Linux Foundation & Sourceforge acquire Linux.com

A happy day for penguins - a new improved Linux.com on the way
A happy day for penguins - a new improved Linux.com on the way

The Linux Foundation and SoundForge today stretched their open source muscles, announcing that they would be taking over Linux.com, transforming it into a 'a vibrant and long-lasting community destination for Linux users and developers.'

Effective today, the Linux.com domain, which saw 21 per cent growth in traffic last year, will be transferred to the Linux Foundation. SourceForge will support the Linux Foundation by continuing to sell the advertising for Linux.com.

The new Linux.com site will transform in the months ahead from solely being a news source to a collaborative site that will be "for the community, by the community."

While the Linux Foundation - a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux - will host the collaboration forum, the site will feature users and developers and give them the tools needed to connect with each other and with Linux.

Attracting business users to Linux?

Linux.com will also extend the Linux Foundation's existing content and community programs available on www.linuxfoundation.org and will showcase information for business users of Linux.

"We are thrilled to add Linux.com to our list of programs in service to the Linux community," said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation. "SourceForge is demonstrating its commitment to the Linux and open source community with this arrangement. We look forward to showcasing the power of collaboration through Linux.com and our on-going alliance with SourceForge."

"For SourceForge, this is both an opportunity to continue serving the Linux community and to represent the Linux Foundation with our company's media expertise," said Jon Sobel, group president, media at SourceForge. "We appreciate that, on the modern web, doing both things well is a hallmark of good companies, and we look forward to jointly supporting a successful effort for the community."

A beta version of the new site is expected in 'a few months'. Starting today, it is launching an 'IdeaForge' (see what they did there?) on the site to canvass opinions and ideas from the Linux user community on its future direction. Existing forums and content will also continue to available.

Mark Harris is Senior Research Director at Gartner.