Free sample issue
If you’ve not yet tried Linux Voice, you’re missing out on the most in-depth tutorials, features, reviews and interviews in the GNU/Linux and Free Software world. Every issue is packed with 116 pages of content from the most experienced writers in the business, and we donate 50% of our profits back to the community. Click here to see what we’ve covered in recent issues.
Here’s a free 32-page mini sample issue – so take a look to see the sort of things we cover, and if you like what you see, join our 3,200+ subscribers and get Linux Voice goodness each month. If you’re already a Linux Voice subscriber, tell your friends!
>>> Click to download (PDF, 15MB) <<<
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About The Author
Mike Saunders
Mike stores his data by printing out hex dumps and laminating the sheets. He's the author of The Haynes Linux Manual and the creator of MikeOS, an operating system hand-built from assembly language.
What do you mean by “free”?
As in “doesn’t cost any money”. (Free as in beer.) All our content is relicensed CC-BY-SA nine months after publication, for the community to share.
You will probably mistake the following remark as nit-picking, but my terminal says:
$ pdfinfo Linux-Voice-Sample.pdf | grep r:
Creator: Adobe InDesign CC (Macintosh)
Producer: Adobe PDF Library 11.0
So this indicates that this PDF-file was produced with a proprietary program running on a proprietary operating system. For a magazin about „GNU/Linux“ and the „Free Software world“ this sounds like … well, Hypocrisy may be a too harsh word, but at least like not confident enough to eat your own dog food. Don’t you know about Scribus or do you think of it as unusable? If so, why?
Hi Anna,
Our goal is to make the best GNU/Linux magazine possible. All of the editorial staff write the magazine using Free Software (I use LibreOffice, Gimp etc.). Our Art Editor, however, is not a Linux geek like us (yet!) and Adobe InDesign is her preferred tool for layout and design. We would indeed like to move to Scribus at some point, but it has some limitations for us.
One of our ideas, perhaps later in the year, is to sponsor some Scribus developers to implement the things we need. Then everyone wins!
Mike, I was also curious about this. The approach you laid out seems very reasonable!
Thank you for all of your hard work, keep it up!
I used Scribus for senior school graphic design submissions. It’s not streamlined to use but is capable — as long as you persist. Keeping your work-flow as smooth as possible is sometimes more pragmatic than it is ideal but that’s fine. Your suggestion about sponsoring a developer is ace! These projects need as much love as they can get.
I think you would be better off with a magazine that is produced in linux even if its not as pretty as what you could make in indesign. I actually just downloaded Scribus after reading these comments and it looks perfectly capable.
It looks like Scribus 1.5 will include a lot of features and tweaks that we need — I just hope it doesn’t languish in development hell forever! And another aspect to this is finding people familiar with the program. Even if our Art Editor gets fully conversant in Scribus, what happens when she goes on holiday, or moves on to a different job?
Suddenly we’re tasked with finding someone in the South West of England with extensive magazine design and Scribus skills, which is very tricky…
Ultimately, all of the magazine content is originally generated using FOSS (I wouldn’t want it any other way). We use LibreOffice, Gimp, Vim, Nano, AbiWord and various other tools. The final layout process takes place in the tool best suited to our Art Editor, InDesign, but we’re always considering alternatives. It’s just not as easy as flicking a switch…
I’m much more in favour of letting people using their tool of trade, then locking up people on what I think is best suited for /me/.
Alas, be productive is excencial, specially with magazines that have short deadlines in general.
I don’t think that restricting the mag to be produced only with free software copes with the freedom speach we all love. Also, I don’t believe LV is about Linux/Free software becoming your only tool.
I don’t see LV as a magazine about erradicating proprietary softwares, rather, spreading the word about how good free software is.
Cheers!
Great magazine. Is subscription available to AU or NZ?
Also, why not consider using Scribus, sacrificing the features you think you “need” by working around them instead of sacrificing your ideals? There are plenty of publications released with Scribus, so it’s not that it cannot be done. Just an idea!
Thanks! And subscriptions are available all over the world — we have quite a few subscribers in Australia and New Zealand.
As mentioned, there are some technical issues with Scribus that need to be worked out, and our Art Editor would have to get up to speed on it as well. We’re a small team very busy with making the magazine content right now, but as we get more established we’ll look into it. The main thing for us is writing about GNU/Linux, FOSS and the awesome community around it all, and introducing it to as many people as possible!
Hi, I’d like to subscribe to Linux voice in India. if you have plans for India, kindly reply back. We had Linux For You magazine which was “ok” kind of. but, a Technically oriented magazine like yours is gladly welcomed in India. I hope Linux voice will be made available in India. Thank you
Hi,
You can subscribe in India, either to the print or digital editions. We already have quite a few subscribers in India. Thanks!
Thank you so much.
I’m one of the working poor.The way you have setup Linux voice is a real help.
Thank you again.
James in GA
So, read the mini, liked it alot. I dont like your US cost base but I liked it enough that i’m probably going to subscribe. I especially like the part on the SSH rundown and how to generate keys and the like. I was specifically looking for just that information. The level of detail is good. Also for all the folks bitching about using Adobe, screw that the thing looks great. I get wanting to be FOSS but if your hiring a developer, your still paying for it. I’m not a high horse zealot about such things. Its a matter of you should use what fits a need, not something that doesn’t fit a need but fits an idealogy
Ask the guys at libregraphicsmag [0] for tools to provide a high class magazine with only F/LOSS-Software:
* http://libregraphicsmag.com/
You guys are doing really great job.
Keep it up.
Fire the Art Editor as not fit for porpoise.
A Linux magazine using Prop software is not acceptable.
Shot in the foot comes to mind.
Trev
Agreed with some of the comments here in regards to the way in which this magazine is created. It’s pure hypocrisy, plain and simple. Here is a real opportunity for the creators to stand out from other linux publications, and they have missed a wonderful opportunity to do that by promoting freedom, through free software. If you create a linux publication with free software you will gain tremendous credibility in the community. It’s typical of the world we live in where the desire to make a buck buries the desire to do the right thing. Making ‘the best GNU/Linux magazine possible’ begins and ends with free software, it starts today, not tomorrow, or whenever it’s convenient. Movers and shapers don’t make excuses, they take action. There is still time Linux Voice to do the right thing here. Listen to what people are saying, there’s clearly opposition to your approach. Listen to the people, listen to their ‘Voice’.
“not fit for porpoise”?
Is their Art Director a marine mammal?
What a great magazine. I am in Nigeria is subscription available there?
Best Linux mag I’ve read yet, I loved issue 5. Keep up the good work! As for the people nit picking about how the magazine was created…who really cares…there are more important problems in the world…
This is really an example of how a Linux magazine should be. Good job chaps -Just subscribed.
I don’t agree about the adobe comment. Free software comes with the freedom of choice. I you want to choose a better product than free software or a product that better suites your needs, you should feel free to do that too. I love the magazine as it is. I couldn’t wish for a better one.
I think Linux voice users need to grow up and stop leaving in a dream world. The best tools for Graphic design are InDesign and Photoshop. Are you
expecting the Art Editor to switch tools after years of training? Or maybe one of you can find a new art editor with the right experience of open source desktop design software.And while you are at it, get rid of all the Cisco switches and put in some open source switches…..
In the real world you use the right tools for the job
Thank you.