Recently came across this magazine from the Linux Format on a second hand vintage shop and obviously had to go for it! These magazines are still produced these to this day btw. However, when I went to linuxformat.com after receiving my magazine to check out some of their other ones, I saw that they were in fact just celebrating their 25-year anniversary and have put out a digital version of the very magazine I bought - for everyone to view digitally!
Their announcement:
25-years ago in this month of May, back in 2000 (just after the giant Y2K meltdown that flipped every plane upsidedown) Linux Format was first published. To help celebrate and remember this momentous pinnacle of publishing prowess (and while we still have server access) we'll be popping out a few classic issues of Linux Format in PDF format. As we already have it to hand here's issue LXF001 with a very young looking Nick Veitch.
Steve Ballmer was the only person to raise the issue of Linux when he wrapped up Microsoft's annual financial analysts meeting in Seattle, although he put Sun and Oracle ahead in terms of being stronger competitors. They of course are 'civilised' competitors - but the Linux crowd, in the world of Prez Steve, are communists.
It was pretty niche, most magazine racks in a corner shop would only carry a few of them.
There was a sort of rule at the time, for people with cd burners in their PCs. You would charge people for the 3-4 CDs which e.g. mandrake came on, but wouldn't charge them for the time or software itself. So you'd "buy Linux" from your friends friend for a few quid.
That's odd to read; during the very early years of my exposure to Linux, a lot of what I learned was learned by going to my local Barnes & Noble and browsing the 2-3 Linux magazines, primarily this one, they had prominently displayed in the periodicals section.