Declan:
: But they can read reviews and talk to their friends. This is a large
: portion of what tech jlists do: spend lots of $$$ and time reviewing stuff
: so their readers won't have to.
Danny:
: There are a couple of big newspapers here whose computer sections only
: ever seem to plug Microsoft software. Coincidentally (?) they are also
: full of Microsoft advertising... By no stretch of the imagination are
: most of the reviews of computer products that appear unbiased.
I was speaking to the owner of a small hardware / software sales
business. At one point, a while back, they took out a rather large
advertisement in one of the leading computer magazines. They were
subsequently approached by the magazine and told that if they keep the
advertisement in for the entire year then favourable reviews will be
given to those products they advertise. The business withdrew their
advertisement.
: How often do you see free software reviewed? Compare with how much
: of it is actually being used!
Well, if you look in the November issue of APC...... :-)
But, yes, you're right. I had a subscription to the local magazine
PC-Mag (it was new, it was local....) Somehow they were sold or taken
over or something. All subscribers were informed that their
subscriptions were being transferred to a "new improved" magazine.
When this eventually turned up on my doorstep it was call "Windows
Sources" blah!
- Robi