What the Death and Resurrection of Linux Journal Taught Me about the FOSS Community
Kyle Rankin
Tech Editor, Columnist: Linux Journal
Chief Security Officer: Purism, SPC
Introduction
- Linux Journal started in 1994
- It's been around for most of the Linux story
- Linux and the FOSS community in 1994 is different from today
- Its change had a direct impact on LJ and contributed to its death
- LJ's story a good lens to tell story of the FOSS community
- I was there during the heyday, the stroke, the decline, death and resurrection
- This talk is about that story, and what it says about how the FOSS community has changed
- It's a pretty personal story.
A Bit About Me
- I try not to talk about myself in my talks
- I got my first computer in high school
- Learned BASIC, decided to major in CS in college
- Started using Linux (RH 5.1) in 1998
- Started using it professionally in 1999
- Linux was different back then.
My Super-leet desktop from 1999
Desktop Linux in the Late `90s
- Install from a set of floppy disks
- A series of complicated questions from a curses console UI
- Assumed you were familiar with disk partitioning, OS internals, networking, Linux
- To get a GUI, you'd configure obscure files by hand
- If your hardware worked
- Linux Users' Groups sprung up, offered "Installfests"
- To use Linux, you had to become immersed in its internals.
Server Linux in the Late `90s
- Linux spread in offices largely in secret
- Sysadmin needed stabler file servers, installed Samba covertly
- Installs often driven by cost of commercial UNIX and Windows
- Apache (and virtual hosts) caused Linux to seep into the data center
- Rise of the dynamic web created LAMP
- Dotcom boom based on web services, huge growth in Linux servers
- Required deep knowledge of Linux, networking, programming
- Support was largely self-help plus LUGs, friends, IRC and forums.
Linux Community in the Late `90s
- Community rooted in FOSS ideals
- Members reflected the state of the OS
- Hobbyist geeks, engineers, scientists, CS students
- Nerds
- Many FOSS companies spawned out of dotcom boom, demand for support
- Early stages of growth more from professional interests
- Revolution OS (2001) great snapshot.
My start at Linux Journal
- In August 2007 I attended Linux World Expo in SF
- LJ put on a writers "happy hour" during the conference
- Meet the editor, pitch article ideas
- Showed up early, pitched too many ideas
- By the end, it turned into a 2008 column, Hack and /.
Linux Community, circa 2007
- Debian 4.0 (Etch)
- RHEL 5.0 (2.6.18-8 kernel)
- Install was simple, paid support available
- Linux now mainstream in corporate IT
- Professional Linux and FOSS conferences
- Community growth from professionals
- Focus more practical, less on ideals.
The Stroke
- Print publishing industry changed in aughts, teens
- Fewer indie bookstores, then fewer large ones
- Newsstand mag sales overall dropped
- Publishing and distribution costs went up
- August 19, 2011, LJ announced digital only
- Response was generally negative
- Print-or-die: canceled subs
- Wait-and-see: read issues online, on ereaders.
The Decline
- For some time, things were working
- No newsstands meant lost avenue for new readers
- Core of loyal readers remained
- "I have every print issue"
- Focus was on core FOSS audience
- Linux community had changed in the mean time
- Started losing existing readership, writers.
Death
- Ultimately, couldn't keep the lights on
- LJ announced it was shutting down December 1, 2017
- I followed up with an emotional farewell
- We all took the news pretty hard
- It was a big factor in my decision to quit my job and join Purism
- Many in the community reached out with funding ideas
- The incredible outpouring of support really helped.
Resurrection!
- We really thought we were dead
- After the public announcement, Private Internet Access (PIA) reached out
- They worked out a plan to completely save LJ
- We started work on our postmortem
- The community changed, how they read articles changed
- We had to change.
Linux in 2018
- Wide hardware support, can get it preinstalled and supported
- Internet full of FOSS projects
- Linux dominates the cloud
- More ubiquitous than ever
- More hidden than ever
- FOSS philosophy hidden as well
- Much Linux development done on Windows/Mac.
Tech Industry in 2018
- Technology is ubiquitous
- Technology skills well-paid, in demand
- Technology tools more accessible, less obscure
- Programming has become the new shop class
- Industry (finally!) starting to get more diverse
- Not just race/gender/ethnicity, but culturally
- Not just nerds: popular kids, jocks, MBAs are using tech, writing software
- We are still working through the culture clash.
The FOSS Community Today
- The original community is still around
- But the professional community has changed
- Many only use Linux professionally
- FOSS advocates often present on Windows or MacOS
- Modern threats to FOSS more insidious
- Many in community weren't around for initial fight
- Easy to take FOSS and Linux for granted.
What Does it All Mean?
- Original community:
- Opportunity to pass on the lessons we've already learned
- Be welcoming to newcomers from all walks of life
- Work on empathy and social skills
- No tech litmus tests
- New members of the community:
- Empathize with your nerdy brethren
- Patience as they learn current social norms
- Learn about the past fights with the old giants
- Learn about the social principles underneath FOSS
- Everyone:
- Don't take FOSS and Linux for granted
- If current trends continue, we could be back to a pre-Linux world
- To win this battle, we need the whole community to work together.
Thanks
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