October marks 10 friggin years of Slashdot, and nobody is more surprised
about any of this than me. Throughout the month we'll be running a series
of navel gazing meta news articles about our history, infrastructure and plans for the future. We're also
going to give away 500 t-shirts and
ThinkGeek gift certificates to people willing to
organize and attend their own local Slashdot parties. One lucky winner will get a cool grand to blow at ThinkGeek! I'm going to attend "official" gatherings in Ann Arbor, MI on Oct 20 and in Palo Alto, CA on Oct 25. But you can read on for details about party organization and how you can win the grand prize.
To be eligible for schwag, you need to schedule your party by Oct 8 and sign up to attend a party
by Oct 9- this will give us time to figure out where to send the shirts, and time to send them before
you all start partying naked during the official party window of Oct 19-28.
As for the one thousand dollar ThinkGeek Gift Certificate grand prize, the winner
will be the party attendee who submits the coolest thing for our "scrapbook".
Videos. Pictures. Songs. Anything you can email. Something that proves that your party was the one we all wish we were at. The deadline for submissions will
be Oct 28. We'll have an official
submission email address posted later. This is all about creativity and coolness
so good luck with that. The grand prize winner will be posted on Oct 31, the end of the
month when we can all forget that any of this ever happened.
Oh, and happy birthday to us. Here's to wasting another decade, same as the first.
wow (Score:3, Informative)
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About time I lost a "who's is the smallest" contest...
So close... (Score:3, Interesting)
I feel your pain. Just 1051 users between me and the hollowed ground of 4-digitdom.
It'd be cool if /. added a table that listed blocks of ids, their user name and last time they'd logged in or posted. I can't imagine that too many of the 1051 users between me and 9999 are actually still active.
Re:So close... (Score:5, Funny)
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-bwulf
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http://slashdot.org/~Surt/journal/183407 [slashdot.org]
More professional editing? (Score:4, Insightful)
The only present most of us want from Slashdot is more care in posting stories.
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I'll just cut this off now then.
Oh sure, brag, but in Bacon numbers, you're a... oh, wow, 3 [oracleofbacon.org], not bad!
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I feel so relieved that I did not discovered slashdot when I first heard about it (like 8 years ago when I was in the University, a friend of mine asked me [Norman, de la U. Baja California Sur...] "do you have an account in slashdot... it is the place where all the geeks discuss tech things") because I would have lost still more time than what I lose right now...
But hey, 10 years is quite a lot, I would like to congratulate Rob and the team for what they have achieved here. I would also like to be interested if some of the people being here before could make sort of a summary about the interesting issues that happened *inside* discussions, as for example the fact that a guy like NewYorkCountryLawyer is in slashdot, or the Scientology issue or the Sony rootkit (those all the ones I know... but I am fairly new, I am *sure* there sould be more interesting thigns in the discussions of slashdot).
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I see nothing wrong with this and would consider it myself if something came along at the right time.
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=118075&cid=9980688 [slashdot.org]
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There was the whole voices from the hellmouth thing. A big deal actually, read up on it.
CleverNickName's jokes in trekkie threads look really out of place until you figure out who he is. say, here [slashdot.org]. The first one I saw was a joke on how something was done on the Enterprise, he simply replied "in my day we did it this way..." and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why he was +5 funny. He also had an ask slashdot which redeemed him for a lot of people.
Trolling, Karma Whoring, Metamoderation have a whole story that I won't get into. There was a troll who upon leaving
Goatse. That's the reason why links now get the domain name appended.
Slashdot got hacked once, because the production site had the same password as a less secure test site. That was an interesting discussion.
CommanderTaco's wedding proposal (see the FAQ, favorite story). Achieving record number of posts.
Database breaks upon reaching 2**31-1. Site goes back online without threading for a few days.
This is only some I remember. There were other story-related cool stuff. Some interesting interviews as well.
(I have a high UID because I always posted as AC, but I've been here for a long time)
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I signed up for slashdot.org slightly over three years ago. Since that time I've seen it go from an obscure "news for nerds" website to being immensely popular with IT professionals. I was here before Linux was hyped. When Voices from the Hellmouth appeared on the front page, like most everybody else at the time, I was stunned into silence. Not only because this was the first time Katz had posted something that didn't stroke his ego, but also because it was a document that stood on its own. One could hear and feel the words because they were true; Like many on Slashdot I had gone through the now well-known geek/outcast stage during my schooling. Although by now it has been dragged through the media and featured so many times that many people's stomachs turn just mentioning it, but it was important at the time. It was definitely a turning point for the entire community. It was also the first time that Slashdot had featured an article of such far-reaching proportions. It was not Slashdot's daily bread and butter, which consisted mainly of short opinion pieces, a "ask the experts"-styled column and, of course, the daily links.
Slashdot at the time, to me was an experiment which was always on the verge of exploding. The scores of posts from users, the quick corrections as the authors realized (once again) that they had posted too soon, the inevitable technical difficulties - through all of this it seemed that the thing that kept the site from melting down was the fact that one could login to Slashdot and see what other people had to say. Whether it was Microsoft's latest underhanded tactic or a cool hack of a random piece of hardware, Slashdot had it covered... and more importantly, had the opinions of other like-minded people for one to read.
During all of that you had me. Like a fair number of other geeks, my job was boring and unchallenging. And like most people in tech support and web design, you get a lot of downtime too. One can only surf the web for so long before you've seen everything and been everywhere. Whatever the four-color glossies say, the interactive world out here is tiring, both mentally and physically. The natural solution, to me, was to lay on the refresh button of my browser and start posting to Slashdot. On practically every article that I could come up with an opinion on, I posted to. Some of them were fine works of literary art. Others were little more than OOG_THE_CAVEMAN posts, except without the capitalization.
In the middle of all this commotion a seemingly unsolvable problem appeared: Slashdot was becoming more popular. Doesn't seem like much of a problem, really, until you realize one of the first laws of the internet: "In any large gathering, the majority of people are idiots". Like Usenet, a subculture rapidly formed whose only objective, it seemed, was to crash the system by overloading it with stupidity. We tried ignoring it. Then we denounced it. Finally, we moderated it.
I probably narrowly missed being one of the "first 200" moderators. I'm glad I missed being selected because "Version 1.0" fared about as well as one could expect. Not only did it start on fire, but it also set a lot of other people on fire. Mass flaming ensued. A lot of normally well-tempered slashdotters suddenly had picked up their pitchfork and were threatening to lynch Rob. Oh, and the trolls? They were right there, continuing their stupid commentary and replying with silly comments... completely unaware that they had caused the Slashdot crew to silently segfault, and probably a lot of the readership in the process.
"Version 2.0", implemented maybe two months later, was pressed into service because the popularity of Slashdot (and hence the number of stupid people) had reached a level which was overwhelming even the 200 mode
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=)
Congrats on a decade, and over $1 billion in lost fortune 500 productivity.
Yeah. But who has the highest karma? (Score:3, Funny)
We know they've really been keeping score.
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I guess AC doesn't want any friends [slashdot.org]. I never liked that guy much anyhow!
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Yep!
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I just looked up the email Slashdot sent when I joined (yes, I tend to archive *all* mail. Make fun of me, but it comes in handy during situations like this!)
3 September 1998.
I think I had read a while before that, but only signed up for an ID a little while later. I was not, and am still not, a fan of having to sign up for web pages. Slashdot proved itself over that month or two, so they got my information.
So in about eleven months, Slashdot only had a little over 2000 registered users. I a
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- Robin
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The History of the World, as seen through /. (Score:5, Funny)
2.5 million B.C.: OOG the Open Source Caveman develops the axe and releases it under the GPL. The axe quickly gains popularity as a means of crushing moderators' heads.
100,000 B.C.: Man domesticates the AIBO.
10,000 B.C.: Civilization begins when early farmers first learn to cultivate hot grits.
3000 B.C.: Sumerians develop a primitive cuneiform perl script.
2920 B.C.: A legendary flood sweeps Slashdot, filling up a Borland / Inprise story with hundreds of offtopic posts.
1750 B.C.: Hammurabi, a Mesopotamian king, codifies the first EULA.
490 B.C.: Greek city-states unite to defeat the Persians. ESR triumphantly proclaims that the Greeks "get it".
399 B.C.: Socrates is convicted of impiety. Despite the efforts of freesocrates.com, he is forced to kill himself by drinking hemlock.
336 B.C.: Fat-Time Charlie becomes King of Macedonia and conquers Persia.
4 B.C.: Following the Star (as in hot young actress) of Bethelem, wise men travel from far away to troll for baby Jesus.
A.D. 476: The Roman Empire BSODs.
A.D. 610: The Glorious MEEPT!! founds Islam after receiving a revelation from God. Following his disappearance from Slashdot in 632, a succession dispute results in the emergence of two troll factions: the Pythonni and the Perliites.
A.D. 800: Charlemagne conquers nearly all of Germany, only to be acquired by andover.net.
A.D. 874: Linus the Red discovers Iceland.
A.D. 1000: The epic of the Beowulf Cluster is written down. It is the first English epic poem.
A.D. 1095: Pope Bruce II calls for a crusade against the Turks when it is revealed they are violating the GPL. Later investigation reveals that Pope Bruce II had not yet contacted the Turks before calling for the crusade.
A.D. 1215: Bowing to pressure to open-source the British government, King John signs the Magna Carta, limiting the British monarchy's power. ESR triumphantly proclaims that the British monarchy "gets it".
A.D. 1348: The ILOVEYOU virus kills over half the population of Europe. (The other half was not using Outlook.)
A.D. 1420: Johann Gutenberg invents the printing press. He is immediately sued by monks claiming that the technology will promote the copying of hand-transcribed books, thus violating the church's intellectual property.
A.D. 1429: Natalie Portman of Arc gathers an army of Slashdot trolls to do battle with the moderators. She is eventually tried as a heretic and stoned (as in petrified).
A.D. 1478: The Catholic Church partners with doubleclick.net to launch the Spanish Inquisition.
A.D. 1492: Christopher Columbus arrives in what he believes to be "India", but which RMS informs him is actually "GNU/India".
A.D. 1508-12: Michaelengelo attempts to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling with ASCII art, only to have his plan thwarted by the "Lameness Filter."
A.D. 1517: Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to the church door and is promptly moderated down to (-1, Flamebait).
A.D. 1553: "Bloody" Mary ascends the throne of England and begins an infamous crusade against Protestants. ESR eats his words. A.D. 1588: The "IF I EVER MEET YOU, I WILL KICK YOUR ASS" guy meets the Spanish Armada.
A.D. 1603: Tokugawa Ieyasu unites the feuding pancake-eating ninjas of Japan.
A.D. 1611: Mattel adds Galileo Galilei to its CyberPatrol block list for proposing that the Earth revolves around the sun.
A.D. 1688: In the so-called "Glorious Revolution", King James II is bloodlessly forced out of power and flees to France. ESR again triumphantly proclaims that the British monarchy "gets it".
A.D. 1692: Anti-GIF hysteria in the New World comes to a head in the infamous "Salem GIF Trials", in which 20 alleged GIFs are burned at the stake. Later investigation reveals that mayn of the supposed GIFs were actually PNGs.
A.D. 1769: James Watt patents the one-click steam engine.
A.D. 1776: Trolls, angered by CmdrTaco's passage of the Moderation Act, rebel. After a several-year
re: 3000 B.C. Sumerians... (Score:4, Funny)
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One has to ask... (Score:5, Insightful)
The first "all your base are belong to us?"
The first "in Soviet Russia" joke?
The first time someone imagined a Beowulf cluster?
Ah, ten years of Slashdot cliches. Here's to ten more, you crazy nerds.
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NATALIE PORTMAN IS NAKED (Score:3, Informative)
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I for one welcome our cliché-generating overlords...
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Although my UID is not single digits or anything. I was a slahdotter before slashdot. If you know what chip-n-dips is, then you are an older geek like me.
Bonus points if you know what omphaloskepsis means.
10 years? Where has the time gone?
Reply to parent (Score:5, Funny)
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http://slashdot.org/index.pl?issue=19971231 [slashdot.org]
I was board one day and figured out just how far back I could get
Re:One has to ask... (Score:5, Interesting)
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And what is even sadder is I probably have those 3 to 4 months of stories stuffed into some netscape cache, on some drives cramed in my infinite shit pile of left over computer parts.
Re:One has to ask... (Score:4, Informative)
We'd totally love that. If you'd serious about trying, write a /. journal about it and see if there's interest. If there is, email us (email me directly if you want).
I imagine we could help by e.g. providing a dump of what story sid's and comment cid's pre-2000 we do have...
Prizes! (Score:2)
Wow. (Score:2)
Here's to another ten years of Slashdot.
I for one.... (Score:5, Funny)
Happy Birthday! (Score:4, Funny)
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wait (Score:2)
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Holy sh*t (Score:2, Funny)
Seriously though good job
And to think, I woke up today and didn't feel old (Score:5, Interesting)
Ten years since I've been an intern. And, in certain respects, I'm still sitting here this morning doing that same sort of stuff. That's... depressing. I need to go open a bicycle shop or something.
Re:And to think, I woke up today and didn't feel o (Score:5, Interesting)
here we go again (Score:5, Funny)
Happy Anniversary! (Score:2)
I remember how happy I was when my roomates and I could finally afford broadband many many years ago
Thanks for all the great news, sometimes twice
Cheers!
Live long and prosper !!! (Score:2)
Women (Score:2)
Re:Women (Score:5, Funny)
obligatory (Score:5, Interesting)
oldest I could find
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Minimum requirements for Slashdot party? (Score:5, Funny)
In order to stay closer to the "spirit" of Slashdot, I can buy the same beer two events in a row and then shout "dup!" at myself. Then, I can complain bitterly about the quality of the beer, and how I used to buy much better beer 10 years ago before I sold out and got all "corporate". I'll hang a big banner that says "2007: The Year of Linux on the Desktop" and shout "Windows Sucks!" at passersby. Finally, I'll pour hot grits down my pants and pass out on the keyboard mumbling sweet nothings about what I'd do to a petrified Natalie Portman.
The last thing I should do, if I want to keep the event true to the Slashdot spirit, is to invite others to attend. So, I think my party will be the most "authentic" Slashdot party of them all. Where's my t-shirt?
On soviet Slashdot (Score:3, Funny)
TOP TEN PROBLEMS WITH THIS (Score:5, Funny)
9. People only like me on Slashdot because they cannot smell me on slashdot
8. People will probably bring laptops, and I run Windows Vista
7. People will realize I am not a) an astrophysicist nor b) a hot female astrophysicist
6. While I can get away with visiting Slashdot at work, people will actually notice I am not working if I go to this.
5. Actual, retributive karma likely if my "foes" met me in person
4. I don't remember my password
3. ???
2. profit!
and finally
1. I don't actually want to be associated with any of you in real life (I keed, I keed!)
Chips and Dips (Score:5, Informative)
For a while archive.org had an archive of a Chips and Dips page, but it mysteriously disappeared. The files I retrieved are here: http://toastytech.com/files/chipsndips.html [toastytech.com]
I wasn't there myself at the beginning, I discovered Slashdot one of the first times C-Net News.com linked to it - and then I just stupidly hung around without signing up for ages until there was some article I wanted to comment on (probably something anti-IE)
BTW, anyone got the original Chips & Dips logo graphic? Archive.org never did have that.
party time? think again. (Score:3, Insightful)
The Birthday Song! (Score:4, Funny)
Happy Birthday To You!
Happy Birthday Dear Slashdot! (*HOT GRITS AND GOATSE!*)
Happy Birthday To You!
=)
Old Timer (Score:5, Funny)
Suggestion: Reposting stories from 10 years ago (Score:5, Interesting)
Opinions, anyone?
Re:Suggestion: Reposting stories from 10 years ago (Score:5, Funny)
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Guide to Slashdot Interviews (Score:3, Funny)
Dear /. Reader,
Last week we selected [famous name] as an authority in [field] to answer some of your best and brightest questions. We've included [his/her] responses below:
[the I-think-you-are-cool-and-would-like-to-be-like-you question]
1. How did you choose [field] and how can I get more involved in [field].
[famous name] Well, I really started by [...at this point, [famous name] begins to launch into a short autobiography. The reply to this first question will take up about as much space as the other 9 combined.]
[the multi-part question]
2. I think you are really cool. What are you feelings on [topic]?
and how it relates to groundhogs
[famous name] Phew! That sure is a lot to answer. Well I guess you could sum it up neatly by saying that, yes, I do like it all.
[the I-also-like-[other-topic]-do-you-think-it's-relate d-to-your-[field] question]
3. I really like your work and am also interested in the whole Napster-Metallica-MP3 debate. How do you think it relates to your scientific [field]?
[famous name] Well, I, well, uh... [at this point, [famous name] is thinking, "Where in the world did that question come from? Oh well, I'll try to be polite and answer it] I really think that, uh, music should be, uh, heard--yeah, heard!--and I think that, uh, well, Napster provides a service of hearing.
[the really-in-depth question]
4. Dear [famous name],
I have tracked your research into biogenetical ESP CIO medicare research with great interested and wondered if you could clarify a minor point for me: in your estimation, are the EIO levels in a controlled AF/BF reaction substantially higher than the CF/DF state because of genetic-electro-magnetic lunar levels or is it mostly from O2 radiation WRT our helial position?
[famous name] [Recognizes a quality question from a member of [field] and tries to formulate a scientific answer] Well, I believe my research has conclusively show that CD/DF states can be generated from the O2 +7/~3KE100 states of the T1000 with ISA/PCI/FBI catalysts [...launches into such arcane detail that no one outside of his research area has any clue what he's talking about.]
[the Score:5, Funny question]
5. What do you think of Natalie Portman eating hot grits in a Boewulf cluster?
[famous name] Uh, well, I'm not really sure what you mean. Wasn't Natilie Portman that actress in Star Wars or something? [[famous name] is now wondering what he's got himself into, and who exactly are these Slashdot people...]
[the your-work-sucks-I-scoff-at-you question]
6. Hey [famous name's first name], I seen you on CNBC and I gotta tell ya, I don't think it's gonna work. I mean, whose to say that you even gradated from MIT in the 1st place? Are we supose to believe that stuff? If ur so smart, how come you haven't figured it out yet?????!!!!!
[famous name] Well I believe we can make this work. I realize we've spent $80 million in research already, but if you look at the data I think you'll see that our work has some definite promise here. The possibilities for science are almost endless!
.
.
.
[more questions. [famous name]'s answers are g
From the original site (Score:3, Insightful)
The site in its very early days had the following threat for the comment posting system:
What I want to know, is does that threat still apply?
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Re:party like it's 1997! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:party like it's 1997! (Score:4, Funny)
Bah... you must be new here. I'm sure you missed at least one.
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Bah... you must be new here. I'm sure you missed at least one.
Re:party like it's 1997! (Score:5, Funny)
2. Cowboyneal blows kdawson while jon katz films
3. Profit!!!
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Re:Historical Exhibit? (Score:4, Informative)
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Jan 11, 1998 [archive.org] (Article #421) from trying links on that page to older articles.
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Quite an ingenious solution he came up with. Glad he didn't just remove it instead.
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- Real Doll giveaways
- Coke, Beer, Pizza, and cookies?
Halo? Coke? what world are you living in uh?
Mountain dew, D&D
please hand your geek card at exit...
Re:will there be bonuses? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:This month? (Score:5, Interesting)
Porn for Nerds. Stuff that splatters. [suck.com]