As an ex-regular subscriber, I recently availed myself of your "three magazines for EUR 3" deal, thinking it would be interesting to see what the magazine was like now.
The magazine as a whole is great. I enjoy the editorial, Zack's Kernel News, Ask Klaus!, and the many articles, which are always informative. One section of the magazine that has really dis-improved in my opinion is the Book Reviews. To call the segment book reviews is a bit of a stretch in itself, as it is no longer really a review and more of a synopsis, or quite possibly just what is printed on the back of the cover! Please bring back the book reviews, as they were very informative and entertaining. What is offered now is no more than what you would get from the likes of Amazon or some such. It is a pity to see what this segment has become.
Mark Murphy
| LM |
Thank you for your comments. We're glad you like the mag. The cool thing about a magazine is it is alive - it can evolve and change over time around the activities of its authors, editors, and readers. Book reviews have always been an important feature of this magazine, but it seemed like the format was getting kind of stale, so we thought we'd try something new. You are correct that the revamped Books page wasn't really focused on reviews. The goal was to spend more time up front building a comprehensive view of what books are reaching the market, then relying more on the publisher's information for the actual summary of the book's contents.
That said, you will notice that the book's page is missing from this month's issue. We are in the process of shifting gears on books again as part of our overall relaunch. Expect to see some additional changes to the Reviews section in the next couple of issues. We are currently evaluating whether to continue with a Books section. If any other readers out there have a strong opinion on where we should go with Books, do let us know: letters@linux-magazine.com.
As for Zack: We missed him this month, but he'll be back - with a new glossy photo.
After doing an Ubuntu install on an Acer netbook and an old Dell PC, I have been busy the past few months getting mail-bookmarks-etc moved over from an old "main" MS-Windows machine to a "main" Ubuntu Linux, home-assembled machine - with more disk space and more processing power.
I have been accumulating suitable, reliable, stable, feature-sufficient apps and plugging the holes with Nautilus scripts. Your readers might find a web page I put together on installing Linux of interest: http://www.subdude-site.com/WebPages_Local/RefInfo/Computer/Linux/UbuntuInstalls/ubuntu_installs_blaise.htm
In particular, at the bottom of the page is a summary that gives an overview of the applications I have found useful and capable and stable.
Keep up the good work. I get your magazine regularly at Barnes & Noble. But please be aware that some of us have experienced enough of the "warts" of Linux and its apps to get a little disgusted with the constant "Linux is ready" snow jobs (in editorials and articles and podcasts).
Linux and its apps are getting readier and readier, but it is ready for some people and for some things but not ready for other people or for other things.
To paraphrase Abe Lincoln: Linux is good for some of the people all of the time (e.g., people with simple web browsing and email needs) and for all of the people some of the time (e.g., all people who use Google running on Linux or a particular Linux-based app that works for them) but not for all of the people all of the time.
Blaise Montandon
| LM |
That sums it up pretty well. We agree with your assessment. Linux has gotten very good at basic desktop stuff, but that doesn't mean it will do everything for everyone without some additional configuration. Thank you for giving back to the community through your scripts and notes. We appreciate and welcome your critique. As the great Abraham Lincoln also said, "He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help."