OSnews – 21 years and 20k posts later
Thom Holwerda reflects on 21 years of leading OSNews, marking over 20,000 posts and significant shifts in operating systems and internet culture. He highlights the growth of Linux, BSDs, and alternative systems like Haiku and Redox, while criticizing fleeting tech trends. OSNews has transitioned to a reader-funded, ad-free model, maintaining editorial independence and a minimalist web design.
- ▪Linux evolved from a niche curiosity into a popular and competitive desktop operating system, even surpassing Windows in some gaming scenarios.
- ▪Alternative operating systems like Haiku, Redox, and OS/2 have seen sustained development and increasing stability over the years.
- ▪OSNews transitioned to a fully reader-funded model, removing all advertising to maintain independence from corporate interests.
- ▪The website has retained a minimalist, fast design for over a decade and resists trend-driven redesigns.
- ▪Holwerda consistently avoided hyped technologies like cryptocurrency, NFTs, the metaverse, and AI, maintaining a skeptical and independent editorial stance.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Home > OS News > 21 years and 20000 posts later21 years and 20000 posts later Thom Holwerda 2026-05-16 OS News 3 CommentsAlmost exactly 21 years ago, in June 2005, at a mere 20 years old, I took over the managing editor role at OSNews from Eugenia. I had already published a few articles in the years prior, and had given Eugenia enough confidence to suggest me as her replacement. It was, and is, a great honour.In those 21 years and more than 20000 posts, I’ve seen a lot of beautiful things. Linux grew from a curiosity among nerds into a popular desktop operating system, and often a better choice for gaming than Windows. The BSDs flourish steadily, growing into even stronger and capable alternatives to desktop Linux than they already were.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Osnews.