AN JOSE, Calif. - Acton-based Andover.net does not make products based on the Linux operating system, but it is becoming mighty chummy with those who do.
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Acton-based Andover.net does not make products based on the Linux operating system, but it is becoming mighty chummy with those who do.
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www.redhat.com |
NASDAQ: RHAT
 Packages Linux network software, an open-source alternative to Microsoft's dominant Windows operating system.
Offers technical support.
Offers training, certification.
Partnerships with Netscape, IBM.
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Founded to create and market graphics software, Andover.net has transformed itself into a provider of Web-based services and information through its popular Dave Central Web site. Now it is on a buying spree, acquiring major Internet sites devoted to providing information about the trendy Linux operating system.
Linux is the leading edge of a software phenomenon called ''open source,'' in which software is designed to allow advanced users to modify and customize the programs running on their computers.
Earlier this year, Andover.net bought Slashdot, one of the best-known Web sites for expert information on Linux and other open-source computing topics. Then on Tuesday, the company revealed it had bought Freshmeat, another leading Linux site, which specializes in providing news on the latest software packages.
And if that wasn't enough to get attention, Andover.net threw one of the biggest parties at this week's LinuxWorld Expo, a beer bash that attracted thousands of thirsty computer buffs.
''It's an effort to invest in Linux and open source,'' said Andover.net chief executive Bruce Twickler. The spectacular success of Wednesday's initial public offering of stock in Linux software company Red Hat Software Inc. suggests that companies building strong positions in the fast-growing Linux market could reap lavish rewards. Twickler hopes to establish Andover.net as a top provider of information and services to the Linux community.
''We've been a technology Web site for three years,'' said Twickler. Andover.net was founded in 1992 to sell graphic design software and embraced the Internet as a potent sales tool. The site also began to accept advertising from other software firms. ''By the end of 1996, we were making more money from advertising than we were from our own software products.''
So Twickler decided to focus on Web publishing and has homed in on the market for Linux information. ''We already have a million and a half visitors to Andover.net who are not Linux users.'' Twickler thinks many of these are serious computer users ripe for conversion to the open-source camp, and he expects to win them over with links to Slashdot and Freshmeat.
Both sites will retain a great deal of editorial independence. The sites' founders are now employees of Andover.net. Slashdot founder Rob Malda and Freshmeat creator Patrick Lenz spent most of LinuxWorld seated on brightly colored inflatable sofas, pounding away on laptop computers linked to their Web sites. They were editing messages and news stories, constantly updating their popular pages.
''I've gone from 70 hours a week to 50 hours a week,'' said Malda, who established Slashdot with several friends from Hope College in Holland, Mich.
Lenz came to LinuxWorld from Wallrabenstein, Germany, where he also works at a computer reseller firm owned by his father. He said he will now be free to focus on improving the quality of Freshmeat, rather than just concentrate on basic maintenance tasks. ''I'm going to grow Freshmeat even bigger,'' he vowed.
Financial terms of the Freshmeat transaction haven't been disclosed.
