08.08.19
4 Months After Linux Foundation ‘Shuts Down’ Linux.com (All Writers and Editors Laid Off) Linux Journal Does the Same (PIA Throws in the Towel)
Summary: Linux Journal shuts down; the future doesn’t bode well for GNU/Linux journalism and it’s getting worse pretty fast
Back in March we wrote about PIA hypocrisy; how or why is a privacy company putting spyware in all Linux Journal pages? That wasn’t too long after PIA had bought Linux Journal, saving it from shutdown.
“The death of a (Linuxjournal) friend,” as a Techrights reader put it, is now sadly confirmed.
“Jump to the present and with all the efforts to (in my humble opinion) undermine the credibility /sanctity of FOSS/Linux by Microsoft and its allies I just received notice that Linux Journal is closing its doors for good!”
–AnonymousLast night I noticed Lunduke, editor of the above, posting in the Purism site as if he’s staff there. I found that baffling. Hours later a reader told me something that did not shock me given what I had observed, including mass publication of many Linux Journal articles (like an archives dump).
The reader is apparently very supportive of us. “I’ve been reading your articles of late that I’ve been seeing on Slashdot,” he said. “Thank you for your contributions to the truth. I now have Techrights.org bookmarked and spend considerable time visiting.”
“Sad to say that I write you this letter as I sit at my desk in sadness and disbelief. You see, many years ago I got my first issue of Linux Journal at a news stand. Back then there was no electronic version, just good old fashioned printed paper. My how things have changed. Jump to the present and with all the efforts to (in my humble opinion) undermine the credibility /sanctity of FOSS/Linux by Microsoft and its allies I just received notice that Linux Journal is closing its doors for good! This is so sad and I wonder how I’ll keep up with all things FOSS/Linux…
“My friend Glyn Moody wrote there.”“Perhaps you can write an obituary for our old friend? Anyway just wanted to alert you to this tragedy.”
My friend Glyn Moody wrote there. Even as recently as days ago when he spoke about FOSS in relation to ethics. So it impacts people I know. Not so long ago I also lost an online friend from FOSS Force, Robin “Roblimo” Miller, a very kind person. FOSS Force has, in general, barely been active in recent years (no posts published for a whole year even!).
Technical journalism seems to be dying and we’re left with marketing and PR agencies that tell us about “smart” and “cloud” and other such nonsense. Look what happened to Linux.com. It’s horrific. Linux Foundation sponsors use it as their dumping ground. It’s openwashing and lying. I can’t begin to express how disappointing it is; my wife too is frustrated to see what that site became (she followed it closely for many years and liked some of the writers there).
“Thank you for your perseverance and dogged determination regarding the future of FOSS and Linux,” the reader ended in his message. “You are a real trooper.”
My wife has alerted me that this was already stated publicly some hours ago and LWN has comments about it, such as: “I kind of hope that these reports of LJ’s demise are exaggerated… Didn’t this almost happen to LWN once before?”
She finds the demise of the site very sad. She says “these people like to write, but the Web site cannot afford it anymore. That’s the second time.” █
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