OSNews
{{Distinguish|OSN News}}
{{Infobox website
| name = OSNews
| favicon =
| logo = OSnews logo.png
| logo_size = 100px
| url = {{URL|https://www.osnews.com}}
| language = English
| type = Online newspaper
| registration = Optional
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1997}}
| current_status = Active
| editor = Thom Holwerda (managing editor), David Adams (contributor)
}}
OSNews is a computing online newspaper. It originally focused on operating systems and their related technologies that launched in 1997, but is now aggregating consumer electronics news. The content is managed by a group of editors and the owner.{{cite web |title=OSNews is Exploring the Future of Computing |url=https://www.osnews.com/contact |access-date=2013-01-05 |website=OSNews}} As of 2014, its managing editor is Thom Holwerda, who joined in 2005.{{cite web |title=User Page: Tom_Holwerda |url=https://www.osnews.com/user/uid:5/profile |access-date=2014-01-05 |website=OS News}}
OSnews has been referenced by TIME,{{cite news |last=Newman |first=Jared |date=29 February 2012 |title=Raspberry Pi $25 Computer on Sale, but Good Luck Getting One |url=https://techland.time.com/2012/02/29/raspberry-pi-35-computer-on-sale-but-good-luck-getting-one |access-date=2014-01-05 |website=Time}} Ars Technica,{{cite web|last=Salter |first=Jim |url=https://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2011/07/osnews-has-published-an-introduction.ars |title=OSNews has published an introduction to programming on the Haiku operating system. It describes the platform architecture and basics of application development |publisher=Arstechnica.com |access-date=2014-01-23}}{{cite web|last=Fisher |first=Ken |url=https://arstechnica.com/old/content/2002/09/1257.ars |title=OS News reviews Red Hat 8.0 |publisher=Arstechnica.com |date=2002-09-30 |access-date=2014-01-23}} Wired,{{cite news|author=James Glave |url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1998/02/10165 |title=Think Different: Hack a New Mac OS |publisher=Wired.com |date=2013-03-28 |access-date=2014-01-23}}{{cite news|author=James Glave |url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1997/10/7933 |title=An OS Is As an OS Does - Any Questions? |publisher=Wired.com |date=2013-03-28 |access-date=2014-01-23}} Computerworld,{{cite web|author=Ryan Faas |url=https://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9137229/What_s_the_real_deal_with_64_bit_computing_in_Snow_Leopard_ |title=What's the real deal with 64-bit computing in Snow Leopard? |publisher=Computerworld |date=2009-08-28 |access-date=2014-01-23}}{{cite web|author=Ken Mingis |url=https://www.computerworld.com/s/article/97346/Macintosh_Highlights_From_Around_the_Web_April_June_2004_ |title=Macintosh Highlights From Around the Web (April-June 2004) |publisher=Computerworld |date=2004-11-07 |access-date=2014-01-23}} LifeHacker,{{cite web|author=12/24/09 7:00am 12/24/09 7:00am |url=http://lifehacker.com/5433452/cygwin-17-adds-windows-7-support-and-many-improvements |title=Cygwin 1.7 Adds Windows 7 Support and Many Improvements |date=24 December 2009 |publisher=Lifehacker.com |access-date=2014-01-23}}{{cite web|author=4/26/10 4:00pm 4/26/10 4:00pm |url=http://lifehacker.com/5524986/remains-of-the-day-say-goodbye-to-the-floppy-disk-edition |title=Remains of the Day: Say Goodbye to the Floppy Disk Edition |publisher=Lifehacker.com |date=2010-04-26 |access-date=2014-01-23}}{{cite web|author=4/16/09 5:00pm 4/16/09 5:00pm |url=http://lifehacker.com/5214799/remains-of-the-day-xp-is-officially-old-now-edition |title=Remains of the Day: XP is Officially Old Now Edition |date=17 April 2009 |publisher=Lifehacker.com |access-date=2014-01-23}} Linux.com,{{cite web|url=https://www.linux.com/news/embedded-mobile/mobile-linux/26200-maemo-to-switch-to-qt |title=Maemo To Switch To Qt |publisher=Linux.com |date=2009-07-06 |access-date=2014-01-23}} OMG! Ubuntu!{{cite web|author=Joey-Elijah Sneddon |url=https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2009/10/re-enable-missing-icons-in-ubuntu-9-10/ |title=Re-enable Missing Icons In Ubuntu 9.10 |publisher=Omgubuntu.co.uk |date=2009-10-19 |access-date=2014-01-23}} and lwn.net.{{cite web|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/399603/ |title=Genode 10.08 Comes with Gallium3D, MadWifi, Qt4.6.3 (OSNews) and |publisher=Lwn.net |date=2010-08-11 |access-date=2014-01-23}} Wired described OSnews as "an alternative operating system Web magazine",{{cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1997/10/7933|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120917214518/http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1997/10/7933|archive-date=2012-09-17|title=An OS Is As an OS Does - Any Questions?|access-date=2014-01-11 | url-status=dead}} and in 2011 Holwerda noted that "while the alternative operating systems scene might no longer be the prime focus of OSNews due to a lack of activity in that field, it's still where our heart lies."{{cite web |title=OSNews Browser & OS Stats |url=https://www.osnews.com/story/24579/OSNews_Browser_OS_Stats |access-date=2014-01-11}}
Staff
- Thom Holwerda is managing editor.{{cite web|url=https://www.osnews.com/story/author/thom-holwerda/|title=User Page: Tom_Holwerda|access-date=2014-01-11}}
- David Adams is a publisher and regular contributor.
- Eugenia Loli-Queru, the former editor-in-chief of OSNews, resigned in June 2005. Version 2 of OSNews was written by Eugenia in August 2001 when she resurrected the site after long periods of inactivity.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} She took on a more passive role in recent years as senior editor. She started the original GnomeFiles.org (GTK+ software repository).{{cite web|url=https://www.osnews.com/story/author/eugenia/|title=User Page: Eugenia|access-date=2014-01-11}}
- Adam Scheinberg is the webmaster. He wrote version 3 of the site in 2005, which added user registration, and version 4, a complete and total rewrite of the codebase. In late 2018, he led the conversion to WordPress.{{cite web|url=https://www.osnews.com/story/128924/what-happened-here/|title=What happened here?}}
- Jon Jensen is the systems administrator, dealing with site availability and DNS.
Function
Besides its main site, OSNews previously detected hundreds of mobile browsers and handsets and redirected them to a specially formatted cHTML version of the website at mobile.osnews.com. Eugenia Loli-Queru, the author of this script, open sourced it in 2008.{{cite web |title=Open Sourcing OSNews' Mobile Detection Kit |url=https://www.osnews.com/story/19681/Open_Sourcing_OSNews_Mobile_Detection_Kit |access-date=2014-04-04 |publisher=osnews.com}}
The editors contribute original articles and manage the submissions of news bits, articles, editorial comments and reviews that are submitted by readers. OSNews serves daily 275,000 page views on average (as of October 2005).{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}
Like other technology news sites such as Slashdot, it has a free user/subscription model, and allows viewers to add commentary to articles. In 2005, OSNews published version 3 of its website, which includes an all-new commenting engine. Instead of reporting comments to moderators, this system now relies on votes. Readers can vote comments up or down, and readers can set a score threshold, which can eliminate the down-voted comments from view.
In late 2007, version 4 was launched, which completely overhauled the backend of the website, and was followed by version 4.1{{cite web |title=At Long Last... A New Look for OSNews |url=https://www.osnews.com/story/19235/At_Long_Last..._A_New_Look_for_OSNews |access-date=2014-04-04 |publisher=osnews.com}} which added a brand new theme and look to the website.
On February 12, 2007, managing editor Thom Holwerda published the 1.0 version of the OSNews Style Guide.{{cite web |title=The OSNews Style Guide v1.0 |url=https://www.osnews.com/story.php/17241/The-OSNews-Style-Guide-v1.0 |access-date=2014-04-04 |publisher=osnews.com}} This style guide is licensed under a Creative Commons license so that other websites and publications can use and adapt the guide to their liking. OSNews is one of the few sites of its kind with such a style guide.
In January 2008, Thom Holwerda launched Focus Shift,{{cite web |title=OSNews Announces Focus Shift |url=https://www.osnews.com/story/19231/OSNews_Announces_Focus_Shift |access-date=2014-04-04 |publisher=osnews.com}} a webcomic based on the various news items OSNews carries. Focus Shift was updated tri-weekly, until it was discontinued in mid-2008.
References
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
- {{Official website}}
- [https://www.osnews.com/story/author/thom-holwerda/ Thom Holwerda (OSNews)]
- [https://www.osnews.com/story/author/david/ David Adams (OSNews)]
- [https://www.osnews.com/story/author/eugenia/ Eugenia Loli-Queru (OSNews)]
- [https://www.osnews.com/story/author/adam/ Adam Scheinberg (OSNews)]