After 25 Years, Linux Format Magazine Is No More

Summary

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 dopamine-inducing stories; no verifiable engagement rates to game for investor approval; and no ability to provide on-demand AI summaries to free up time so readers can do more doom-scrolling on social media1, it’s unlikely. FYIDYK! It was a double-sided live DVD included in Linux Format issue 103 (March 2008) that introduced me to Ubuntu. The disc had bootable live sessions of OpenSUSE, PCLinux OS, and Ubuntu. I tried OpenSUSE first but it didn’t run properly. I booted the next OS, Ubuntu 7.10 ‘Gutsy Gibbon’ — the rest is history! Ubuntu 8.04 LTS arrived about 3 weeks later and, after upgrading, my enthusiasm for the distro deepened. I started to share Ubuntu tips and tricks on my personal blog, as well as news on changes that were being planned for the then-upcoming Ubuntu 8.10 release. That stuff resonated to the point that, a month later, I decided to split my Ubuntu coverage out into a separate Ubuntu-focused blog.That blog? The one you’re reading right now! As said, there is—as of writing—no formal reason why Linux Fo...