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I'm not entirely sure why they titled the article this way, as it sounded (to me and others) like LWN is saying goodbye, rather than a staff member retiring fro

I'm not entirely sure why they titled the article this way, as it sounded (to me and others) like LWN is saying goodbye, rather than a staff member retiring from LWN. The former would be very sad. Anyway... I just wanted to say how high-quality LWN's content is, and very much worth subscribing to -- and it's not just Linux kernel stuff. I wrote several guest articles for them last year, and their editing process is excellent. You definitely cannot bluff; you really have to know what you're talking about, and then explain it clearly. They're (mercifully) allergic to buzzwords and hype. I even had to unlearn using the word "very": I would say "very fast" or "very good" or "very whatever else", and they basically said "cut all the very's, just say fast or good or whatever else, and let the reader decide whether it's very". And their (few) staff members are highly technical, so you get an excellent technical review as well. They're also a bit allergic to modern styling: I made a couple of minor suggestions and they politely declined. At first I thought their approach was a bit backwards, but on reflection I'd much rather they focus on quality textual content than make changes for the sake "looking modern". Their site works well on phone and desktop, is easy to read, and loads fast; what more could you want? One thing I do wonder: does LWN have a succession plan? Jon Corbet occasionally reminds us in his dry way that he's not getting any younger, and I know they only have 2 or 3 staff members. I hope that when the time is ripe they line someone else up who has the same focus on content and quality.

corbet 5y ago
Thanks for the nice words, Ben. The curious can have a look at his articles at https://lwn.net/Archives/GuestIndex/#Hoyt_Ben https://lwn.net/Archives/GuestIndex/#Hoyt_Ben . When's the next one coming? :) Meanwhile, I'm not going anywhere quite yet, but we're definitely looking for writer/editor types who would like to be a part of LWN and perhaps carry it forward in the distant future. Please drop us a note at lwn@lwn.net if you'd like to talk.
- blagie 5y ago
  The truth of the matter is that, from my perspective, LWN is you. You're a brilliant writer. You've chosen to devote your life to documenting the Linux kernel project. That's an important piece of world history. There are auxiliary folks around you, but crediting them is a little like taking R.R. Martin or JR Tolkien, and saying there's a team, since you need: - script writers for the movies; - editors of the books; - typesetters; or - whoever makes trinkets from their worlds for Amazon. Yes, they're all important, but they're not all equally important. At the heart of it, what you've given us is: - Documentation of a history of brilliant technical insight and work by other folks - Documentation of the growth and evolution of one of the first and most successful open communities. It's a gift to the world. Thank you for that. My hope is that whenever you retire -- and ideally before -- there's a plan for /deeply/ archiving LWN. For example, printing out a few hundred copies, and having them archived in secure places, and making it into a book in print. Tossing it onto archive.org. Etc. My other hope is also that it will eventually all be open-licensed in some way, shape, or form, once the economic value is more limited.
  - corbet 5y ago
    Addressing just that last point: all of our content is CC-BY 4.0 now, with the sole exception of the handful of articles behind the paywall at any given time. Thanks for the kind words!
leephillips 5y ago
A hearty second to everything you say about LWN’s high quality and standards. The editing process can be more than what an author had bargained for, but the result is always worth it. In my case I received a suggestion to look up what Mark Twain had to say about “very”. I’ve almost abandoned the word completely!

corbet 5y ago

Thanks for the nice words, Ben. The curious can have a look at his articles at https://lwn.net/Archives/GuestIndex/#Hoyt_Ben https://lwn.net/Archives/GuestIndex/#Hoyt_Ben . When's the next one coming? :) Meanwhile, I'm not going anywhere quite yet, but we're definitely looking for writer/editor types who would like to be a part of LWN and perhaps carry it forward in the distant future. Please drop us a note at lwn@lwn.net if you'd like to talk.

blagie 5y ago
The truth of the matter is that, from my perspective, LWN is you. You're a brilliant writer. You've chosen to devote your life to documenting the Linux kernel project. That's an important piece of world history. There are auxiliary folks around you, but crediting them is a little like taking R.R. Martin or JR Tolkien, and saying there's a team, since you need: - script writers for the movies; - editors of the books; - typesetters; or - whoever makes trinkets from their worlds for Amazon. Yes, they're all important, but they're not all equally important. At the heart of it, what you've given us is: - Documentation of a history of brilliant technical insight and work by other folks - Documentation of the growth and evolution of one of the first and most successful open communities. It's a gift to the world. Thank you for that. My hope is that whenever you retire -- and ideally before -- there's a plan for /deeply/ archiving LWN. For example, printing out a few hundred copies, and having them archived in secure places, and making it into a book in print. Tossing it onto archive.org. Etc. My other hope is also that it will eventually all be open-licensed in some way, shape, or form, once the economic value is more limited.
- corbet 5y ago
  Addressing just that last point: all of our content is CC-BY 4.0 now, with the sole exception of the handful of articles behind the paywall at any given time. Thanks for the kind words!

leephillips 5y ago

A hearty second to everything you say about LWN’s high quality and standards. The editing process can be more than what an author had bargained for, but the result is always worth it. In my case I received a suggestion to look up what Mark Twain had to say about “very”. I’ve almost abandoned the word completely!