Before Linux.com went dark late last year, it was one of the most visited open source news aggregation and discussion sites. As you may recall, word got this March that the Linux Foundation had taken Linux.com over, and was committed to making it bigger, better and richer than before. Further to that goal, it set up "Ideaforge," to tap the developer and user communities to learn what they in an on-line resource to make the Linux ecosystem more successful and satisfying for all involved.
After months of effort behind the scenes, and some pretty impressive Web design, the Linux Foundation delivered on that promise last night. What you'll find there is something that's different from anything that's ever existed before - an interactive, growing, feature and content rich resource that can help you hone your skills, find a job, assemble a Linux-based system, and, of course, access the most up to date news, blogs and ideas about open source software in general, and Linux in particular. What it's all about can be summed up in just six words: For the community, by the community. And if you read this blog, that includes you.
A great deal of thought has gone into asking the question, "What should the new Linux.com be all about?" The answer we came up with is that it should be all about helping developers and users to learn and work together, for developers to hone their skills and find jobs, to provide a central resource for the kind of information everyone needs, and to support and grow the Linux ecosystem in particular, and open source software in general. And yes – it’s still going to be a terrific place to keep up on the news, and discuss it.
Here are a few of the features that underlie the new concept:
- Guru points: The more you use and contribute to the site, the higher your standing, and that means more than just gold stars after your name. The top fifty Linux Gurus will be listed and recognized annually; the top five will be invited to the Foundation’s annual Collaboration Summit and have a seat at the Linux.com planning meeting as community representatives. And the "Ultimate Linux Guru" will receive a loaded "dream" laptop, personally signed by Linux Torvalds.
- Community: You can form and participate in your own groups, showcase your events, and more. And if you want to set up a blog and reach a Linux-savvy audience, this is the place to do it.
- Distribution: Information from all the major distros will be found here, moderated by leaders from each one.
- Education: You can find Linux documentation here, "how to’s" and more, and post your own questions.
- Directory: Information on Linux hardware, software, components, books, services and much more.
- News: You’ll see that we’ve set up one of the best organized and richest sources of news, blogs and other up to the date, savvy information to be found anywhere.
The new Linux.com also highlights the unique role that the Linux Foundation provides to the open source community. Everything we do is intended to strengthen, support and promote the entire Linux ecosystem. That’s a goal that everyone who believes in Linux can get behind, but it’s also a pretty big mission that few organizations have the resources to support.
That’s where the Foundation comes in – we try and figure out what’s needed that isn’t going to emerge naturally in the marketplace on its own, and then figure out how we can make it happen. Linux.com is just the latest in a long string of initiatives in this category, including supporting Linux Torvalds, flying key kernel developers around to the world to meetings, developing and supporting the Linux Standards Base, providing legal defense, fighting misinformation, creating key events, and much more.
This isn’t the last new project you’ll hear about from the Linux Foundation, but it may be one of the coolest and most accessible to anyone, anywhere, any time. The full press release announcing the launch is pasted in below, but that’s just a summary. Go check out the site itself, register – and start racking up your Guru points. But be forewarned: there’s so much there already, you’ll want to set aside some serious time to explore it all.
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Linux Foundation Unveils New Linux.com
For the community, by the community, Linux Foundation launches
framework to connect Linux users and developers and find the next
"Ultimate Linux Guru"
SAN FRANCISCO, May 13, 2009 — The Linux Foundation (LF), the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the formal launch of Linux.com. The Foundation took over stewardship of the site in March, at which time it began soliciting input from the community to help define the new Linux.com via its Ideaforge web tool. Today, it unveils the results of that input and a new online home for all things Linux.
The new Linux.com will connect Linux users and developers, and by showcasing their skills through its guru listing, will connect individuals to jobs and collaboration opportunities. Instead of a static information site, the new Linux.com will empower the Linux community to share its knowledge, get questions answered, download the right software and find hardware to solve problems.
Visitors can register today and immediately begin contributing to the community and build their Linux guru standing. Other community functionality includes allowing users to have their own blog hosted by Linux.com, review products in the product directory, and submit “HowTo’s” and tutorials to help their fellow Linux users or developers.
Ultimate Linux Guru Wins a Dream Linux Machine Signed by Torvalds
Users can earn points toward becoming a “Linux Guru” by participating in different activities on the site. Each year, the top Linux.com user will be recognized as the “Ultimate Linux Guru” and be given a fully loaded “dream” Linux notebook personally signed by Linus Torvalds as recognition of his or her guru status. The top five contributors to Linux.com annually will receive invitations to the Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit and have a seat at the Linux.com planning meeting as community representatives. And, the top 50 annual Linux gurus on Linux.com will be included in a yearly report from the Linux Foundation: those high ranking users will be able to showcase their status and knowledge to potential employers or consulting opportunities. More information, including “Guru” point values, is available at the site.
“Code and online participation is the new resume, and we want Linux.com to provide a framework for Linux experts to help each other and showcase their talent, knowledge and skills and ultimately improve their careers,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director, The Linux Foundation. “We’ve also found that Linux users have a passion for improving the platform. Linux.com is the community’s resource, and the more information that is shared on Linux, the more benefit to all who participate. We think that active participation on Linux.com will result in an easier to use, more robust Linux platform.”
Linux.com is designed to mirror the Linux community process by hosting a collaborative framework where users and developers can connect and increase the collective Linux knowledge and resources for new and advanced users alike. The site is the central source for informed Linux information, software and documentation covering the server, desktop, mobile, and embedded areas. Linux.com also extends the Foundation’s existing content and community programs available at www.linuxfoundation.org.
Major Linux.com features include:
News
The Linux.com News section features original content and analysis as well as content from Linux Foundation workgroups, including FOSSBazaar and MoblinZone.
Community
Highlights from the community section include an area where individuals can form or promote Linux and open source related groups. They can connect with other members as well as showcase their events, meetups and activities. The event features should prove valuable for users wanting to educate or participate in the Linux community and find conferences, user groups, or other meet-ups in their area.
Distribution Central
This section showcases original content from each of the community “distros” with contributions directly from representatives from Debian, Fedora, openSUSE and Ubuntu. Community managers and developers such as Jono Bacon, Joe Brockmeier, Paul Frields, Martin Krafft and Karsten Wade will join in conversations to help Linux users understand and use the leading Linux “distros.”
Learn
Highlights from this section include a centralized repository for Linux Documentation, including Man Pages and “HowTo’s” from the Linux Documentation Project. In this section, users can also post questions or answer other user or developer questions to increase understanding of the Linux platform.
Directory
The site’s directory is a user-contributed and user-reviewed database of software applications that run on the Linux operating system; Linux-compatible hardware components; and books, hosting, and other professional services available from the Linux ecosystem. This section also aggregates Linux application downloads to create an application store for Linux.
Inaugural Linux.com sponsors include Intel, NetApp, Novell and Red Hat.