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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.<ref name="osnews">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As of 2014, its managing editor is Thom Holwerda, who joined in 2005.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
OSnews has been referenced by TIME,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ars Technica,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wired,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Computerworld,<ref name="computerworld">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> LifeHacker,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Linux.com,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> OMG! Ubuntu!<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and lwn.net.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wired described OSnews as "an alternative operating system Web magazine",<ref name="wired">Template:Cite news</ref> 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."<ref name="osnews2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
StaffEdit
- Thom Holwerda is managing editor.<ref name="osnews"/><ref name="osnews3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- David Adams is a publisher and regular contributor.<ref name="osnews"/>
- 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.Template:Citation needed She took on a more passive role in recent years as senior editor.<ref name="osnews"/> She started the original GnomeFiles.org (GTK+ software repository).<ref name="osnews4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Adam Scheinberg is the webmaster.<ref name="osnews"/> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Jon Jensen is the systems administrator, dealing with site availability and DNS.<ref name="osnews"/>
FunctionEdit
Besides its main site, OSNews previously detected hundreds of mobile browsers and handsets<ref name="osnews"/> 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.<ref name="osnews5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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).Template:Citation needed
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<ref name="osnews6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="osnews7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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,<ref name="osnews8">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> a webcomic based on the various news items OSNews carries. Focus Shift was updated tri-weekly, until it was discontinued in mid-2008.