The end of the road [LWN.net]

The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 2:06 UTC (Thu) by cyanide (guest, #2236)
Parent article: The end of the road

Well I don't know about "the market", but you've certainly given me something invaluable over the past few years. This e-rag has been one of the best reads on the net since its inception. I'd just like to say thanks to all the hard working folks LWN, and especially Liz Coolbaugh, who did such a good job in the early years of the paper.

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

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The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 2:23 UTC (Thu) by dmallery (subscriber, #635) [Link]

I am really sorry.

I have read you weekly since the beginning.

Ave atque Vale!

dave mallery

The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 3:08 UTC (Thu) by lonely_bear (subscriber, #2726) [Link]

So sorry to hear the news. :( I read LWN almost from the first issue. I would like to help for it to survived.

I am not rich, can only donate 100 bucks. And I know the readers are willing to pay! They just don't know how much is your finacial trouble. It would be nice to give more information on the donation page. Like list out how much is your operation cost, and how much has been received and spent. The current donation page is too cold.

The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 4:49 UTC (Thu) by cypherpunks (guest, #1288) [Link]

I'm really sorry to hear this. LWN was one of the definitive Linux news sites. When things got weird at Linux Today, LWN was always steady. Even Microsoft has referred to LWN as a definitive Linux news site in the past. This is a sad day.

Nooooooo!!

Posted Jul 25, 2002 5:53 UTC (Thu) by cpeterso (guest, #305) [Link]

For the past few years, LWN has been my favorite Linux news site. The content is short, sweet, well-researched, and intelligent (unlike some other Linux sites). I will definitely miss LWN.. <:~-(

If this is truly the end and we are waiting for a miracle, why not discuss the financial realities of such a miracle? How much does it cost to run LWN? How much "real" money for ISP/hardware/etc costs? How much time per week is invested by how many people? How many regular readers do you have each week? How can we keep LWN afloat? Even if we don't find that miracle, I think this data (and the personal stories behind LWN!) would be interesting and useful for other people who might want to try their own hand at a news site.

So long and thanks for all the fish!

Sorry to see you go.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 6:51 UTC (Thu) by addw (subscriber, #1771) [Link]

Yes, do say how much money is needed, and please break it down into at least staff and web hostings costs - someone may be able to help with part of it.

Many thanks for what you have done over the years - I have read the weekly edition religiously.

Sorry to see you go.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 8:41 UTC (Thu) by pflykt (subscriber, #2757) [Link]

Yes, definitely put up the amount of money you are still missing - and update it when we readers donate some.

Thanks for lwn, it has been an extremely useful source of information.

Real action (Was: Nooooooo!!)

Posted Jul 25, 2002 10:03 UTC (Thu) by leandro (guest, #1460) [Link]

If this is truly the end and we are waiting for a miracle, why not discuss the financial realities of such a miracle?

Not only that, what can be trimmed? It’s hard to achieve the right balance among popularity, conciseness and completeness, but I particularly don't care about proprietary software news, about anything other than News, Resource and Events at the Security section, and anything but Recommended Reading in the Linux in the News section. And I don't care about comments: for me Letters to the Editor were just nice – I could live with comments or letters, but both are just a waste.

I already said this at Slashdot: it's a pity that so much in the Web must grow until it's not viable anymore. Perhaps we'd have better stuff if Web news ventures like LWN would start small, find its financial ground, and only then grow. Perhaps a return to the roots would do the trick. For example, the format of the oldest edition available at the archives, January 29th, 1.998, perhaps is enough for most people and much cheaper to run.

BTW one can go further back even more with the Archive, way back to January 15th, 1.998 – and that looks even simpler and cheaper.

Real action

Posted Jul 25, 2002 20:26 UTC (Thu) by other-iain (guest, #2810) [Link]

I've read LWN for about 4 years. My guess is that a reasonable subscription
price would have been $30 a year. That's $120. I gave $20 earlier, so that
leaves $100 unpaid.

I've just put that $100 in through PayPal. Consider this payment for
services rendered. I'm sorry to see you go, but I understand why...

Three people need about $300K a year to keep going full time. I'm sure
LWN was a full-time venture for you all. $300K a year is 10,000
subscriptions, and I note that your contributions page shows 546
contributors, just 5% of the way to breakeven.

My employer is now considering contributing something as well, since I serve
as our primary means of surveying the Linux scene, and LWN is one of my
better sources. The information of most use to my employer is the
security page.

Personally, I find the front page and the kernel page to be the only
things I read for myself, and the security page as part of my job. The
rest I have no interest in. If, by trimming the rest of the 'zine you
could get your expenses down to $100K a year, that would be great, but
I suspect you couldn't keep up your editorial excellence going part-time.

Good luck in your post-LWN ventures. Let us know who you're writing for
next so we can tune in. Like stock brokers, you have a long list of
clients that you bring with you to your next job. Remind your next
employer of that when negotiating your salaries.

The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 6:43 UTC (Thu) by BogusUser ((unknown), #416) [Link]

This is really quite a shock. I don't remember exactly how long I've been reading LWN, but it must have been nearly from the begining. I've been visiting this site daily for years, and it's something of a home page for me. I learned about other sites, like Slashdot and OSNews from here.

All good things must come to an end, I suppose. As popular as this site is, I'm surprised some Linux oriented corp. hasn't stepped up to the plate and offered a sponsorship.

You'll be missed.

Best of luck with all your future endevors, and thanks for all the great years.

The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 6:43 UTC (Thu) by BogusUser ((unknown), #2743) [Link]

Since 1998 I have looked forward to thursday morning each week when I read your new weekly edition. I will miss you,and hope for a solution in some way.

The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 7:23 UTC (Thu) by BogusUser ((unknown), #1523) [Link]

me too.
'nuff said.

The end of one road, the beginning of another.

Posted Jul 25, 2002 6:50 UTC (Thu) by BogusUser ((unknown), #2744) [Link]

Many thanks from someone who very much enjoyed your site. As a few others have done, I've donated some money just to say "Thank you very much for a job well done".

Kinda the NPR of linux news...

The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 7:48 UTC (Thu) by ccezar (guest, #2749) [Link]

Huh, a little shock to me :(
Folks, how much money do you need? Hostings costs, staff costs,
operating costs?
I'm with you since begining and I hope I will read LWN per next few
years ;)

The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 11:10 UTC (Thu) by BogusUser ((unknown), #2766) [Link]

I have some suggestions.

1.. Do not close down if you can help it.
Let us know what you need to keep running in some capacity.
We may be able to come up with some ideas to help

2.. Reduce your capacity somewhat but keep a presence.

3.. Solicit the help of LUGS worldwide for fund raising,
try to get some kind of subscription from them.

4.. All Linux Companies big and small will lose something if you close.
I hope they realize this and can think of ways to help.
If you can reverse this decision as a result of some forward thinking
marketing by some "Linux Companies" then this would turn this big
negative event into something more positive.

Excellent signal to noise ratio

Posted Jul 25, 2002 12:38 UTC (Thu) by jdesbonnet (guest, #2771) [Link]

I've been reading LWN since it was launched. This site
has been consistently excellent. Never late. No waffle. Good
analysis. I only hope that someone in the industry can work
that miracle you are looking for. Perhaps even billg needs a
good weekly report on how his arch rival OS is performing :-)

The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 14:32 UTC (Thu) by BogusUser ((unknown), #2784) [Link]

This is truly a sad day.

The internet advertising model is a broken one, and I'm afraid that if real news can't be obtained through the web, or in magazines, we're truly looking at dark times.

Many journalists are out of work (myself, I moved back to the development community about a year ago) and there seems to be no hope on the horizon. Somethings gotta give, folks. We have to find some way to fund the things we love, or they're going to go away.

I'd like to thank Jon Corbet (& crew) for the years of fine service this site provided. The Linux device drivers book is a good read too. Someday there will be some kind of advertising or other breakthrough, and hopefully people who are passionate about the news will be able to make a living at it.

Until then.

--Paul

The end of the road

Posted Jul 25, 2002 15:47 UTC (Thu) by BogusUser ((unknown), #2792) [Link]

Like NPR and PBS have annual fund rasing drives, can LWN have similar drive on its website. Somewhere on its home page, (or anywhere but clearly visible), there can be a target amount, total amount collected so far and time remaining. That should be enough to help many well wishers of this site to pick up their checkbooks and contribute.

I seldom visit this site but am eager to contribute my mite if that will help this stay afloat.

Thanks,
-- sudhir

The end of the road

Posted Jul 26, 2002 3:50 UTC (Fri) by grytpype (guest, #2826) [Link]

Thanks, you were a regular stop for me on the Web. Sorry things didn't work out.

The end of the road

Posted Jul 26, 2002 3:54 UTC (Fri) by grytpype (guest, #2826) [Link]

I just tossed in $50. You can use your credit card, you don't need to use paypal. Click on the Donate link in the headframe.

Thanks for LWN. Stay open in reduced form?

Posted Jul 26, 2002 11:25 UTC (Fri) by dwheeler (subscriber, #1216) [Link]

First, I want to thank LWN from the bottom of my heart for your many years of excellent reporting. Your quality is unmatched, and your site is one of the first places I visit every day. I will be very sorry to see you go.

I'd love to see you continue in some reduced format. For example, a once-a-week editorial with some pointers to "key events". For a long time LWN existed without any funding; I think it could again, or at least with the reduced funding already offered by others. Even in those times, LWN was very good.

If you truly can't continue, I hope that you'll make sure that your material will be available to others in perpetuity. LWN has produced many incredibly valuable resources (such as the timelines) and its articles have been first-rate. I would hate for history to lose them.

If it is goodbye, thanks for all the fish!