Happy birthday LWN!

LWN is, I'm told, six years old now; but it seems like it's been the
most thoughtful source of Linux news forever. What's particularly
special about this longevity is that LWN is not a self-sustaining
community project. Its quality remains the product of a few
passionate individuals who are also fine researchers and writers.
It is their talent and dedication that we should recognize and
reward.
 
When LWN introduced subscriptions, I was uncertain about the
prospects of the plan. I was happy to support the people
responsible for such valuable work, but didn't know whether LWN
could survive as a business, or whether the staff would be
distracted from their original purpose. Gratifyingly, LWN continued
to live up to expectations through all the changes.
 
Imagine my even greater surprise in recent months, when the
publication I was paying good money for became noticeably better! I
was finding each week even more top-notch and relevant content,
well-rounded coverage of the big issues (*cough* SCO), interviews
with the right people, enlightening exposition of kernel design, and
deeper original research and analysis. Given the still sub-optimal
state of LWN's finances, I might have forgiven them for focusing
more on survival than on creative new ideas and higher standards of
journalism. But they continue to improve their service to the
community, always with the endearing LWN style.
 
So, thank you to the LWN staff for your ongoing committment. Thank
you to the other subscribers for allowing them to continue doing
what they do so well. And thank you to everyone who will subscribe
(or give a subscription) after reading this letter! Remember that
LWN will only exist as long as the staff can eat in those few
moments when they're not working on stories.
 
I look forward to many more years of exceptional reporting.
 
Andrew