Listen closely and you can hear it: the gentle sound of millions of folks nervously scratching their heads wondering just what the heck is going on with the open-source, or "free" software that has suddenly gotten so much attention (see "Programs to the People," TR January/February 1999). There's no better source of information, rumor and opinion on this phenomenon than Slashdot, which titles itself: "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters." The creation of 22-year-old Rob Malda- whose nom de Web is "Commander Taco" - Slashdot feels like a geek clubhouse. Malda and others post articles on topics ranging from "the personalities behind Linux" to an essay predicting the arrival of "sexbots" that never have headaches.

The creation of 22-year-old Rob Malda-whose nom de Web is "Commander Taco"-Slashdot feels like a geek clubhouse.Malda and others post articles on topics ranging from "the personalities behind Linux" to an essay predicting the arrival of "sexbots" that never have headaches.