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View Full Version : Anyone else read Linux Format?



aysiu
May 10th, 2006, 08:28 PM
I love the internet, and I think this community is great, but sometimes you just want to hold a piece of paper in your hand.

Linux books I've found to be generally a waste of time--as most are either too advanced (programming) or too easy/ out-of-date (it's wonderful having all these Ubuntu books released about Breezy on the eve of Dapper's release).

Likewise, there are several Linux magazines out there, and out of a handful, only one seems to be at my level: Linux Format. (http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/)

It seems to have a good balance of targeting newcomers and old-timers. It also has a lot of screenshots of random programs, reviews of them, and instructions on how to use them. The best part is that each magazine comes with a DVD of a featured distro (this month, it was OpenSuSE)--I'm hoping next month's will be Ubuntu Dapper.

I have to confess I've bought only one issue (it's $15.99 in the United States--I think it's only about 6 quid in England, though), but if I'm ever in Borders or Barnes and Noble, I always flip through it while my wife gets coffee.

Well... if you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it.

Random rant:
The only rant I have is that the last issue included not only OpenSuSE but also Syllable, and Syllable was quite falsely advertised. It's supposed to be easy to use, some revolutionary OS that's supposed to replace Windows. I realize it's still not officially released, but it doesn't even support USB mice and keyboards. I'm not saying it doesn't support my USB mouse and keyboard. I'm saying even theoretically it doesn't.

An ISO for Syllable was included on the OpenSuSE DVD. I burned the ISO after reading the article about Syllable (I read the article but not the installation instructions). Then, when I went to install it, I got all these weird errors about USB. Wondering what was going on, I finally did look at the installation instructions, and there it was--a paragraph explaining that Syllable does not support USB mice and keyboards. Doh!

I don't see how, in one article, you can tout an OS as revolutionary and then in the next article say it doesn't support USB peripherals...

DoktorSeven
May 10th, 2006, 08:36 PM
I do get the occasional LF magazine from B&N -- being expensive keeps me from getting every issue, but I try to get the ones that have interresting stuff and/or good coverdisk material (mostly stuff that it would take even my highspeed connection forever to pull down :) ).

aysiu
May 10th, 2006, 08:41 PM
So I'm not alone. Yeah, I've looked at the subscription prices and that's kept me pretty comfortable not buying every issue.

ajgreeny
May 10th, 2006, 08:48 PM
Couldn't agree more! Linux Format is great and the only magazine in the UK that I've found that has given me help, and several distro's to try.

I tried the Open Suse 10 noted above but didn't like it; even with Synaptic installed it did not work quickly enough for me and updating with Yast was so slow it was like watching paint dry, (I like (K)Ubuntu and the Debian type distro's). The following month they included Simply Mepis 3.4.3, another Debian derivative and though I tried it and quite like it, I still prefer (K)Ubuntu.

Next month they are due to have Dapper, but whether as the installable iso or just as a review article, this month's edition doesn't say. I'm hoping it will be the distro on disk for me to install, as I don't have the download capacity to get it online. Watch this space.

prizrak
May 10th, 2006, 09:02 PM
I never even heard of it :)

Sslaxx
May 10th, 2006, 09:26 PM
LXF is quite a useful mag to read, methinks. Tend to buy the other UK mags, too every now and then.

ice60
May 10th, 2006, 10:19 PM
I never even heard of it :)
one of the UK magazines is called Linux Pro in the US maybe it's that one :confused:

i like Linux Format alot too.

christhemonkey
May 10th, 2006, 10:22 PM
I used to get PCFormat, its windows counterpart, and always thought they were very good magazines.

Might have a look at linux format (if i can find £5.99 rolling around)

ice60
May 10th, 2006, 10:30 PM
Random rant:
The only rant I have is that the last issue included not only OpenSuSE but also Syllable, and Syllable was quite falsely advertised. It's supposed to be easy to use, some revolutionary OS that's supposed to replace Windows. I realize it's still not officially released, but it doesn't even support USB mice and keyboards. I'm not saying it doesn't support my USB mouse and keyboard. I'm saying even theoretically it doesn't.
i thought they said installing and uninstalling software was easy, but other then that it's still pretty 'raw'

also, the latest issue has a double-sided DVD (although about half the magazines have CDs instead with less then the DVD version) with FC5, Ubuntu, Suse, Morphix, 'Knoppix Games', Looking Glass and Damn Small Linux and some other stuff too :D

Resurrection
May 10th, 2006, 10:34 PM
Never heard of it before, but I will check it out now. Thanks for bringing it up. By the way there should be a never heard of it option on the poll.:-D

beercz
May 10th, 2006, 11:05 PM
Subscribed since issue 1:-D

ComplexNumber
May 10th, 2006, 11:21 PM
i get it every month now. i got the first 10-15 or so issues when it first started, then i stopped getting it because i became disenchanted with computers in general. in the last 3 years, i've started getting it again every month.
i think its a great mag. i pay £5.99 for the dvd issue.

Omnios
May 10th, 2006, 11:30 PM
Ill definatly check it out next time Im at the chapters book chainstore.

aysiu
May 11th, 2006, 12:20 AM
i thought they said installing and uninstalling software was easy, but other then that it's still pretty 'raw' It probably all boils to my not having read the article carefully enough, but it did seem to make a big deal about how easy it is to use...

Stormy Eyes
May 11th, 2006, 12:29 AM
Well... if you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it.

I've flipped through an issue or two, but I wasn't terribly impressed. Hell, the only magazine I bother buying is Playboy.

ComplexNumber
May 11th, 2006, 12:39 AM
I've flipped through an issue or two, but I wasn't terribly impressed. Hell, the only magazine I bother buying is Playboy. apart from the fact that it doesn't have any scantily models in (apart from the adverts for PC Format showing the front cover), what else were you unimpressed with?

Stormy Eyes
May 11th, 2006, 01:28 AM
apart from the fact that it doesn't have any scantily models in (apart from the adverts for PC Format showing the front cover), what else were you unimpressed with?

Never mind the T&A; I read Playboy for the articles. The articles in Linux Format appear to cover things I already know about (like Xgl and Vim 7), things I don't care about (GPL3, other people's opinions on apps), and things I can find on my own when I want them (regular expressions, OpenOffice.org Basic). Basically, I'm not Linux Format's target audience; I'm a little too experienced to find it useful, which was why I allowed my subscription to Linux Journal to lapse years ago.

ComplexNumber
May 11th, 2006, 02:02 AM
Never mind the T&A; I read Playboy for the articles. The articles in Linux Format appear to cover things I already know about (like Xgl and Vim 7), things I don't care about (GPL3, other people's opinions on apps), and things I can find on my own when I want them (regular expressions, OpenOffice.org Basic). Basically, I'm not Linux Format's target audience; I'm a little too experienced to find it useful, which was why I allowed my subscription to Linux Journal to lapse years ago. i don't think its aimed at audiences typified by yourself. its more for the newbie-intermediate. you would be better off with something like Linux user and Developer. thats a bit more serious and delves into modern linux issues and such like.
i think Linux Format is good because most of it i can still learn something from, even though i may know the basics of the topic. it also presents everything in an easily digestible format, and i like that. Linux User and Developer, whilst more advanced, just leaves me bored and my attention wandering

blastus
May 11th, 2006, 02:07 AM
I love the internet, and I think this community is great, but sometimes you just want to hold a piece of paper in your hand.

Linux books I've found to be generally a waste of time--as most are either too advanced (programming) or too easy/ out-of-date (it's wonderful having all these Ubuntu books released about Breezy on the eve of Dapper's release).

I totally agree. One can read from a book several times faster than from a computer screen. With a book one can also make notes. All of the Linux books I've seen seem to fall into one of three categories:

- not relevant/out-of-date (too many RedHat books on the market)
- too technical (programming only)
- Unix/bash commands (ls, rm etc...) only

It would be nice to find a book that covers a high level architectural overview of Linux (Debian) that caters to users that are somewhat familar with Linux but don't have 10 years of experience programming kernel modules.

Master Shake
May 11th, 2006, 02:35 AM
I've paged through Linux Format. It's a good magazine. Heck, I used to be a huge fan of ST Format.

The last linux mag I bought was Linux Magazine, mainly because it had a linux ddistro on the cover with 150+ games installed by default. Some real gems in there.

benplaut
May 11th, 2006, 06:44 AM
it's my favorite...

i always read it at borders until they stopped carrying it :(

(it might be back, haven't been there in a while)

purdy hate machine
May 11th, 2006, 08:01 AM
I have not purchased any magazines in years, especially computer mags which seem ridiculously over priced to me considering the amount of advertising they contain. I am a regular reader of the LF website…and Amiga Format was great ^..^

graabein
May 11th, 2006, 12:13 PM
This thread made me want to drop by the book store on the way home from work. Spring has come and it would be great to have a glossy GNU/Linux mag to flip through when I'm in the park pretending not to stake out the chicks.

8)



Edit: Oh crap! I just browsed my book store's website and they have Linux Format (english DVD version) listed at NOK 162 which is about £14!!! How is that possible?

AndyCooll
May 11th, 2006, 12:30 PM
I subscribe to it, and find it an excellent read. I read virtually every page and am always looking forward to the next issue. I've read plenty of mags over the years but found very few to be as accessible as this one.

I'm probably directly in the target group the mag is aimed at. Been using Linux for about a year, am a confident computer user but by no means an expert. I like the fact that it's more of a "howto" and reviews type mag for the average user, rather than an all talk mag for the experienced linux programmer.

There's always something that I want to try out and I like the distros they include. Sometimes try them out.

As far as I'm aware the cost of the DVD issue is £6.49 in the UK (I'll check when I get home). The CD issue is £5.99, and they're stopping producing this one in the very near future.

:cool:

ComplexNumber
May 11th, 2006, 01:37 PM
As far as I'm aware the cost of the DVD issue is £6.49 in the UK (I'll check when I get home). actually, you're right. do'h! it is £6.49. its £5.99 for Linux user & Developer. they both look the same in the pile on my bedroom floor.

3rdalbum
May 11th, 2006, 01:43 PM
I've only got 3 issues so far, but they're consecutive issues and I'm looking out for the next one at a reasonable price (it's under $AU19 for the CD version). Actually, I've seen the new SimplyMEPIS issue at my local newsagent, but it's been flown in specially on a private jet from the UK, so it's a bit more expensive than the regular imports.

I also bought their Complete Linux Handbook, but it was already out of date and IMHO had waaay too much of a focus on Blender.

Simian
May 11th, 2006, 02:12 PM
I like Linux Format. I keep trying to stop buying it as it's gets expensive each month and just stick to free info off the net. But as the OP said, sometimes it's nice to just read from paper.

Sheinar
May 11th, 2006, 02:33 PM
Every time I go into Borders or WH Smith, I look at the Linux magazines. I'm always hoping to find something interesting enough for me to buy, but either the articles are about things I'm already well versed on, or they're just extremely uninteresting. That goes for Linux Format, Linux User and Developer and Linux Magazine. It's been a while since I've seen Linux Journal in any of the stores, but it seems to contain more technical articles than the rest. Still, I didn't buy it the last time I saw it in the store, so I'm assuming it wasn't that great either.

sophtpaw
May 11th, 2006, 02:48 PM
£6 pounds is a lot of money in my pocket, so no, i never buy it, but like you, i pop into Borders every month pick up a stack of magazines and get myself cozy :-D I also found Linux Magazine of the same level, and pretty much the same style with a free DVD every month etc.
Last year they had a great subscription trial offer so went along with that and it was nice getting them through the post but i cancelled before getting into the heavy duty annual subscription commitment :eek:

If they were a couple s£uidd i would definitely buy magazines, as i would like to support the Penguin when and where i can, but as £6 a pop, its out of my league...even with the DVD. It is good value, but when i can easily download any distro i might want then that is not a real bonus. But Linux Format and Linux Magazine are the two top linux mags in my opinion


--
sophtpaw

aysiu
May 11th, 2006, 04:11 PM
£6 pounds is a lot of money in my pocket Compare that to the US$16 it costs in America to buy imported--£6 isn't so bad, then (I think it's about US$10 or US$11, depending on the exchange rate of the day). Of course, you pay far more for petrol...

ComplexNumber
May 11th, 2006, 04:38 PM
But Linux Format and Linux Magazine are the two top linux mags in my opinion the local WHSmiths doesn't sell Linux Magazine. it only sells Linux format and Linux User & Developer

AndyCooll
May 11th, 2006, 11:32 PM
Of course, you pay far more for petrol...

Thanks for the reminder :evil:

:cool:

aysiu
May 11th, 2006, 11:39 PM
Thanks for the reminder :evil:

:cool: Well, we're getting close. We're almost at $4/gallon. That's about 53p per litre.

AndyCooll
May 11th, 2006, 11:52 PM
Well, we're getting close. We're almost at $4/gallon. That's about 53p per litre.

Hmmm ...nearly half price ain't that close friend. Touching £1.00 per litre on average here now, what's that about $7-8.

Suddenly that Linux Format mag seems a lot cheaper don't it!
Mind you, the other side of the coin is that I'm fairly sure the US Linux mags that are imported over to here don't have as much markup as UK mags to US.

:cool:

ComplexNumber
May 11th, 2006, 11:56 PM
I'm fairly sure the US Linux mags that are imported over to here don't have as much markup as UK mags to US. what US linux mags? :confused: :mrgreen:

aysiu
May 11th, 2006, 11:58 PM
Hmmm ...nearly half price ain't that close friend. Touching £1.00 per litre on average here now, what's that about $7-8. Wow! Up to a pound already? When I was there in '98, I think it was around 78p per litre.



Suddenly that Linux Format mag seems a lot cheaper don't it! Yes. I'll use the gas money to buy Linux Format. Good idea.

ComplexNumber
May 12th, 2006, 12:01 AM
When I was there in '98, I think it was around 78p per litre. near when i first started driving, it was about 38p-40p per litre. that was around 1988.

aysiu
May 12th, 2006, 12:23 AM
near when i first started driving, it was about 38p-40p per litre. that was around 1988. Ah, the good old days...

When I first started driving (around 1993), gas was around $1.00/gallon--about 13p per litre.

ComplexNumber
May 12th, 2006, 12:35 AM
about 13p per litre. 13p per litre! :shock::shock:. my god, that it cheap and a half! i guess if you live in a large country such as USA or austrialia, petrol has to be cheap otherwise the economy would ground to an almost standstill. its not always absolutely necessary here because of (rubbish) public transport and the fact that england is small and densely populated. however, maybe this is a topic for another day, so i'll leave it here.
yes, it is the good ol' days :). that is true.

ice60
May 12th, 2006, 04:59 AM
It probably all boils to my not having read the article carefully enough, but it did seem to make a big deal about how easy it is to use...
well, maybe i'll re-read it because i thought it was only the way you un/installed stuff which was easy - just put a file in the install directory and delete it to uninstall.

i think i remember it having started out as a 'one man show' but development almost stopped because he spent time doing other things, so the project was forked becoming Syllable in the process. hardware support wasn't great. oh, another highlight was bootup speed - under 10 seconds :shock: i'm tempted to try it out myself now, i bet it doesn't work :rolleyes:

also, i said i thought Linux Format might be called Linux Pro in the US, that's incorrect Linux Pro is the UK magazine Linux Magazine.

aysiu
May 12th, 2006, 05:12 AM
well, maybe i'll re-read it because i thought it was only the way you un/installed stuff which was easy - just put a file in the install directory and delete it to uninstall. This is how the article Syllable: pure and simple opens:
Here's a challenge for you: name an OS that's fast, free, stable and user-friendly. Nothing leaps to mind? Windows and Mac OS X are jazzed up with easy-to-use wizards and configuration tools, but they're not free, nor particularly fast. Linux, for all the brilliant technology it brings, is still beyond the grasp of many casual users, and its hefty desktops and apps weight it down....

.... Linux is a wonderful fountain of great code--but can it ever become clean, simple and tightly integrated enough to be a killer desktop OS?...

Consider Syllable: a desktop operating system built from the ground up to be user-friendly, fast, uncluttered and free of over-abstraction and dated designs.... Syllable's mantra is 'Think about the users.' Not about what Glibc wants but the kernel is unsure of but GTK needs but a Pango developer says ad infinitum; just a sensible OS for end users. That's just how the article begins. It goes on and on, giving my wife (who read the article) the impression that Syllable was some kind of revolutionary easy-to-install/easy-to-use operating system that required very little geek knowledge.

When you boot up Syllable, it is all scrolling text that makes Ubuntu Breezy's text-based graphical installer look like XBox 360.

That's the article.

It's only on the Installing Syllable page that tucked away you see:
Syllable needs a 233 MHz processor; 64 MB of RAM and a VESA-capable graphics card--but the installation won't work on a USB keyboard Yes, that's clearly 'thinking about the user,' especially in 2006 when just about every Linux distro support USB keyboards, even Damn Small Linux.

bonzodog
May 12th, 2006, 05:02 PM
I buy Linux Format Regularly here in Ireland, though I do wish that they would put a Euro Price on the front cover as it can cost anywhere from €10 to €12 depending on where you get it. I used to subscribe to it in the UK, and I class myself as a fairly knowledgeable user with 10 yrs experience.

tribaal
May 15th, 2006, 09:01 AM
Hum I'll try to find a copy of it in our local geek bookstore... just to give it a try :)

- trib'

centered effect
May 15th, 2006, 09:39 AM
I usually get LF anytime I have some extra money. I like their tutorial sections specially thier series on Inkscape, which I think ended. Too bad they do not mirror thier tuts online.

ssam
May 15th, 2006, 05:39 PM
i read linux user and developer more often. its a bit more technical.