Yesterday, instead of getting my monthly link to download the latest issue, I got an email announcing that after producing 283 issues, it was the end of the line for Linux Journal. Short story, no more money. No December issue.
Linux Journal was one of the first magazines devoted to Linux, starting in 1994. I've subscribed to it since February 1995. LJ went all digital in 2011 because there wasn't enough money to pay for printing. I watched the number of advertisers shrink to a handful. But LJ kept going, providing quality articles focusing on Linux and FOSS software, and being a voice advocating for Linux, Open Source and open standards. I for one will miss that voice.
Food for thought:
Kyle Rankin (long-time LJ author) says, "One thought that has stuck with me since I got the news that Linux Journal was shutting down is just how _different_ the Linux community as a whole is today compared to when I started the column ten years ago, much less when I started using Linux twenty years ago. ... these days everyone's pockets are full of proprietary apps that we justify because they sit on top of a bit of Open Source software at the bottom of the stack. ... Linux has become the vegetable we batter in proprietary software and deep fry--sure more people will eat it that way but it's not nearly as good for you. Over time we've all started eating our vegetables that way and it's made our community unhealthy."
Linux as a deep fried battered vegetable?