Summary: There's apparently no good explanation for the effective shutdown of Linux Journal and Linux.com; London Trust Media Holdings (LTMH), owner of Linux Journal, saw numbers improving and the Linux Foundation, steward of Linux.com, is loaded with money

THE two-week deadline or 'crossroad' (we assume hosting bill's cutoff date) is fast approaching as still don't know if assurances were given for preservation or longterm hosting of Linux Journal [1, 2]. This worries us as we predicted that something would be known by now. If it's confirmed that the site will go offline (soon), then we can at least attempt to download an archive. "I'm sorry to see LJ go," wrote a former LXer editor, "I liked the magazine a lot. Always a good read and I learn something in every issue too. I'm self taught on FOSS and computers in general so any knowledge I gain no matter where I get it is good for me..."

"Staff weren't forewarned or properly informed. At least one of them framed that as mistreatment."We worry about IBM's sites that it inherited. They're no longer with Red Hat's management, so we view them as possible future casualties, having already lost Linux.com as well (even though the Linux Foundation has big piles of cash). Readers wrote to us about this and they too worry that sites like OpenSource.com may not survive in the long run. One person notes IBM's pattern of letting newly-acquired things to last 2 years, whereupon changes are implemented (cuts).

One reader said he would like to share the following statement regarding your comments on Linux Journal and its end:

While I do not know the exact details, what I will say is that web traffic doubled this past year. Subscribers were enthusiastic and the base was growing at a healthy rate [and at a higher price point]. Newsletter readership was up. Linux Journal was starting to get advertisers again. Our readers were really responding to our articles and more specifically our new Deep Dives. Things were really looking good until one day and all of a sudden, the staff literally found out that they no longer had a job. And here we are.

It is apparently a bit mysterious; things weren't bad, but media reports say that things weren't going too well either. The shutdown certainly wasn't expected and the same goes for Linux.com's shutdown (it exists in a vastly reduced if not negligible capacity). Staff weren't forewarned or properly informed. At least one of them framed that as mistreatment. ⬆