Slashdot has a series of articles documenting its history as part of its 10 year anniversary celebration.
A Brief History of Slashdot Part 1, Chips & Dips
A Brief History of Slashdot Part 2, Explosions
History of Slashdot Part 3, Going Corporate
The History of Slashdot Part 4, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Last year, when the /. CSS design contest was on, I had downloaded Slash with an intention of re-teaching my self Perl. High hopes !! :).
The latest posts in the history series describe the back end of it.
Slashdot’s Setup, Part 1- Hardware
Slashdot’s Setup, Part 2- Software