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Thread ID: 36207	2003-08-03 02:17:00	P.C. WORLD	JJJJJ (528)	Press F1

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164961	2003-08-04 22:07:00	> I must admit I do like the how to articles and would love to see maybe some of the following appear in PCWorld PeebZ has a good point about the how to stuff, which is always my favourite stuff in the mag along with gear reviews . If the editorial team looked at the kind of questions that are perennial (sp?) favourites here, maybe there could be space in PC World for building how to articles around them: * Networking between computers sharing the same OS and between computers using different OS's (e . g . different versions of Windoze, adding a Mac to a Windoze based network, sharing a network between Linux and Windoze), seems to be a regular . * The differences between modems and routers; which to choose and why etc, comparative tests including ease of set up . * configuring adsl modems, firewalls etc; including what PeebZ has said: > * How to Configure Jetstream, what can it do for you ! > - Go over options like router vs USB vs Internal > - Jetstream games etc * getting blankety blank scanners to work the way they are supposed to . . . * remote access to your computer - how to, best software, security etc . I guess there is always a fine line between a mag and a computer text book, but I would guess that a perusal of the common themes on this forum could give some really good ideas on what the information needs are there out in PeeCee land . Articles like these could still be "commercial" in the sense of reviewing the software and hardware that make the user's solution to these issues more user friendly, efficient, and cost effective . I think PC World does a lot of this already, but I think this forum acts as a useful vox pop in terms of user needs . Another 1 . 5 cents worth . . .	John H (8)
164962	2003-08-04 22:44:00	There are a few very good ideas in these two posts. I will dump them to Mr Keall in an email (and pretend they were mine). robo.	robo (205)
164963	2003-08-05 12:46:00	OK, well, I just wasted a lot of time reading these rather trivial opinions. And now I'll post mine! :D I don't subscribe to magazines. I see it as a waste of money. Make no mistake, I do get technology magazines, but I don't pay for them - I just take them when my dad has finished reading whatever ones he buys. Now, for a long time I've been reading magazines like Australian PC Authority (PCA), Australian Personal Computing (APC), and Australian PC User (PC User). Quite personally, I like PCA the best. They have done various design tweaks over the past four years, and include nice editorials, news, articles, reviews (including games), 'A-List', and a very good section called 'Real World Computing' - exactly what it says it is, it is guides, how-tos, and replies to peoples questions. If you're looking for a magazine that is, overall, about help, then I would say go for PC User. Almost every time I read it, I find too many questions and answers about PC problems than interests me (the one occaison I found the advice in an answer useful was one in PC Authority about clearing the pagefile at shutdown in Windows 2K/XP... and I found it annoying, afterwards, because it adds about thirty seconds onto your shutdown time). APC tends to stand somewhere between PC User and PCA/PC World. Sure, they cover products other than computers. But what computer magazine wouldn't? It's a surefire way to get sales - aim at everyone. For instance, APC has put Linux distros and how-tos on their CDs. They also produce some nice handbooks occaisonally. And in the July issue, they had a feature that PeebZ suggested - '182 ways to speed up your system'. I swear they work. I've tried about eight of the suggestions, and have cutdown the boot up time on two computers (remarkably more so on Windows 98 than XP), and freed resources by turning off unneccessary services and startup applications. There's even ways to speed up Linux (unless you're inclined to think that Linux never gets bloated and/or slowed). If you want a gaming mag, go for PC Power Play. They have a CD and a DVD edition. The article that goes on the last page more often than not is more than quite funny. The captions to screenshots are quite funny. Or try PC Games Addict. More funny captions, less general humour. Both are as good as each other, but I'd reccommend PC Power Play over PC Games Addict. Now for my comments on NZ PC World. I've never seen any other version of PC World except the NZ one, though I do know that it is published in many more countries. Sometimes, I find what Geoff Palmer rambles on about to be controversial for my liking. I cannot remember why or what, but I know I criticised something he said in this months issue. I do that a lot. Personally, I found the issue that had Windows alternatives to be ridiculously immature - dressing up like a secret agent? Oh please, it's not like using something other than Windows is out of the ordinary. You just have to face the facts. Different operating systems appeal to different people. It has been said that Mac users like prettier interfaces over raw speed - that could be true, but perhaps that is why Macs are commonly used for image editing. Perhaps it's also the stability they offer. I have no memory of seriously using Apple computers, but I recognise the benefits that some people see in them - I just don't click with them. The same thing goes with Linux. It might be free, but because there is no real, centrally collaborated effort to work on the products for it, it suffers in some areas (such as the spell checking capabilities in applications like OpenOffice). Now, you can criticise PC World all you like - but magazines are generally only influenced by reader polls. PC Authority did one recently, and I know they have done them before. For PC World, neither of those is true, as far as I know - they haven't done one this year, and I have no knowledge of when the last one occurred, which would place it perhaps more than a year ago. I do think that there should be more games coverage in PC World, but the journalists are up to their necks in work more often than not. Old content? Largely due to time restrictions. Most magazines are brought about about a week before the month they apply to. That gives (at the bare minimum), a period of one day beforehand that the printing company should have received the content. Perhaps that would mean three days prior to that that the editors need all articles ready to put in and, of course, edit. So that would give perhaps a period of a week before that for the journalists to do research and writing. And there are many more tasks involved. Of course, with a much smaller, shallower magazine (such as Net Guide), you won't get the same quality of articles. Some seem like they read someone elses review, and rip it off into their own words. And more about some of those how-to suggestions. Secure remote access to your computer. Well, recently, Australian Developer magazine had an article about cross-OS GUIs. Linux to Windows, Windows to Linux, perhaps Mac from memory, all over secure tunnels. I still have yet to comprehend it completely, but I discovered a darned good magazine. Another thing that I think might be helpful to PC World would be handbooks. APC has done them. Australian Developer has done them (the last one was on databases, quite handy for me). I think it would be nice if PC World produced one. Say, perhaps, on Linux. Or web design. Or application design. My opinions. They don't count for much, and of course someone is bound to come along and rabble off at me about what I've said (and going off topic). But it's only fair. Think of this thread as constructive, thought provoking speech. It might change something.	agent (30)
164964	2003-08-05 13:10:00	Actually I'm kind of agreeing with the people saying it's getting a bit stale. In my mind PC world is sort of becoming like a forum topic. Once a forum topic gets over posted in, it gets OFF topic usually and thus we have to lock it or stop it. Same with PC world. It is getting a bit off topic in some places but once again some places are really handy. Issue I've found is ads. I mean did you know, and unlike Robo I DID count this. That in at least 4 issues of PC world in the past year and not far far away I'm talking recent, that in at least 4 issues, 1/3 of the bloody mag was ADS. thats RIGHT. I added half pages to make fulls and ITS 1/3 so when you go buy your PC world you're basically paying $2.67 for a pile of advertisements. (Usually about 50 ads - 150 page Pcwrld mag). Thats $32 a year. Thats just not on lol. $32 may seem little but it's the principal that counts. I mean would you normally go out to the book store or whatever and pay $2.67 for a bundle of ads? No probably not. So why when it's packed with some other good stuff. Just like if you don't like burgers but like french fries, doesn't mean you get the whole bloody combo if you only want the french fries. You get it separate and you have the choice. Problem these days with mags is it seems we as consumers don't have that choice. We pay our $8 bucks and a third of it we pay for gay little ads we don't want and like never take notice of. None the less ads aside yea topics. PC world is getting SO DAM BORING these days. I mean at the rate they're going, they're going to need to increase the Dumb terminal to 50 pages not just 2, to keep the darn readers! It's turning into the only decent part of the mag and even so IT is even getting a bit lame these days. What happened to IMAG. Holy crap that was the best bloody mag EVER. It was so helpful, was interesting was cool had cool things talk to celebrities, files (pc has it too but still), cool letters of the week, LOADS of free stuff given out each month that at one point you could even compare it to a radio station! That seriously was a QUALITY! publication. And for some reason IDG shuts it down with the lame excuse that went something along the lines of: "IMAG achieved it's goal to become a top selling internet publication but the new zealand market just doesn't allow for small magazines such as Imag and thus we shut it down." yea whatever man. So is that why Netguide is still going? And unless I'm ignorant, they don't have a huge producer such as idg which is producing about 4 other mags at the same time to back them. So whats up with that? Overall I just wanna say that the Quality overall of PC world in terms of content, humour, relativity, massively stupid amounts of advertisements, and ability to keep interest is falling sharply and that IDG really need to get their act together and look at resolving these issues unless they want another mag soon having to shut down because "the new zealand market just doesn't ..... yada yada yada." I rest my case.	Kibito (623)
164965	2003-08-05 13:14:00	Oh yea. And while theres heaps of people reading this thread. Can I take the time to tell the dude who coded this forum. TO MAKE A DARN EDIT POST BUTTOn. Jesus. You'd think it'd be common sense I mean what are we supposed to do if we forget to add a line after posting? post another stupid one right behind it? yea real smart man. So yea robo if you could pass it on to the powers that be. Make a stupid edit post button really ticks me off having to make another post to add a comment or line etc.	Kibito (623)
164966	2003-08-05 14:21:00	> Oh yea. And while theres heaps of people reading this > thread. Just me you and agent at the mo I think and maybe, if your unlucky 1 or 2 more. Never mind it'll be all go again shortly. > Can I take the time to tell the dude who coded this > forum. TO MAKE A DARN EDIT POST BUTTOn. > > Jesus. You'd think it'd be common sense I mean what > are we supposed to do if we forget to add a line > after posting? post another stupid one right behind > it? yea real smart man. If stupid is the operative word, post away, more grist for the mill. > So yea robo if you could pass it on to the powers > that be. Make a stupid edit post button really ticks > me off having to make another post to add a comment > or line etc. Having regrets! Now, what would the ideal thing to do be if, one does not like the mag and does not like the forum.......?....... Got me beat too. I was going to post a reply re the adverts and agent's post but got all OT when I read on. There has been some lively discussion on this thread, good ideas, and passion for the topic. Which shows people care about the subject matter. PC World isn't perfect and niether is PF1 but, IMHO they are the closest to it. I'm going to shut it down now while the going is averagely average and before it gets more so. Cheers Murray ;P	Murray P (44)
164967	2003-08-05 16:19:00	>Issue I've found is ads . I mean did you know, and unlike Robo I DID count this . That in at least 4 issues of PC world in the past year and not far far away I'm talking recent, that in at least 4 issues, 1/3 of the bloody mag was ADS . thats RIGHT . I added half pages to make fulls and ITS 1/3 so when you go buy your PC world you're basically paying $2 . 67 for a pile of advertisements . (Usually about 50 ads - 150 page Pcwrld mag) . You have that terribly wrong because if the ads weren't there you would actually be paying a lot more for the mag . The ads aren't as intrusive as some previous pc mags I have subscribed to either .	mikebartnz (21)
164968	2003-08-05 16:26:00	Kibito can you please point me to some similar sites that allow editing of previous post. I think you should use the Preview button.	mikebartnz (21)
164969	2003-08-05 18:56:00	When I started this thread I did not expect the response it received. It would seem (without counting) that most readers have complaints with the content of PC World. I have been looking back through old editions and have worked out where my disillusion started with it. The first issue that upset me was when they replaced the neutral cover with the garish one we get these days. Second disappointment. When Robbo was dumped from his entertaining page and given the page to write about his toys. I hardly look at it today. By the way, he never did tell us how he got on with his second attempt wit the Excel exams. Geoff was my second favorite. Today he is just as good. Except for his secondary article on Linux, which I don't object to. I just ignore it. It is still computer related. I don't object to the advertisements. Even someone as one eyed as me can realize they are necessary. They are not hard to ignore. But what I do object to is the lack of computer related articles. They are getting harder to find. They are mostly lacking in detail. And they just seem to be put in to fill any available space. I learned all I know about computers from PC World. And there's still a hell of a lot I don't know. I newbie starting off today wouldn't learn very much from it. Jack	JJJJJ (528)
164970	2003-08-05 21:02:00	I still get to do things like I used to, Jack. Excel exam? I only sat one and narrowly passed (got exactly the pass mark). It's a hard call on what you call detail. Sometimes you have to generalise because everyone has a different bios, OS, or sound card. Other times, people turn off if there is too much geeky detail. Doesn't mean we can't put in the step by step details now and again. I watch the news some nights and wonder why we get non-articles that are thinly disguised ads for a 20 minutes or 60/60 exclusive. I see the front cover of the Herald talking about Paul Holmes having a brush with death (he combed his hair and a hearse went past). PCW hasn't got that bad (yet). We do try. robo.	robo (205)
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