We read a lot of periodicals, and we're often asked which ones we recommend to others. Below is our evaluation of some of the periodicals we've read.
Computerworld
Home: http://www.computerworld.com
Subscribe: http://www.computerworld.com/cwi/subscriptions/
Cost: Free
Computerworld is a great magazine. It covers the whole gamut of computer-related issues, from the Web to hardware to software. In particular, it has a strong focus on jobs and career issues, which isn't surprising, since it's really aimed at IT professionals, not the general reader.
In particular, we always read Nicholas Petreley's column (Linux & other open source issues), Frank Hayes' column (general industry punditry), QuickStudy (one page overview of a particular technology, business issue, or concept), & Shark Tank (humorous anecdotes about working in IT).
One negative - we don't actually page through the magazine (we get too many periodicals each week), so instead we use the table of contents. Unfortunately, the table of contents leaves a lot of content unmentioned. Oh well.
By the way, the Web site is good, but not great. They design is pleasant and is organized pretty well. They have a good archive of news & columns, but you can only browse one year's worth of past issues. However, once you've chosen a columnist, you can view all of his or her past columns. That's really helpful!
InfoWorld
Home: http://www.infoworld.com
Subscribe: http://www.iwsubscribe.com/
Cost: Free
Review coming soon (it's going to be good!).
Internet World
Home: http://www.internetworld.com
Subscribe: http://www.internetworld.com/misc/subscribe.php
Cost: Free
Internet World is OK. I don't often find its content to be must-read, but I do find at least one article in every issue that's useful. It's not really that technical, but it's also more technical than just an average business publication, and then it also has articles in it that seem aimed at Web designers -- all in all, it's kind of schizophrenic in its approach. But hey, it's free -- and there is that one good article in every issue.
The only article that we consider to be a must-read in every issue is on the last page, and it's an article that really doesn't fit in with the rest of the magazine: "Deconstructing". One Web site is chosen, and two experts (use that word loosely) critique its design, usability, & features. All in all, it's always worth reading. Heck, I almost wish it was longer.
We generally look at the commentary articles and whatever news articles seem useful. The table of contents again comes in handy. One thing I like about Internet World is that it has a lot of nice general-interest articles about XML, the kind that are good to show managers & other non-techies.
The Web site, however, is not good. The design is top-heavy, and things are spread all over the place, making it hard to find what you want. They do keep a browsable archive of all past issues through January 2000, which is nice. But overall, I use the Web site very little, because it's just too difficult to find what I need.
Web Techniques
Home: http://www.webtechniques.com/
Subscribe: http://as400.halldata.com/cgi-bin/subscribe/wb?pk=MWT99
Cost: Free
Review coming soon.
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