Congratulations on going all digital, and thank you for making it available
for the Kindle. I live in Poland, and the digital edition made it possible for
me to subscribe and read your magazine for a very fair price. I've one
suggestion for the Kindle edition: it would be great if it had a table of
contents available under directional buttons (like it has for other
magazines in Kindle format—see the ones generated by Calibre, for
example). As it is now, switching between articles is painful, because
you have to go back to the first page. Apart from this, well done. I hope
this step will be a great success for Linux Journal!
—
Pawel
Stolowski
Pawel, thanks for the suggestion! The epub/mobi edition is still new for us, and we're constantly trying to improve it. We appreciate the recommendations, and we'll do our best.—Ed.
I'm not going to renew my subscription once it expires due to the fact that LJ went all digital. I absolutely abhor it. Even though I've downloaded the latest issues since the conversion, I haven't read any of them. I just lost complete interest in what was a magazine I anticipated and loved to read every month. I will not resubscribe again until you do on-demand printing.
I haven't used MagCloud's services, but at some point, I'm going to try it when I decide to go ahead with my own magazine (www.magcloud.com). Perhaps LJ should consider a print-on-demand option.
So, yeah, sorry, but I seriously cannot convey in words how much I hate
this all-digital conversion. I abhor it with every fiber of my existence.
It's a shame such a legendary magazine has decided to screw things up.
E-publishing sucks.
—
Patrick Baker
Patrick, the response to our switch has met both accolades and disdain. I do honestly appreciate the desire for a physical magazine, and your MagCloud recommendation is actually pretty cool. Although we don't have any current plans to offer a print-on-demand subscription, it certainly seems individuals could print their own. This is especially true since your example at MagCloud has no minimum print run. Heck, I might try to print one just to see how it looks!—Ed.
Linux Journal's abandoning paper is taking some getting used to and will
require some personal changes if I am to continue to enjoy my favorite
magazine. I used to keep may latest copy next to my favorite chair and
would read it in bits and pieces and during commercials on TV. Now the
issues go mostly unread because I don't like reading magazines or books on
my desktop or laptop. Today, I took my last paper copy to the gym to read
while using the elliptical exercise machine (there is a book holder on
the machine). This was very workable, but then it dawned on me that I cannot
do this with the digital version unless I purchase a Kindle or other E Ink
equivalent. Your conversion to digital media is going to cost me at least
$79 and force some behavior changes about which I am not too happy. That
said, Linux Journal is my favorite magazine, and I am willing to invest
in making it more readable for me. Maybe you should do a deal with Amazon
and sell Linux-branded Kindles!
—
Edward Comer
Edward, although Linux Journal certainly can be read on a desktop or laptop, I must admit an e-reader is my favorite way to read it. There are advantages and disadvantages to both E Ink devices and color ones, but for a traditional paper “feel”, you are correct, E Ink is hard to beat. And, as far as a Linux-branded Kindle? I'm not sure Amazon would go for it, but because the Kindle runs Linux, we'll claim the victory anyway.—Ed.
HTML should be the format for Web publications. One of the first things a Web page designer learns is that Web pages are not paper. There is no need to fill a Web page like a sheet of paper. Web pages can have open space and uncluttered design with no cost. Paper is expensive; pixels are not.
One should be able to scroll through your entire magazine with the mouse wheel and an occasional click on a link. The PDF format itself is bad enough, but laying out the pages side by side makes it worse. If you stacked single pages, it would be easy to read even a PDF file by a continuous scroll down with the mouse wheel.
If you feel a need to have narrow columns like a paper magazine, don't think paper and put them side by side—have one continuous column with a larger font size. On paper, narrow columns have a purpose, but on the Web, they are just a nuisance. The computer screen is rarely both wide enough and tall enough to display a single magazine page at a decent font size. This forces the reader to scroll both up and down and side to side instead of smoothly scrolling in one direction.
It would be even more readable if you would place two or three paragraphs per Web page—at most—with links at the top and bottom to the previous and next page as well as back to an index. Then, readers could click from page to page and hop around like they can with a paper magazine. To avoid constant trips back to the server, each article could be a single download with links and whitespace, making it appear to be separate pages.
Your content is interesting, but please try delivering it in several
styles and let your readers evaluate the readability of each choice.
—
Jim Fuqua
Jim, I assume you're referring to the on-line interactive version of Linux Journal? It (along with the PDF) is attempting to maintain a traditional magazine feel. For some folks, that's very important. In fact, some folks print the PDF, so in that case, the traditional layout really is a benefit.
We do have epub and mobi versions available, which are not HTML, but they do offer flowing text and a much less traditional layout. One thing the digital transition has allowed us to do is offer the same information in a multitude of formats. Hopefully, one of them will fit your needs.—Ed.
Switching to digital format was a great idea not only for you but for us,
the readers. First, I did only very rarely purchase magazines, because they
tend to pile up, and most issues either get lost under the sofa or
shredded by my resident pets. Second, I now can carry
LJ in my pocket,
so it is always available for all those short breaks either in the bathroom
(we all do that) or waiting for my significant other to try on each color
and size of the same T-shirt at the mall. Having said that, it still needs
improvements. The low resolution of the iPad version is a real problem.
Most screenshots are almost unreadable. Also, the content could be improved
with media, such as videos and downloadable code snippets. Interactivity is
the key for the future. Being a paper magazine on a digital device will not
be enough in a very near future. When an article mentions an event, I
expect an “add to calendar” link, for example. Still, my annual subscription
was the best bucks spent ever. Keep up the great work!
—
M. Belgin
Those are some great ideas, thank you. We currently are working on the screenshot and code issues. With tablets and phones being so different, coming up with a layout that looks best on all devices is a real learning experience.
The interactive stuff is partially in place with the on-line version of the magazine. We will keep trying every month to improve the digital offerings. It's actually pretty exciting. Because the e-publishing world is so young, I think we'll see some amazing things in the coming years.—Ed.
In the December 2011 issue's Letters, Valentin asked that
LJ write about digital
publishing, because that is the only format available now. The editor's
response was that he would like to get some experts to write some
articles, but I think he missed the point. You (LJ staff) are the experts.
You should write about the process you use to create an issue, why
different decisions are made and the issue with the various formats. It will be
informative for us subscribers, and perhaps by writing things
down,
you'll gain insight into the process.
—
bil jeschke
Perhaps I wasn't clear—my apologies. I meant we'd like to get articles from experts using specific software for manipulating and creating digital material. Although publishing is certainly in our wheelhouse, we're the first to admit we don't know everything about everything. Contributions from the community are what make the Open Source world, and our publication itself, so great. Yes, our staff is part of that community, but we don't want to limit information to what we know.—Ed.
I have been a newsstand subscriber for years, enjoying thumbing through the magazine at my local Safeway while my wife does her shopping and taking the magazine home with me for sharing with friends as a coffee-table “ice-breaker”. Sadly, this past year I decided to pay for a real subscription and have it delivered to my door, only to have the print edition done away with halfway through my subscription. To this day, I have not read a single digital edition. My subscription ended in November, and I didn't even notice it. How sad, considering the years I have spent reading the magazine. I understand dead-tree editions may cost money, but I always assumed that was covered by the advertisers in the magazine, of which yours is plenty filled with!
I have an Android phone, with a good-size screen, but I do not have a Kindle or a NOOK, nor am I really interested in spending the money on one. I enjoy holding physical magazines or books, and reading them or looking through them while relaxing at my desk (and, of course, throne-room time).
I have long loved your magazine, and although I am not and never have been an Ubuntu guy, I still look forward to the magazine. However, I feel a great disturbance in the force with the loss of a good magazine. Oh, how many conversations have been struck up due to holding the magazine while standing in a checkout line! I feel as though I wasted my year's subscription, since I never cared to read a digital edition. My money would have been better spent on Wired or some other magazine that still prints.
Maybe I will have to buy a NOOK, but I cannot justify spending $200
to read a $3 magazine.
I wish you the best, however much longer it lasts.
—
Nathan England
Nathan, I could give you the ad-to-content ratio of our magazine compared to others, showing our passion for filling pages with content and only limited, relevant ads. But really, what a boring discussion that would be. We had to switch for reasons we've highlighted during the past few months, so for better or for worse, we're 100% digital.
I am curious, however, if you've tried the several ways to consume Linux Journal on your phone. The Linux Journal app for the Android will keep your library automatically up to date. As an e-reader, your phone also can display the epub version using a variety of programs. I'm the first to admit reading the PDF on a smartphone is a recipe for frustration, but perhaps one of the other formats will be more comfortable on your phone? And, of course, if you prefer the traditional paper look, an E Ink-based reader like the $79 Kindle is always a possibility.—Ed.
I was quite dismayed by Reuven M. Lerner's comment “I hope you're not really using a queue class but rather just using arrays”. Not only does this contradict the seminal research and arguments for using abstractions in the first place (see Dijkstra, Hoare, Wirth and many others), but it has the immediate practical problem of polluting the code with functions that will not make sense should the implementation of queues have to be changed, even slightly.
It is almost axiomatic that someone will get bitten when code is written
that depends on implementation details.
—
David Jameson
Reuven M. Lerner replies: I wasn't trying to say that people should avoid writing their own abstractions that wrap native data types. Rather, I was saying that if all you need is the simple implementation that I showed, you should just use a Ruby array, rather than what amounts to a wrapper around the array, which offers no additional functionality.
Wrappers are great, and they do provide a large degree of safety and abstraction that can be useful if the implementation changes. But if you just need an array, there's no need to wrap it in a class just in case you might eventually need additional functionality.
I wanted to let you know that I just subscribed to LJ for two years and love the material. In Western Australia, your magazine was very hard to find, and by chance, I picked up the August 2011 issue and loved it.
I looked around after that and could not find the September 2011 issue. Finally, I picked up my old copy, checked your Web site and realized why. I actually had read the Slashdot article about the cancellation, but many months before I bought your print version.
I really just wanted to make this point: without the newsstand copy, I never would have seen the magazine and never would have become a subscriber. I am a Linux lover, and I've been reading Linux Format/Magazine/User and Developer, and they don't cut it compared to your mag. Going electronic only, how will people ever find you?
I am an avid reader of Slashdot and LWN. I imagine that the latter especially is your core market, and I know it struggles to find advertisers (or used to, it runs AdSense now). You probably should run a PPC campaign every so often to gain new subscribers. Just make sure you have a decent landing page, as your home page makes subscribing a mission and a half.
I really hope the switch to electronic works for you, as Linux needs all the good quality journalism and documentation it can get.
PS. I bought the back-issue DVD as well, so total lifetime value of
subscribers can be pretty high.
—
David
David, thanks! Yes, losing a newsstand presence is something we're bummed about. You highlight one of the changes we need to make, and that is how we promote the magazine. Thank you for the suggestion, as it's an issue we need to address.—Ed.
I love that you went all digital. Normally, I run to the local Fred Meyers
each month to pick up LJ. I use an iPhone and have a Kindle. I hate carrying
books or magazines due to the equipment I have to carry for work. I
subscribed as soon as I found out you guys went all digital. I know some are
annoyed by the conversion, but I'm really liking the new format. I have
200+ manuals for work, and it makes a great addition, and when I'm on the
go,
I can keep reading on my iTouch. Thanks for the great work. You guys
rock. I have converted my wife to Linux and even she enjoys your mag.
—
Robert
That's great to hear, Robert! If you've been reading the Letters for the past few months, it's clear that reactions to the switch have been mixed. We've purposefully posted letters from both sides, because we don't want to minimize anyone's frustration. It is great to hear that a large number of folks not only tolerate, but also prefer the digital format. Thanks for the feedback!—Ed.
I cannot save trees, since I have found that I need to print an article in order to be able to read it easily.
The problem is that the height of a laptop screen is not sufficient to display fonts that an old geezer like me can read without overflowing the page. Page overflows would require me to scroll up and down (and maybe left and right) in order to see everything.
I understood that you used flowing text, which meant to me that page
boundaries would not be hard-coded, but that zooming in could simply result
in the reformatting of the pages to make the articles easier to see.
—
Jim
Jim, we do use flowing text, but only in the formats that support such a thing. It sounds like you're reading the PDF version, which unfortunately is the least flexible when it comes to reformatting.
Although e-reader devices are the best for reading the “flowing” versions (epub and mobi), it is possible to read those versions on your computer as well. Calibre, for example, includes an e-book-reading application, and there are ways to read epubs from inside your Web browser. One disadvantage to having so many versions available is that it's easy to get confused regarding which version is best for different situations.—Ed.
I'm slowly coming around to life without paper. I now have two e-zines. I have two suggestions on improving yours. 1) Add links within your Kindle version to skip the current article and jump to the next. There are just some parts that don't interest me. Right now, I have two choices: hit the Next button on my Kindle numerous times or jump to the table of contents and then jump again. 2) Give us a link to download all the formats with one link. Right now, I am downloading each of them. I use Calibre to store all my electronic reading content, and this great tool allows me to store different formats of the same document under one title.
On my Christmas list is a Kindle Fire, so I hope I am reading your magazine
on this new baby come January 1.
—
Scott
Scott, I'm jealous you're getting a Kindle Fire, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Thank you for the formatting suggestions; we are trying every month to make the magazine more and more user-friendly. Recommendations from readers are vital, so thank you very much.—Ed.
Like some of the readers who have been unpleasantly surprised by the sudden
switch to pixels from paper, I was initially outraged. As one reader said, I paid
for print and have issues remaining in my subscription. Your explanation
of the reasons for the switch made sense, and you were obviously doing your
best to give value for the money under adverse conditions, so I decided to
wait and see how life in the 21st century would work. After downloading
the PDF versions, and then the iPad app, I can say that I'm
glad you
switched! I much prefer the digital version. I can carry multiple issues
with me, read in the dark, follow links with a finger touch rather than
having to write down URLs for later entry into a browser, and I can put the
old issues up on my LAN server for future reference (the HTML versions are
even searchable!). It's even easy to send thank-you notes to the editors!
Thanks!
—
Mike Bartman
Mike, thanks for sticking with us! We tried (and continue to try) to be as transparent as possible regarding the switch. Although there are obvious frustrations when transitioning to digital, we honestly are excited about the advantages it can offer. Of course, those advantages don't erase the frustration about the end of paper, but looking forward is exciting. We're glad you'll be here with us.—Ed.
I read in the December 2011 issue's Letters that Dave was having issues with the PDF version on his NOOK Color. I too have a NOOK Color and would like you to please pass on some advice to Dave. Tell him to buy the app ezPDF Reader. It is far superior to the NOOK's built-in PDF reader.
By the way, I've been a subscriber for 14 years, and I love the digital transition.
You've all done a fantastic job of it.
—
Doug McComber
Doug, we decided this was the best way to pass the information on to Dave. We figured he'd read it here, and then anyone else reading would benefit as well! For the record, our Webmistress Katherine Druckman agrees with you 100% and seconds your recommendation of ezPDF.—Ed.