"The only Internet read you need" (.net)

Member Name: The Duke

Product:	.net
Date:	14/08/00 (105 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Covers all aspects of internet community, Accessible for most people, Relevant articles

Disadvantages: Some sections need expansion, CD useless for non-Windows users

.net is a magazine which I've been reading for quite some time now (it was through .net that I first discovered opinion sites). It's gone through many phases and designs and each time it reinvents itself, it still manages to be very informative and open to all.

For four pounds and ninety nine of your pence you are supplied with two magazines and a CD each month. The main magazine deals with the news stories and the internet in general as well as the software which is supplied on the CD while the supplement magazine 'Web Builder' focuses on aspects of designing and building web sites.

Generally, the news articles will be quite relevant and in-depth. The new format of the magazine means that various issues are given out to people who have knowledge or are interested in the internet world e.g. people in the I.T. industry, .net readers, web site developers or even some of the big wigs in the Internet world. Recently, these big news stories have been about such topics as the rebirth of Napster (an online file sharing system), combating spam, the recent proliferation of viruses and worms and many other topics which are relevant to every internet user. Due to the fact that they're aimed at everyone, these articles take up a fair amount of space, but they are interesting and usually give a wide range of viewpoints on these topics.

The magazine can shift focus almost on a monthly basis, but usually is pretty good at offering articles on current trends throughout the internet, so you can expect things like file sharing, VoIP (Voice over IP or making phone calls over the internet), Internet security (viruses, firewalls etc.), Weblogging and online shopping all to make semi-regular appearances.

Typically, the magazine is aimed at all internet users, although that's not to say that every single article will be accessible to everyone, but they do try to keep most of it relevant to as many people as possible. Each main pa
rt of .net magazine typically weights in at around 100 pages which will include advertising.

As well as issues relating to the internet, .net has also started looking at other aspects, such as online gaming and computer hardware, offering brief overviews on both topics each month. These could maybe be made slightly more comprehensive because they're a bit lacking in information at the moment, although still have some use.

The companion CD is practically always 100% full of PC software and typically Windows-based. If you use an Apple computer or an operating system which is not Windows-based, then the CD will, more often than not, be useless to you.

The software on the CD is usually relevant to the topics discussed within the magazine and, quite often, contains something that you probably wouldn't have considered previously but would end up finding quite useful. The featured software usually comes in two flavours ? a full, free version of a program and a more recent, but restricted version of the program.

For example, the current issue (Issue 127, September 2004) offers "Steganos Security Suite 5" for free. It used to retail in the shops for £40, and .net gives you a basic tutorial on the use of the program. However, the CD also contains a demonstration version of Version 6 and a discount if you choose to register and use this version. The CD also contains a core set of programs that most users would find useful such as Ad-aware, Zonealarm, Acrobat Reader etc. which will be included each month with up-to-date versions. This may be of limited use to broadband users, but was a godsend to me when I was a dial up user.

It's rare that a month will go by where I won't find anything on the CD worth using. Mostly, there will be one or two items, but occasionally there could be many more, depending on the featured topics in the magazine on that particular month. Broadband and non-Windows PC users might not
find the CD to be particularly helpful, but the featured software section of the magazine usually offers some hints and recommendations for internet software that could prove useful.

The companion magazine, Web Builder, is focused totally on those who want to build their own websites and who probably have at least a bit of experience in this field. The magazine usually cover most of the technologies used today to create a website such as HTML, Flash, Dreamweaver (or Studio MX), PHP, ASP etc. If you are unsure what these acronyms and terms refer to, then it might be that Web Builder is either out of your interest range or beyond your experience.

The Web Builder supplement usually contains around 50 page, and this also includes advertising.

Often overlooked aspects of .net magazine are the two companion websites that support it. The first is the official .net website and this contains details of previous issues and rough guides to the current issue. It can be found at http://www.netmag.co.uk/ and can be a useful resource.

The second is the .net magazine forum, which can be found at http://forum.netmag.co.uk/ and I personally feel that it is an excellent resource for those of you who regularly use the internet for all manner of things, although, like Web Builder, it's mostly tailored for those who are building their own websites and require feedback or help. If a small section for discussing internet related software in general were added, it would be an excellent website.

Rarely a month goes by where I don't buy this magazine. It's not often the main article isn't of any interest to me, and the whole tone of the magazine is pitched at the home user, although lots of professionals seem to read it as well. The articles are always clearly written and, despite being made as accessible as possible, don't talk down to the lesser experienced readers. The discussions over the past few months have introduced me
to a lot of stuff I wouldn't have considered ordinarily, like Internet phone calls, for example, and that's easily worth the paltry fiver a month (or cheaper if you subscribe). I think the CD is starting to be less important with more and more people moving to broadband, but is invaluable if you are a dial-up user.

If you use the internet regularly from home for more than simply surfing web pages, then you could do a lot worse than buying .net at least once to see what it offers. You can't go wrong with a magazine that states it's 'Recommended by Ciao Consumers' on the editorial page, can you?

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