TorgoX writes "Bad news, folks: SysAdmin is stopping publishing The Perl Journal. I just heard from the SysAdmin editors. Ad revenues are down so much that all tech mags are apparently in dire straits, and SysAdmin has basically been taking a big loss on TPJ for a while now; and the money people say that it just can't keep doing that. So the issue that's in the mail now is apparently the last."
Re:Bummer
pudge on 2002-08-17T13:04:25
Most of the content is available for sale on the SysAdmin CD, and ORA is releasing the Best Of TPJ in three volumes (or was it reduced to two?).
I don't understand this, though. TPJ was essentially a handful (2-3) articles in SysAdmin every three months. If they are saying they can't afford to have 2-3 Perl articles in SysAdmin every 3 months... then THAT is a worse problem than TPJ dying. Re:Bummer
barryp on 2002-08-17T17:39:55
But I haven't seen a copy since the previous publishers were turning it out, and it wasn't all that hard to find here in Boston then...TPJ has been 'bundled' as part of SysAdmin (at the back of the main mag) for some time now.
Re:No more TPJ.
yumpy on 2002-08-17T21:06:55
I knew it was a bad sign when TPJ disappeared into the back pages of Sys Admin, and customers kept looking at me with disbelief when I'd ask if they'd seen my company's training ads there!As I told Jon Orwant himself over Chinese food during YAPC, all us JAPHs owe him a great debt of gratitude for creating this (once) magnificent resource, that was so instrumental in developing our community.
Moreover, I'd venture to say that all readers of contemporary technical literature are similarly indebted to him, for showing a whole generation of technical editors how their job should be done!
The Archive CD
lemon_lysol on 2002-08-19T16:36:32
Do you think that I should buy the archive CD now or wait and hope for a complete TPJ archive after they cease production?Re:No more TPJ.
sumarjaya on 2002-08-20T02:26:44
As a newbie in Perl I found many good articles on TPJ. I just hope somebody can take over the TPJ from CMP might be Oreilly. Don't die TPJ:(
Perl content in SysAdmin
merlyn on 2002-08-19T17:08:08
My long-running Perl column continues to appear there bi-monthly, so don't all cancel your subscriptions just yet, or that's likely to cause me to lose a job as well. And for many of the past 12 months, my column income has been my only income.Hopefully they'll maintain some decent perl oriented content, even if it isn't highlighted as such.Re:Perl content in SysAdmin
b_vlad on 2002-08-20T00:56:03
Although loosing Perl Journal portion is tough, I don't see how people would throw the whole mag out. I take it that many of the Perl hackers around here have to do some sys admin work. So, the mag is definitely there to stay..
Certainly, the overall number of subscriptions may (and most likely will) fluctuate over the course of a couple centuries, but I hardly doubt the mag itself will cease to exist entirly. Unless, of course, the pointy-haired bosses insist otherwise;/.
As for your articles, [merlyn], I appreciate them quite a bit. Keep them going...
I don't understand why they're in dire straights if content is available... perhaps it's a sales/marketing thing.
Either way, this economy situation stinks!
Jason
Re:Another InfoPoint...
barryp on 2002-08-18T17:09:23
I don't understand why they're in dire straights if content is available... perhaps it's a sales/marketing thing.I don't think it's content that's the problem
... they need ad revenue to pay for the production of the magazine, so the more ads, the more content. (Obviously) the fewer ads, the less content. Subscriptions aren't enough, unfortunately. I haven't received my Intrusion Detection issue yet, but it will be interesting to see what did make the cut.
I'm about half-way through reading it - here's the table of contents for that issue.
Re:And just after I renewed for another year
barryp on 2002-08-19T20:12:07
Yeah... I renewed after reading Damian Conway's article on Perl 6 (which appeared in TPJ). Having a SysAdmin subscription was the only way to ensure the continued flow of articles of this calibre ... and then TPJ gets canned! Bummer, indeed. (However, to be fair, the regular SysAdmin stuff does include its fair share of Perl-related stuff).
Re:I Really Miss the The Perl Journal
brian_d_foy on 2002-08-21T19:12:29
The Perl Review can be printed now really---the economy doesn't matter that much. i just need the money to pay the printers, but i don't want to take a bunch of subscriptions before i know that i can deliver the goods. that's why i've gone slowly. Several magazine people assure me that "subscriber" fees can cover printing and mailing costs. Ad revenues pay for Manhattan offices and employees, neither or which i have right now.:)
i'm experimenting with PayPal donations on a small scale right now. when i have enough money to pay to print and mail a bunch of issues, the next issue will be printed.:)
http://www.theperlreview.orgRe:I Really Miss the The Perl Journal
barryp on 2002-08-22T17:51:38
That last URL should probably read http://www.theperlreview.com, not ".org". Cheers.
