SSC, Phil Hughes, and Linux Journal [LWN.net]

SSC, Phil Hughes, and Linux Journal

Posted Nov 6, 2003 17:02 UTC (Thu) by AnswerGuy (guest, #1256)
In reply to: Will the real Linux Gazette please stand up? by yohahn
Parent article: Will the real Linux Gazette please stand up?

[Speaking purely for myself, not for the other members of the lg.NET team].

It's a sticky issue. I would prefer NOT to embroil the Linux Journal in any backlash or recriminations. I don't intend to cancel my subscription to Linux Journal at this point. The events at linuxgazette.COM seem to be driven my Phil (and just one of his staff who is simply being ordered to do this).

I genuinely have no animosity towards Phil. I'm surprised that he's taking such a proprietary attitude towards the work that we've all put into this community publication for so long. I personally think that Linux Journal is a far greater accomplishment (and, surely, infinitely more lucrative).

Writing to LJ and threatening to cancel your subscription (or just doing so outright) is unlikely to resolve this issue. Many of the staffers at LJ are already concerned about the bad PR that this seems certain to garner.

I would have suggested that people post their initial feedback to the feedback at the CMS (Drupal-driven) lg.COM site. Unfortunately the recent censorship of those forums seems to make that gesture futile. E-mailing the lg.NET staff would be welcome, but not terribly useful.

Since lg.NET has no corporate infrastructure (no bank accounts, etc) we cannot take donations. We're an all-volunteer organization. So, the question becomes: What sorts of *constructive* support can people offer us. My suggestions: Link to linuxgazette.net. Contact any mirrors that haven't already updated their links. Send *polite* and moderated feedback to SSC. Tell other Linux news sites about the story. Read BOTH the lg.NET and lg.COM versins of Issue #96 and make an informed choice about your own preferences. Prepare for the possibility that the old staff (now at lg.NET) might be compelled to change the name of our publication.

This last issue is ultimately the worst that can happen. Our right to publish this material is guaranteed under the OPL (open publication license). We (at lg.NET) feel that changing *our* name would be confusing to the readership and the market at large. Even that would be acceptable if the lg.COM provided prominent links to such a new site on their index page, masthead and in their FAQ. Given the recent censorship of the lg.COM feedback forum, even that small courtesy seems unlikely.

The sticky issue here is: how much do we, as a community, hold LJ accountable for the actions of one person ... even when the person is it's founder and publisher, it's owner?

Jim Dennis, The Linux Gazette "Answer Guy"

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