The "glamour" of 1980s computer magazines

newslttrs.com

8 pointsspzb4 comments

Interesting that some of the "illustrator's delight" covers look like they could have been generated using an AI tool.

My nostalgia for the past and computing media was how positive and imaginative things were. Even if silly these magazine covers seem imaginative and positive, even if silly at times.

Now there's so much social media type memes and yelling and negativity.

Part of the deal was how fast things were moving. We actually looked at the ads. They were amazing, not because they were so well done, but because every month there was something that I never even imagined being done. And there it was, for sale. And next month there would be another one or three.

That gave some glamour to the magazines - not because the covers or the writing or the production were so great, but because they had amazing things, month after month.

Exactly. I grew up with these magazines as that's all there was. The covers were often odd (and fun now) but I never paid attention to them, it was the contents, and the new things constantly being advertised that was the draw. That Smalltalk cover is memorable though so it must have made an impression but maybe because Smalltalk itself is impressive.

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