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Hard Goodbye to Alice and Bill

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the alack-alas dept.

cuzality writes "Computer Shopper has decided to let 'The Hard Edge' go after twelve years and two months of 'edgy, sarcastic, reader-centric columns' by Alice and Bill. Many of us remember 'The Hard Edge' from all the way back when it was in the newsprint section of the inch-thick Computer Shopper, and it's always been the straight skinny direct from the Lab of Doom and Pepsi Cola. Though 'The Hard Edge' has met its untimely and abrupt end, Alice and Bill aren't splitting up: they will continue on together at AliceandBill.com, where they write about technology news and will be happy to accept your kind PayPal donation." (More below.)

"They are also signing up subscribers for an upcoming newsletter, but since they can't use the name 'The Hard Edge' (which is owned by C|Net, CS's parent company), they will have to use some alternate name, possibly 'Hedge Yard.' If you were loyal 'Hard Edge' reader, drop by and write them a nice note in their guestbook."

6 of 159 comments (clear)

  1. Computer Shopper disappointed long ago... by garcia · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Taken from dreambook.com:
    Name: Michael Franklin
    Homepage URL: http://snmmedia.com
    Comments: Hi Guys,

    I have been reading your column ever since you had a column. I was saddened when I read that your latest column would be your last. I emailed Computer Shopper to voice my support for you and tell them I would never read their publication again and in fact, would probably use my existing pages of CS for some sort of nefarious activity involving dog poop.

    I won't uses the pages of your column for puppy pages though, but it is an apt metaphor for how I feel right now. Like CS pooped on us all.

    I donated to the cause and have bookmarked your site. You guys are the best and I hope to hear more of your unbiased opinions in the future.

    Friday, October 8th 2004 - 01:15:52 PM

    Well, as much as I loved computer shopper back in the early 1990s I stopped reading it somewhere in the late 1990s. I saw it recently on a magazine rack and was quite disappointed to see it being thin and boring. I loved to spend hours pouring over its pages looking for deals and daydreaming of the best computer I could buy on my budget. I enjoyed them because they were different not because they were the same. They offered something that made them stand out against all the other magazines. Why they would change formats to be like everyone else I'll never know.

    CS didn't let you down when they dropped Alice and Bill's article they let you down years ago when they changed formats. From what I read online I can only imagine that this will continue the downhill slide that CS has taken since I stopped reading it all those years ago.

    1. Re:Computer Shopper disappointed long ago... by sczimme · · Score: 4, Insightful


      Well, as much as I loved computer shopper back in the early 1990s I stopped reading it somewhere in the late 1990s. I saw it recently on a magazine rack and was quite disappointed to see it being thin and boring.
      ...
      Why they would change formats to be like everyone else I'll never know.

      They changed formats because the web made their service much less useful in the mid/late 1990s.

      I read just about every issue of CS in the early 1990s, but as web shopping/searching/reviewing became more prevalent I had decreasing use for the dead-tree version.

      As for them changing format: don't people on /. always say that large media companies must update their business models to reflect changing times and consumer tastes? It appears CS has done just that. Where is the problem?

      --
      I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
  2. People still READ Computershopper? by wowbagger · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You man people still read ComputerShopper?

    Back in the day, when computer parts weren't for sale at your local supermarket - back when you had to go to a special store just to be diskettes - ComputerShopper filled a need.

    Barely.

    It was always a bear to find, say, all ads for tape drives, and to compare the prices of each vendor. It was a PAIN to locate anything special - you spent more time than it was worth to flip through the 8000 pages of ads to find the ones selling what you want.

    Now, you go to [Google/Froogle/Yahoo/eBay/...] and type in a quick search, and there you are.

    Next you'll tell me that there are still people reading Byte!

    --
    www.eFax.com are spammers
  3. Who? by Surt · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've read CS from time to time over the years and never noticed that column. Is there really a large following, or was this just a last ditch attempt to get some attention and money by this Alice and Bill?

    --
    "Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
  4. computer shopper USED to be... by vasqzr · · Score: 4, Insightful


    Kinda strange.

    Computer shopper used to have hundreds of pages, and they weren't littl 8-1/2" by 11" pages. This was a BIG book...

    HUGE ads. Remember those Viewsonic birds? Full page, in color. 21" monitors for $2000. Pages of RAM, CPU, motherboards, floppy drives, keyboards. Bargains all over. Giant Dell and Gateway Ads, Micron, Midwest Micro.

    I would honestly buy a couple back issues if I could find some on eBay. They're like computer time machines. Mine were all thrown out as pages were highlighted, torn out, and became dog eared.

    Truly an icon of the PC industry in the early 90's.

    Now, with sites like Pricewatch, and everyone and their brother selling PC parts at low cost, they've basically faded into just another junk computer magazine. 60-70 regular size pages. The last one I read covered video cards and 'case mods'. Basically a 'PC World'. The internet killed computer magazines, especially those like Computer Shopper.

  5. No great loss... by jejones · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Computer Shopper went down the tubes when Ziff-Davis bought it from Stan Veit, told all the "classic computer" columnists to buzz off, and turned it into a PClone-only rag.

    As has been copiously noted, it lost its only remaining function when it became far easier to get far more up-to-date data on the Web. I'm not sure whether I saved any of the 1000+ page issues from the era when I called it "Deforestation Monthly," but it's sad to see it now at about 170 pages. The date of its demise can't be that far off.