''Tux Magazine'' was an American Linux magazine aimed at

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

desktop end users, specifically those who use the

KDE KDE is an international free software community that develops free and open-source software. As a central development hub, it provides tools and resources that enable collaborative work on its projects. Its products include the KDE Plasma gra ...

desktop environment. The mission of the magazine was to help Linux take over the desktop market. It was headquartered in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

History and profile

''Tux'' was not a print magazine: each issue was delivered digitally as a

PDF Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...

file. The magazine was established in 2004. The first issue was published on February 1, 2005 and further 19 issues followed almost every month. On January 1, 2007, the publisher announced that the December 2006 issue was the last for the moment, because financial and other issues required a re-evaluation of how to best serve the reader community. All issues are still obtainable from the ''Tux Magazine'' website.

The layout

All 20 issues were laid out in a style usual for glossy printed magazines but optimized for screen reading. The magazine fits perfectly on displays in the 4:3 landscape format and the files open automatically in a full-screen presentation. The number of pages per issue is between 46 and 60 with almost no advertising; the files sizes range from 1.8 MB to 14 MB with an average of about 4 MB.

The contents

''TUX Magazine'' contained HOWTO-type articles which helped new Linux users to use their Linux system in their everyday life. The magazine also had reviews of Open Source distributions and software/hardware products aimed at end users. In this, ''TUX'' was different from many other Linux Magazines which normally focus on a much more experienced audience. ''TUX Magazine'' elected to focus primarily on the

desktop because the publishers regarded KDE as being more comfortable for computer novices and newcomers to Linux. In addition, a survey showed that more newcomers used KDE than

GNOME A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

. ''TUX Magazine'' was sometimes criticized for focusing on KDE and being critical of GNOME, especially in editorial style columns such as Mango Parfait's. This contained provocative humor which was not well received by GNOME users.

The publisher

''TUX'' was created by SSC Media Corporation, founded in 1983. Other products of SSC Media Corporation include ITGarage.com, LinuxJournal.com, and the international print magazine, ''Linux Journal'' (the first magazine about Linux). It is now owned by TUX Media, Ltd.

Other PDF-based Publications

While these magazines share the PDF delivery method, they are not for newcomers to Linux. *''

Linux Journal ''Linux Journal'' (''LJ'') is an American monthly technology magazine originally published by Specialized System Consultants, Inc. (SSC) in Seattle, Washington since 1994. In December 2006 the publisher changed to Belltown Media, Inc. in Hous ...

'' (While primarily a print magazine, it is now available as a PDF as well.) *''

Free Software Magazine ''Free Software Magazine'' (also known as ''FSM'' and originally titled ''The Open Voice'') is a Web site that produces a (generally bi-monthly) mostly free-content online magazine about free software. It was started in November 2004 by Austral ...

'' *'' O3 Magazine''

References

External links

*{{official website, www.tuxmagazine.com (back online)
Scribus In-Depth Tutorial by Donald Emmack
(Example of an article published in ''Tux Magazine'') 2004 establishments in Washington (state) 2007 disestablishments in Washington (state) Defunct computer magazines published in the United States Downloadable magazines Linux magazines Linux websites Magazines established in 2004 Magazines disestablished in 2007 Magazines published in Seattle Monthly magazines published in the United States