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from the from-the-original-founders-of-the-other-site dept.
I've got something real special for you guys today. Jonathan Pater, better known to most people as CowboyNeal, has agreed to do an interview with us. Given the source, we're going to do this in the "Slashdot-style" (for want of a better term) where you can post your questions below, we'll select our favorites and pass them on to him. Though he is quite busy, we've got the CowboyNeal account reserved for him just in case, so if you see it posting, know that's the real deal.
I'd also like to thank mrcoolbp for getting in contact with CowboyNeal, and recommend everyone thank him for helping setting up this opportunity. Now, let's get those questions going folks!
Note: Feel free to ask multiple questions, but please: only one question per post.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Appalbarry on Monday March 02 2015, @11:51PM
The Internet that we see today is dramatically different from what existed when Slashdot was launched in 1997.
The corporatization and commercialization of so much on the 'net has changed it from the free and easy, wild west place that some of us remember, and we're now at a point where pretty much everyone, from all walks of life, is on the 'net in some fashion, instead of just the nerds, geeks, and techheads that were hanging out back then.
The culture of the 'net defined early projects like Slashdot, and the kind of people who were early users led directly to the still brilliant Slashdot moderation system, and to every attempt at commenting and moderation that followed.
Arguably almost all post-Usenet conversation on the 'net is influenced by what Slashdot created.
Do you think that Slashdot could be created today? And is it fair to also look at the site as an important historical artifact?