Do you read print computer magazines - the 'real' ones on the shelves?

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In the past (20 to 30 years ago) I read computer magazines avidly. On the odd occasion I buy one now they have no substance.

Compute! magazine was one of my favorites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compute!

Bill - your link is broken - the shriek is outside [I've always wanted to say that :D]

Thanks Steve the link is now correct.

In programming circles (here in the States at least) that is called a bang and the asterisk * is called a splat. :)

I am displaying my roots maybe in calling it a shriek ;)

As the question is "Do you read print computer magazines" I answered No.
But I once did (a lot) ;)

Up to a few years back I would buy on average 3 to 4 different magazines a month. These days I never buy one. No one particular reason that I can think of, just got the feeling that they were going over all the same old ground time after time.

For me, access to high speed internet was late. Dial-up (28k max where I was at the time) was hopeless for anything really useful. Also the PC mags were the only way I could get to try out shareware and freeware plus the occasional full version freebie.

After broadband was available. much of the information contained in the magazines was available on demand online. It was also fresher, news in PC magazine is often out out date by the time they hit the shelves.

I always thought a shriek was an exclamation mark..

yes indeed - a journalistic argot amongst others

and part of the magazine name "compute!" - without the shriek Bill's link just went to a general comput[ing] wiki page

but its also a marvel comics character, a batman villain - hence my other reference :D

moving swiftly back on topic - as far as I can remember I have bought only one such magazine in the last 24 months.... but read considerably more [part of the job]

With the amount of information available on the web, computer magazines are really redundant.

I agree with the majority who said they were avid readers in the past, but now, what's the point?

I buy 2 mags every month to stay in touch with both hardware & software and also design. The two mags that I buy are Computer Shopper and Computer Arts both which I can just about read on-line so why do I spend that money? Well it is like CD's or DVD's it is a possession thing, there is nothing like opening and reading put it down and then going back to it and it is mine. Also I finding reading from a screen tiring, boring and the design element of the mag is broken up it doesn't look the same. The only disadvantage that I can see is storage of mags.

Well put Albacore!
I subscribe on one computer magazine (which is about both hardware and software), and at work I read a couple of magazines more. It's easier to read a magazine for example on the bus or train than to start surfing online with a laptop or hand held whatchamacallit. Also, if you are following a tutorial it is at least for me, easier to have a magazine (or book) at hands while I do the step-by-step on the computer, instead of fiddling and switching with windows, interrupting the workflow.

I answered yes, but I don't buy computer magazines, as I find that generally the content is low and the price is high. Our local library subscribes to a few, and when in the library I nearly always sit for a while and browse. If I had to buy the magazines myself, the answer would have been no.

I answered "No". I used to, but as much for the cover discs as the written content.
I used to buy the odd one that had some software I wanted, but I found that they were all repeating themselves too often to continue buying them.
I find sites like cnet.com to be at least as informative as the magazines, plus it's possible to create .pdf files of any articles of interest.
Saludos,
Bob.

Yes bob, that is exactly why I stopped buying them.
I used to buy them for the cover floppy/cd/dvd, and
you could get some great deals or even free software
through that. (but I also got burned sometimes, where
deals were only for the UK or US, so I paid the full price
(even a bit more) and couldn`t use the software on it
and they didn`t warn you for this on the cover)
And the magazines were discussing software I didn`t have
most of the time, lately, so the magazines didn`t offer me
anything anymore, so I quit buying them.

the question was not about buying magazines, but reading them. And as I said, I read a few because I get to read them for free at work (would hardly buy them otherwise) and one I actually subscribe because I got a good offer (and when the subscription period is over I'll quit the subscription and wait for the next offer :)).

Well Gnurf, I have to buy them to read them ;)

Maybe I am old fashioned, but I would much sooner sit in an armchair and browse through a magazine than get lost in links on a web site. I get plenty of email from PC magazine etc, but I rarely bother to go to the web site. PC Magazine is no more and I am looking for a replacement. I read about 4 magazines and at least 6 books a month ( I am retired:D).

I think this thread has now finally settled one thing for me - I'm getting old. The arrival of PC Pro through the post (subscribing is quicker and cheaper) is a highlight of the month. Sure, quite a lot of content isn't directly relevant to me (how many times a year do I need detailed reviews making clear that all these new PCs are X times faster than mine but only cost half of what mine did?), but I've learned quite a lot just by browsing stuff and let it sink in gradually - which I would never do if I relied on online mags. Tom Arah's monthly design column is a must-read (and he's very supportive of Xara on the rare occasions the company gets mentioned), and Jon Honeyball has to be one of the most entertaining writers in the field IMHO. And whatever happened to Mike Hardaker who used to write (this is 10+ years ago now) in Windows User?
But my real treasured pile of paper, stacked up at home next to the complete back numbers of Mojo, is a set of Corel User magazine, now long-defunct. Back in the days when I relied professionally on CorelDraw and Ventura, that was a real treasure.
Maybe I belong to the last generation that will treasure paper?

Jon H

I couldn't think of a meaningful response to people who felt that searching the web now made buying mags redundant ( other than to each his own ), until I got my sticky fingers on issue 157 of Computer Arts.

pg 86 features the work of 2 brothers - handmadefont - you can see the page and some of their work here

http://handmadefont.com/blog/

This is probably the magazine design, but thought that the listing of media used was rather nice........ first col, Photoshop, Illustrator, 3dsMax. second col, Xara, followed by, toast, tomato ketchup, hammers and wire.

The 2nd item, pg 37. I had been watching the Bakers biscuit ad on TV and kept meaning to phone the company to find out who had made it. The execution of the 3D had me checking the detail every time it is shown - which is not that often. It's a small company in Cape Town, Shy the Sun.

There is just so much on the internet, that one can miss the truly exceptional work out there - some of which the mags highlight.

Yvonne, who has to admit that she never ever thought to cut up toast for fonts!

Yes, print versus computer screen doesn't compare for static work and as you say there's often great stuff mentioned in computer magazines that you might never stumble upon.

I don't buy many magazines any more, but that's more down to my own changing interests and a reluctance to spend money these days.

There are a few computer magazines I still get. MAXIMUMPC is my favorite , funny I can't recall the other right now.
I like to stay up on current technology.The reading made me adept at doing my own computer builds.A fun hobby and I also do some repair.

I stopped buying print publications (newspapers or magazines) years ago. I do get ESPN the Magazine only because when you sign up to become an "insider" you get the magazine.

I must not be as big a geek as I thought because...........

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Soquili

........that is called a bang and the asterisk * is called a splat. :)

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by pauland

I always thought a shriek was an exclamation mark..

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I always thought bang and splat and shriek required I have a girl involved......


To the original post, I will on occasion read a magazine on a rack at the store, but I seldom see any reason to buy one. I find that Extreme Tech and Extreme Build-It covers most of what I want to know about hardware, and the software I use is all either UNIX/Linux based or Xara, so the best resources are online.

I gave up reading computer enthusiast magazines ages ago - I figured that once you learnt all about Vesa Local Bus and IDE drives there was no point in knowing more..

;-)