Slash (software)
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Content management system |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Rob Malda |
| Defunct | September 2009 |
| Products | Slashcode (content management system) |
| Owner | Andover.net (after June 1999) |
Slash (an acronym for Slashdot-Like Automated Storytelling Homepage) is a content management system initially developed for Slashdot, one of the pioneering collaborative websites on the Internet. This platform is also referred to as Slashcode.
The architecture of Slash is composed of modules, plugins, and applets—scripts that run on the server—primarily written in Perl.
History
The initial iterations of Slash were created by Rob Malda, the founder of Slashdot, during the spring of 1998. In June 1999, Andover.net acquired Slashdot, after which development advanced with input from contributors such as Brian Aker, Patrick Galbraith, and Chris Nandor. This collaborative effort led to the release of version 2 in 2001. Maintenance responsibilities were managed by Jamie McCarthy and Chris Nandor until 2009, when the original codebase was discontinued in September of that year.
The software continues to be distributed mainly under the terms of the GNU General Public License, promoting open participation in its development.
SoylentNews
SoylentNews represents a fork of Slashdot, originating from a 2009 split of the Slashdot engine. Michael Casadevall (known as NCommander), previously involved as a core developer for Ubuntu in New York, holds the position of president at SoylentNews Public Benefit Corporation (SN PBC).
On 22 May 2023, NCommander declared that SoylentNews would cease operations on 30 June; this announcement was later retracted on 5 June 2023, with intentions to maintain the site and implement a comprehensive redesign.
External links
- — archive of the former official website, inactive since 2009
- — historical source code for Slash
- — SoylentNews’s version of Slash source code imported from SourceForge in 2009
- — SoylentNews Rehash codebase maintained since 2009