A few seeds in the wind ... [LWN.net]

A few seeds in the wind ...

Posted Sep 29, 2005 16:14 UTC (Thu) by karim (subscriber, #114)
Parent article: An LWN status update

I haven't gone through the entire list of suggestions, but I thought I'd put these ideas out, feel free to drop any.

Mainly, while the underlying community is all about sharing, as it should be, I don't personally think that analysis of said community or its work should necessarily be free. For me, LWN has been a source of high-level balanced reporting on very important topics, and I would have no objection to see it become paying-only. This may make some uneasy, but it can be a selling angle.

With regards to making some of the analysis available, nothing precludes LWN from allowing companies to sponsor the freeing of content in exchange for more agressive banners in the "freed" content.

Generally, the web site still looks and feels like a community site. While I appreciate the authors' participation in said community, a more polished/ flashy presentation would further highlight the content's value.

Karim

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love LWNs low fat content

Posted Sep 29, 2005 16:55 UTC (Thu) by eru (subscriber, #2753) [Link] (2 responses)

Whatever you do, please don't add bandwidth-hogging eye candy! One of the things I really love about LWN is its fast loading and no-nonsense appearance. It also makes it possible to enjoy LWN on less than optimal connections. For example, I am now reading this on a laptop in a hotel room, connected by a Nokia GPRS-enabled phone, a setup that has about the speed of a fast wired modem line but much worse latency. LWN works fine, many other sites are painful - and cost more to look at because of the per-Mb pricing of my GPRS provider...

love LWNs low fat content

Posted Sep 29, 2005 17:15 UTC (Thu) by karim (subscriber, #114) [Link] (1 responses)

Nothing precludes LWN from providing what you ask for provided you are logged-in and customize your viewing experience as such. It could even provide a http://lwn.net/no-eye-candy-login/ for those interested. But for those that come to the site with little or no community background, eye candy makes a difference.

Karim

love LWNs low fat content

Posted Sep 29, 2005 18:32 UTC (Thu) by eru (subscriber, #2753) [Link]

Sure, but supporting both the lo-fat and eye-kandy views well is a lot more work, and wasn't part of the original problem that LWN staff lacks resources?