After 25 Years, Linux Format Magazine Is No More

So long, and thanks for the fish! In May 2000, the first issue of a brand new Linux magazine hit British newsstands, delivering a monthly mix of news, reviews, interviews, tutorials and learned insight on all things free and open-source — plus that all-important cover-mounted CD/DVD! Now, 25 years later, the final ever issue has gone on sale. Future, the UK-based publisher of Linux Format, hasn’t said why the magazine is closing, but one needn’t consult an Oracular Oriole to divine the reason: the economics of making print publishing work in an age of digital-first content is hard. So, in a way, the writing is less on the pages and more on the wall for dead-tree media in general. It’s a topic I could talk about—’old man shouts at clouds’ style—at length. Fact is: if people wanted magazines on topics they care about (along with the wider industries, jobs, skills, opportunities and public service those magazines support) to survive, they’d buy ’em. But with no algorithms to surface ... Read full article.