Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG
In an effort to bring attention to some of the lesser known distros out there, a new e-mail address has been created. It may be used for purposes of announcing a new release, updates, news, and more. One question that comes to mind may be, “What is the point to all of this?” There are already distro news sites such as Distrowatch, but some distributions are bound to not be listed on even the most mammoth of sites. There are distros out there that are not getting attention, despite potential technical merit. In other words, there is a void that needs to be filled.
For those who are a part of a distro and who want to make announcements concerning their distro, here is the e-mail address: distros@thenixedreport.com. The following is a list of subject lines that may be used to simply communication:
- Release: Whether it is alpha or a final release. By using this in your subject line, you are indicating that a distro has been released.
- Update: This can pertain to updates for the distro in question, such as new versions of software suites or security updates. Since online repositories are often used, information pertaining to repository updates, such as changing repository addresses and more, may also use this word in their subject line.
- Site: Any news pertaining to the distro’s website may use this word.
- Staff: Any news pertaining to changes in developers, webmasters, etc… This can come in handy when announcing a new developer coming on board or a new leader being elected (depending on the distro).
Of course, when using either of the above, it may be a good idea to indicate the name of the distro before the word. The format would be as follows: [Distro Name] [News Type] For example, if Linux Mint were about to change the location of one of their repositories, the following would work: Mint Update
Information on Released Distros
If a new release is available, then the version number of said distro should suffice. However, it is recommended to offer as much information as possible. For example, what version of the Linux kernel does it use? If a different kernel is used altogether (other than Linux) then what version is that kernel? Which web browser is included? What about e-mail clients and office suites? How about the version of X.org or XFree86?
Where that Information Goes
The information provided will be posted in the news section on THE *NIXED REPORT website. If a longer release is available on the distro’s website, a link will be created so the rest of the announcement can be read.