About Linux Voice
NOTE: After issue 32, Linux Voice became part of Linux Magazine – see here for the full details.
Linux Voice was an independent GNU/Linux and Free Software magazine from the most experienced journalists in the business. It was different in three key ways:
- 50% of our profits went back to the Free Software community, developers and events
- Our content was freely licensed (CC-BY-SA) after nine months, for the community to share
- We made this magazine for Linux users, and not to satisfy shareholders or middle managers
Linux Voice was originally funded by a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign that raised £127,000 from over 2,000 subscribers. Today we have over 3,000 subscribers across the globe.
Each month the magazine (in print and DRM-free digital formats) included 100 pages of in-depth tutorials, features, reviews and interviews — click here to see the contents of recent issues. We are a team with decades of experience in writing about Linux and FOSS:
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Graham Morrison was the Editor of Linux Voice, and the former Editor of Linux Format magazine. A free software advocate and writer since the late 1990s, Graham is a lapsed KDE contributor and author of the Meeq MIDI step sequencer. |
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Andrew Gregory was the Deputy Editor of Linux Voice, and worked in the same role at Linux Format for many years. He dreams up many of the ideas that go into the magazine, and stops the rest of the team from spending too much time at the pub. |
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Mike Saunders has been using, hacking and writing about Linux since 1999, including over 150 issues of Linux Format. He’s a passionate Free Software developer (having spent many years leading the MikeOS project) and still plays Frontier. |
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Ben Everard was another former LXFer, and wrote a big chunk of the magazine. He’s is the co-author of Learning Python with the Raspberry Pi and hacks hardware projects held together with a big dollop of Linux and Free Software glue. |
Linux Voice was available in many WHSmith, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, McColl’s and Martin’s stores in the UK, along with Easons in Ireland. You could find it in Barnes and Noble in the USA, and many independent stores around the world. And what do our readers think about the magazine? Let’s let them speak:
“Best balance of content by far, packed with stuff, excellent writers, supports FOSS, and loads more”
Huw Taylor on Twitter
“Thanks guys, for producing totally enjoyable, informative podcasts and a great magazine. I love the concept! I wish you all the best.”
Barbara on Linux Voice forums
“Your hard work is evident; the magazine is saturated with good stuff, and you’ve scrimped on the fluff that other magazines use just to fill up the pages. Congratulations guys, you deserve all the praise you are getting”
saif on linuxvoice.com
“@LinuxVoice Thank you for the best IT mag I have ever read! Keep up the sterling work!”
Sid J on Twitter
“So glad I’ve discovered your magazine. Taught me a great deal of stuff in only two issues… so time to buy subscription!”
Andrew E (on subscription order)
“Big shout out to @LinuxVoice guys, great service, great magazine.”
Neil Grogan on Twitter
“@LinuxVoice ~ The new magazine is brilliant! I’m really enjoying it.”
Mark_Luker on Twitter
“@LinuxVoice Great job; I’m very pleased with the variety and the depth. Congratulations!”
jebcom on Twitter
“You guys rock, I love the podcast. This is the first Linux magazine I have found I really want to read every month.”
David H (on subscription order)
“Fantastic issue #1, far exceeded my expectations for a first release! Congratulations to the whole team, you’ve done an amazing job.”
California Penguin on linuxvoice.com
“I like the way you guys give attention to the community and the people in it.”
Triantares on linuxvoice.com
“It’s a barnstorming first issue. It’s polished, entertaining and informative, as you’d expect.”
Gavin Lewis on Techbeast.net
“Thank you for a terrific magazine […] There is so much interesting stuff here that I think it’ll take me a long while to really absorb it all. I particularly like brewpi, pgp, vim, bash and Philip’s den, as well as the celebrity appearances of Nick Veitch and Jonathan Roberts – can you persuade them to continue? Great stuff!”
Duncan Murray on linuxvoice.com
“Thanks for the wonderful magazine. Linux Voice was my first Linux magazine. I had a choice between 5 and I am glad I picked yours. I look forward to your next issue.”
William Kennedy, by email
“Spending my Sunday morning drinking coffee and reading @LinuxVoice the best #linux magazine out there”
tsevdos on Twitter
“A big thank you to the LV team, got my print issue this morning and its been worth the wait. Looking very slick and as professional as that other magazine not to be named. Looking forward to a long and enjoyable relationship with the newest Linux / OS software magazine on the shelves.”
Tony Hughes on linuxvoice.com
“Loving the mag. Great real world code examples… brilliant.”
Felim Whiteley, by email
“It dropped through the letter box, via Royal Mail, and it is already an old friend. Thanks guys for the very hard work which has obviously gone its production.”
Tony Hughes on linuxvoice.com
“Reading issue 1 of #linuxvoice ada lovelace article is fascinating. @LinuxVoice congrats on a great mag”
aptnetltd on Twitter
“I’ve been listening to the podcast and liked it so much that I had to purchase a subscription. Thanks for all of the great work and for supporting the open source community.”
Jason T (on subs order)
“Just wanted to say congratulations and many thanks on getting the magazine out. I’ve been eagerly awaiting it since the campaign started, and really support your plans regarding giving back to the OSS community. So I was ecstatic when the first issue arrived yesterday. I’ve been reading through and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I especially like having the PDF to keep on my tablet and laptop for reference.”
Matt on Linux Voice Forums
“Top Mag & fantastic effort. I’ve just read your mag from cover to cover & as far as I’m concerned, you’ve nailed it on the first issue.”
Mork on Linux Voice Forums
“Got mine yesterday. Its all true! My neural network has been enhanced and they are giving away precious nuggets of green. Brilliant.”
John on linuxvoice.com
“After two days with @LinuxVoice I am a happy nerd. Have not felt the same about a magazine since… what? Pre internet! <3″
@emomilol on Twitter
All content © Linux New Media USA, LLC. All rights reserved. Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.
About The Author
Ben Everard
Ben Everard is the co-author of Learning Python with the Raspberry Pi and hacks hardware projects held together with a big dollop of Linux and Free Software glue. He's @ben_everard on Twitter.
LOL, I wonder what the guys al Linux Format are thingking right about now!!
I used to have an LFX subscription, and I’m now looking forward to your mag
This a great magazine for us linux and open source users. The magazine features on free software,codeing,reviews and a great feature on crowdfunding,tutorials. This could take month to read this magazine.
Good Luck Colin Cundy
Many thanks for the new magazine.
I appreciated PCBSD10 ISO as have “Isotope” 9 at home. Also review of Mageia 4 is very interesting (still use Mandriva SF2007!). Often run Haiku and ReactOS in Qemu emulator so many features noteworthy and relevant.
Keep up the good work!
Nigel D Chapman
Sorry chaps!
Flavour of BSD on disk is Free10 not PC10.
Look forward to burning ISO and booting to xfce (older versions sampled were server-only on my old PCs)
Many thanks again.
Nigel D Chapman
ps Graham – any chance of Mageia 4 on cover disk sometime in future??
Mageia 4, you say? I think you’ll like issue 2’s DVD 🙂
I would love to subscribe, but I can’t make your shop work. When I select the “cart” button, it takes me to which is a blank.
Help!
The HTML obviously strips angle brackets – that was
https://tictail.com/colophon/linuxvoice#
Well done – all fixed and working today. I can now go away for the next month and not worry about missing #2.
Brilliant first issue!! Let our Linux voices be heard!
One observation, white text in the lighter green text boxes without embiggening (is that a real word) it is very difficult to read on a tablet. Just a thought.
Eagerly awaiting next issue. Cheers!
Loved issue #1. Went to subscribe & can only get issue #3 onwards. What happened to issue #2?
Graham – first, thanks for subscribing.
At a certain point (I think it was Sunday for issue 2), we have to send a list of subscribers to our distributors for them to be able to post magazines. At that point, it’s too late to get new subscribers onto that distribution list, which is why we move the starting issue a new subscriber receives on to the next issue.
Congrats guys for this 2nd issue… 1st was promising and you already installed your own style that is just well balanced, clear and appealing.
More embedded Linux in the future?
Regards
Jean
Had a brief look at the printed copy of the magazine at the kiosk today.
Looks like a magazine for enthusiasts and experts!
Will you be doing articles for beginners like me, or should we stick to Dummies books?
Hi! Yes, we do indeed have a lot of technical and advanced content in the mag, but we want to make sure that newcomers to Linux feel at home as well. So we have reviews, interviews and tutorials that should be accessible to everyone — eg the KDE guide in issue 2. Even if some things are over your head at the moment, it’s worth keeping the magazines, because as you progress their content will become more useful. Cheers!
Hi Guys!
Congrats! When single digital issues will be available for download and what will the price?
Thanks!
Stumbled upon issue 2 today by accident on the shelves in Ireland and bought it straight away! -very very impressed, although please please don’t overdo the Pi!! Some features starring Debian Wheezy Gnome 3 would be great, it’s where I learned Linux. I’ve tried all the other distros but it’ll always be the roof over my head!.
Can you tell me who will be distributing it in Ireland and what date does it hit the shelf for sale? Good luck with the publication
Hi, if i wish to buy magazine using visa, do i have to pay anymore as i see i have to use pay pal on your site, thanks rob.
Hi,
No, you pay the same regardless of the method. Thanks!
I want a digital subscription starting from Issue 1.
Is this possible?
Yes, all digital subscriptions include access to previous issues. So if you buy now, you’ll get 12 issues over the coming year, and access to issue 1 as well. (I’ve updated the wording on the shop to make this clearer.)
Thanks!
I am very new to Linux (using UBUNTU 12.04 LTS on an old PC powered by an AMD Athlon XP2200+ processor). I am very impressed having spent years as a Windows person who is not impressed by Windows 7 or 8. I tried one issue of Linux Format and almost gave up on Linux altogether. Linux Voise (I have a digital subscription) is brilliant – don’t understand all the Pi stuff, but that doesn’t matter!
My one big problem is Internet Banking – Nationwide in particular doesn’t work properly. An article on Linux and Internet Banking would be tremendous – is it possible, is it safe, should I be using it on Linux at all?
Am a regular user of Nationwide, and so far have not encountered any issues. Linux is probably the safest medium for internet banking, in my opinion. I use chrome or firefox. For a while Lloyds Bank required me to use a “User Agent Switcher” to log in pretending to be Internet Explorer…this is no longer necessary.
Hi Ben
Thanks for your reply. My problem with Nationwide was trying to create a new payee – it just would not work. Have you been able to do that? I use Firefox as my browser.
Ann
I can do it on mine…using firefox too. Once logged in…where are you having problems?
1) on accounts list select make a single payment and click on go OR click on move money tab
2) next page choose a new person and continue
3) next page add details yourself and continue
4) and so on …
(The comments section on this page is probably not the best place to discuss this sort of issue…maybe we should have a section in the forums for this sort of thing)
Sounds like a good idea. Ann
I use Nationwide on Linux too. Nationwide itself also uses Linux on their core applications. Linux is THE SAFEST option to do internet banking. For the site to work you need to have Javascript enabled. Note that Nationwide will not offer customer support for those wishing to use Linux on their browsers. http://www.nationwide.co.uk/support/support-articles/security/browser-help#xtab:support This is not because Linux is not safe, it is just that they do not wish to commit the resources to support a minority community.
I ordered and paid for Issue 1 on 09/04/2014. It has still not been delivered.
Hi Jed,
It’s on the way – the long Easter weekend has delayed things by a bit, along with a surge in orders since we were on Slashdot. Thanks for your patience!
Your last chance for issue one would have been Feb 14th, http://www.linuxvoice.com/last-chance-to-get-a-sub-starting-from-issue-1/. Presumably your sub will start from Issue 3, but I suspect as print subscriber, you will get free access to previous digital issues.
Picked up the interview with Graham from Slashdot. I’ve been planning to run a PC or Laptop to trial Linux. I’ll pick up a copy from WH Smiths. The only problem I have with subscription is reading everything, as we get 11-12 papers in the week, have 2 mag subs, but I like the feel of the paper (not news papers)
My dentist is a Linux evangelist!
You have a great dentist 🙂 And even if you don’t have time to read everything in the mag, the tutorials are generally valid for a long time, so they make good archive material. Cheers!
I was wondering if digital subscriptions will get links to the software and distros that are on the discs which are included with print editions?
Hi Don,
Yes, in the subscriber area you can download the DVDs via BitTorrent. Thanks!
In your about pages, could you put a permanent list of shops that carry LV? Thanks
Good idea! Done.
Is LV being distributed in Australia? If so, what company is handling this?
issue 2 is on sale in Australia now.
i bought my copy on 14/6/14.
Gordan & Gotch might handle distribution.
Hi! From Portugal 🙂
Yesterday I bought the number 3 in a magazine store in Lisbon, i have to give you all my congrats for this really nice mag.
Regards
Guilherme
what has happened to the cover disk?
i notice the previews for issues 3 &4 not mentioning one.
Hi! As we said in issues 1 and 2, we won’t have a DVD on every issue. There are some months that are very quiet for distro releases, so instead of throwing some random stuff together, we’d rather wait and then have awesome DVDs three or four times a year!
Hi Mike,
Hello from Canada!
Just wanted you to know that I was able to see and pick up Linux Voice from the WHSmith on Argyle Street while I was on vacation in Glasgow, Scotland.
I am now back home in Canada and I have had a chance to read the magazine. I find it to be a great read (nice to see Dr. Brown now appearing within the pages) so kudos to you and the team for the variety of articles and in depth coverage…keep up the great work!
Question for you – is there anyway you can change or reduce the pricing or make it more competitive for Canadian or US subscribers?
I contacted my bank and to pay via my credit card with GBP (using their current rates) is $175.04. That’s about 75 dollars more than the competitors subscription rate (which I currently order overseas from in the UK starts with LX…) Can you guys look at this and let me know?
Thanks for your time & thanks for all your efforts in bringing Linux to the masses! I am hoping to become a subscriber soon!
Hi Sean,
I’ll drop you a line — check your mailbox!
Hi guys,
Just fyi, I’m doubting this is legit http://store.raspberrypi.com/projects/linuxvoice
Krgds
Sam
Hi Sam,
That’s an official magazine from us — why do you doubt it’s legit?
I chanced upon issue #2 of Linux Voice in Kuala Lumpur airport – exactly what Linux Format could/should have been. I would like to buy another copy but havn’t found anywhere distributing it in London, do you know of anywhere?
I’d like to subscribe but have no intention of signing up to paypal (if i select the Visa option it just redirects to paypal).
+ some tutorials describing what alternatives there are to paypal (such as bitcoin) for online payment, and how to impliment them, would be awesome.
Cheers
Hi Ben,
WHSmith, Sainsburys and Martin/McColl’s stores should stock Linux Voice (although not every store). If you’d like to subscribe via bank transfer, drop me a line (mike AT linuxvoice DOT com) and I’ll sort out the details. Thanks!
How is this intended to be different from other Linux magazines like Linux Format for example?
Anyway, I found a copy of the first issue in my local Sainsbury. Then they changed the layout of the store and have not seen any copies since the magazine section moved or any copies of another magazine I bought occasionally. I have looked in a few different branches of WH Smith and not found it there either. I guess I will have to buy online if I want to.
Hi! We’re very different in several ways:
1) We give 50% of our profits back to the Free Software community
2) We freely license our content after nine months, for the community to share
3) We’re an independent magazine, not being bossed around by shareholders and middle managers
4) We have 115 pages in each issue 🙂
Some Sainsbury’s stores are stocking us, but not all.
Okay thanks. It’s interesting that you give 50% profits to the Free software community and freely licence the content after nine months.
Hi guys you are doing great work! I have purchased the first two issues and they were great. Just curious if your ever thinking of selling single digital issues or smaller packs. I for example would like to purchase them all but can’t drop the 60 bucks at the moment. I would be willing to pay a monthly subscription that is higher than the price of a single digital issue if you divided the yearly subscription. Keep up what you do, real worthwhile content in these magazines. Just some thoughts, didn’t know where else to post these.
Hi Elisha,
We plan to put Linux Voice onto Google play in the near future so stay tuned! Then you will be able to buy single digital issues.
Awesome what’s the best way to keep up to date so I can find out when you guys do this? Twitter, Google + etc..
Indeed, follow us on Twitter!
https://twitter.com/LinuxVoice
I like that it might be possible to buy single issues, but would like to avoid Google if there was a way to!!
Looked interesting until I saw the prices – way too expensive in US$.
Hi Trevor,
It’s not mega cheap in the US, no, but we still think it’s good value. Over a 1 year subscription with 115 pages every month you get 1,380 pages. At the current exchange rate, that works out at 11.4 cents per page. Given that most pages are 600+ words of highly technical, well researched content, you get a lot of bang for your buck!
I agree with Mike, if you can afford the subscription it’s well worth the price. You have to take into consideration that your not paying for a magazine that is 50% advertisements!
Hi
Is it possible to receive a medipack for Linux Voice magazine please?
Many thanks
Lesley Simons
Been a subscriber of L.F. since issue #45 & was very happy with the group of folks there. Then, suddenly, y’all disappeared. Well, I found ya again at L.V., have issue #1, & immediately became a subscriber ’cause I recognized the crew’s names. L.F. will not be renewed, as I prefer L.V.
2 suggestions:
Please include in your address label the subscriber’s expiration date to enable better financial planning ( I’m on a fixed income so must plan ahead ).
Also, you need a proof reader to catch the misspellings & extra words/grammar errors. ( I’m one of those nit-pickers who spent lots of years in Engineering Standards & Service publications jobs… so I became a nit picker. )
Best of luck, y’all.
Dave
Hi Dave – thanks for your kind words, and I’m glad you eventually found us. And that’s a good idea about putting an expiration date on the address label – we’ll look into it.
We’re also word/grammar pedants (honestly!), and do want to create the best quality content we can. But in those early issues in particular, our proof reading wasn’t as good as it could be (we were doing a lot of other things to get the magazine off the ground). I do think we’ve got a lot better, and we’re still making improvements, so let me know if you still think we’ve got a problem.
Thanks again, Graham.
Suggestion. Please make a tutorial on SpiderOak, including sync with android phone.
Hey guys – digging the mag and all the great articles. Just interest in why you stopped the DVD’s? Too expensive?
Regards,
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
We haven’t stopped the DVDs — we had one on issue 6, and will have them on future issues, but not every issue. Like we said in the mag, there are some months that are very quiet for major distro releases, in which case we’d rather not just put filler content on there. Cheers!
Maybe any disc in the same vein as the last free-of-charge version of Parted Magic would be the prefect filler material. I don’t see anybody complaining about getting a years-old edition of a rescue disc – it’d still be useful even if it were from the last millenia I reckon!
Thanks for the Magazine, I’ve been a subscriber since before the start:) – I wonder if you would be able to do a feature our LUG event in October? (do come along!) Sorry for the shameless plug but I don’t know how to contact you otherwise – see post on http://shropshirelug.wordpress.com/
Thanks for the Magazine, but you may test Debox Live CD. Liquorix Kernel 3.16.3, debian and openbox based… worth a look!
You can find it here : http://sourceforge.net/projects/deboxlive/
Thanks,
Mfd2hdx
Just my 2 cents but a more consistent(ly) direct reference to the GNU Project and OS would be really nice. An example of the small (and I guess debatable at that, but still….) problem I seem to notice here is how Linux and GNU/Linux both seem to be used to describe the OS rather GNU/Linux for the OS and Linux for (arguably) the OS’ only decent (and a bl0*dy good one at that) kernel.
So “Linux as a whole” should only mean the kernel, not Bash, X, or the 2 editors at war neither of which I am used to and only one of which I can use at all 🙂
Maybe adding a small “GNU” to the logo or something would be a good idea.
Having in mind that LV have cover pages with outstanding print qualty, how about a grey dotted page so that the magazine could be reused as optical mouse pad?
Hi Graham, Andrew, Mike, Ben,
Well done for Linux Voice. It is a great mag.
Used to subscribe to LXF, canceled it and subscribed to a year at the crowd funding campain last year. I have read the 10 first issues, and have renewed my subscription today..
Great content, love it, carry on…
Thanks for the mag!
Seb
Thanks Seb, great to hear that you’re enjoying the mag!
Hi Guys,
I have to say that I stumbled into your publication when looking to decide which Linux Magazine to purchase since there are so many different linux magazines. I quickly glance through the magazine looking for interesting articles and found out this was THE LINUX Magazine to commence my journey into learning Linux since I am a newbie and have been a Windows user for years. I’m done with Windows. Also, I would like to purchase your back issue # 5 HACK which is out of stock. Will it be available in print again for purchasing. Please tell me you will have it available since I missed or neglected the topic. Thanks.
Henry
Hi Henry,
Unfortunately, issue 5 is completely out of stock! It would be extremely expensive for us to do a small print run again (like, £30+ per copy). Your best bet is to go onto our forums at http://forums.linuxvoice.com and ask if anyone wants to sell their copy of LV5. Glad you’re enjoying the magazine!
Mike,
How about making Issue # 5 available in digital print (PDF) ? I would glady appreciate it if you guys can do so which I can add to my LV library. Is it possible? I know I’m pushing my luck, but it is good to be persisent at times when one is really desperate. Much appreciated. Thanks.
Henry
Hi Henry,
Yes, that will happen! All issues of our magazine will become Creative Commons (CC-BY-SA) after nine months, and we’ve just put up issue 2. So issue 5 will be free to download as a PDF in a couple of months. Still, it’s worth asking some others on the forum about the print edition though. Glad you’re enjoying the magazine so much!
Im just wondering where we find the hard copy in München
Hi Matthew,
Linux Voice isn’t on sale in German newsagents (yet), so the best place to buy a copy is our online shop: http://shop.linuxvoice.com
Would you consider publishing a link to your public keys below your email addresses?
I have ditched my LXF subscription because they was repeating the same roundups and articles in such a small cycle (<18mths) and the attitude i got off them off twitter when i flagged this up. Only just found out about this magazine when i googled "Linux Format is declining in quality" and it was mentioned on a 3 line Slashdot post lol. so i have just ordered myself a single copy to see how i get on.. if i like what i see (and im sure i will cos its a good team) I will get a subscription
just to update i have got my copy and my first impression is that it just how LXF was in the good old days before it went downhill. keep it up guys 🙂
Thanks, enjoy 🙂
I don’t often get the chance to read mag’s anymore but when I did my Linux mag’ of choice was LXF. Probably like most people. Last night, on my weekly pass through Gatwick and the 10 minute browse in WHSmith I saw LXV. A feeling of de ja vu about the look and feel. Couldn’t put my finger on it. Then, flicking through the pages and onto the Editorial team I understood why. I bought my first LXV : desktop Showdown. I have to say, I am pretty impressed with the 50% profit commitment and the Creative Commons licences after nine months. This is excellent. I’ve already downloaded the July 2015 edition and it’s just a plain old pdf ! Fantastic. And a podcast to boot. My plan for the weekend is to listen to a podcast or two and do the digital subscription. Saves on paper and postage.
So, as a new reader and soon to be subscriber, I am impressed. Oh and whomever decided not to include the dvd stuck to the front; a fair choice. Do many of them ever get used or they just coasters for Moss ?
Cheerio
Great stuff, glad you like it!
Hi:
I’ve heard that you recently reviewed my book, “Designing with LibreOffice.”
If so, any chance I could get a copy of the review?
Thanks,
Bruce
I love your mag, have done so since issue one. But there’s a problem. Every time a new issue comes, I see the advert for the mugs, but they’re never in stock! Also, three of the guys in the ad look happy. It’s clearly time for a Linux Voice beer glass. Half-liter size, please.
Could be nice if you also publish issues in Kindle mobi or awz3 format. Kindle is the most used ebook-reader in the world.
Best,
woeitg