Miller, editor in chief –
Well, here we go. You’re looking at the new versions of Linux.com and NewsForge.com. Some will like the changes and some won’t, as is always the case with Web site redesigns. But the work was necessary, especially on Linux.com.
Documentation is the key
The heart of the Linux.com site rehab is the new documentation index. There is plenty of “How to use Linux” material online, but sorting through all of it to find the exact HOWTO, tutorial or MAN page you need has been a chronic problem. The Linux.com documentation/tutorial section
now classifies material not only by topic, but also by user level. There is a brief summary of each article, and a place for you to rate each one
and comment on it. Our documentation index only has a few hundred entries right now, but it will grow rapidly.
We believe in LUGs
All full-time Linux.com and NewsForge.com editors belong to Linux User Groups. We actively encourage others to join (or start) LUGs. We have reformatted the “old” Linux.com LUG database, which is woefully out of date, as a starting point. If you find (as you will) broken links or
obsolete information, please let us know. We’ll change, delete or update as needed. And if you are involved with a LUG we don’t have listed,
please tell us about it. Make sure you include the country, state or province, city or town, URL, email address(es) and any other contact
information and perhaps a short paragraph describing your LUG’s primary focus. We want this index to be as complete as possible, and that is a
“forever” job, not a one-time task. We will also steadily improve our LUG section interface, and before long we will add a section for meeting
and event announcements. We are taking LUG information updates via email right now. Please send yours to editors@linux.com with “LUGS” as the subject.
Software listings and reviews
Again, an index that needs a lot of work. If you would like to write software reviews for Linux.com, please email editors@newsforge.com with the title of the software you would like to review and, if possible, URLs for your previously published work. We are looking for software reviews on all levels, from programs for home users up to admin tools for enterprise-level networks and clusters.
NewsForge news and commentary
Aside from visual changes, NewsForge will stay essentially the same. We will continue to be “the online newspaper of record for Linux and Open
Source,” with links to virtually all relevant news, press releases, and other material published anywhere online, plus original stories that
range from breaking news and “insider” exclusives to feature stories, interviews, and commentary from our staff — and from people like you.
If you have a thought or opinion about Linux or Open Source you’d like to share with about 350,000 close friends, this is the place to do it.
We seek diverse views, not material that adheres to some arbitrary “party line.” Be original, make your point clearly, stick to Linux
and/or Open Source-related topics, avoid blatant self-promotion, and we’ll almost certainly run your piece. Submissions go to editors@newsforge.com.
One change worth noting on NewsForge: You can now comment on our NewsVac links as well as our original reports.
We have opening-night jitters
We’ve put a lot of sweat into this relaunch, but we’re sure you will spot flaws that didn’t show up on the test servers. We’re also sure you’ll have ideas on how we can improve the sites, features we should add, and so on. Please post your bug reports, comments and suggestions below, where others can see and add to them, rather than emailing them to us privately. Linux.com and NewsForge editors will read every single
comment, and we will respond directly to many of them.
Update from RM: The NewsVac summaries will return, as will the time/date stamps on stories, as soon as we get the new database stable and all the URLs pointing correctly, etc.
Category:
- Linux
