A screenshot of the newly redesigned and relaunched linux.com website.
The Linux Foundation (www.linuxfoundation.org), the non-profit group involved in promoting the Linux open source operating system announced last week that it had formally launched the website Linux.com (www.linux.com).
The organization took formal stewardship of the site in March, and began seeking input from the Linux community on how the new site would take shape. The site launched this week, says the group, is the product of that input and a “new online home for all things Linux.”
Among the notable aspects of Linux is the community associated with the software, and the updated website is designed to be a focal point for that community. The Linux Foundation says the new site will connect Linux users and developers, and its “guru listing” will focus on connecting individuals to jobs and collaboration opportunities.
Rather than a static site, the new Linux.com provides opportunities for sharing knowledge and asking and answering questions, as well as helping users to find the right software and hardware to solve problems.
“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,” says Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation, quoted in the announcement. “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.”
The major features of the site include a news section featuring original content and material from Linux Foundation workgroups; a community section, featuring tools for creating and promoting Linux and open source groups; a “distribution central” section, which showcases original contributions from each of the Linux community “distros”; a learning section, providing a centralized repository for Linux documentation; and a directory section, providing a user-contributed and user-reviews database of software applications that run on Linux, as well as Linux-compatible hardware components, books, hosting and other professional services.
Visitors can now register and begin contributing to the community. Registered site users can produce blogs hosted at Linux.com, post product reviews and submit “how-tos” and tutorials. Users can also earn points toward their “Linux Guru” standing by participating in activities on the site. Each year, the site’s top user will be crowned the “Ultimate Linux Guru,” and will be given a “dream” Linux notebook computer signed by Linux founder Linus Torvalds. Other active users will win prizes throughout the year.
About Liam Eagle
Liam Eagle has worked as a contributor to the Web Host Industry Review since its inception in 2000, and as editor since 2003. He has been editor of the WHIR's print magazine since its launch. His daily involvement in the gathering and reporting of Web hosting news and his regular interaction with Web hosting leaders gives him an uncommonly broad appreciation of the issues and tends facing the business. Through his WHIR blog, Liam spots Web hosting trends and offers opinions on the industry-wide impacts of major developments and the motivation behind big announcements. Follow him on Twitter @liameagle
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