I note that people are referring to Slashdot in the past tense. I don't disagree with the implied statement, but do regret its passing.
I just noticed they deleted old accounts, one of the worst mistakes long-running sites can make.
Maybe only accounts which have not logged in years.
My account seems fine and i check it a few times per year.
Slashdot is fairly active these days(of course its isn't the giant of IT it was) .
My account is still there. 4 digit user id.
In this instance, one might wager that it was somebody's "Alan Smithee" moment.