Subscriptions

[Dave]

We've had a mention of Radio Times in another thread

Does anyone here have any favourite reading material, probably for the loo?

I've been subscribing to Practical Classics for years now. I do enjoy a good car magazine, and like the older cars, although PC does annoy me sometimes - it tends to run the same sort of features all the time (nature of the beast I guess) and also always has loads of typos. I think they need a good proofreader! On occasion I consider cancelling, but then realise I'm getting it for less than 50% of the cover price so never do.

When I've read it too quickly, I'll sometimes go for another magazine, but usually transport based, so perhaps a truck magazine, or a Land Rover one, or even a tractor mag!

[finlux]

I used to buy computer magazines regularly, but only buy once in a blue moon now. Sadly, they've all closed one by one over the years.

I was shocked to see the price of the Radio Times

[Dave]

I guess that, like a lot of things, computer magazines have been largely killed off by the Internet, which in this case is quite ironic I suppose.

I used to like getting the free software on the cover discs. 99% of it was rubbish, but one or two gems stood out. I've mentioned PaintShop Pro elsewhere. I'm still using this today. Also, at work at the time we were using Superbase (this was before Excel and Access went into total domination) and I got really proficient with it. I was amazed when a full working package was dropped on a cover disc, and set to on building my CD database on it. I kept this going until July 2017 when my Windows Vista laptop died and I had to replace it with one running Windows 10. Superbase wouldn't run on W10 I then forgot about it for a long while until I successfully installed a Windows emulator, and was able to access it again using Windows XP running as a virtual machine

[Miss C DeVille]

I haven't bought any magazines for years.
Some time ago I used to have Prima on a subscription. Because it had a bit of everything in it and was quite practical and there wasn't too many adverts. But after the subscription was up I dropped it. One reason was I liked to keep them and reread them, but they were just piling up taking up space.
There are just too many adverts in them now and they're so expensive, I feel they're just not worth it.
Going a bit off topic, I feel the same about theatre programmes. I refuse to pay a lot of money for a brief mention of the performance and cast amongst pages and pages of adverts.
I think these days you can pay one subscription to a site and read as many magazines as you like online, can't you?

[Miss C DeVille]

I guess that, like a lot of things, computer magazines have been largely killed off by the Internet, which in this case is quite ironic I suppose.

I used to like getting the free software on the cover discs. 99% of it was rubbish, but one or two gems stood out. I've mentioned PaintShop Pro elsewhere. I'm still using this today. Also, at work at the time we were using Superbase (this was before Excel and Access went into total domination) and I got really proficient with it. I was amazed when a full working package was dropped on a cover disc, and set to on building my CD database on it. I kept this going until July 2017 when my Windows Vista laptop died and I had to replace it with one running Windows 10. Superbase wouldn't run on W10 I then forgot about it for a long while until I successfully installed a Windows emulator, and was able to access it again using Windows XP running as a virtual machine

When I first had internet AOL brought out a magazine. I don't know if it was the first issue, but they had a screenshot of one of their chat room conversations and I was on it. I think it was on the cover...fame at last

[Peregrine Trousers]

I subscribe to Private Eye. It's amazing how many stories which go on to be 'big news' are broken by the 'Eye' first. One of the most recent examples being the Post Office scandal.
Also, it can be pretty damn funny.

[Laureline]

I used to subscribe to Private Eye but have been forced to give it up because the cost of postage outside of the UK has gone into silly money

The UK costs £34 a year, delivery to Europe £75 a year

I suspect a lot of it is Brexit related as every issue always seemed to come via a different delivery service (Belgium and Switzerland were the most popular) but once the deliveries all started to come out of the UK the price went up by a huge leap. I guess they can no-longer shop around for the cheapest company prepared to deliver.

Unfortunately they don't do a Digital option. I also subscribe to the New Statesman, New Yorker, Spiegel and the Atlantic Digital editions (plus a few newspapers) for an incredibly cheap price