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Dr. Dobb's Journal Going Web-Only
Posted by
timothy
on Tue Jan 06, 2009 01:08 PM
from the times-change-and-sometimes-that's-good dept.
from the times-change-and-sometimes-that's-good dept.
paleshadows writes "The first issue of Dr. Dobb's Journal (DDJ) was published in January 1976. A few days ago, Herb Sutter (the chair of the ISO C++ committee and a long-time DDJ columnist) announced through his latest blog post that, 'as of January 2009, Dr. Dobb's Journal is permanently suspending print publication and going web-only.' This follows an earlier announcement that PC Magazine is to become digital-only, too, as of February 2009. To those of us who enjoy reading such stuff away from the computer these are bad news, as there seems to be no other major technical programmers' magazines left standing."
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Missing Options (Score:2)
Re:Missing Options (Score:5, Insightful)
Magazines shouldn't need batteries.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Until you drop it while you're reading in the tub. Then you receive an electrical shock, and a financial shock of $300; whereas with a dead tree mag, you're out $5.00.
Re:Missing Options (Score:5, Interesting)
What's so bad about paper? Most of our paper comes from trees in managed timberlands, which are currently replanting twice as fast [tappi.org] as they're harvesting (at least in the U.S.) And much of it comes from tree farms [wikipedia.org], which are wonderfully eco-friendly. We use a helluva lot of paper, but it's not beyond sustainable levels yet and it's wonderfully convenient. And paper's a renewable and easily recyclable resource, unlike the materials used in e-readers.
Does somebody more eco-wise want to set me straight and explain why an e-reader is so much "greener" than dead trees?
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
> Does somebody more eco-wise want to set me straight and
> explain why an e-reader is so much "greener" than dead trees?
The paper-making process is very non-green. Really, it should be called the waste-making process, with paper as a minor byproduct. OTOH, I doubt that most e-readers are all that perfect in their manufacturing processes, either.
Of course, the high-quality magazine paper (like DDJ is printed upon) is ecologically worse than book paper, or pulp (ala WWII SF mags), too. The high clay
Re:Missing Options (Score:4, Interesting)
They're mostly cutting down 25 year old trees that they planted 25 years ago specifically so they can be cut down now. Then they replant and move over to the next lot which was planted 24 years ago and so on.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Trees absorb more CO2 in their first 50 years of life than in their second (I know - [citation needed] - if anyone has one please post). Does a newly planted tree absorb as much as a 100 year old tree? No. But on a 100-year scale, chopping down and replanting is the better move. I don't think that pointing out that they're replanting is at all disingenuous.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I'm not sure where you got the 50-year number, but there is a break-even point. Although that point is very different depending on species. Basically the tree is absorbing carbon and converting it to wood. Large trees grow slowly (produce little wood) while young trees grow quickly (produce a lot of wood). More wood production -> More carbon absorption.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Replanting is great, but does that newly planted tree use as much CO2 as the 100 year old one cut down? Trees take a while to regrow... so saying they're being replanting is a bit disingenuous.
Actually, a forest is most productive in terms of its ability to feed and sustain an arboreal environment just a few years after it has been cleared and replanted. Old-growth forests with huge trees and a dense upper canopies are not nearly as productive in consuming CO2 or providing a habitat for a diverse group of different species of both plants and animals as do much younger forests.
An excellent example of this is the region around Mount St. Helens, where the destruction of the old forest that surround
The iPoo (Score:5, Funny)
The thing about all the readers is that I simply would not use one in the bathroom for a lot of sound reasons I'm sure you can imagine.
But it seems like one could create a bathroom reader that would be welcome.
Scrap the Kindle and come up with the iPoo.
What I want is a reader that is bathroom and bathub friendly. Also one I could take outdoors and not worry about it getting rained on or something if I happen to leave it out on the deck by accident.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Thinking a bit more about this there is a feature that makes newspapers and magazines so bathroom freindly that will be hard to recreate on a reader.
Namley, parallel accessibility. When I sit on my thrown I don't go there to read a specific article. I browse the magazine for something that look intriguing. It's hard to manage that sort of page flipping and scanning on a reader. But it's essential to the use mode.
Re:The iPoo (Score:4, Funny)
Thinking a bit more about this there is a feature that makes newspapers and magazines so bathroom freindly that will be hard to recreate on a reader.
Indeed!
Namley, parallel accessibility. When I sit on my thrown I don't go there to read a specific article. I browse the magazine for something that look intriguing. It's hard to manage that sort of page flipping and scanning on a reader. But it's essential to the use mode.
Er..uh...yeah... I thought you were going to point out that, in a pinch you can use the magazines/newspapers as a backup supply of TP, something that will be hard to recreate on a reader... for obvious reasons.
But your point is good too, I guess. Still, I can pull up a major news portal... or /. on a PC and then aimlessly pick ariticles of interest... surely this sort of functionality could be added to an ebook.
Parent
Re:The iPoo (Score:4, Informative)
The thing about all the readers is that I simply would not use one in the bathroom for a lot of sound reasons I'm sure you can imagine.
I actually can't. I have a friend that's always in the can with his laptop. a reader should be a no brainer.
Parent
Re:The iPoo (Score:5, Interesting)
What I want is a reader that is bathroom and bathub friendly. Also one I could take outdoors and not worry about it getting rained on or something if I happen to leave it out on the deck by accident.
Actually Amazon sells transparent covers for the Kindle [amazon.com] that make it fairly impervious to rain, spills, tub accidents, etc. And, if you're worried about a bathroom disaster, they're priced low enough that they can be treated as disposable (I've actually thrown more than one away myself.)
Why one of these isn't bundled when you purchase a Kindle, I have no idea.
Parent
Well then (Score:5, Informative)
just print it out.
come on! (Score:2)
eBook readers? smart phones? netbooks? I mean, come on, people! If you're in to tech you surely know there are alternatives to big, clunky desktop computers and dead trees.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Some of us just love PAPER. I read Doctorow's Little Brother online, but I'm buying the paper version.
I used to be an avid reader of both Dr. Dobbs and PC Mag, but that was when personal computing was fairly new and the magazine racks in the grocery stores were full of computer magazines. Now all the magazines in the stores are women's fluff rags; People, Home and Graden, ladies Home Journal. Odd since I see as many men as women in the store, and women these days are into much the same things as men.
PC Mag
not surprised (Score:5, Insightful)
When I got my January copy it was in a plastic bag with a brochure for sd west. The brochure was thicker than the magazine. I almost tossed the magazine and kept the brochure. So much has been cut back over the years. I will miss the bug of the month [gimpel.com]. It was an ad but it was fun. Maybe they'll still have it on the web version.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah, the in-depth programming articles in the dead tree version have been gone for several years, since M&T sold it to CMP.
I think it's a law.... any good magazine will be bought by CMP and turned into crap.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, may be these capitalist crooks shouldn't be asking for money from society to bail them out, then, either.
The grandparent has a point. It's stupid to let random capitalists ruin a publication just to improve their bottom line. If they're not going to try to run a magazine, they shouldn't be buying a magazine. It doesn't benefit society, which ultimately pays for their houses and swimming pools.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, may be these capitalist crooks shouldn't be asking for money from society to bail them out, then, either.
See, you misspelled "fascists" again. I'm as pro-capitalism as you can get, but I loathe those cretins.
If they're not going to try to run a magazine, they shouldn't be buying a magazine.
Agreed. I'm not even sure if I understand the point of buying something just to run it into the ground.
Journalists (Score:5, Interesting)
Tell me about it. I've professionally written some articles in the past, and it seems like there's almost nothing left to write for anymore. Either the magazine is so specific so as to be little more than an advertisement (e.g. Oracle or DB2 magazine) or the magazine doesn't pay (in any meaningful sense of the term) for articles. (e.g. Java Developers Journal) Time will tell if web-based publications will manage to support the same eco-system of authors or if it's time to go write a book.
Probably just time to write a book. ;-)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Probably just time to write a book. ;-)
What are these "books" that you speak of? And can I get an RSS feed of it when it's done?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Wow, that's awful. How many copies did you manage to sell? Even if the book sold poorly, I'm shocked that your royalties would be that low. Did you at least get an advance? Or some other income? I mean, your subject is very much a niche, so low numbers are to be expected [larkware.com], but that's some of the worst returns I've ever heard of.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
DDJ, Byte, and Microcornacopia where great. (Score:2)
They where wonderful back in the day. DDJ is down to like 5 pages. The rest are long gone. Back in the day those where the best way to learn about computers. Now we have the Internet. I find it so interesting that so many computer magazines have survived.
2600 (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Agreed. There's always at least one article in 2600 that makes me happy I picked it up.
PC Magazine turned into a big ad years ago. At least Computer Shopper is straight forward about it.
Damn damn damn (Score:4, Interesting)
Not surprised, the last issue was very thin, but still. First Byte (I still miss Byte, see this 10 year old issue [byte.com] for why.), then PC Mag, now DDJ. Ah well, another subscription to not renew.
At least Linux Journal is still a Real Magazine.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Glad I haven't missed anything by ignoring all those tech rags. That's pretty bad.
I did subscribe to Dr. Dobbs once. But I found it frustrating. They have so much pressure to tighten the writing and shrink the articles that much info is cut or just left out. Sometimes some of those details are crucial, and their absence makes the articles difficult. I am thinking especially of an article on the then new Linux ELF format. I still don't have a firm grasp of ELF's scope and how ELF works and why, and t
Probably for the best. Consider what ACM does (Score:2)
The ACM Queue journals and Communications of the ACM are released as PDFs - very useful when searching my MacBook files for research or reading material. I especially like the way I get a paper version of Communications of the ACM to read (mostly cover to cover) and then I permanently keep the (searchable) PDF version.
Dr. Dobb's Journal has become a very thin magazine and for the type of content I think that a web based only presense will hopefully work well for them.
Print is expensive (Score:4, Interesting)
Capt Obvious here. :)
I recently started http://groovymag.com as a PDF-only publication, and have had interest from people in print versions. At the small numbers we're at, it's probably about an extra $5 per copy just to cover print and postage, which I don't think most people are willing to pay that right now, though maybe I'll be proven wrong.
We're in a niche market, so we don't rely on advertising, and have no plans to do so. I suspect we may see more products forgoing the advertising model altogether, and focusing on providing value for 'micropayments' - $2-$4/month for access to content. I think the 'micro' in micropayments has traditionally had people thinking about "2 cents per page view" sort of thing, but that's never proven feasible.
What might arise from this downturn in advertising-driven publications are content networks of like minded publications that offer access to content from all sites for a set fee. Aren't there some industries that already do this (ahem - adult?)
Reminds me of a Comic (Score:3, Funny)
maybe not "major" but... (Score:3, Interesting)
MacTech journal has been in continuous print publication since 1984.
PC Magazine? (Score:3, Interesting)
c't has always been wonderful (Score:3, Informative)
If you can't read German yet, then maybe it's time to learn. This has always been one of the best computer magazines in print. It's in-depth and hands-on. I built one of their hardware projects once (an SBC). Possibly still have it. http://www.heise.de/ct/ [heise.de]
Bittersweet (Score:3, Interesting)
I've been reading Dr. Dobbs for a few years.. Same with Linux Journal, Linux Magazine, SysAdmin magazine. Though I enjoy thumbing through the magazine while I'm - uhh - busy, keeping the back issues is a pain. They're not easily searchable, take up a lot of space, are not cut/paste friendly, etc..
The era of the print computer magazine is in its last throes. I raise a glass to Compute!, Antic, Byte, SysAdmin, and all the others that entertained me through the years.
There dead! (Score:4, Insightful)
I have seen this stupid decision done before.
To accountants it's great on paper, web site's cheaper, and great traffic.
But they don't take into account that it's the print magazine that's been driving there traffic.
As soon as they stop the printed magazine people will slowly stop going to there site and they will slowly run out of cash.
Dr. Dobbs is back to ... (Score:3, Funny)
Running Light Without Overbyte.
WTF is "permanently suspending"? (Score:3, Insightful)
Is not ending the correct term?
Re:Different strokes (Score:4, Interesting)
Personally, I prefer on-line versions. With hyper-links and video, the content can be greatly enriched.
While I tend to agree with you, there is something nice about holding printed material in your hand and reading that instead of being in front of a screen. I can't really put my finger on it, though...but it's difficult to "curl up with a good computer."
Plus none of those pesky issues with storing old magazines, or recycling, or worse, land-fill.
Definitely correct here. However, this assumes that their magazine can be downloaded (PDF?) or that they store it to their site for a long amount of time.
Parent
Re:Seriously, dude... (Score:5, Funny)
....just use your iPhone while you're on the can to read it.
Sure, that's possible, but what good is an iPhone if you run out of toilet paper? 3G won't help you there.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Not just handy, you could download party political statements, marketing hype, photos of celebrities, etcetera, and make some very satisfying commentary, which you could then dispose of so it would never be seen again.
Hmm, sounds a lot like blogging.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Beating the crap out isn't recommended; just a gentle wipe will suffice.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I swear Byte magazine was 70% ads, 30% content. You had 5-6 pages of ads in the middle of articles. I wouldn't be surprised if they just forgot the last part of the article, and continued on with the ads. At least with "Computer Shopper" you were expecting ads. Sadly, PC Magazine was useless to the common user unless you were looking to upgrade. Buy Buy buy buy buy. I miss the magazines that had type-in programs.
Re:I'm Sorry, but Good Riddance (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:I'm Sorry, but Good Riddance (Score:5, Insightful)
Today we have our laptops, Kindles, RSS feeds, incredible PDAs, hell, my cell phone does more than first computer ever could, ten times over.
I used to read books and magazines on my Palm tungsten. Then I switched to blackberry, and I have nearly $1000 in ebooks that I can't read. At all. Why would people want to run that risk? The capabilities are there, but after /years/ of ebook publishing there's still no standard that will ensure this can't happen. Print media can always be read, no matter what platform you're using.
Of course, there's a much more practical concern: after 12-16 hours, I want to /stop/ looking at a monitor for a while.
Just please don't give me this nostalgic wasn't-it-great-back-then crap about how you used to be so excited for the new issue to come in the mail. Rather, be excited about seeing your RSS feed updated. Shift your focus, enjoy your nostalgia, but put it into perspective.
Nostalgia is longing for something past for its own sake. In this case, there's a measurable difference in quality. I can count on one hand the number of web sites that deliver the kind of quality technical information that DDJ and CUJ used to provide.
And among those web sites, it's still a challenge to find the valid, useful information hidden amidst blog entries where folks will hold forth on topics they know little to nothing about.
I haven't purchased a magazine outside of an airport in this millennium and I don't know anyone else who has, either. There isn't one thing a magazine could tell me that I haven't read (and probably re-re-read) many times over.
In other words, "I don't use this, and therefore nobody else does either"?
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I used to have a Palm Tungsten too. I bought a lot of ebooks at the time and I still have access to them on my WM5 powered HTC phone. Have you tried eReader software ? It is free, and I believe you can re-download any books you have already paid for. If it won't run on the crackberry, then maybe you should have considered a different device rather than throw away