Freecode
Type of site | Software |
---|---|
Available in | English only |
Owner | BIZX, LLC |
Created by | Patrick Lenz (scoop) |
Website |
freecode |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Optional |
Current status | Unmaintained archive |
Freecode, formerly Freshmeat, is a website owned by BIZX, Inc. It helped people find software and keep track of the latest releases and updates. Among other things, the site also hosted user reviews and discussions. A majority of the software covered is open source for Unix-like systems, although Freecode also covered releases of closed-source, commercial and cross-platform software[1] on Mac OS X and handhelds. Freecode was notable for its age, having started in 1997[2][3] as the first web-based aggregator of software releases.
The site was renamed from "Freshmeat" to "Freecode" on October 29, 2011,[1] and in September 2012, Dice Holdings acquired the website from Geeknet.[4][5]
Purportedly as a result of low traffic levels, the site is no longer being updated as of June 18, 2014. Because many of the linked software projects are otherwise difficult to find, the site contents have been kept online.[3][6] After Open Source Initiative co-founder Eric S. Raymond called for a replacement,[7] freshcode.club was created and is accepting submissions.[8] However, Open Hub also lists open source projects and already offers more information on projects than Freecode.
On January 27, 2016, Freecode was sold, along with SourceForge and Slashdot, to current owners BIZX, Inc.[9] The site remains in its archived state, but some discussion is on going to restore it.[10]
Features
Prior to Freecode's archival, programmers registered their projects with the site, and submitted information about updates. Software was categorized by field of application, license, development status, environment, intended audience, type of use, supported operating systems, programming languages used, and available natural languages.
Users could browse for software and downloads, and were able to rate or comment on the software. An NNTP server allowed Usenet-like access; complex search queries could be saved, with new or updated entries matching the query sent as daily e-mail notifications. Freecode also offered a news ticker stream, a daily newsletter, articles on Unix software-related topics and an IRC channel.
The entire database of software releases was freely available as a download.
See also
References
- 1 2 "About Freecode". 2011-10-31. Archived from the original on October 31, 2011. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- ↑ "What's in a name?". 2011-10-29. Archived from the original on October 31, 2011. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- 1 2 "freshmeat.net, 1997-2014". 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- ↑ "Dice Holdings buys Geeknet websites for $20M". 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- ↑ "Slashdot, SourceForge, FreeCode sold to jobs site company". 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- ↑ "About Freecode". 2014-06-19. Archived from the original on June 19, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- ↑ "Replacing freecode: a proposal". 2014-06-21. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- ↑ "Freshcode.club wants to replace Freecode". 2014-08-04. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- ↑ "Slashdot Media Acquired by BIZX for Undisclosed Price | San Diego Business Journal". www.sdbj.com. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
- ↑ "The State of SourceForge Since Its Acquisition in January • /r/sysadmin". reddit. Retrieved 2016-06-08.