GUBBINS@RADC-TOPS20.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP (08/23/84)
From: Gern <GUBBINS@RADC-TOPS20.ARPA> I have found it a good practice to subscribe to at least one dedicated to your machine only magazine, and to pop into a library once a month and read Byte magazine from cover to cover (if it has a whole lot of good stuff in it, I'll rush out and buy that issue (Hi Jerry!)). Computers and Electronics (formerly Pop Electronics) is at least worth looking at the table of contents. Popular Computing (formerly On Computing) is to much story book and even the reviews of hardware do not bother the readership with techy details. Creative Computing on rare occasions has something I find useful to me and is still rather good for Generic programming. I currently 'track' over 23 different magazines a month (unfortunately spread over 3 different libraries) and I muck over 90% of it to find the 10% of what I find usefull to me. I make little notes on locations of articals that may be of future interest (yes, someday I will build that light pen for my Z-100...). Byte is (in my opinion) your best start. It (in my opinion) is a fine magazine and the tons of advertising can even be helpful (No Flames please!) Cheers, Gern -------
ALTMAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA (08/29/84)
From: Russ Altman <ALTMAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA> I just got my first personal computer, and would like to take advantage of the combined experience of this network of users. IS THERE: a good publication for intelligent readers which presents issues in personal computing software as well as the buzzers and bells of the new hardware? I am not too interested in "dedicated" magazines since I don't own one of the more common personal computer models. Your comments are appreciated. -------
bcdoody@wateng.UUCP (Brian C. Doody) (08/30/84)
[] I subscribed to what used to be Popular Electronics from 1975 until April 1984, at which time it had become Computers and Electronics, and, in my opinion, gone downhill drastically. Back in the 70's it was an electronics magazine, covering a wide range of topics and (the best part for me) providing lots of construction projects. I'm an electrical engineer now, but was only in grade 9 high school when I first started reading it...I think the magazine taught me a great deal about electronics - I had quite a head start on the others in my class at university. But then the computer revolution started and they hopped on the bandwagon. The articles are far less techinical now (trying to appeal to the average computer user, not necessarily knowing much about electronics) and the magazine is too "flashy". Instead of clear schematics (crisp black on white) they few they now have are "air-brushed" red, yellow, green on black backgrounds! Gawd, they're ugly... The in-depth construction articles are gone forever, the magazine is now just a series of reviews and previews on all the new computers. The name Computers and ELECTRONICS is a misnomer if I ever saw one...unfortunately, I had to let my subscription die. Byte is what I read now. It is good, Steve Ciarcia provides an interesting project every month (plus maybe a couple of other from independant authors) and Jerry Pournelle is opinionated enough to keep anyone hanging on his every word. The ads are interesting, too, but not much use up here in Ontario. I hope someone affiliated with C&E reads this. They should know how many budding electrical engineers will never be because of their format change... --- Brian Doody, University of Waterloo, Ontario bcdoody@wateng ---