The Perl Journal On The Ropes

rochlin writes "Looks like The Perl Journal might not make it up for air after all. This blurb is on their website. 'Time is running short and we need your help if The Perl Journal is to get another chance at being the real deal. As of a couple of minutes ago, we only have 881 subscriptions and the deadline is fast approaching. Please subscribe now. It only costs 3 cents per day to get the best Perl coverage anywhere.'" They need 3,000 subscribers to move forward.

Comments

Perl Monks!

[Mithrander]

Who needs Perl Journal when there's Perl Monks? Great resource!

Who is paying all the "bean counters and suits"...

[peterdaly]

In a word: Advertising.

Most magazine subscriptions costs just barely, if at all, cover the mailing costs. With an online magazine like this one, fixed costs are a little different, but I am sure they are still planning to rely on advertising to plug the money gap.

Hell, I have a couple "newstand" magazines which the publishers send to me for free to get the ads in front of me, since I fit a valued advertising demographic for them. Think about PCWeek and stuff (are they still around?) I used to get a mailbox full of free computer trade rags each week pro-bono.

-Pete

Re:I'm still waiting on one unfulfilled subscripti

[elmegil]

I'm thinking you didn't pursue your money very far then. The original subscriptions were honored by the transition to TPJ as a section of SysAdmin. Quite honestly, the transition sucked for a number of reasons, and that's why the partnership ended up failing. But the original subscriptions were honored for anyone Jon could track down (which basically means anyone who bothered to email him asking what the deal was).

Re:maybe expand coverage to Ruby and Python

[eddy the lip]

I'd like a perl only magazine - I used haunt the local comp bookstore everytime I knew a new TPJ was coming out. I like dead-tree publications, and I honestly don't understand the "why pay for something I can get free online" crowd for the whole list of usual reasons.

But, I'm not signing up for TPJ this time around. Why?

1. the way it suddenly vanished last time, to be replaced by SysAdmin subs. I've picked up a couple issues of SysAdmin, and it never had enough that was relevant to me.
2. I respect everything Jon Orwant has done to keep TPJ alive, but the light descriptions I've heard of the new TPJ just doesn't sound like the publication it used to be.
3. (much to my chagrin), I'm not doing much perl work lately, which means it would be in the strictly recreational category for me. If I had time for recreational programming these days, that would be great. I don't.

Strangely enough, for these reasons (especially the last one), I probably would subscribe to "The Scripting Journal." It would have some perl in it it give me that warm fuzzy feeling, and enough other stuff that I do currently work with daily to allow me to justify the time. I enjoy scripting languages, so something like that would be a nice combination of work and play. I fear it's never to be, though, and that I'm stuck with online-only publications.

TPJ-"Thank you sir, may I have another?"

[fence]

I just signed up for TPJ pdf subscription, even though I got burned on the magazine subscription.

I was a subscriber to the TPJ mag since issue #3, and had just sent in my payment for three more years when I received a notice that they were discontinuing The Perl Journal and would begin sending me Sys Admin mag instead to finish out my subscription.

Received one Sys Admin mag in the mail, then nothing...What a deal.

So, I must be a glutton for punishment to send them MORE money, but I really enjoyed TPJ's content and was usually able to apply something from each issue to my daily work.

Twelve bucks a year is a pretty good investment for quality content that TPJ has provided in the past.

CMP deserve no pity - let them squeal

[ites]

They killed BYTE magazine and ran off with the subscription monies.
I'm not surprised they are having trouble now.
And I'm not moved in the least.
Sorry for the journalists, but your company stinks.
Come on, Perl Journal, it is time to go away.