Computer magazine
Computer magazines are about computers and related subjects, such as networking and the Internet. Most computer magazines offer (or offered) advice, some offer programming tutorials, reviews of the latest technologies, and advertisements.
History
1970s-1980s
Dr Dobbs Journal is one of the oldest computer magazines still being published, and it was the first to focus on software, rather than hardware.
1980s computer magazines skewed their content towards the hobbyist end of the then-microcomputer market, and used to contain type-in programs, but these have gone out of fashion.
Computer Gaming World stated in 1988 that it was the only one of the 18 color magazines that covered computer games in 1983 to survive the video game crash of 1983, which badly hurt the home-computer market.[1] Compute! similarly stated that year that it was the only general-interest survivor of about 150 consumer-computing magazines published in 1983.[2]
Some computer magazines in the 1980s and 1990s were issued only on disk (or cassette tape, or CD-ROM) with no printed counterpart; such publications are collectively (though somewhat inaccurately) known as disk magazines and are listed separately.
1990s
In some ways the heyday of printed computer magazines was a period during the 1990s, in which a large number of computer manufacturers took out advertisements in computer magazines, so they became quite thick and could afford to carry quite a number of articles in each issue, (Computer Shopper (UK magazine) was a good example of this trend). Some printed computer magazines used to include floppy disks, CD-ROMs, or other media as inserts; they typically contained software, demos, and electronic versions of the print issue.
2000s-2010s
However, with the rise in popularity of the internet, many computer magazines went bankrupt or transitioned to an online-only existence. Exceptions include Wired magazine, which is more of a technology magazine than a computer magazine.
List of computer magazines
Notable regular contributors to print computer magazines
| Name | Occupation(s) | Magazine(s) (years of regular contributions) |
|---|---|---|
 Ken Arnold |
Programmer | Unix Review (1980s - 1990s) |
 Charlie Brooker |
TV comedian, TV reviewer, newspaper columnist | PC Zone (1990s) |
| Orson Scott Card |
Science fiction author | Ahoy!, Compute! |
| Chris Crawford |
Game designer | BYTE, Computer Gaming World |
| Pamela Jones |
Paralegal, legal blogger | Linux User, others |
| Stan Kelly-Bootle |
Writer, consultant, programmer, songwriter | UNIX Review (1984 - 2000), OS/2 Magazine, Software Development |
| Nicholas Negroponte |
Professor, investor | Wired magazine (1993 - 1998) |
| Jerry Pournelle |
Science fiction author | BYTE (1980 - 2006) |
| Rhianna Pratchett |
Game scriptwriter, journalist | PC Zone |
| Bruce Schneier |
Security specialist, writer, cryptographer | Wired magazine |
| Charles Stross |
Science fiction and fantasy author | Computer Shopper (UK magazine) (1994-2004) |
References
- ↑ Sipe, Russell (August 1988). "The Greatest Story Ever Told". Computer Gaming World. p. 6.
- ↑ Mansfield, Richard (January 1988). "Editor's Notes". Compute!. p. 6. Retrieved 10 November 2013.