Originally published at: Mainstream computer mags, RIP | Boing Boing
…
3 Likes
I miss Byte, the magazine that taught me how to program.
5 Likes
I used to read Byte, and mostly liked it.
But what I really missed was Micro Cornucopia, the only magazine I ever subscribed.
When they offered to move the subscriptions to Computer Language, I accepted, as that was also something I bought every now and then (distribution in Italy was, let’s say, spotty).
1 Like
I remember buying my first computer, and buying a giant inch thing magazine that was mostly ads, Computer Shopper or something like that, trying to figure out what I wanted.
1 Like
Compute! and Compute Gazette were my gotos (pun not intended)
1 Like
“PCI Audio Card Magazine” 
It’s easy to forget how niche magazines got before the web. Every interest, industry, and vertical had one.
Seconded for Compute and Byte. For Apple folks, SoftTalk and Nibble were where it was at. So good.
1 Like
Actual mainstream PC magazines (not gaming magazines or Dr Dobbs or 8-bit hobbyist titles) were always just big catalogs as far as I can remember. Which I did find exciting at one time, just like that website that used to list new phone models pre-2007.
But the excitement was because you could see how cool the technology was going to get. Which is to say, the actual PCs you could buy weren’t yet good enough. And now they are. So even if I could go out and buy PC World in its 90s form, it would be like reading a screwdriver catalog, because there’s nothing left to envy in the PC realm. But that’s a good trade. It’s not like nostalgia for cassette tapes, where something positive has been lost.
1 Like
I was a Sync and Timex Sinclair User kid myself. Most all of them are archived:
I miss both of 'em. That was a fun time.
1 Like
Atari ST magazines were pretty niche. But they were crucial along with a local user group to finding out what was available and what worked. They weren’t as slick and professional as PC and Mac magazines. I recall seeing one that had a mainstream look and viewing it as suspect since it wasn’t like the others. TIL one of them was owned by Larry Flynt.
1 Like
InCider, and Computer Gaming World were the ones I used.
2 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
