View source for Slashdot

{{Short description|Technology-related news website (launched 1997)}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox website
| name             = ''Slashdot'' {{(-}}''/.'')
| logo             = Slashdot logo.png
| caption          = Screenshot of the ''Slashdot.org'' main page
| url              = {{URL|slashdot.org}}
| language         = English
| type             = [[Online newspaper]]<BR>[[Social news]]
| registration     = Optional
| owner            = Slashdot Media<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/slashdot-media-to-merge-with-bizx-llc-creating-a-market-leader-in-b2b-software-technology-and-data-1028780285 | title=Slashdot Media to Merge with BIZX, LLC, Creating a Market Leader in B2B, Software, Technology, and Data | website=[[Business Insider]] | access-date=2020-01-12 | archive-date=2020-01-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112202047/https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/slashdot-media-to-merge-with-bizx-llc-creating-a-market-leader-in-b2b-software-technology-and-data-1028780285 | url-status=live }}</ref>
| author           = [[Rob Malda]]<br />[[Jeff Bates (technologist)|Jeff Bates]]
| key_people   = Logan Abbott ([[President (corporate title)|President]])<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sdbj.com/news/2016/jan/28/slashdot-media-acquired-bizx-undisclosed-price/ | title=Slashdot Media Acquired by BIZX for Undisclosed Price | work=[[American City Business Journals]] | date=January 28, 2016 | access-date=July 25, 2020 | archive-date=July 22, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722140501/https://www.sdbj.com/news/2016/jan/28/slashdot-media-acquired-bizx-undisclosed-price/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
| launch_date      = {{start date and age|1997|10|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whois.domaintools.com/slashdot.org|title=Slashdot.org WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info&nbsp;– DomainTools|work=[[WHOIS]]|access-date=2016-10-14|archive-date=2018-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201143255/http://whois.domaintools.com/slashdot.org|url-status=live}}</ref>
| current_status   = Online
| revenue          = Advertisement, optional subscription
}}
'''''Slashdot''''' (sometimes abbreviated as '''''/.''''') is a [[social news]] website that originally billed itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters". It features news stories on science, technology, and politics that are submitted and evaluated by site users and editors. Each story has a comments section where users can add online comments.
The website was founded in 1997 by [[Hope College]] students [[Rob Malda]], also known as "CmdrTaco", and classmate [[Jeff Bates (technologist)|Jeff Bates]], also known as "Hemos". In 2012, they sold it to<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dhigroupinc.com/our-company/default.aspx?section=cTimeline|title=DHI Group Inc. - Our Company|website=dhigroupinc.com|access-date=2016-06-03|archive-date=2016-05-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521194347/http://www.dhigroupinc.com/our-company/default.aspx?section=cTimeline|url-status=live}}</ref> DHI Group, Inc. (i.e., Dice Holdings International, which created the [[Dice.com]] website for tech job seekers<ref name="dice2012">{{cite web|url=http://www.dhigroupinc.com/press/Press-Release-Details/2012/Dice-Holdings-Inc-Acquires-Online-Media-Business-from-Geeknet-Inc/|title=Dice Holdings, Inc. Acquires Online Media Business from Geeknet, Inc.|access-date=16 April 2017|archive-date=18 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618125029/http://www.dhigroupinc.com/press/Press-Release-Details/2012/Dice-Holdings-Inc-Acquires-Online-Media-Business-from-Geeknet-Inc/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="theh2012" />). In January 2016, BIZX acquired both '''slashdot.org''' and [[SourceForge]].<ref name="MarketWired20160128">{{cite web|title=BIZX Subsidiary SourceForge Media, LLC Acquires Slashdot Media|url=http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/bizx-subsidiary-sourceforge-media-llc-acquires-slashdot-media-2091995.htm|website=MarketWired|date=January 26, 2016|access-date=October 15, 2016|archive-date=November 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109140923/http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/bizx-subsidiary-sourceforge-media-llc-acquires-slashdot-media-2091995.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bizx20160127">{{cite web|title=BIZX Subsidiary SourceForge Media, LLC Acquires Slashdot Media|url=https://www.bizx.info/press/bizx-subsidiary-sourceforge-media-llc-acquires-slashdot-media|website=bizx.info|date=January 28, 2016|access-date=October 15, 2016|archive-date=June 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603061418/https://www.bizx.info/press/bizx-subsidiary-sourceforge-media-llc-acquires-slashdot-media|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PRNewswire20160128">{{cite web|title=DHI Group, Inc. Announces the Sale of Slashdot Media|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dhi-group-inc-announces-the-sale-of-slashdot-media-300211026.html|website=[[PRNewswire]]|date=January 28, 2016|access-date=October 21, 2016|archive-date=October 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022024832/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dhi-group-inc-announces-the-sale-of-slashdot-media-300211026.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2019, BIZX rebranded to '''Slashdot Media'''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/slashdot-media-to-merge-with-bizx-llc-creating-a-market-leader-in-b2b-software-technology-and-data-1028780285|title=Slashdot Media to Merge with BIZX, LLC, Creating a Market Leader in B2B, Software, Technology, Social Media Manipulation and Data|website=BusinessInsider.com|access-date=2020-01-12|archive-date=2020-01-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112202047/https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/slashdot-media-to-merge-with-bizx-llc-creating-a-market-leader-in-b2b-software-technology-and-data-1028780285|url-status=live}}</ref>
Summaries of stories and links to news articles are submitted by Slashdot's own users, and each story becomes the topic of a threaded discussion among users. Discussion is moderated by a user-based moderation system. Randomly selected moderators are assigned points (typically 5) which they can use to rate a comment. Moderation applies either ''−1'' or ''+1'' to the current rating, based on whether the comment is perceived as either "normal", "offtopic", "insightful", "redundant", "interesting", or "[[Trolling|troll]]" (among others).
The site's comment and moderation system is administered by its own [[open source software|open source]] [[content management system]], [[Slash (CMS)|Slash]], which is available under the [[GNU General Public License]]. In 2012, ''Slashdot'' had around 3.7 million [[unique visitor]]s per month and received over 5300 comments per day.<ref name=dice2012/> The site has won more than 20 awards, including [[Webby Awards|People's Voice Awards]] in 2000 for "Best Community Site" and "Best News Site". At its peak use, a news story posted to the site with a link could overwhelm some smaller or independent sites. This phenomenon was known as the "[[Slashdot effect]]".
Slashdot also now offers a business software comparison<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Business Software of 2024 |url=https://slashdot.org/software/ |website=Slashdot}}</ref> directory with over 100,000 software titles.
==History==
===1990s===
[[File:Rob Malda & Jeff Bates.jpeg|thumb|right|Co-founders [[Rob Malda]] and [[Jeff Bates (technologist)|Jeff Bates]]]]
[[File:Jeff Bates.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Co-founder [[Jeff Bates (technologist)|Jeff Bates]]]]
Slashdot was preceded by [[Rob Malda]]'s [[personal website]] "Chips & Dips", which launched in October 1997,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whois.domaintools.com/slashdot.org|title=Slashdot.org WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info - DomainTools|work=[[WHOIS]]|date=2016|access-date=2016-02-09|archive-date=2018-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201143255/http://whois.domaintools.com/slashdot.org|url-status=live}}</ref> featured a single "rant" each day about something that interested its author &ndash; typically something to do with [[Linux]] or [[Open-source software|open source]] software. At the time, Malda was a student at [[Hope College]] in [[Holland, Michigan]], majoring in computer science. The site became "Slashdot" in September 1997{{Contradictory inline|date=March 2021}} under the slogan "News for Nerds.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Timothy B. |date=2013-08-07 |title=Slashdot founder Rob Malda on why there won't be another hacker news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/08/07/slashdot-founder-rob-malda-on-why-there-wont-be-another-hacker-news/ |access-date=2023-01-12 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-date=2022-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208040506/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/08/07/slashdot-founder-rob-malda-on-why-there-wont-be-another-hacker-news/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ohtake |first=Miyoko |title=Slashdot's CmdrTaco Looks Back at 10 Years of 'News for Nerds' |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2007/10/slashdots-cmdrtaco-looks-back-at-10-years-of-news-for-nerds/ |access-date=2023-01-12 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> Stuff that Matters", and quickly became a hotspot on the Internet for news and information of interest to computer geeks.<ref name="Leonard_Andrew">{{cite news|url=https://www.salon.com/1998/06/15/feature_308/ |title=Geek Central |last=Leonard |first=Andrew |date=June 15, 1998 |work=[[Salon.com]] |access-date=January 15, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011123183320/http://www.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/06/15feature.html |archive-date=November 23, 2001 }}</ref>
The name "Slashdot" came from a somewhat "obnoxious parody of a [[Uniform Resource Locator|URL]]" &ndash; when Malda registered the domain, he desired to make a name that was "silly and unpronounceable" &ndash; try pronouncing out, 'h-t-t-p-colon-slash-slash-slashdot-dot-org{{'"}}.<ref name="slashdot_name">{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/faq/slashmeta.shtml|title=FAQ: About Slashdot: What does the name "Slashdot" mean?|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=October 29, 2000|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 15, 2010|archive-date=September 24, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924100115/http://slashdot.org/faq/slashmeta.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> By June 1998, the site was seeing as many as 100,000 page views per day and advertisers began to take notice.<ref name="Leonard_Andrew" /> By December 1998, Slashdot had net revenues of $18,000, yet its Internet profile was higher and revenues were expected to increase.
On June 29, 1999, the site was sold to Linux megasite [[Andover.net]] for $1.5&nbsp;million in cash and $7&nbsp;million in Andover stock at the [[Initial public offering]] (IPO) price. Part of the deal was contingent upon the continued employment of Malda and Bates and on the achievement of certain "milestones". With the acquisition of Slashdot, Andover.net could now advertise itself as "the leading Linux/Open Source destination on the Internet".<ref name="Welch_Matt">{{cite news|url=http://www.newcitychicago.com/newcity/content/specials/webby_feature2.html|title=All the Young News|last=Welch|first=Matt|date=May 5, 2000|publisher=Newcitychicago|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=March 2, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302073601/http://www.newcitychicago.com/newcity/content/specials/webby_feature2.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Slashdot_goes_quiet">{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/tech/log/1999/09/17/slashdot/index.html|title=Slashdot goes quiet|last=Leonard|first=Andrew|date=September 17, 1999|work=[[Salon.com]]|access-date=January 15, 2010|archive-date=March 8, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308141406/http://www.salon.com/tech/log/1999/09/17/slashdot/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Andover.net merged with [[VA Linux]] on February 3, 2000,<ref name="VALinux_acquisition">{{cite news|url=http://www.zdnet.com.au/va-linux-acquires-andover-net-120102822.htm|title=VA Linux acquires Andover.net|date=October 13, 2000|work=[[ZDNet|ZDNet Australia]]|access-date=April 4, 2010|archive-date=December 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229063719/http://www.zdnet.com.au/va-linux-acquires-andover-net-120102822.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> changed its name to [[SourceForge|SourceForge, Inc.]] on May 24, 2007, and then became [[Geeknet|Geeknet, Inc.]] on November 4, 2009.<ref name="company_name">{{cite news|url=http://geek.net/press/sourceforge-inc-changes-its-name-to-geeknet-inc/|title=SourceForge, Inc. Changes its Name to Geeknet, Inc.|author1=Parry, Tracey |author2=Friedman, Todd |author3=Bosinoff, Stacie |date=November 4, 2009|publisher=[[Geeknet]]|access-date=January 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108220120/http://geek.net/press/sourceforge-inc-changes-its-name-to-geeknet-inc/ <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=January 8, 2010}}</ref>
===2000s===
Slashdot's 10,000th article was posted after two and a half years on February 24, 2000,<ref name="10,000">{{cite web|url=http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/02/24/0954216&mode=thread&tid=124|title=Slashdot's 10,000th Story|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=February 24, 2000|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 22, 2010|archive-date=December 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205183249/http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/02/24/0954216&mode=thread&tid=124|url-status=live}}</ref> and the 100,000th article was posted on December 11, 2009, after 12 years online.<ref name="100,000">{{cite web|url=http://meta.slashdot.org/story/09/12/11/1615202/Slashdot-Turns-100000.html|title=Slashdot Turns 100,000|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=December 11, 2009|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 22, 2010|archive-date=May 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515201419/http://meta.slashdot.org/story/09/12/11/1615202/Slashdot-Turns-100000.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the first 12 years, the most active story with the most responses posted was the post-[[2004 United States presidential election|2004 US Presidential Election]] article "Kerry Concedes Election To Bush" with 5,687 posts. This followed the creation of a new article section, ''politics.slashdot.org'', created at the start of the 2004 election on September 7, 2004.<ref name="politics_section">{{cite web|url=http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/09/07/1513235|title=Slashdot Goes Political: Announcing politics.slashdot.org|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=September 7, 2004|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 22, 2010}}</ref> Many of the most popular stories are political, with "Strike on Iraq" (March 19, 2003) the second-most-active article and "Barack Obama Wins US Presidency" (November 5, 2008) the third-most-active. The rest of the 10 most active articles are an article announcing the [[7 July 2005 London bombings|2005 London bombings]], and several articles about [[Evolution]] vs. [[Intelligent Design]], [[Saddam Hussein]]'s capture, and ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]''. Articles about [[Microsoft]] and its Windows Operating System are popular. A thread posted in 2002 titled "What's Keeping You On Windows?" was the 10th-most-active story, and an article about Windows 2000/NT4 source-code leaks the most visited article with more than 680,000 hits.<ref name="hall_of_fame">{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/hof.shtml|title=Hall of Fame|last=Malda|first=Rob|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 22, 2010|archive-date=March 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325045901/http://slashdot.org/hof.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Some controversy erupted on March 9, 2001, after an anonymous user posted the full text of [[Scientology]]'s "Operating Thetan Level Three" (OT III) document in a comment attached to a Slashdot article. The [[Church of Scientology]] demanded that Slashdot remove the document under the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]]. A week later, in a long article, Slashdot editors explained their decision to remove the page while providing links and information on how to get the document from other sources.<ref name="scientology">{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/03/16/slashdot_caves_in_to_scientology/|title=Slashdot caves in to Scientology loonies|last=Greene|first=Thomas C.|date=March 16, 2001|website=[[The Register]]|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=December 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203132758/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/03/16/slashdot_caves_in_to_scientology/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Slashdot Japan was launched on May 28, 2001 (although the first article was published April 5, 2001) and is an official offshoot of the US-based Web site. {{as of|2010|1}} the site was owned by OSDN-Japan, Inc., and carried some of the US-based Slashdot articles as well as localized stories.<ref name="slashdot_jp">{{cite journal |last=Poor |first=Nathaniel D. |date=March 2007 |title=A Cross-National Study of Computer News Sites: Global News, Local Sites |journal=The Information Society |volume=23 |issue=2 |doi=10.1080/01972240701224135 |pages=73–83|s2cid=42632628 }}</ref><ref name="slashdot_jp_2">{{cite web |url=http://slashdot.jp/opensource/article.pl?sid=01%2F04%2F05%2F039210 |title=Wind River Systems が BSDi を手中に! |date=April 5, 2001 |publisher=Slashdot Japan |language=ja |access-date=January 22, 2010 |archive-date=November 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128204452/http://slashdot.jp/opensource/article.pl?sid=01%2F04%2F05%2F039210 |url-status=dead }}</ref> An external site, ''New Media Services'', has reported the importance of Online Moderation last December 1, 2011.<ref name="content moderation">{{cite web|url=https://newmediaservices.com.au/content-moderation-services/|title=NewMediaServices|last=Kanaya|first=Ichiroh|access-date=December 1, 2010|archive-date=August 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829121834/http://newmediaservices.com.au/content-moderation-services/|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[Valentine's Day]] 2002, founder Rob Malda proposed to longtime girlfriend Kathleen Fent using the front page of Slashdot.<ref name="newsmakers">{{cite book|title=Newsmakers: the people behind today's headlines|year=2007|volume=Issue 3|pages=73|isbn=978-0-7876-8090-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=szcTJtwhyGoC&q=slashdot+marriage+proposal|access-date=February 15, 2010 | publisher=Thomson Gale|author1=Avery, Laura |author2=Thomson, Gale }}</ref><ref name="proposal">{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/02/14/143254|title=Kathleen Fent Read This Story|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=February 14, 2002|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=February 15, 2010|archive-date=July 1, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701110720/http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/02/14/143254|url-status=live}}</ref> They were married on December 8, 2002, in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]].<ref name="hope_college_update">{{cite web|title=News from Hope College|date=February 2003|url=http://www.hope.edu/pr/nfhc/archive/pdf/NFHC_Feb_03.pdf|access-date=February 15, 2010|archive-date=June 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100607055542/http://www.hope.edu/pr/nfhc/archive/pdf/NFHC_Feb_03.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Slashdot implemented a paid subscription service on March 1, 2002. Slashdot's subscription model works by allowing users to pay a small fee to be able to view pages without [[banner ad]]s, starting at a rate of $5 per 1,000 page views &ndash; non-subscribers may still view articles and respond to comments, with banner ads in place.<ref name="subscription">{{cite news|url=http://www.oreillynet.com/mac/blog/2002/03/slashdots_subscription_model.html|title=Slashdot's Subscription Model|last=Sims|first=David|date=March 1, 2002|publisher=[[Oreillynet]]|access-date=January 22, 2010|archive-date=May 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514163712/http://www.oreillynet.com/mac/blog/2002/03/slashdots_subscription_model.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 6, 2003, subscribers were given the ability to see articles 10 to 20 minutes before they are released to the public.<ref name="see_future">{{cite web|url=http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/03/06/1548245&mode=thread&tid=124|title=Slashdot Subscribers Now See The Future|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=March 6, 2003|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 22, 2010|archive-date=December 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205183522/http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/03/06/1548245&mode=thread&tid=124|url-status=live}}</ref> Slashdot altered its threaded discussion forum display software to explicitly show domains for links in articles, as "users made a sport out of tricking unsuspecting readers into visiting <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Goatse.cx]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>."<ref name="PHP">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lVXnmsCCd3wC&pg=PA274 |title=Pro PHP Security |author1=Snyder, Chris |author2=Southwell, Michael |page=274 |publisher=[[Apress]] |year=2005| isbn=978-1-59059-508-4 |access-date=September 14, 2010}}</ref><!-- exactly when did this occur? Help!-->
In observance of [[April Fools' Day]] in 2006, Slashdot temporarily changed its signature teal color theme to a warm palette of bubblegum pink and changed its [[Nameplate (publishing)|masthead]] from the usual, "News for Nerds" motto to, "OMG!!! Ponies!!!"<ref name=":0" /> Editors joked that this was done to increase female readership.<ref name="OMG_Ponies!!!1">{{cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-6056735-7.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025094359/http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-6056735-7.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 25, 2012|title=Good one, Slashdot|last=Meyers|first=Michelle|date=March 31, 2006|publisher=[[CNET Networks]]|access-date=April 1, 2019}}</ref> In another supposed April Fools' Day joke, User Achievement tags were introduced on April 1, 2009.<ref name="user_achievements">{{cite web|url=http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/31/1610228|title=Slashdot Launches User Achievements|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=April 1, 2009|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 22, 2010|archive-date=December 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205183716/http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/31/1610228|url-status=live}}</ref> This system allowed users to be tagged with various achievements, such as "The Tagger" for tagging a story or "Member of the {1,2,3,4,5} Digit UID Club" for having a Slashdot UID consisting of a certain number of digits. While it was posted on April Fools' Day to allow for certain joke achievements, the system is real.<ref name="user_achievements_2">{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/faq/accounts.shtml#ac1300|title=Slashdot FAQ: What are these achievement things I keep hearing about?|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=April 29, 2009|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 22, 2010|archive-date=March 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325231145/http://slashdot.org/faq/accounts.shtml#ac1300|url-status=live}}</ref> Slashdot unveiled its newly redesigned site on June 4, 2006, following a CSS Redesign Competition. The winner of the competition was Alex Bendiken, who built on the initial CSS framework of the site. The new site looks similar to the old one but is more polished with more rounded curves, collapsible menus, and updated fonts.<ref name="site_redesign">{{cite news |url=http://blogs.zdnet.com/web2explorer/?p=198 |title=Slashdot redesign goes live: a polished CSS upgrade |last=MacManus |first=Richard |date=June 4, 2006 |work=[[ZDNet]] |access-date=January 22, 2010 |archive-date=February 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212222725/http://blogs.zdnet.com/web2explorer/?p=198 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On November 9 that same year, Malda wrote that Slashdot attained 16,777,215 (or 2<sup>24</sup> − 1) comments, which broke the database for three hours until the administrators fixed the problem.<ref name="slashdot_gets_slashdotted">{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/articles/06/11/09/1534204.shtml|title=Slashdot Posting Bug Infuriates Haggard Admins|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=November 9, 2006|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 22, 2010|archive-date=April 26, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426164217/http://slashdot.org/articles/06/11/09/1534204.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
===2010s===
On July 11, 2010, SlashDot was the first major media platform where [[Bitcoin]], the first cryptocurrency, was publicized.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Silvera |first=Ian |title=Inside the intertwining and scandalous history of Bitcoin and the media |url=https://www.news-future.com/p/inside-the-intertwining-and-scandalous |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=www.news-future.com |archive-date=2022-05-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508140424/https://www.news-future.com/p/inside-the-intertwining-and-scandalous |url-status=live }}</ref> On January 25, 2011, the site launched its third major redesign in its 13.5-year history, which gutted the [[HTML]] and [[CSS]], and updated the graphics.<ref name="3rd_redesign">{{cite news|last=Malda|first=Rob|title=Slashdot Launches Re-Design|url=http://meta.slashdot.org/story/11/01/25/163257/Slashdot-Launches-Re-Design|access-date=February 25, 2011|newspaper=Slashdot|date=January 25, 2011|archive-date=July 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728030142/http://meta.slashdot.org/story/11/01/25/163257/Slashdot-Launches-Re-Design|url-status=live}}</ref> On August 25, 2011, Malda resigned as Editor-in-Chief with immediate effect. He did not mention any plans for the future, other than spending more time with his family, catching up on some reading, and possibly writing a book.<ref name="Watercutter_Angela">{{cite news|last=Watercutter|first=Angela|title=Slashdot Founder Rob "Cmdr Taco" Malda Resigns.|url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/08/slashdot-founder-resigns/|access-date=September 1, 2011|newspaper=[[Wired Magazine]]|date=August 25, 2011|archive-date=September 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911172038/http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/08/slashdot-founder-resigns/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Malda_resign">{{cite web|url=http://meta.slashdot.org/story/11/08/25/1245200/Rob-CmdrTaco-Malda-Resigns-From-Slashdot|last=Malda|first=Rob|title=Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda Resigns From Slashdot|date=August 25, 2011|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=August 25, 2011|archive-date=September 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904005414/http://meta.slashdot.org/story/11/08/25/1245200/Rob-CmdrTaco-Malda-Resigns-From-Slashdot|url-status=live}}</ref> His final farewell message received over 1,400 comments within 24 hours on the site.<ref name="Noyes_Katherine">{{cite news|last=Noyes|first=Katherine|title=On Slashdot's Lost Taco and Apple's Big Turnover.|url=http://www.technewsworld.com/story/73164.html|access-date=September 6, 2011|newspaper=technewsworld.com|date=August 29, 2011|archive-date=April 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401161644/http://www.technewsworld.com/story/73164.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On December 7, 2011, Slashdot announced that it would start to push what the company described as "sponsored" Ask Slashdot questions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://meta.slashdot.org/story/11/12/07/0537225/upcoming-changes-to-ask-slashdot|title=Upcoming Changes To 'Ask Slashdot'|date=2012-12-07|access-date=2011-12-07|archive-date=2012-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421064447/http://meta.slashdot.org/story/11/12/07/0537225/upcoming-changes-to-ask-slashdot|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 28, 2012, Slashdot launched Slashdot TV.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.slashdot.org/story/12/03/28/0126257/ladies-and-gentlemen-welcome-to-slashdottv-video|publisher=Slashdot|title=Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to SlashdotTV! (Video)|date=2012-03-28|access-date=2012-03-28|archive-date=2012-03-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328165938/http://news.slashdot.org/story/12/03/28/0126257/ladies-and-gentlemen-welcome-to-slashdottv-video|url-status=live}}</ref> Two months later, in May 2012, Slashdot launched SlashBI, SlashCloud, and SlashDataCenter, three websites dedicated to original journalistic content. The websites proved controversial, with longtime Slashdot users commenting that the original content ran counter to the website's longtime focus on user-generated submissions.<ref>{{Cite web|title = A Glimpse Into Slashdot's Future|url = https://thenextweb.com/media/2012/05/10/a-glimpse-into-slashdots-future/#gref|website = The Next Web|access-date = 2016-01-29|language = en-US|first = Anna|last = Heim|date = 10 May 2012|archive-date = 2016-02-05|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160205075029/http://thenextweb.com/media/2012/05/10/a-glimpse-into-slashdots-future/#gref|url-status = live}}</ref> Nick Kolakowski, the editor of the three websites, told The Next Web that the websites were "meant to complement Slashdot with an added layer of insight into a very specific area of technology, without interfering with Slashdot's longtime focus on tech-community interaction and discussion." Despite the debate, articles published on SlashCloud and SlashBI attracted attention from io9,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Could you really have a space colony like the one in Elysium?|url = http://io9.gizmodo.com/could-you-really-have-a-space-colony-like-the-one-in-el-1095171180|website = io9|access-date = 2016-01-29|language = en-US|first = Annalee|last = Newitz|date = 12 August 2013|archive-date = 2016-02-04|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160204204108/http://io9.gizmodo.com/could-you-really-have-a-space-colony-like-the-one-in-el-1095171180|url-status = live}}</ref> NPR,<ref>{{Cite news|title = After Yahoo Acquires Summly, Is Buying Math The Next Tech Bubble?|url = https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/03/26/175377617/after-yahoo-acquires-summly-is-buying-math-the-next-tech-bubble|website = NPR.org|date = 26 March 2013|access-date = 2016-01-29|last1 = Mullis|first1 = Steve|archive-date = 2016-02-04|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160204213509/http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/03/26/175377617/after-yahoo-acquires-summly-is-buying-math-the-next-tech-bubble|url-status = live}}</ref> Nieman Lab,<ref>{{Cite web|title = This Week in Review: Paywall prospects in the U.K., and making sense of two Yahoo deals|url = http://www.niemanlab.org/2013/03/this-week-in-review-paywall-prospects-in-the-u-k-and-making-sense-of-two-yahoo-deals/|website = Nieman Lab|access-date = 2016-01-29|archive-date = 2016-02-02|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160202040558/http://www.niemanlab.org/2013/03/this-week-in-review-paywall-prospects-in-the-u-k-and-making-sense-of-two-yahoo-deals/|url-status = live}}</ref> Vanity Fair, and other publications.
In September 2012, Slashdot, [[SourceForge]], and [[Freecode]] were acquired by online job site [[Dice.com]] for $20 million, and incorporated into a subsidiary known as Slashdot Media.<ref name=dice2012/><ref name=theh2012>{{cite web|url=http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Dice-Holdings-acquires-Slashdot-and-SourceForge-1711181.html |title=Dice Holdings acquires Slashdot and SourceForge - The H Open: News and Features |date=8 December 2013 |access-date=16 April 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208023450/http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Dice-Holdings-acquires-Slashdot-and-SourceForge-1711181.html |archive-date=8 December 2013 }}</ref> While initially stating that there were no plans for major changes to Slashdot,<ref name=theh2012/> in October 2013, Slashdot launched a "beta" for a significant redesign of the site, which featured a simpler appearance and commenting system.<ref name="redesign backlash"/><ref name="new_design">{{cite web|title=Come Try Out Slashdot's New Design (In Beta).|date=October 2013 |url=http://meta.slashdot.org/story/13/10/01/1849218/come-try-out-slashdots-new-design-in-beta|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 7, 2014|archive-date=February 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228011520/http://meta.slashdot.org/story/13/10/01/1849218/come-try-out-slashdots-new-design-in-beta|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=D'Onfro |first=Jillian |date=2013-10-09 |title=Check Out The Sleek Redesign of 'News For Nerds' Site Slashdot |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/check-out-the-sleek-redesign-of-news-for-nerds-site-slashdot-2013-10 |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112223349/https://www.businessinsider.com/check-out-the-sleek-redesign-of-news-for-nerds-site-slashdot-2013-10 |url-status=live }}</ref> While initially an opt-in beta, the site automatically began migrating selected users to the new design in February 2014; the rollout led to a negative response from many longtime users, upset by the added visual complexity, and the removal of features, such as comment viewing, that distinguished Slashdot from other news sites. An organized boycott of the site was held from February 10 to 17, 2014.<ref name="redesign backlash">{{cite news |last=Peterson |first=Andrea |date=2014-02-07 |title=Slashdot creator on redesign backlash |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/02/07/slashdot-creator-on-redesign-backlash-every-slashdot-change-met-with-objections |access-date=February 11, 2014 |archive-date=2014-02-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211002217/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/02/07/slashdot-creator-on-redesign-backlash-every-slashdot-change-met-with-objections/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The "beta" site was eventually shelved. In July 2015, Dice announced that it planned to sell Slashdot and SourceForge; in particular, the company stated in a filing that it was unable to "successfully [leverage] the Slashdot user base to further Dice's digital recruitment business".<ref name="ars-dhisell"/>
On January 27, 2016, the two sites were sold to the San Diego–based BizX, LLC for an undisclosed amount.<ref name="PRNewswire20160128"/><ref name="ars-dhisell">{{cite web |last=Hutchinson |first=Lee |date=28 July 2015 |title=DHI Group plans to sell off Slashdot and Sourceforge |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/07/dhi-group-plans-to-sell-off-slashdot-and-sourceforge/ |access-date=4 February 2016 |website=Ars Technica |archive-date=5 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205013923/http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/07/dhi-group-plans-to-sell-off-slashdot-and-sourceforge/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="sdbj-bizx">{{cite web |last=Graves |first=Brad |date=28 January 2016 |title=Slashdot Media Acquired by BIZX for Undisclosed Price |url=http://www.sdbj.com/news/2016/jan/28/slashdot-media-acquired-bizx-undisclosed-price/ |access-date=4 February 2016 |website=San Diego Business Journal |archive-date=4 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204211651/http://www.sdbj.com/news/2016/jan/28/slashdot-media-acquired-bizx-undisclosed-price/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Administration==
===Team===
[[File:Rob 'CmdrTaco' Malda crop.jpeg|thumb|right|alt=Rob Malda, co-founder of Slashdot|Rob Malda, co-founder of Slashdot]]
It was run by its founder, [[Rob Malda|Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda]], from 1998 until 2011.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Watercutter |first=Angela |date=2011-08-25 |title=Slashdot Founder Rob 'Cmdr Taco' Malda Resigns |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2011/08/slashdot-founder-resigns/ |access-date=2022-11-26 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> He shared editorial responsibilities with several other editors including Timothy Lord, Patrick "Scuttlemonkey" McGarry, Jeff "Soulskill" Boehm, Rob "Samzenpus" Rozeboom, and Keith Dawson.<ref name="slashdotFAQ_who">{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/faq/slashmeta.shtml#sm100|title=Slashdot FAQ: About Slashdot: Who does this?|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=February 7, 2002|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 12, 2010|archive-date=September 24, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924100115/http://slashdot.org/faq/slashmeta.shtml#sm100|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="emergence">{{cite book | last = Johnson | first = Steven | author-link = Steven Johnson (author) | title = Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software | publisher = Scribner | year = 2001 | page = [https://archive.org/details/emergenceconnect00john/page/46 46] | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-684-86875-2 | title-link = Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software }}</ref> Jonathan "cowboyneal" Pater is another popular editor of Slashdot, who came to work for Slashdot as a programmer and systems administrator. His online nickname (handle), CowboyNeal, is inspired by a [[Grateful Dead]] tribute to [[Neal Cassady]] in their song, "That's It for the Other One". He is best known as the target of the usual comic poll option,<ref name="spoke">{{cite web|url=http://www.spoke.com/info/p7ZQR2G/JonathanPater|title=Jonathan Pater, Programmer, freshmeat.net |date=2009-04-06|access-date=2009-04-06|publisher=Spoke Software}}</ref> a tradition started by [[Chris DiBona]].<ref>{{cite web|last=samzenpus|title=Making a Slashdot Omelet|date=19 October 2012 |url=http://meta.slashdot.org/story/12/10/09/1650205/making-a-slashdot-omelet|access-date=19 October 2012|archive-date=17 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517132726/http://meta.slashdot.org/story/12/10/09/1650205/making-a-slashdot-omelet|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Software===
{{update section|reason=It is unclear whether Slashdot still uses [[Slash (software)|Slash]] or some newer look-alike since around 2009.|date=January 2019}}
Slashdot runs on [[Slash (software)|Slash]], a [[content management system]] available under the [[GNU General Public License]].<ref name="slashcode">{{cite web|url=http://www.slashcode.com/about.shtml|title=Slashcode: About This Site|publisher=[[Slashcode]]|access-date=January 13, 2010|archive-date=December 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229210805/http://www.slashcode.com/about.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Early versions of Slash were written by [[Rob Malda]] in the spring of 1998. After Andover.net bought Slashdot in June 1999,<ref>{{Cite news| last = Malda| first = Rob| title = Slashdot Acquired by Andover.net| work = Slashdot| date = 1999-06-29| url = http://news.slashdot.org/story/99/06/29/137212/slashdot-acquired-by-andovernet| access-date = 2016-09-08| archive-date = 2016-10-09| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161009135910/https://news.slashdot.org/story/99/06/29/137212/slashdot-acquired-by-andovernet| url-status = live}}</ref> Several programmers were hired to structure the code and render it scalable, as its users had increased from a few hundred to tens of thousands. This work was done by Brian Aker, Patrick Galbraith, Chris Nandor and others, resulting in version 2 of the software, released in 2001.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Aker |first1=Brian |last2=Krieger |first2=Dave |title=Running Weblogs with Slash |date=2002 |publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc. |isbn=978-0-596-00100-1 |page=1-10 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oigJsLSyZUoC&pg=PR13 |language=en}}</ref> Slash remains [[Free software]] and anyone can contribute to development.
===Peer moderation===
Slashdot's editors are primarily responsible for selecting and editing the primary stories that are posted daily by submitters. The editors provide a one-paragraph summary for each story and a link to an external website where the story originated. Each story becomes the topic for a threaded discussion among the site's users.<ref name="Lampe_Resnick">{{cite book|publisher=School of Information, [[University of Michigan]]|location=[[Vienna]], Austria|author1=Lampe, C. |author2=Resnick, P. |title=Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |chapter=Slash(dot) and burn |date=2004 |doi=10.1145/985692.985761|isbn=978-1-58113-702-6|pages=543–550|s2cid=207548645}}</ref> A user-based [[moderation system]] is employed to filter out abusive or offensive comments.<ref name="Pavlicek_Russell">{{cite book|last=Pavlicek|first=Russell C.|title=Embracing insanity: open source software development.|publisher=[[SAMS Publishing]]|date=September 15, 2000|isbn=978-0-672-31989-1|url=https://archive.org/details/embracinginsanit00pavl}}</ref> Every comment is initially given a score of ''−1'' to ''+2'', with a default score of ''+1'' for registered users, ''0'' for anonymous users ([[Anonymous Coward]]), ''+2'' for users with high "karma", or ''&minus;1'' for users with low "karma". As moderators read comments attached to articles, they click to moderate the comment, either up (''+1'') or down (''&minus;1''). Moderators may choose to attach a particular descriptor to the comments as well, such as "normal", "offtopic", "[[Flame war|flamebait]]", "[[troll (computing)|troll]]", "redundant", "insightful", "interesting", "informative", "funny", "overrated", or "underrated", with each corresponding to a ''−1'' or ''+1'' rating. So a comment may be seen to have a rating of "+1 insightful" or "−1 troll".<ref name="emergence"/> Comments are very rarely deleted, even if they contain hateful remarks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=5216493&cid=47124781|title=Mutant Registration vs. Vaccine Registration – Slashdot|access-date=16 April 2017|archive-date=1 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201132900/https://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=5216493&cid=47124781|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=7527117&cid=49878335|title=Feds Want To Unmask Internet Commenters Writing About the Silk Road Trial Judge – Slashdot|access-date=16 April 2017|archive-date=1 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201135311/https://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=7527117&cid=49878335|url-status=live}}</ref>
Starting in August 2019 anonymous comments and postings have been disabled.
Moderation points add to a user's rating, which is known as "[[karma]]" on Slashdot. Users with high "karma" are eligible to become moderators themselves. The system does not promote regular users as "moderators" and instead assigns five moderation points at a time to users based on the number of comments they have entered in the system &ndash; once a user's moderation points are used up, they can no longer moderate articles (though they can be assigned more moderation points at a later date). Paid staff editors have an unlimited number of moderation points.<ref name="emergence"/><ref name="Lampe_Resnick"/><ref name="Poor_Nathaniel">{{cite journal|last=Poor|first=Nathaniel|year=2005|title=Mechanisms of an Online Public Sphere: The Website Slashdot|journal=Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication|publisher=[[Indiana University]]|volume=10|issue=2|url=http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue2/poor.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050216090413/http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue2/poor.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 16, 2005|access-date=28 February 2012}}</ref> A given comment can have any integer score from ''−1'' to ''+5'', and registered users of Slashdot can set a personal threshold so that no comments with a lesser score are displayed.<ref name="Lampe_Resnick"/><ref name="Poor_Nathaniel"/> For instance, a user reading Slashdot at level ''+5'' will only see the highest rated comments, while a user reading at level ''−1'' will see a more "unfiltered, anarchic version".<ref name="emergence"/> A [[meta-moderation system]] was implemented on September 7, 1999,<ref name="metamod">{{cite web|url=http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=99/09/07/155233&mode=thread&tid=124|title=Slashdot's Meta Moderation|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=September 7, 1999|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 22, 2010}}</ref> to moderate the moderators and help contain abuses in the moderation system.<ref name="The Wikipedia Revolution by Andrew Lih">{{cite book | title=The Wikipedia Revolution | publisher=Hyperion | author=Lih, Andrew | year=2009 | location=New York City | isbn=978-1-4013-0371-6 | oclc=232977686 | url=https://archive.org/details/wikipediarevolut00liha }}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=August 2014}}{{page needed|date=August 2014}} Meta-moderators are presented with a set of moderations that they may rate as either ''fair'' or ''unfair''. For each moderation, the meta-moderator sees the original comment and the reason assigned by the moderator (e.g. ''troll'', ''funny''), and the meta-moderator can click to see the context of comments surrounding the one that was moderated.<ref name="Lampe_Resnick"/><ref name="Poor_Nathaniel"/>
==Features==
{{expand section|date=July 2021}}
===Tags===
Slashdot uses a system of "tags" where users can categorize a story to group them together and sorting them. Tags are written in all lowercase, with no spaces, and limited to 64 characters. For example, articles could be tagged as being about "security" or "mozilla". Some articles are tagged with longer tags, such as "whatcouldpossiblygowrong" (expressing the perception of catastrophic risk), "suddenoutbreakofcommonsense" (used when the community feels that the subject has finally figured out something obvious), "correlationnotcausation" (used when scientific articles lack direct evidence; see [[correlation does not imply causation]]), or "getyourasstomars" (commonly seen in articles about [[Mars]] or [[space exploration]]).<ref name="tags">{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/faq/tags.shtml|title=Slashdot F.A.Q.: Tags|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=April 29, 2009|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 7, 2010|display-authors=etal|archive-date=June 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613002800/http://slashdot.org/faq/tags.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|title=Web 2.0 Architectures
|page=61
|first1=James |last1=Governor|first2=Duane |last2=Nickull|first3=Dion |last3=Hinchcliffe
|year=2009
|publisher=[[O'Reilly Books]]
|isbn=978-0-596-51443-3
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gmFHsQ6oEtYC&pg=PA61
}}</ref>
==Culture==
{{See also|Internet meme|List of Internet phenomena}}
[[File:Tux.svg|thumb|right|upright|Tux, the mascot of Linux]]
As an online community with primarily user-generated content, many in-jokes and [[internet meme]]s have developed over the course of the site's history. A popular [[Internet meme|meme]] (based on an unscientific Slashdot user poll<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/pollBooth.pl?qid=1483&aid=-1|title=Best Meme in Slashdot's First 10 Years|date=October 1, 2007|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=June 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624210420/http://slashdot.org/pollBooth.pl?qid=1483&aid=-1|url-status=live}}</ref>) is, "In [[Soviet Russia]], ''noun'' ''verb'' you!"<ref>As an example, the phrase "You use the computer" would translate into "In Soviet Russia, the computer uses you!"</ref> This type of joke has its roots in the 1960s or earlier, and is known as a "[[Russian reversal]]". Other popular memes usually pertain to computing or technology, such as "Imagine a [[Beowulf cluster]] of these",<ref name="beowulf_cluster">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.linux-mag.com/id/3534|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509014040/http://www.linux-mag.com/id/3534|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 9, 2008|title=Cluster Urban Legends: Build Your Cluster With Facts Not Fiction|last=Eadline|first=Douglas|date=June 21, 2007|magazine=[[Linux Magazine]]|access-date=January 7, 2010}}</ref> "But does it run [[Linux]]?",<ref name="engadget_doesitrunlinux">{{cite news|url=https://www.engadget.com/2005/09/12/ibm-unleashes-infoprint-4100-the-330-pages-per-minute-laser/|title=IBM unleashes Infoprint 4100, the 330 pages per minute laser printer|last=Dybwad|first=Barb|date=September 12, 2005|publisher=[[Engadget]]|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=October 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007003733/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/12/ibm-unleashes-infoprint-4100-the-330-pages-per-minute-laser/|url-status=live}}</ref> or "[[Netcraft]] now confirms: [[BSD]] (or some other software package or item) is dying."<ref name="netcraft_bsd">{{cite web|url=http://bsd.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=228247&cid=18495137|title=Making OpenBSD Binary Patches With Chroot: BSD is Dying|last=Anonymous Coward|date=March 26, 2007|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=June 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624210421/http://bsd.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=228247&cid=18495137|url-status=live}}</ref> Users will also typically refer to articles referring to data storage and data capacity by inquiring how much it is in units of [[List of unusual units of measurement#Library of Congress|Libraries of Congress]].<ref name="LOC">{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/a-dump-trucks-worth-of-quirky-conversions-122/|last=Bialik|first=Carl|title=A Dump Truck's Worth of Quirky Conversions|date=June 7, 2007|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=October 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007003606/http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/a-dump-trucks-worth-of-quirky-conversions-122/|url-status=live}}</ref> Sometimes bandwidth speeds are referred to in units of Libraries of Congress per second. When numbers are quoted, people will comment that the number happens to be the "combination to their luggage" (a reference to the [[Mel Brooks]] film [[Spaceballs]]) and express false anger at the person who revealed it.
Slashdotters often use the abbreviation TFA which stands for ''The fucking article'' or [[wikt:RTFA|RTFA]] ("Read the fucking article"), which itself is derived from the abbreviation [[RTFM]].<ref name="RTFA_CapnGuts">{{cite news|author=Capn Guts|title=Meta musing, RTFA.|url=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/06/11/345286/-Meta-musing,-RTFA|access-date=September 6, 2011|newspaper=[[Daily Kos]]|date=June 11, 2007|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053203/http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/06/11/345286/-Meta-musing,-RTFA|url-status=live}}</ref> Usage of this abbreviation often exposes comments from posters who have not read the article linked to in the main story. Slashdotters typically like to mock then United States Senator [[Ted Stevens]]' 2006 description of the Internet as a "[[series of tubes]]"<ref name="stevens_internets">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/7/2/232335/3120|title=Ted Stevens on the internets|last=kos|date=July 2, 2006|publisher=[[Daily Kos]]|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=August 16, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816102747/http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/7/2/232335/3120|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="slashdot_stevens_tubes">{{cite web|url=http://entertainment.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/03/0643238|title=How The Internet Works - With Tubes|last=Zonk|date=July 3, 2006|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=February 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207192523/http://entertainment.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/03/0643238|url-status=live}}</ref> or former Microsoft CEO [[Steve Ballmer]]'s chair-throwing incident from 2005.<ref name="Fried_Ina">{{cite news|url=http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/networking/2005/09/05/ballmer-vowed-to-kill-google-39216371/|title=Ballmer 'vowed to kill Google.'|last=Fried|first=Ina|date=September 5, 2005|publisher=[[ZDNET]]|access-date=April 4, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505062154/http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/networking/2005/09/05/ballmer-vowed-to-kill-google-39216371/|archive-date=May 5, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Zonk_Ballmer">{{cite news|url=http://yro.slashdot.org/story/05/09/03/0515250/Balmer-Vows-to-Kill-Google?art_pos=8|title=Ballmer Vows to Kill Google.|last=Zonk|date=September 3, 2005|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=May 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511101128/http://yro.slashdot.org/story/05/09/03/0515250/Balmer-Vows-to-Kill-Google?art_pos=8|url-status=live}}</ref> Microsoft founder [[Bill Gates]] is a popular target of jokes by Slashdotters, and all stories about Microsoft were once identified with a graphic of Gates looking like a [[Borg (Star Trek)|Borg]] from ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''.<ref name="wired_bill_gates_of_borg">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/1999/08/21448|title=Slashdot: All the News that Fits|last=Glave|first=James|date=August 26, 1999|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|access-date=January 15, 2010}}</ref> Many Slashdotters have long talked about the supposed release of ''[[Duke Nukem Forever]]'', which was promised in 1997 but was delayed indefinitely (the game was eventually released in 2011).<ref name="DNF">{{cite web|url=http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/07/0146233|title=Duke Nukem For Never|last=samzenpus|date=May 7, 2009|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=May 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525065048/http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/07/0146233|url-status=live}}</ref> References to the game are commonly brought up in other articles about software packages that are not yet in production even though the announced delivery date has long passed (see [[vaporware]]). Having a low Slashdot [[User identifier|user identifier (user ID)]] is highly valued since they are assigned sequentially; having one is a sign that someone has an older account and has contributed to the site longer. For Slashdot's 10-year anniversary in 2007, one of the items auctioned off in the charity auction for the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] was a 3-digit Slashdot user ID.<ref name="user_achievements_2"/><ref name="EFF_auction">{{cite journal|date=October 31, 2007|title=Thanks Slashdot!|journal=EFFector|volume=20|issue=43|issn=1062-9424|url=http://w2.eff.org/effector/20/43.php|access-date=January 25, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015020623/http://w2.eff.org/effector/20/43.php|archive-date=October 15, 2010}}</ref>
==Traffic and publicity==
{{See also|Slashdot effect}}
[[File:SlashdotEffectGraph.svg|thumb|right|This graph shows the sudden surge in web traffic that a popular news story on Slashdot can cause.]]
In 2006, Slashdot had approximately 5.5&nbsp;million users per month.
The primary stories on the site consist of a short synopsis paragraph, a link to the original story, and a lengthy discussion section, all contributed by users. At its peak, discussion on stories could get up to 10,000 posts per day. Slashdot has been considered a pioneer in user-driven content, influencing other sites such as [[Google News]] and Wikipedia.<ref name="naughton_john">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2006/aug/13/observerreview.onlinesupplement|title=Websites that changed the world|last=Naughton|first=John|date=August 13, 2006|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=January 7, 2010|location=London|archive-date=September 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904192711/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2006/aug/13/observerreview.onlinesupplement|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Tapscott_Williams">{{cite book|author1=Tapscott, D. |author2=Williams, A.D. |title=Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything|publisher=[[Penguin Books|The Penguin Group]]|location=New York City|date=2006|pages=144|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DVomiOeBg_YC&q=slashdot&pg=PA144|access-date=January 12, 2010 | isbn=978-1-59184-193-7}}</ref>
There has been a dip in readership as of 2011, primarily due to the increase of technology-related blogs and Twitter feeds.<ref name="Gaudin_Sharon">{{cite news|last=Gaudin|first=Sharon|title=Rob Malda, a.k.a. CmdrTaco, leaves Slashdot.|url=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9219503/Rob_Malda_a.k.a._CmdrTaco_leaves_Slashdot|access-date=September 6, 2011|newspaper=ComputerWorld|date=August 25, 2011|archive-date=October 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027070006/http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9219503/Rob_Malda_a.k.a._CmdrTaco_leaves_Slashdot|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2002, approximately 50% of Slashdot's traffic consisted of people who simply check out the headlines and click through, while others participate in discussion boards and take part in the community.<ref name="Lemos_Robert">{{cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/2008-1082-938615.html|title=Newsmaker: Behind the Slashdot phenomenon|last=Lemos|first=Robert|date=June 24, 2002|publisher=[[CNET Networks]]|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=May 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510075504/http://news.cnet.com/2008-1082-938615.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Many links in Slashdot stories caused the linked site to get swamped by heavy traffic and its server to collapse. This was known as the "Slashdot effect",<ref name="naughton_john"/><ref name="Lemos_Robert"/> a term first coined on February 15, 1999, that refers to an article about a "new generation of niche Web portals driving unprecedented amounts of traffic to sites of interest".<ref name="Tapscott_Williams"/><ref name="slashdot_effect_coined">{{cite web|url=http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=99/02/15/1249237&mode=thread&tid=124|title=Beware of the Slashdot Effect|last=Malda|first=Rob|date=February 15, 1999|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=December 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205183052/http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=99/02/15/1249237&mode=thread&tid=124|url-status=live}}</ref>
Slashdot has received over twenty awards, including [[Webby Awards|People's Voice Awards]] in 2000 in both of the categories for which it was nominated (''Best Community Site'' and ''Best News Site'').<ref name="webby_2000">{{cite news|url=http://www.webbyawards.com/press/press-release.php?id=33|title=Stars Turn Out to Honor the Best Web Sites of the Year at the Webby Awards 2000.|last=Mulligan|first=Judie|date=May 11, 2000|publisher=[[Webby Awards]]|access-date=January 13, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422050535/http://www.webbyawards.com/press/press-release.php?id=33|archive-date=April 22, 2009}}</ref> It was also voted as one of ''[[Newsweek]]''{{'}}s favorite technology Web sites and rated in [[Yahoo!]]'s Top 100 Web sites as the "Best Geek Hangout" (2001).<ref name="Rappa_Michael">{{cite web|url=http://digitalenterprise.org/cases/slashdot.html|title=Case Study: Slashdot|last=Rappa|first=Michael|publisher=digitalenterprise.org|access-date=January 13, 2010|archive-date=June 12, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612204723/http://digitalenterprise.org/cases/slashdot.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The main antagonists in the 2004 novel ''[[Century Rain]]'', by [[Alastair Reynolds]] – The Slashers – are named after Slashdot users.<ref name="century_rain">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2006/06/review-century-rain-by-alastair-reynolds-1/|title=REVIEW: Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds|last=Shaffer|first=Scott|date=June 8, 2006|publisher=sfsignal.com|access-date=January 13, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100422203400/http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2006/06/review-century-rain-by-alastair-reynolds-1/|archive-date=April 22, 2010}}</ref> The site was mentioned briefly in the 2000 novel ''[[Cosmonaut Keep]]'', written by [[Ken MacLeod]].<ref name="MacLeod_Ken">{{cite book|last=MacLeod|first=Ken|title=Cosmonaut Keep|publisher=Tom Doherty Associates, L.L.C.|location=[[New York City]]|year=2000|pages=29|isbn=978-0-7653-4073-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WZ79SvQOhPQC&q=Cosmonaut+Keep+slashdot&pg=PA29|access-date=January 13, 2010}}</ref> Several tech celebrities have stated that they either checked the website regularly or participated in its discussion forums using an account. Some of these celebrities include: Apple co-founder [[Steve Wozniak]],<ref name="WozniakSteve">{{cite book|last=Kahney|first=Leander|title=The Cult of Mac|publisher=No Starch Press|date=November 18, 2006|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cultofmac00kahn/page/50 50]|isbn=978-1-59327-122-0|url=https://archive.org/details/cultofmac00kahn/page/50}}</ref> writer and actor [[Wil Wheaton]],<ref name="WilWheaton">{{cite web|url=http://www.wilwheaton.net/2003/01/hoo_boy_3.php|title=Hoo boy!|last=Wheaton|first=Wil|date=January 14, 2003|publisher=wilwheaton.net|access-date=January 12, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061004200239/http://www.wilwheaton.net/2003/01/hoo_boy_3.php |archive-date = October 4, 2006}}</ref> and [[id Software]] technical director [[John D. Carmack|John Carmack]].<ref name="carmack_thread">{{cite journal|last=McDonald|first=Tom|date=March 2002|title=Romero vs. Carmack|journal=Maximum PC|pages=15|issn=1522-4279|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0gEAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15|access-date=January 12, 2012}}</ref>{{dubious|date=February 2022}}
== Deterioration ==
* Unlike other sites, [[UTF-8]] was never adopted. All text is rendered as [[ASCII]]. Including parts of news posts quoted from third party sites.
* The mobile interface, added after Slashdot was sold off, was never finished, and lacks fundamental functionality, like account settings, anonymous posting, choice of markup style (important because of above lack of UTF-8), etc.
* No visible changes to the site have been made since the addition of the mobile interface and rudimentary [[XMLHttpRequest|asynchronous functionality]].
* Comment numbers have declined to a tenth compared to its golden age.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://slashdot.org/hof.shtml | title=Slashdot: Hall of Fame }}</ref>
* As of late Summer 2023, the registration mechanism for new users is disabled, and manual requests via feedback e-mail must be made.<ref>https://slashdot.org/my/newuser {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal|Internet}}
* [[Digg]]
* [[Fark]]
* [[Hacker News]]
* [[Phoronix]]
* [[Reddit]]
* [[:zh:solidot|Solidot]] {{In lang|zh}}, a Chinese clone of Slashdot, whose name comes from "solidus" (alternate name of slash) and "dot"
== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
{{Wiktionary|slashdot}}
* {{Official website|https://slashdot.org/}}
[[Category:Slashdot| ]]
[[Category:Geeknet]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 1997]]
[[Category:Internet services supporting OpenID]]
[[Category:Online computer magazines]]
[[Category:Reputation management]]
[[Category:Washtenaw County, Michigan]]