Journalist Brockmeier now Community Manager with Open Suse
Novell has taken on technology journalist Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier as the new Community Manager for its free Open Suse Linux distribution.
The free OpenSuse Linux distribution is the basis for Novell's enterprise variants, such as Suse Linux Enterprise Server, or Open Enterprise Server. As the Community-Manager Brockmeier will liaise between Novell and the community of users and developers, and will have responsibility for marketing the free operating system. In recent recent years, Brockmeier has worked as a freelance journalist for various technical publications in the Linux and Open Source field. According to a statement by Brockmeier, he has used Linux for nearly twelve years, and has viewed himself as an Open Source evangelist for just as long.
Brockmeier sees his main task as that of Community spokesman with Novell. In his new OpenSuse blog he praises the former Fedora project leader for his example: "I think Max Spevack from Red Hat has done a great job along these lines, helping to transition Fedora into a much more community driven project than it was when it was originally split off from Red Hat Linux, and I’d like to take some cues from his work and apply them to OpenSuse." At the same time, Brockmeier intends to use his new job to convince Windows users to shift to Linux: "I want to reach the masses of Windows users who are looking for a better computing platform, and find ways to address their needs with Linux."
The new Community Manager was introduced to the OpenSuse community at an initial working meeting today. The agenda covered items such as the suggested Code of Conduct for the openSuse community. You can meet Brockmeier personally in the next couple of days at the SCALE Open Source fair in California and the FOSDEM developer meeting in Brussels.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.