[Gllug] Good linux magazines?

[Ben Fitzgerald]

On Tue, Nov 09, 2004 at 04:56:58PM +0000, David wrote:
> snip
> 
> Okay, I might be toe-dipping as far as Linux is concerned, but I do know 
> something about magazines, both from an editorial standpoint, as a 
> contributor and as someone who has written a book on the subject.  I would 
> certainly endorse Bruce's point about clarity. That is a quality out on its 
> own. Unfortunately, I do not see much evidence of it in this community. Not 
> GLUUG but most of the Linux community. Too many of  the books are 
> ill-conceived and a poorly executed return to old ideas and old explanations, 
> few of which were much good in the first place. Of course, that is not 
> something specific to Linux; most computer books are a disgrace. Having been 
> in the publishing business for over 25 years, I can just hear the cynical 
> remarks at editorial conferences.

I'll take your word for it about cynicism, but I can't agree about the
criticism of techie books. I know you say most, but O'Reilly must be a
very large player, and every book I've bought of theirs (and several I
haven't!), have been great. Some others I wouldn't touch with a
barge-pole (wrox), but that's just my preference.

> Most of the best writing is on the web, 
> probably because space is at a premium and ideas have to be thought through.  

Perhaps I've got you the wrong way round? Are you saying space costs
more on the web? Or that ideas have to be thought through before
publishing? Surely typesetting etc. makes the time from thought to
printed word much longer and more costly?

> I just find it very sad that a great idea - open source and Linux especially 
> - is being sold short by incoherent explanations and inadequate preparation 
> prior to publication.

I think much of the Linux stuff is great. I agree that there is a lot of
really good stuff online, but then much of this is collated and
published down the line in hard-copy. I've had to wade through solaris
documents recently and it's been a pain. They are thorough, but when you
have 170 pages on how dhcpd works, you kind of loose the will to live. ;-)
If I documented it in a howto, it would be 10 pages tops, and it would
work.

> Microsoft is a fat, juicy slug trying to suck the life 
> out of the information age merely for the purpose of supplying its own 
> financial bowel movements. It needs a sharp six inch nail driven into its 
> guts and we have the hammer. We need to sharpen our act if we are going to 
> deliver the coup de grace. 

Anti-microsoft comments, both eloquent and ill conceived, are not in
short supply in the Linux world. Only the former will convince
businesses to consider Linux. Only if business embraces Linux will Linux
come close to rivalling M$.

Many of the Linux HOWTOs are great. They mirror the clarity of thinking
of the design of the program they document.

Ben
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