RIP PCW

It's sad about Michael Jackson. It's sad about Farrah Fawcet. It's also very sad about Personal Computer World.

Anyone outside of the UK may not realise what news this is.

PCW was the computer mag in the UK, and for decades. It began back in 1978. I have the most recent issue, which I bought only a week ago. In the back it confidently advertises the content of the next issue - an issue that will never see the light of day. The plug was pulled that suddenly.

It was a mag that combined articles that any computer user could understand (comparing printers, for example) and much more esoteric stuff about how to fix arcane problems in databases. At lot of it I couldn't understand, but I still enjoyed buying it and reading at least the easy bits. It was also very well written by people like Guy Kewney and Gordon Laing. (Micromart eat your heart out).

I had noticed that it had been on a diet since the nineties. In those days it was so thick and heavy that you needed a shopping trolley to get it home from the newsagents. So, I suppose, just as video killed the radio star, it was the internet wot did it.

Computer Shopper, PC Pro and PC Advisor watch out! I'll keep on buying you.

I hope it helps.