LWN: Comments on "The end of the road"

Educational research

fbarreto — 2002-07-30T12:53:52+00:00

I and a lot of people use the LWN for educational research helping the development of tesis and projects.
This site is a good way to find information about kernel and aplication development.
So the end of this site will turn more difficult to universities research...

Thanks

Intelligence, shame and don't go ....

mjbright — 2002-07-28T13:38:33+00:00

Not much more to add:
I really looked forward to the LWN bigpage once a week.
What I've always appreciated was the intelligent commentary on the
hottest flames! LWN is an intelligent role model.

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

Please don't go ...

The end of the road

DeletedUser2851 — 2002-07-26T22:26:24+00:00

Just registered to post this, like many others.

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.

LWN: You can't end..

sri — 2002-07-26T19:57:42+00:00

For the better part of this wonderful revolution in open software lwn has been the most effective in providing the voice of GNU - Open Source movement. Truly, with slashdot hooligans sprouting their nonsense, true advocacy was always displayed in LWN.

We need you to continue to be that voice, to be our professional voice. My coworkers and myself have always looked forward for thursday when we could find thoughtful editorials on current linux events, or whats happening in kernel developement.

If you could tell us what you need to keep afloat we'll do what we can! I'd gladly pay a subscription to getting lwn. I hope that you will continue.

Thanks.
sri

Sayonara

RaRue — 2002-07-26T19:27:42+00:00

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.

why is everything dependent on money?

DeletedUser2836 — 2002-07-26T15:11:39+00:00

Hmmm, sorry, the previous post should have been like this:

LWN is one of the best news sites on the net. Especially the weekly
summaries are good for people like me who do not have time to read
news every day. It is sad to see that lwn goes away.
Personally I think that you should also think a bit about "what is money".
I know it's hard for Americans to accept that money is not everything but
to become more independent of money gives you more freedom
in the long run.

At linuxfocus.org we have also during
the years 1999-2000 been thinking about running this site for profit. I am
glad we did not do that. It gives you soooo much more independence and
freedom when you don't have to think all the time about money.

If lwn wants to have a bright and long future then you need to find
ways to be cost efficient and find ways to finance your running costs
and don't depend on advertisements.

Don't get me wrong. I have donated already money to lwn and I really like
it as it is today but I believe that lwn has to change just slightly
in it's structure and it will survive, be less dependent on money and
thus be immortal.
Lwn could e.g be more a linux community activity.

The end of the road

belayme — 2002-07-26T15:11:20+00:00

I contributed a little bit about a month ago. I will continue to contribute if LWN continues to exist. I would subscribe if LWN changed to a subscription model.

One thought. Why not have a LWN credit card like "The Linux Fund", where money would go to lwn for each purchase somebody makes. I have a Linux Fund card that I try to make most of my monthly credit card purchases with. I would gladly switch to a card that benefits LWN.

The end of the road? Not really.

rabnud — 2002-07-26T15:10:52+00:00

I just now joined just so I could say thanks.

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.

why is everything dependent on money?

DeletedUser2836 — 2002-07-26T15:03:34+00:00

LWN is one of the best news sites on the net. Especially the weekly 
summaries are good for people like me who do not have time to read 
news every day. It is sad to see that lwn goes away. 
Personally I think that you should also think a bit about "what is money". 
I know it's hard for Americans to accept that money is not everything but 
to be come more independent of money and profit gives you more freedom 
in the long run. 
At <a href="http://linuxfocus.org">linuxfocus.org</a> we have also during 
the years 1999-2000 been thinking about running this site for profit. I am 
glad we did not do that. It gives you soooo much more independence and 
freedom when you don't have to think all the time about money. 
If lwn wants to have a bright and long future then you need to find 
ways to be cost efficient and find ways to finance your running costs 
and don't depend on advertisements. 
Don't get me wrong. I have donated already money to lwn and I really like 
it as it is today but I believe that lwn has to change just slightly 
in it's structure and it will survive, be less dependent on money and 
thus be immortal. 
Lwn could e.g be more a linux community activity.

The end of the road

jgm — 2002-07-26T14:19:43+00:00

I hope you find your miracle. I've donated my US$100. I hope it helps keep
you going. If not, consider it my late :-( subscription fee for your fine
publication.

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.

Subscriptions

eskild — 2002-07-26T14:00:23+00:00

Jon & the rest of the LWN crew:

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.

Thanks for LWN. Stay open in reduced form?

dwheeler — 2002-07-26T11:25:05+00:00

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!

Not the end of the road - suggestion WikiWikiWeb

DeletedUser2818 — 2002-07-26T10:52:14+00:00

Hi again,

due to the comment systems inability to sort the comments I wanted to point to a comment already posted by me (but it is hard to find if you don't read through all comments again and again searching for new articles).

So if you read this and if you are interested in a potential solution for continuing LWN, just use the search function of your browser for the first occurance of "WikiWiki" (without the quotes) on this page and read on there, but post replies at the end of all msgs so that new stuff is easier to find.

greetings, Thomas (from Germany)

BTW: this "doomsday clock" idea is a good one, can anybody do it?

The end of the road

arveh — 2002-07-26T09:19:46+00:00

OK, so all has been said several times already, but for a site like LWN, good things can not be said too many times.

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!

Good ideas: LWN, please tell us what is enough

leonbrooks — 2002-07-26T06:05:01+00:00

The doomsday clock is a good idea (start it at 7 days plus whatever the flurry of donations did to help).

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?

The end of the road

grytpype — 2002-07-26T03:54:50+00:00

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.

The end of the road

grytpype — 2002-07-26T03:50:12+00:00

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

The end of the road

subhasroy — 2002-07-26T03:12:05+00:00

In my opinion, Linux Community will suffer a serious loss
in the demise of LWN. I felt myself going through the same
emotions that others have and described eloquently. LWN is a
standout in the consistence of quality and journalistic
integrity. There is nothing else available to fill the gap.
If there is one OSS/Linux site that I want to see survive, it is
LWN.

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.

The end of the road

DeletedUser2825 — 2002-07-26T02:54:46+00:00

Just out of curiosity, have you considered going the 501(c3)
non-profit route.. You should certainly qualify under the educational
guidelines. That might help your soliciting donations. Nothing like
having the government cover half the cost of the donations.

As others have said.. open your books, tell us what you need, when
you need it, etc.. and we'll be happy to help/subscribe/etc

The end of the road

subhasroy — 2002-07-26T02:26:09+00:00

Please pay them money according your ability.
If they get enough, they will hopefully stay
in the air. If not, at least you will have
shon your appreciation in a meaningful way.

The end of the road

db1 — 2002-07-26T02:08:55+00:00

I would like to second calls for a subscription service. I know for a fact that my employer would pay subscription costs. I use LWN to do my job. We spend thousands of dollars a year on subscriptions to various journals (typical for biotech, my industry). Fifty or one-hundred a year for LWN would be a drop in the bucket, and well worth it.

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

This would be a great loss

x_nc — 2002-07-26T01:48:53+00:00

I wish there was something more I could do to help keep LWN going. I was preparing to donate and to buy an ad, but if there is only going to be one more issue...

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.

Just registered to say thank you...

DeletedUser2821 — 2002-07-26T00:46:29+00:00

I did the same, registered to donate, and to say thanks for the great work
over the years.

If these extra donations do not make enuf of a difference I smile thinking
of you having a beer on me.

Good luck!

Derek

The end of the road

dyork — 2002-07-26T00:19:00+00:00

John, Liz, Dennis, Rebecca, Dave and the others,

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

There is a way to save LWN -- let's find it!

jre — 2002-07-26T00:01:07+00:00

Like everyone else, I am shocked and saddened by the prospect of LWN's going away. This site has always stood out in the crowded field of Linux journalism. LWN is distinguished not only by its technical expertise (available elsewhere), but by a clean, professional style informed by the wit and insight of its editors (unmatched anywhere).
The Web will be a poorer place if LWN departs. I would like to see it not depart. Please add my voice to those advocating the following:

* 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.

The end of the road

DaveK — 2002-07-25T23:40:14+00:00

LWN is the only Linux resource on the net that is truly worth reading with unbiased, considered and well researched reporting in a well educated manner, and simply cannot be allowed to die, full stop. Hopefuly you will find a way to continue in some capacity.
Having been made redundant myself recently, I understand the nature of trying to get anything done in a flat market, and cannot offer to donate $100s that I would like to, and believe this site deserves, and reflect the service that LWN has given me and others since I started reading in late '98.
I wonder if the readers (myself included) understand truly what financial doo-doo you are in, and what can be done to help, I'm sure if you post details we can band together and find a way to help, financially or otherwise. Is that not what 'community' is about.
If you do 'go under', then I wish the LWN team the best of luck in whatever you do in future, and thanks for an invaluable service over the years.

It's hopefully NOT the end of the road!

DeletedUser2818 — 2002-07-25T23:36:06+00:00

Dear LWN editors & staff,

It would be a sad day if it was TEOTR. As many others, I have read LWN for years and enjoyed it.

I'll donate EUR 100 for the years of free service and I hope this helps you continuing doing great stuff or at least getting rewarded for past service.

If all these donations can't stop ending LWN "as it is known up to now", I would like to suggest continuing it as a grass roots, community based service. Maybe you even want to do that even with enough donations, to ensure long-term service (and BTW: having much fun ;).

At LinuxTag 2002 fair (7 weeks ago) some Linux geeks (me included) officially started LinuxWiki on our server. This german site is currently not especially news oriented, but it could be. Until now, it is more something like a knowledge base, support system, link and information collection - and it is a community communication and cooperation(!) tool.

The great thing about it is the technology it is based on: WikiWikiWeb. This technology enables you to have not only 3 "editors", no - every(!) user is a potential editor - without knowing anything about HTML or similar stuff. Because of that, the site now has about 500 pages more than 7 weeks ago, growing every day, every hour.

See also http://moin.sf.net/ - that is MoinMoin, the great software we use.

I would also like to offer you my personal extended technical help with this technology - just contact me, if you are interested. Maybe we could even offer a server running it, but not sure at all if we could afford the traffic.

If you can't financially continue full-time working on LWN, this would help you continuing LWN with the help of hundreds of other editors and contributors, like in a big FreeSoftware project.

Hoping to hear from you soon. And again: thanks for LWN!

Thomas

The end of the road

emak — 2002-07-25T23:29:09+00:00

Only one year together, that's really too short. It's hard to find words, harder to find them in english. You'll let a hole on the web...

The end of the road

nan — 2002-07-25T22:21:09+00:00

Funny you mention BoardWatch... was thinking about it. In any case, I've just paid my due subscription for the last 4 years and then a bit for the extra months ;) Yes, Thursdays are the "internet day" per excellence. In the mornings or if work not permitting, in the evenings, I give myself a treat with the weekly news. And I read it from cover to cover, just barely skipping bits and pieces I got throughout the week in the daily news feed. Yep, you can say I really enjoy it.

If LWN subscribes to the subscription model, you can count on another subscription.

If nothing else, and just in case I never did let you know before, thank you for such a fine publication.

PS. Rackspace can thank you for my business. It was through you that I learned about them.

The end of the road

EricBackus — 2002-07-25T21:52:21+00:00

I'm very sorry to see you go, and I appreciate all your efforts. I just made a donation, but I know that it is almost certainly too little too late. Thanks for the good work, and good luck for the future.

Simply the best

e2npau — 2002-07-25T21:50:34+00:00

LWN has been the best source of linux news for many years, it you go away you will be very much missed and I can not see how anything could take your place in the future.

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.

The end of the road

cdmiller — 2002-07-25T21:07:30+00:00

This as a damn shame.

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

The end of the road

pointwood — 2002-07-25T21:06:08+00:00

NO!

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!

I'm destitute and donated - You should too

bbt — 2002-07-25T20:59:55+00:00

I just put my $10 into the hat. I cannot match the $100 donations that others have been giving but I wanted to help and say thank you. I've been unemployed since October, have been living on peanut butter and jelly for the last two months and will barely be able to make rent in a few days. If I can cough up some money, so can those of you who have not yet done so.

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.

Thank you...

jee — 2002-07-25T20:52:54+00:00

... for your great work during these last years. LWN has been (is!) the best linux newssource around.

Best of luck.

(a.k.a "me too")

LET IT NOT END!

rmdirms — 2002-07-25T20:32:53+00:00

How can we help? Would it help if we created a mass-solicitation from:

IBM
SUN
Borland
Red Hat?

and Others?

There has to be a way that LWN can sever the common interests of those and other profitable companies?

Maybe they can for a few months offer "limp-along" assistance which they could write off or write down as expenses (minus the Whirled-Bomb-Itis (Think of the bumber sticker "Visualize Whirled Peas" pun on "Visualize World Peace")).

I am SURE that having made a near full return on their billion $ investment in Linux, IBM would feel proud to help keep a live a vibrant forum. If anything, maybe IBM or others could share communications vehicles, if they can do it without any strings attached to LWN.

Failing that, try the Blender Fans approach: Distribute LWN across multiple machines and find content (vs contented) collaborators who can work with the staff editors. I just signed on... You guys & girls can't go away.

Have you tried the marketing departments of major companies. If just 10 of them provided $2,000 per month--on a short-term basis-- I imagine that would be a tremendous boon.

Have you tried adapting your site and setup to assisting (for support fees) companies? I am assuming that your talent base is sufficent to create a consultancy to other businesses. Are you guys "incorporated"? Try incorporating (I incorporated Java, Bytes n Bites (see my site www.jabybi.com) for about $150. I could not get funding, due to my single-owner with too much personal debt and existing 2nd mortgage on my home.)

With your multiple employees' talents, maybe you all could pledge SOME small amount of money (and with donations from those of us not laid off or subsisting on meager reserves and vanishing unemployment checks) sufficient enough for a banker or IBM (acting as a banker) to jumpstart you into a for-profit consultancy. I'm just (lame-)brain-storming, but you guys have talent which you could leverage.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Real action

other-iain — 2002-07-25T20:26:43+00:00

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.

Good Luck

pkturner — 2002-07-25T19:48:57+00:00

Sorry for putting off a donation until now. LWN has been a favorite Internet news source for me for years. Enjoy the "thank you" gift, and I'll hope for a miracle.

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

The end of the road

ber — 2002-07-25T19:19:17+00:00

I've (volenteeringly) payed for your useful service
and will continue to do so if you continue to offer it.

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

I had no idea... Here's the plan

amazingblair — 2002-07-25T19:17:05+00:00

I really didn't have a clue that your situation was so desperate. That makes me pretty unobservant, but my focus has been on your excellent reporting. My impression was that the company was financially struggling, but getting by.

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!