to continue to read LWN since it's been the greatest Linux news site I've read!

Posted Jul 25, 2002 21:07 UTC (Thu) by cdmiller (subscriber, #2813) [Link]

Please make available information for others to set up mirrors for your archives, kernel patches, and distributions list, etc..

Another nice thing would be a compilation of links to online sources you folks used to gather your data.

I for one would have paid a subscription, (probably would have gotten my employer to pay for it). Maybe even just a prepaid "subscription" and a public membership counter needed to ensure publication for the following year, ala the Prince CD pre orders and Stephen King online novel.

This is almost the only professional Linux news site worth reading. It is ironic that at a time of Linux approaching critical mass to mainstream acceptance, this site is being forced to close down.

Thanks for all of the past hard work and good quality reporting and commentary.

- cameron

Posted Jul 25, 2002 21:50 UTC (Thu) by e2npau (guest, #428) [Link]

When the latest big headlines are published over at slashdot and the crowd is howling, I just simply wait for the next thursday and get the balanced and in depth analysis from LWN.

Your kernel section is one-of-a-kind.

If you choose to go with a subscription model, I would subscribe.

And, yes, I have made a donation.

/N

Posted Jul 25, 2002 21:52 UTC (Thu) by EricBackus (guest, #2816) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 23:29 UTC (Thu) by emak (guest, #488) [Link]

Posted Jul 25, 2002 23:40 UTC (Thu) by DaveK (subscriber, #2531) [Link]

Posted Jul 26, 2002 0:01 UTC (Fri) by jre (guest, #2807) [Link]

* Do a pledge drive. A standing request for donations is ignored. A focused, sustained effort to get the message out achieves results. It works for KGNU; it can work for LWN.

* Post a "Doomsday Clock" showing how close LWN is to extinction. You can move the hands earlier or later, just like the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists used to do, as the money situation changes. Like many others, I made a donation -- but I needed to be scared before I acted.

* Get some serious corporate sponsorship. Even if LWN was a wholly-owned subsidiary of IBM or Red Hat, I would still have confidence in your editorial independence, and I'd feel a lot better about your future. And it need not be as extreme as that. Maybe each of a handful of companies can offer matching grants to go with the pledge drive.

* Plan some sustaining events. Maybe a number of LUGs could do coordinated benefit installfests, charging a modest amount per head. Or a guru pool could be assembled to donate support time to contributors. If even the hundred or so people who have already posted coalesced around one or two good ideas, you would have the seeds of success.

How much money have you raised from the response to this article? Will it keep you going another week? If you got a matching grant, could you go yet another week? Would it give you enough time to plan a sustaining event? If we can buy enough time, we can find a way to keep LWN going. Please let us know how you want to proceed, and which way to push.

Posted Jul 26, 2002 0:19 UTC (Fri) by dyork (guest, #2819) [Link]

It's very sad to see this news although I know you all have been
struggling to figure out the way out for quite some time. I desperately
DO hope that a miracle is found... as I really do hope you are able to
stay with us.

Ever since I started getting involved with the Linux community back in
1998, I've been reading your site. Part of my Thursday morning routine
has always been to get a big cup of tea and sit down to read your take on
the news. You have always been unique in the way you have provided
context for the news items, rather than just spewing raw content.
Whenever someone has wanted to learn about the Linux community, I've told
them to go read LWN for a few weeks. Your editing and commentary has been
outstanding.

When we were launching the Linux Professional Institute, we definitely
appreciated your posting mentions of our activities and for your support.

My donation has already gone in.... I wish I knew someone with a whack
of money, but I'm afraid I don't... I'll be hoping for a miracle, and
if it doesn't happen, well, many, many, MANY thanks for all the years
you all have put into this and for all you have done for us as readers
and for the greater good of the Linux community. My best wishes for your
future endeavors... (and may, somehow, they still involve LWN! :-)

Thank you,
Dan

Posted Jul 26, 2002 1:48 UTC (Fri) by x_nc (guest, #2633) [Link]

It seems that, with the exception of K5, user/community donations don't seem to be able to generate the funds needed by sites.

LWN has always been the best source of information on Linux and Software Libre on the Web. I think that the commercial Linux ventures will find the loss of LWN to be bad for them as well as us, the community. It's to bad they couldn't put a few funds into this.

To Jonathan Corbet - I want to say that I am sorry if I my comment(s), that were sent in as "Letters to the Editor" but never published, bothered you. They were not ment as a complaint nor critisim. They were intended to convay the difficulties I, as a disabled computer user, encountered with the new format. If I did upset or anger you, it was not intended.

Posted Jul 26, 2002 2:08 UTC (Fri) by db1 (guest, #2823) [Link]

And a second to all of the praise. The calm, intelligent, reasoned, reporting is refreshing for news of any kind, not just Linux news.

Posted Jul 26, 2002 3:12 UTC (Fri) by subhasroy (guest, #325) [Link]

I urge corporations who want Linux to succeed to sponsor LWN
for its continued operation.

I still hope LWN can continue even if in a curtailed form.
I'll subscribe if LWN goes that path.

My $103 donation is there ($3 to cover credit card surcharge).
Would have donated more if I were not a laid-off worker
with family and mortgage.

Posted Jul 26, 2002 6:05 UTC (Fri) by leonbrooks (guest, #1494) [Link]

Becoming NFP is a good idea if the Gummint will chip in 50% - PROVIDED that doing so doesn't cost you editorial control. Bear in mind that siting your servers outside the US may make this option feasible elsewhere in the world (I'd like to hear posts from places like Europe, Israel, RSA etc on this).

We can all donate... but HOW MUCH do you need?

Posted Jul 26, 2002 9:19 UTC (Fri) by arveh (subscriber, #1534) [Link]

Perhaps we should start a union or something for all us "silent" LWN readers? I've never raised my voice on LWN before, but I've been a faithful weekly reader many years.

I just put in my $50 donation; I'm willig to put in more. Consider it financial aid or a going-away-present as the case may evolve. Thank you to LWN and to all the wonderful people who have made it possible.

As for miracles, I'm afraid I can't offer any, but I agree with those who have already said: "Go with subscription." If there is one service on the web that I'm willing to pay for, it has to be LWN. Although some sort of graded subscription system would probably be the best, so that the site can continue to be available to those less economic furtunate. I think I'd be willing to pay $10 a month if need be.

Perhaps it is only with the real threat of extinction that we appreciate the true value of LWN...

Thank you for a great source of information and opinion! And good luck to all those who have worked with LWN!

Posted Jul 26, 2002 14:00 UTC (Fri) by eskild (subscriber, #1556) [Link]

I've chipped in in the past, I'll do it again if it's of any use. But I just don't know what kind of money we're talking here -- all I know is: "we have not succeeded in raising even a fraction of the required funds", from the front page.

So, what are we looking at? How much is required to secure LWN for, say, the next year?

Unless the number is truly terrible, I think yearly subscriptions are the way forward. I'm doubtful one-shot donations are really all that great -- after a while, when funds run dry again, you're in this mess once more.

Subscriptions: $50-$100/year. I'll chip in. I'll make my company chip in.

/Martin.

P.S. If this is truly The End, then Goodbye and Thanks for all the Fish. It was tasty.

Posted Jul 26, 2002 14:19 UTC (Fri) by jgm (subscriber, #2834) [Link]

I've found LWN to be the best site for keeping up with what is happening
in the GNU/Linux, Free Software, and Open Source Software world. I'm really
going to miss you!! I especially enjoyed the Kernel section. My Thursday's
are just not going to be the same without LWN!

In any case, best of luck to you all and thanks for the great work you've
done on LWN. I hope you can find a way to continue.

Posted Jul 26, 2002 15:10 UTC (Fri) by rabnud (guest, #2839) [Link]

Somewhere in Linuxs' background, your efforts have certainly contributed to and promoted Linux such that LWN was a noticeable part of a massive background of Linux support. I've recently converted to Linux, and only a few weeks ago noticed your site. Your efforts contributed (prior to my discovery of LWN) to validating an OS that might have otherwise been dismissed by myself as a fad.

This exWindows user eventually heard a portion of that support, for which I am writing, expressing my appreciation. Part of my problems are that Linux is still a 'hobby' for me right now, thus I personally cannot develop my skills at a rate which would elevate me as a member of greater support than this note of thanks. There are many who are turning to Linux in the face of many adverse changes in the more popular OS, again, Linux is there for them because you have been here for Linux.

I could suggest LWN cutting back a few of their efforts, but it appears that a divergence has already become a partial reality, from your bulletins' slant.

Sorry I missed you, because my first contact with LWN was rather informative. I guess I simply ran out of personal time to develop my Linux skills to a level of greater need of LWN. Your legacy is already one of considerable effort; not unnoticed, just, for me, untapped.

To all of you: you each should look forward to your new efforts and their goals, you all learned something herein. With your experiences placed in new venues, we will expect someone, somewhere will still be benefited by this sites history as you have ecperienced and influenced that histoy; it guides you all in those new efforts.

Best Wishes to all in your new ventures. May tux be with you.

Posted Jul 26, 2002 19:27 UTC (Fri) by RaRue (guest, #666) [Link]

I'll really miss LWN on Thursday mornings.

It's been a real pleasure to read Linux technical news that is summarized so well, that is well-written and timely.

I'm not surprised about financial difficulties. There's a lot of that going around. LWN has provided a valuable service to me, has alerted me to more than one interesting software application or compatible piece of hardware. Since I was getting all this useful information for nothing more than having to look at a few tasteful advertisements, it's no surprise that financial difficulties did you in.

I wish the staff at LWN the best in their future endeavors and hope that they find occupations that are simultaneously gratifying in a personal sense as well as in a financial sense. I really hope that I see your work published in a public forum again.

Good luck.

Posted Jul 26, 2002 22:26 UTC (Fri) by DeletedUser2851 ((unknown), #2851) [Link]

Thanks so much for the years of high-quality, dedicated reporting.

I've at least skimmed all of the comments that others have posted,
and I noticed something distinctly missing. Pledge drives won't
really work -- PBS doesn't use them to pay the bills, they use
them to buy additional content beyond what their endowment covers.
Subscriptions might work, but to be effective (that is, if you
don't pay, there's a noticeable difference) they'll end up masking
the benefits that new readers might otherwise see, hence fewer new
subscriptions. Corporate sponsorship, especially from Linux companies,
isn't too likely at the moment, as you've found.

What _might_ conceivably work, however, is university sponsorship.
This is, ultimately, an educational resource, as any good journalistic
endeavor is. You might even be able to trade your writing and computer
skills for part-time university positions so that the sponsor is getting
more than just the satisfaction of supporting a public resource.
Having a prominent and respected figure in Linux journalism can
also enhance the reputation of a school, if only in a limited
community. It also needn't be a single school. There are a lot
of universities out there.

In any event, I could go on at even greater length about this, but
you get the point. Maybe it's something that you've even tried,
but it seemed worth mentioning.

Thanks again. If this is truly The End, you'll be missed.

Posted Jul 28, 2002 13:38 UTC (Sun) by mjbright (subscriber, #1624) [Link]

Shame on me that I didn't donate earlier
(and now only $50 as money is tight)

Please don't go ...