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Want a Linux.com email address? It'll cost $99

By Sean Michael Kerner on June 2, 2009 5:07 PM

From the 'membership has its privileges' files:

If you've ever wanted your very own Linux.com email address (and didn't work for SourceForge/OSDN) - you too can now get one. All you need to do is join the Linux Foundation.

The Linux Foundation is set to formally announce a new individual membership program tomorrow that costs $99 that will include an @Linux.com email address. The Linux.com domain was acquired by the Linux Foundation in March and was re-launched in May.

Having an individual membership class is a far cry from how things were in the OSDL days (prior to the creation of the Linux Foundation). Then membership was a pricey affair often tipping $1 million or more.

The idea is that membership fees support the development of Linux since the Linux Foundation is the organization that employs Linus Torvalds. Membership also gives individuals a voice in the structure of the foundation.

"The collective results of thousands of individual contributions are what have paved the way for Linux. This membership class enables more people to have an impact on the operating system while enjoying benefits such as major discounts off of industry events," said Jim Zemlin, executive director at the Linux Foundation in a statement."And, if you are tired of the e-mail roysmith3526@mail.com now is your chance to switch to roy@linux.com."

It's an interesting idea, but don't forget that participating in the Linux community isn't just about paying a membership fee. Not everyone can write code and not everyone can contribute documentation and not everyone can test code/applications -- though those are all needed contributions.

As for the email address that is cool but then again I'm already pretty lucky. My email address is @internet.com.

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