Andover.Net Acquires freshmeat.net; Andover.Net is Now the Largest Linux Network and the Leading Source for Content, News and Community

Business Wire, August 10, 1999

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 1999--

Andover.Net (www.andover.net), the award-winning online IT network dedicated to serving the builders of the Internet, today announced the acquisition of freshmeat.net, a leading Linux software and news Web site (www.freshmeat.net). With this acquisition and the recent acquisition of Slashdot.org(TM), Andover.Net has quickly become the number one destination for the Linux and open source community. Freshmeat's visitors brings Andover.Net's total number of unique visitors to over 2.5 million per month and over 40,000,000 page impressions per month. Founder Patrick Lenz will continue control of the freshmeat.net site as well as provide direction for other Linux efforts at Andover.Net.

"Andover.Net is excited about freshmeat joining our growing Linux and IT Web network. With the freshmeat acquisition, Andover.Net continues its focus on Linux and serving the Linux community," said Bruce Twickler, president and CEO of Andover.Net. "Andover.Net, including its freshmeat and Slashdot sites, is the number one source for Linux on the Web."

"By joining Andover.Net we can extend our reach and bring Linux applications to a broader audience. Another advantage is there are so many synergies between Slashdot and freshmeat.net that when Slashdot joined Andover.Net it made a lot of sense to me to go there too," said freshmeat.net founder Patrick Lenz. "I'm happy to be a part of Andover.Net who is dedicated to the Linux community, has the technical knowledge and also the resources to allow me to add personnel to ensure the continued success and growth of freshmeat."

About freshmeat.net

Founded in 1997 in Germany, freshmeat is the largest Linux software application repository and also contains application news and a community section. Freshmeat's primary focus is to continue to build its application repository that includes a searchable application index. The index also informs users if an application is released, the date of the release and if the application is still in development. Freshmeat also allows users to post their comments on new Linux applications to inform other users of useful new releases. There's also a feature that shows the number of hits each application has received to determine which Linux product is the most popular.

Freshmeat also offers news announcing new commercial Linux applications and editorials on hot community topics. There's an active Linux lounge with over 35,000 members that provides specific benefits and services to its users, such as highlighting only the new applications and comments that have been added since the last time they visited freshmeat.net.

"Freshmeat.net and Slashdot have always pretty much gone together like peanut butter and jelly" said Slashdot founder Rob Malda. "Andover.Net is the bread."

Meet Freshmeat.net, Slashdot.org and Andover.Net at Linus Torvalds' Keynote Party

Andover.Net is sponsoring Linus Torvalds' Keynote Party. Freshmeat founder Patrick "scoop" Lenz, Slashdot founders Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda and Jeff "Hemos" Bates and Andover.Net founder Bruce Twickler will be at the Andover.Net keynote party, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 7:30 pm, at the Parkside Hall across the street from the San Jose Convention Center. Please call Manya Rossignoli or Chris Stamm at (781) 684-0770 to schedule an interview.

About Andover.Net

Andover.Net (www.andover.net) is the award-winning online IT network dedicated to serving the builders of the Internet. Andover.Net includes a unique combination of IT news and reviews; resources for IT buyers & programmers; and e-Tools for Web builders. Andover.Net also provides advertisers with the most effective online advertising programs for targeting people building the Internet. For the latest news, reviews and resources visitors go to AndoverNews(TM) (www.andovernews.com). This site also includes Slashdot (www.slashdot.org) the leading site for open source programmers; The IT Managers Journal(TM) (www.itmanagersjournal.com), providing news and advice for IT managers; the Internet Traffic Report (TM)(www.internettrafficreport.com), providing Internet performance data every 15 minutes; and TechSightings(TM) (www.techsightings.com), reviews of the Web's best sites. IT buyers and programmers download products at DaveCentral(TM) (www.davecentral.com) which provides over 6,000 free downloadable Windows products; FreeCode(TM) (www.freecode.com), where users can easily view and use free code; and Slaughterhouse(TM) (www.slaughterhouse.com), that provides free downloadable Windows software. MediaBuilder(TM) (www.mediabuilder.com) is the online Web-building resource with unique e-Tools. MediaBuilder includes Animation Factory (www.animfactory.com), the Internet's largest proprietary GIF image library. Serving a total of 2,500,000 unique visitors per month and over 35 million page impressions, Andover.Net is headquartered in Acton, Mass.

Editor's Note: freshmeat.net and Slashdot.org will be exhibiting at Linux World in the .org Pavilion