PC magazine coverdiscs - useful or not?

[beanzontoast]

Last weekend, I found myself buying a computer mag with a coverdisc that I felt was going to be useful - you know the sort, a few older versions of full apps and encouragement to upgrade to the latest version, plus a lot of freeware progs.

Why is it that when I get the mag home, the contents of the coverdisc more often than not turn out to be disappointing? How can it sound so promising in the shop, but turn out so average back home?

Wierdly, I did find one new prog on the disc that was useful - a photo resizer/compressor - but that was in the freeware section, so if I'd known I suppose I could have got it without buying the mag!

What are your experiences of coverdiscs? Have you ever got anything useful from one?

 

[thomas]

Generally if I want software for a job I'll look for some open source stuff. I wouldn't buy a magazine for something I can get for free anyway.

As a student I can get things like windows 7 for free

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

They make great coasters?

 

[beanzontoast]

They make great coasters?

... and bird scarers, I hear.

 

[2Loose]

Sometimes it is nice to be made aware of stuff.

... Even if you could have got it for free if you had known about it.

 

[rh100]

don't use them so much now - used to before broadband

remember the cover tapes on the like of Your Sinclair - got some great games off those!

 

[beanzontoast]

don't use them so much now - used to before broadband

remember the cover tapes on the like of Your Sinclair - got some great games off those!

Yes indeedy. I loved those programme listings they had inside some of the mags too. You'd spend half a night typing it in only for the thing not to run.

Those were the days - computers hewn from rock, monitor screens the size of matchboxes...

 

[Piemaster]

Last magazine I bought for the coverdisk had Ubuntu on it. Definitely the best one I've ever bought.

 

[ColinJ]

I've been buying Computer Shopper for years and they had two subscription options, the standard sub. with a cover CD or a more expensive sub. with a DVD. There was always more useful stuff on the DVD but I couldn't really justify paying the extra. I rarely used the cover CD.

I got a letter from CS last week saying that they were switching to an online download system for standard subscribers. The cover CD will be stopped. They said that this was for ecological reasons but it must also be a cost saver. However, we do have the option of switching to the DVD version which will continue. I'll be happy to do without the discs - my house is littered with unopened ones.

 

[beanzontoast]

I got a letter from CS last week saying that they were switching to an online download system for standard subscribers. The cover CD will be stopped. They said that this was for ecological reasons but it must also be a cost saver. However, we do have the option of switching to the DVD version which will continue. I'll be happy to do without the discs - my house is littered with unopened ones.

I suppose all physical coverdiscs could go in time - even the mags bought by casual purchasers could be replaced by access to a code archive using online validation of the 'what's the 6th word in para 3 on page 5?' kind. It's only the notion that some people wouldn't have internet access - or that people might share the keyword - that might hold this back.

 

[HJ]

They are sometimes useful, but most of the time you can download newer software anyway.

 

[dmoan]

Cover discs used to be useful before broadband Internet was so prevalent - I remember being over the moon that PC Pro included a Windows XP Service Pack 1 disk, because it saved me a 200MB download on a 28.8Kb, pay-per-minute at lcal rate connection!

These days, the cardboard sleeve goes straight in the recycling and the disc goes in the bin. I genuinely cannot remember when I last browsed the contents of a magazine coverdisc. I think it might have been to try out a Mandrake Live distro...

 

[Fnaar]

Yup, used to buy them now and again before broadband... haven't bothered for about 7 yrs now!