You are now entering an O'Gara-free zone

James Turner,
LinuxWorld Magazine

May 10 2005

Well, the last day has certainly been an interesting one. First off, I'd like to thank all the people who wrote such kind words of support, both here and on Slashdot. Taking a tough moral stand is made a lot easier when you've got so many people giving you a little push from behind.

The good news is, the right thing happened in the end. Sys-con Media listened to what I and my fellow editors, their advertisers and the readership was saying, and made the correct decision. Maureen O'Gara's bylined material will no longer appear anywhere in the Sys-con universe of sites or publications. We have received this commitment in writing from Fuat Kircaali, the publisher. Checking around the web sites this morning, I can see that her material is already almost entirely gone, I assume the remainder will dribble out over the next few days.

Now we can return to producing a world-class web site and print magazine, with the kind of editorial control that we think is critical. You showed your support for our position, I hope you'll be equally kind to us with your readership.

Overdue Obligatory Personal Note: 6 days after surgery, neck is still a little sore and the occasional Percocet is still required, but I'm feeling surprisingly good. I may ask if I can drive to my High School reunion (my 25th) on Friday. Some of my fingers are still numb, but less so every day, so I'm hopeful things will work out well.

Clarification:  Someone questioned the term "bylined article".  Let me clarify as I have had it clarified by the publisher for me.  No material authored by O'Gara will appear, period.

Copyright 2005