Computer Magazines Free Download
Alysha Perry
This is a list of magazines marketed primarily for computer and technology enthusiasts or users. The majority of these magazines cover general computer topics or several non-specific subject areas, however a few are also specialized to a certain area of computing and are listed separately.
These publications appeal to a broad audience and usually include content about computer hardware and software and technology news. These magazines could also be called technology magazines because of the large amount of content about non-computer consumer electronics, such as digital audio player and mobile phones.
The following magazines cover 1980s home computers such as the Amiga, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum or Amstrad CPC. Most of these magazines are now discontinued as the computers they discuss are now out of production.
The following magazines cover topics related to the Linux operating system (as well as other Unix based operating systems) and other forms of open-source/ free software. Some of these magazines are targeted at IT professionals (with an emphasis on the use of these systems in the workplace) whilst others are designed for home users.
Yep, I remember it. I was a computer tech back then, working in a data centre. That was one of the magazines we had at work. We had about 15 techs back then and several programmers in the department, and so we were subscribed to a few computer industry magazines.
Proud to say that I put together the first corporate IDG budget for PC World when I was working for Pat McGovern, on an original IBM PC running a review copy of Lotus 123 that we had received from Lotus founder Mitch Kapor. The print computer magazines had a great run here in the U.S. and around the world. The brutal competition between IDG and Ziff Davis and others made everyone better in the end (unfortunately with millions to the lawyers as well).
I met Wayne Greene at the 1975 Radio Society of Ontario convention, in Ottawa. I bought the first 3 issues of Byte from him there. I was already receiving 73 Magazine by then. My first computer was an IMSAI 8080, which was advertised in the magazines back in those days. I still have every print edition of Byte on my shelf, going back to Vol 1, #1, Sept. 1975.
I do have a lot of similar memories working with technology going back to 1969 when I took my first computer course (BASIC). My parents had a TRS-80 running CP-M. I still have a TRS-80 Model 100 portable computer (8 line x 40 column LCD display) and yes, it still works. I also still have a Smith-Corona electric typewriter which was my second major purchase with my own money, as a freshman in high school. I still use it. Love hearing stories like these. As a ham radio operator (NV1Z) I have memories hiking to the top of Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire, and making phone calls from there to my parents in Sharon, Massachusetts. No big deal these days, but this was in the early 80s.
I started with my TRS-80 Model I that I purchased in 1979 while an Airman at McChord AFB working on the F-106 Delta Dart flight simulator. I was a member of the Puget Sound Computer Users Group (met Bill Gates once) where most of the guys had Apple IIs or kit-built CPM computers. A few of us had Commodore Pets or even fewer like me a TRS-80 (which many of the other members considered a joke for a computer). I bought and used Softside, Creative Computing, Compute! and Dr. Dobbs Journal but my first subscription was to Byte which I got before I bought my TRS-80. Then it was Antic when I switched to the Atari 400, then 800 and 800XL before finally giving in to the dark side and buying my first PC clone in 1985, a Commodore PC-10 II. By that point I had subscriptions to PCMag, Computer Shopper (mailman hated delivering that one), and PC World because that TRS-80 lit a fire in me and when in 1981 I made E-4 I was allowed to cross-train from flight simulator maintenance to computer programmer and I never looked back, retiring recently after 42 years of programming.
YouTube has taken over a lot of the role that the computer magazines once had. Linus Media Group employs more people than any of the remaining computer magazines, continues to expand its lab capabilities, and has been branching out to cover other tech products. Solo YouTubers like GamersNexus, Gamer Meld, and JayzTwoCents regularly turn out computer-related content.
The print computer magazine was my first computer teacher. My Mom had a friend who needed to unload some old magazines, the first issues of Kilobaud. That lead me to BYTE and Creative Computing. They taught hardware, my eventual primary profession. My first success in the industry was selling some game programs to Creative Computing Software, over the year before I started college in fall of 1979.
I am glad to have saved what magazines I did (though sadly most I let go, sold with various systems as I moved from one to the next) and to have acquired some here and there since beginning my vintage computer collection. I still flip through those old magazines from time to time, which is a part of my vintage computing hobby that I quite enjoy. But, it seems my magazine shelves are unlikely to find themselves much more burdened, now that this era of computing history has drawn to a close.
Everything seems to have gone PDF now, which is a good thing. But I have several cubic feet of stored computer and videogame magazines that I don't want, and it seems no one else would want them either. Should I just put 'em in the recycle bin?
Electronic magazines I think will go through that too. We had those trying to find them to complete collections and for digitizing projects, but at the moment all that seems to be in place and less demand. People will start to recycle bin the stuff, and at some point, collectors may, if retro gaming continues on, be interesting in having their own collections again. Especially if a new wave of collectors comes along.
I used to like the magazine a lot and had subscribed to it for the longest time. But when I grew up and got away from overclocking the magazine's scope didn't match my activities any further. I always got pissed about those Dream Machine computers they'd build every year. Some going as high as $20,000. I could never afford those back then. In fact it was costing me $12.00 a year to even think about it and be shown pictures of those outrageous machines. And it pissed me more to see that sort of wastage going on when I couldn't even afford a replacement IDE cable. I had to use tape and strategically placed folds in the cable to keep Old Betsy running. Fuck that!!
And so the wife is going through my stash of magazines flipping them into a pile that started behaving like a lava flow. "Prepping" them for the trash - and you know what?? I didn't give a shit. I pulled out one of those Dream Machine issues and laughed and all that. Now that I could afford to build one I have absolutely Z-E-R-O interest in it. She said I wasn't allowed to build one now anyways, and instead I should get a couple of Mac Pros or go play MAME or fix up the observatory. What a weird set of "alternates"..
I like to get out my old computer magazines every few years and look through them. I regret getting rid of a couple dozen 1984-1986 issues of Computer Shopper in the mid-90's, but they were just too big and heavy and were taking up space in a storage unit I was trying to get out of at the time.
Yeah, there are several sites on the net (including mine) devoted to preserving old computer and gaming magazines where if they were interested could take magazines that have yet to be digitally preserved off your hands and converted into PDF/CBR or whatever. Like you said, even Archive.org do this and depending on where you live might even have one of their drop-off centers near you that have dedicated scanning equipment.
Chucking out magazines you may have that are not preserved is just moving them one step closer to their never being preserved at all. If they haven't been turned into PDF's by now it tends to indicate that no-one with the necessary equipment likely has the magazine although if you haven't scanned a magazine, know that it can be a fairly involved process. It may be they also haven't got around to processing it in their collection too. Itemizing your collection would help those people to work out what they have/don't have....
Many years ago, I had a very extensive collection of computer magazines from the late 1980s to mid 1990s, particularly Computer Shopper and Byte. At some point, I decided that they weren't worth lugging around as I moved across country; suffice it to say, I now greatly regret that decision. While back issues of PC Magazine are simple enough to find on Google Books, I have recently been trying to find issues of Byte, Computer Shopper, and even PC/Computing from this era, with very little luck, apart from a handful on archive.org, and a dozen or so physical copies on eBay. Does anyone have an idea of where I might find these? I don't care if it is free or at cost, in electronic or physical format...
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