SeaPIG has never been directly involved in Linux Gazette (linuxgazette.net), but I used to be its editor, and I know that others on this list are interested in its status.
For those who don't know, LG is a monthly ezine started in 1995, with a team of all-volunteer editors, that publishes articles on Linux-related topics including Python. There is also an Answer Gang that answers tech questions and publishes the results. A set of Python scripts and Cheetah templates converts the source files into static HTML, which are served on the main site, on worldwide mirrors, as FTP files for offline reading, and as DEBs in the Debian distribution. LG has now reached the end of its volunteer pool, and the current editor-in-chief Ben Okopnik is about to resign unless the community either takes over the work or turns LG into something else that's sustainable. Below is my response containing some ideas on how LG might proceed. I'm posting it here because it overlaps with Python, and maybe some people here would like to participate. If you're interested you can let me know and/or join the LG continuation list at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/lg-tag/ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mike Orr <[email protected]> Date: Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM Subject: Re: The Linux Gazette To: [email protected] Hi everybody -- Ben, Kat, Thomas, Rick, Jimmy, and the others I've worked with over the years. Kat's email stirred up memories of all that we have accomplished, and it's not only a lot, but it's also pretty unique among ezines. Ben's resignation was unexpected but not surprising. I know from personal experience that being LG's managing editor is a half-time job in itself, and Ben has told me over the past two years that the workload was reaching his limit and he was looking at ways to streamline or delegate it. I also want to thank Kat for assembling the Letters and Answer Gang columns, which is the secondmost labor-intensive job in LG. And I have no doubt that she has made other contributions to LG I do not know about. The problem for the managing editor is that there is a defined job: approve articles, proofread them (or manage a group to do so), build the issue, and maintain the software. But other time-consuming tasks inevitably pop up: extensive HTML formatting or rewording of promising articles, difficult authors, software breakage, unexpected situations, website/mailing list outages, etc. You are torn between putting in time or publishing substandard quality, and your quality sense/reputation will not let you do the latter. You could delegate the job, but often it's easier to just do it than to round up somebody, explain the task to him, and wait a day or two for the result. That's hard when you're feeling impatient. I must confess that I've been to busy to read LG for the past few months, so I'm unaware of the recent problems. What happened to the mailing lists? I remember Rick's server meltdown a while ago. Is that still not resolved, or has Rick disappeared? Is everything OK with Kayos and the LG server? On Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 10:47 PM, Kat using Ben Okopnik<[email protected]>'s account wrote: > As things stand now, LG will be on a short hiatus, and the next issue will > be the last. Ben and I will pub that issue when we have the time and > energy - but some form of "ASAP". I would like to write a good-bye article at least. I'll get something to you this weekend. However, part of the content would depend on what direction we decide to go. Is Deividson Ben's brother? > I don't know whether the problem is that LG's been managed badly (in which > case, the blame falls to me, and I apologize to the former and current > staff for my failure in that), or that LG has outlived the niche it used to > inhabit. Maybe it's that we've failed to live up to our motto, "Making > Linux Just a Little More Fun!" No, you and Ben have managed it well, and LG has definitely lived up to the motto. The problem is that the Linux community and Internet technology have evolved, and LG's structure was designed for a world that no longer exists. Consider: - In 1995 it was expensive to get your own domain name. - Many people had 486's, dialup connections, no Internet access, or underpowered browsers. - The FTP files were an essential means of distribution for the unwired. - Running a 24-hour webserver was expensive, and so was bandwidth for international downloads. So mirrors were essential. Now the situation has almost reversed: - Essentially all news-like sites have gone to a one-server model. Mirrors are no longer necessary. - The FTP files and Debian redistribution are useful at the margin but no longer a necessity. (However, the existing Debian files should remain as a tribute to the past and where Linux came from.) - Many noncommercial and commercial organizations are willing to provide hosting space and bandwidth. - Interactive sites like Slashdot, commercial article sites like OnLamp and IBM DeveloperWorks, and personal blogs have become the norm. Wikipedia disseminates background information that previously was harder to find. - Most large distros have tech forums where questions are answered. - Ubuntu has become the standard-du-jour, and while its future is not guaranteed, it has raised the bar for Linux quality and support. I'm sure somebody will fill the gap if Shuttleworth withdraws his funding in a few years, either within Ububtu or in a future distro. - Linux works out of the box now in most major distros. I think even NVIDIA chips will run in VGA mode if the propriety drivers are missing? Given this, I think our previous resistance to a CMS is no longer relevant. Not that I'm recommending a CMS, but it's one option. The LG software could use an update and design review. It works. It may or may not be the best structure. The Cheetah templates at least should be replaced with Mako. I haven't done it because I haven't had time. > Maybe the problem has been that we've asked for the wrong kind of help, > or not actively enough, or maybe, ironically, that we put out too good a > publication despite being shorthanded, and didn't make it clear enough just > how over-extended Ben (and I) were feeling. (I've noted in the past that the > way that a lot of organizations end up with new blood is someone looking > over an imperfect offering and thinking, "I could do something to make that > go better!") I think the time has come to look at a different format and structure for LG. As long as somebody was willing to put in the time to maintain the old traditions, it was tenable. But with nobody willing to pick up the hot potato, LG will have to change or die. Here is what's still relevant: - The archives, linuxgazette.net domain, and existing FTP files. - A site for people to publish or link to new articles, with or without editing. - A site to link to cartoons. - A mailing list for technical questions. - Some form of News Bytes, although Linux Weekly News and Slashdot are sufficient alternative. So here are some ideas. Make a group donation to LWN in LG's name, and promote LWN as LG's successor. (Linuxfocus.org looks like it went defunct in 1995.) Open up lg-tag for tech questions & answers, or create another mailing list for it. I certainly have occasional questions with hardware issues, and a list would be better than mailing Thomas/Jimmy/Ben privately. In lieu of publishing the results, we'd just make sure the list software is easily searchable and browsable. I'd recommend Google Groups for this reason. We'd have to make it clear that while experts are subscribed to the list, they are not under obligation to respond to any particular question, and so some may remain unanswered. Make a wiki where people can publish links to new articles and to article collections. Bitbucket.org would be an easy place to do this, and we'd also get a free repository and ticket system for... whatever we'd want to put in it. Install a CMS such as Plone, build a basic site structure, and allow people to publish links and articles. Plone has a wiki which could do for links, and somebody would just have to approve applications for author permission and monitor the site for abuse (e.g., off-topic or clueless articles). A layer of editors/proofreaders could be added if such volunteers are available, or authors could manage their own articles. We'd have to forego the monthly issue, and perhaps just organize articles by their author, tags, and publishing date (which is built into CMS software). We could write an extension that makes a monthly newsletter with links to recent articles. I'd be willing to set this up since I need to learn Plone anyway, if one or two people could help. > Things LG needs: > > - Enough people copyediting so that the loss of one or more volunteers a > month doesn't lead to a critical shortage. > > - People who are working on finding new volunteers. > - More technical editors covering a variety of expertises. These are essentially the same thing. Being a recruiter would be a fun, easy job for somebody who's tired of editing and formatting. > - Someone, or a team of someones, who are in charge of dealing with > scripting issues as they come up. Ideally this person is able to be > on-call at the end of each month for any emergency coding issues, and it > would be better to have a group available, so that there's no single point > of failure. I am starting to get more time now that I have abandoned the book that was sucking up all my time. I could freshen up the scripts if somebody wants to take over ongoing maintenance. Or if we go with a CMS, the nature of the work would change significantly. > In this economy, there > should be many, many people who are looking to find a way to keep their > professional skills sharp, and their names out in public view. I have > plenty of ideas on what and where, but not enough time and energy to devote > to this effort. > - More writers. Linux has become a hot item of late, and that means more > paying venues for the pros. This clearly is not ground on which LG can > compete. Where LG *does* have a strength is in maintaining that Open Source > spirit, where merit gets a chance to shine through despite lack of previous > experience. We should be the ultimate CV-enhancement opportunity, and we've > had some notable successes in that realm (Aditya Nag especially comes to > mind), but that ISSN that we worked so hard to get should really have come > through as a pipeline for more publication material. These are also the same thing, and an important niche that LG can still fill. We'd needs a strategic task force to articulate what we have to offer, who we're looking for, and what the LG Recruiter might tell people. I don't know the ISSN issues. How long can we suspend publication, or what freedom of format do we have, without losing our qualifications? Why has the ISSN not been productive; is it something we have neglected? Who is Aditya Nag? > - More scouts in general. Is there someone who wants to put out a geeky > Webcomic, or to get a start in designing crossword puzzles or other > brainbender games for publication? What does "scouts" mean? Is that the same as recruiters? > None of this can happen in Hollywood-movie time. It's obvious that it'll > take time to build something solid like this. And if it really is going to > happen, then an extended hiatus is worthwhile, to do everything it takes to > make the next incarnation of LG something good and sustainable. Good point too. Having something ongoing and quality is more important than getting something done by July 1st or August 1st. If LG does shut down, we should have a farewell party on IRC or something. Looking forward to hearing other people's input. --- END FORWARD --- -- Mike Orr <[email protected]>
