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{{Short description|Magazine about computers and related subjects}}
{{about|computer magazines in general|the magazine published by IEEE|Computer (magazine)}}

[[File:Net magazine June 2020 cover.webp|thumb|An example of computer (and internet) magazine was ''[[net (magazine)|net]]'', this magazine was initially targeting internet users in general before shifting to [[web design]] until its final issue in June 2020.]]
'''Computer magazines''' are about [[computer]]s and related subjects, such as [[computer network|networking]] and the [[Internet]]. Most computer [[magazines]] offer (or offered) advice, some offer [[Programming language|programming]] [[tutorial]]s, reviews of the latest technologies, and advertisements.

== History ==
=== 1940s–1950s===
Sources:.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Weiss |first=Eric A. |date=1972-07-01 |title=Publications in computing: an informal review |journal=Communications of the ACM |language=en |volume=15 |issue=7 |pages=491–497 |doi=10.1145/361454.361456 |s2cid=27504743 |issn=0001-0782|doi-access=free }}</ref>
*''[[Mathematics of Computation]]'' established in 1943, articles about computers began to appear from 1946 (Volume 2, Number 15) to the end of 1954.<ref group="note">In 1955, the "Automatic Computing Machinery" column was removed, but the full-length articles about computers still continued to appear with varying frequency.</ref> [[Scientific journal]].
*''Digital Computer Newsletter'',<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cyber Brief: Digital Computer Newsletter — 1949–1968 {{!}} National Security Archive|url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/news/cyber-vault/2018-10-19/cyber-brief-digital-computer-newsletter-1949-1968|access-date=25 December 2021|website=nsarchive.gwu.edu}}</ref> (1949–1968), founded by [[Albert Eugene Smith]].
*''Computers and People'', (1951–1988<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Sternadori |first1=Miglena |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c7rLDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA7 |title=The Handbook of Magazine Studies |last2=Holmes |first2=Tim |date=2020 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-15152-4 |pages=7 |language=en}}</ref>), was arguably the first computer magazine. It began as ''Roster of Organizations in the Field of Automatic Computing Machinery'' (1951–1952),<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=83byXmCyv0UC&q=%22Roster+of+Organizations+in+the+Field+of+Automatic+Computing+Machinery%22 |title=The Computing Machinery Field |date=1953 |publisher=Edmund C. Berkeley and Associates. |pages=7 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/sim_computers-and-people_1952-07-20_1_3 |title=Roster of Organizations in the Field of Automatic Computing Machinery 1952-07-20: Vol 1 Iss 3 |date=1952-07-20 |publisher=Berkeley Enterprises |language=English}}</ref><ref group="note">Alternative title: ''Roster of Organizations in the Computing Machinery Field''.</ref> and then ''The Computing Machinery Field'' (1952–1953).<ref>{{cite journal|title=Computers and People|date=1957|page=111|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KC8-AQAAIAAJ&q=%22Roster+of+Organizations+in+the+Computing+Machinery+Field%22+1953|publisher=Berkeley Enterprises|language=en}}</ref> It was published by [[Edmund Berkeley]]. ''Computers and Automation'' held the first Computer Art Contest in 1963<ref>{{Cite web |title=Computer Art Contest |url=http://dada.compart-bremen.de/item/Award/11 |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=compArt daDA}}</ref> and maintained a  bibliography on computer art starting in 1966.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_computersAndAutomation&tab=about The BITSAVERS.ORG Documents Library: Computers and Automation Journal]</ref> It also included a monthly estimated census of all installed computer systems starting in 1962.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_computersArCensus196274_16451676|title=computersAndAutomation :: Computer Census 1962-74|date=1962–1974}}</ref> In 1973 name changed to ''Computers and Automation and People'', and finally in 1975 to ''Computers and People.''<ref name=":0" />
*[[American Federation of Information Processing Societies|AFIPS]] conference proceedings<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFIPS conference proceedings |url=https://onesearch.library.uwa.edu.au/permalink/61UWA_INST/1vk1d8f/alma9957569902101 |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=onesearch.library.uwa.edu.au |language=en}}</ref> (AFIPS [[Joint Computer Conference]]s) (1952–1987).
*[[Association for Computing Machinery|ACM]] National Conference proceedings (Proceedings of National Meetings) (1952, 1956–1987, 1997)<ref>{{Cite web |title=ACM-NATIONAL-CONFERENCE Conference - Proceedings |url=https://dl.acm.org/conference/acm-national-conference/proceedings |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=ACM Digital Library |language=en}}</ref><ref group="note">First published in 1952, regular publication started in 1964 (''Publications in computing: an informal review'', p. 494).</ref><ref name=":1" />
*''[[IEEE Transactions on Computers]]'' from 1952, scientific journal.
*''Computing News'' (1953–1963<ref>{{Cite book |last=Limited |first=National Computing Centre |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o5FjAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Computing+News%22 |title=A World List of Computer Periodicals |date=1970 |publisher=National Computing Centre |isbn=978-0-85012-029-5 |pages=40 |language=en}}</ref>), was an early computer magazine produced by Jackson W. Granholm out of Thousand Oaks, California. The first documented copyright was applied for on September 1, 1954, for issue #36. The magazine was released on the 1st and 15th of each month, which places issue #1 at March 15, 1953. The last documented release was issue #217 on March 15, 1962.<ref>[https://www.lostmediawiki.com/Computing_News_(partially_found_early_computer_magazine/newsletter;_1950s-1960s) Lost Media Wiki article containing U.S Copyright Office catalog scans]</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/computing-news-number-216 Computing News Issue #216 from March 1st, 1962]</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/computing-news-number-217 Computing News Issue #217 from March 15th, 1962]</ref>
*''[[Journal of the ACM]]'' from 1954, scientific journal.
*''[[Datamation]]'' from 1957, was another early computer and [[data processing]] magazine. It is still being published as an e-publication on the Internet. Futurist [[Donald Prell]] was its founder.
*''[[Information and Computation]]'' from 1957, scientific journal.
*''[[IBM Journal of Research and Development]]'' from 1957, scientific journal.
*''[[Communications of the ACM]]'' from 1958, mix of [[List of science magazines|science magazine]], [[trade magazine]], and a scientific journal
*''[[The Computer Journal]]'' from 1958, scientific journal.

=== 1960s–1970s===
*''ACS Newsletter'' (1966–1976), Amateur Computer Society newsletter.<ref>[https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2012/03/102654910-05-01-acc.pdf Amateur Computer Society newsletter, 1966-1976]</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Amateur Computer Society Newsletter {{!}} 102654910 {{!}} Computer History Museum |website=www.computerhistory.org |url=http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102654910 |language=en|quote=Claims to be "the first hobby-computer publication in the world."}}</ref>
* ''[[Computerworld]]'' (1967)
* ''[[People's Computer Company Newsletter]]'' (1972–1981)
* ''[[Amateur Computer Club]] Newsletter'' (ACCN; 1973–)
* ''[[Dr. Dobb's Journal]]'' (1976–2014) was the first [[microcomputer]] magazine to focus on [[software]], rather than [[Computer hardware|hardware]].

===1980s ===

In the 1980s, computer magazines skewed their content towards the [[hobbyist]] end of the then-[[microcomputer]] market, and used to contain [[type-in program]]s, but these have gone out of fashion. The first magazine devoted to this class of computers was ''[[Creative Computing]]''. ''[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]]'' was an influential technical journal that published until the 1990s.

In 1983, an average of one new computer magazine appeared each week.<ref name="berg19840908">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/08/business/the-computer-magazine-glut.html |title=The Computer Magazine Glut |last=Berg |first=Eric N. |date=8 September 1984 |work=The New York Times |access-date=3 July 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By late that year more than 200 existed. Their numbers and size grew rapidly with the industry they covered, and ''BYTE'' and ''[[80 Micro]]'' were among the three thickest magazines of any kind per issue.<ref name="nyt19831109">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/09/business/boom-in-computer-magazines.html | title=Boom in Computer Magazines | access-date=25 February 2011 | date=9 November 1983 | work=The New York Times }}</ref> ''[[Compute!]]''{{'}}s editor in chief reported in the December 1983 issue that "all of our previous records are being broken: largest number of pages, largest-number of four-color advertising pages, largest number of printing pages, and the largest number of editorial pages".<ref name="lock198312">{{Cite magazine |last=Lock |first=Robert |date=December 1983 |title=Editor's Notes |url=https://archive.org/stream/1983-12-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_043_1983_Dec#page/n7/mode/2up |magazine=Compute! |page=6}}</ref>

By that year the [[IBM PC]]'s success influenced the industry, with two of the four computer magazines with the most advertising pages in February 1983 devoted to it.<ref name="pollack19830327">{{Cite news |last=Pollack |first=Andrew |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/27/business/big-ibm-has-done-it-again.html |title=Big I.B.M. Has Done It Again |date=1983-03-27 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-03-16 |page=Section 3, Page 1 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Computers were the only industry with product-specific magazines, like ''80 Micro'', ''[[PC Magazine]]'', and ''[[Macworld]]''; their editors vowed to impartially cover their computers whether or not doing so hurt their readers' and advertisers' market, while claiming that their rivals pandered to advertisers by only publishing positive news.<ref name="bartimo19841210">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=si4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA35 | title=Magazines Woo Users | access-date=14 March 2011 | author=Bartimo, Jim | date=10 December 1984 | pages=35–36 | work=InfoWorld}}</ref> 

''BYTE,'' in March 1984, apologized for publishing articles by authors with promotional material for companies without describing them as such, and in April suggested that other magazines adopt its rules of conduct for writers, such as prohibiting employees from accepting gifts or discounts. 

''[[InfoWorld]]'' stated in June that many of the "150 or so" industry magazines published articles without clearly identifying authors' [[Affiliate marketing|affiliations]] and [[conflicts of interest]].

Around 1985, many magazines ended. However, as their number exceeded the amount of available advertising revenue despite revenue in the first half of the year five times that of the same period in 1982. Consumers typically bought computer magazines more for advertising than articles, which benefited already leading journals like ''BYTE'' and ''PC Magazine'' and hurt weaker ones. Also affecting magazines was the computer industry's economic difficulties, including the [[video game crash of 1983]], which badly hurt the home-computer market. 

[[Dan Gutman]], the founder of ''Computer Games'', recalled in 1987 that "the computer games industry crashed and burned like a bad night of ''[[Microsoft Flight Simulator|Flight Simulator]]''—with my magazine on the runway". ''[[Antic (magazine)|Antic]]''<nowiki/>'s advertising sales declined by 50% in 90 days, ''Compute!''<nowiki/>'s number of pages declined from 392 in December 1983 to 160 ten months later, and ''Compute!'' and ''[[Compute!'s Gazette]]''<nowiki/>'s publisher assured readers in an editorial that his company "is and continues to be quite successful ... even during these particularly difficult times in the industry". ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' stated in 1988 that it was the only one of the 18 color magazines that covered computer games in 1983 to survive the crash. ''Compute!'' similarly stated that year that it was the only general-interest survivor of about 150 consumer-computing magazines published in 1983.

Some computer magazines in the 1980s and 1990s were issued only on disk (or cassette tape, or CD-ROM) with no printed counterpart; such publications are collectively (though somewhat inaccurately) known as ''[[disk magazine]]s'' and are [[List of disk magazines|listed separately]].

=== 1990s ===
In some ways, the heyday of printed computer magazines was a period during the 1990s. During this period, a large number of computer manufacturers took out [[advertisement]]s in computer magazines, so they became quite thick and could afford to carry quite a number of articles in each issue. ''[[Computer Shopper (UK magazine)|Computer Shopper]]'' was a good example of this trend. 

Some printed computer magazines used to include [[covermount]] [[Floppy disk|floppy disks]], [[Compact disc|CDs]], or other media as inserts; they typically contained [[software]], [[Demoware|demo]]s, and electronic versions of the print issue.

=== 2000s–2010s ===
However, with the rise in popularity of the [[Internet]], many computer magazines went bankrupt or transitioned to an online-only existence. Exceptions include ''[[Wired magazine|Wired]]'', which is more of a technology magazine than a computer magazine.

==List of computer magazines==
{{Main|List of computer magazines}}

==Notable regular contributors to print computer magazines==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Name
! Occupation <!-- occupation for which the person is most well-known should be listed first -->
! Magazines (years of regular contributions)
|-
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Ken Arnold]]
| Programmer
| ''[[Unix Review]]'' (1980s–1990s)
|-
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Charlie Brooker]]
| TV comedian, TV reviewer, newspaper columnist
| ''[[PC Zone]]'' (1990s)
|-
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Orson Scott Card]]
| Science fiction author
| ''[[Ahoy!]]'', ''[[Compute!]]''
|-
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Chris Crawford (game designer)|Chris Crawford]]
| Game designer
| ''[[BYTE]]'', ''[[Computer Gaming World]]''
|-
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Pamela Jones]]
| Paralegal, legal blogger
| ''[[Linux User]]'', others
|-
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Stan Kelly-Bootle]]
| Writer, consultant, programmer, songwriter
| ''[[UNIX Review]]'' (1984–2000), ''OS/2 Magazine'', ''Software Development''
|-
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Nicholas Negroponte]]
| Professor, investor
| ''[[Wired magazine]]'' (1993–1998)
|-
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Jerry Pournelle]]
| Science fiction author
| ''[[BYTE]]'' (1980–2006)
|-
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Rhianna Pratchett]]
| Game scriptwriter, journalist
| ''[[PC Zone]]''
|-
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Bruce Schneier]]
| Security specialist, writer, cryptographer
| ''[[Wired magazine]]''
|-
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Charles Stross]]
| Science fiction and fantasy author
| ''[[Computer Shopper (UK magazine)]]'' (1994–2004)
|-
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Don Lancaster]]
| Writer, consultant, programmer
| ''Dr. Dobb's Journal'', ''Byte'', etc.
|}

==See also==
* [[Online magazine]]
* [[Magazine]]
* [[Online newspaper]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Computer magazines| ]]
[[Category:History of computing|Magazine]]
[[Category:Magazine genres]]