Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Linux Journal 1999 Readers' Choice

Posted by justin++ on from the awards dept.

Carlie Fairchild writes "Linux Journal opened its polls for its fifth annual Readers' Choice Awards. The polls will be open until October 15, 1999. It's your opportunity to vote for your favorite Linux software, hardware and companies." Seems like there are quite a number of options in each category this year

2 of 28 comments (clear)

  1. Call me insensitive... by trims · · Score: 3

    But I HATE these stupid "Reader's Choice", "Editor's Choice", "Best of 19xx", and all those other "awards" that magazines (in particular, but not exclusively) dole out on an annual (or even more frequently) basis.

    They always seem to miss several major contenders for the "award", and often are nothing more than a popularity contest. Even if they pretend to be based on merit, it's the opinion of Editors that get the choices in front of you to begin with.

    I don't want a popularity poll. I can get that from marketing material. You know, 4-color glossies? I want more, in-depth, substantive reviews of stuff. I want to know how to make stuff work together (something you hardly ever see anyone write about). I want to hear about stuff that I might not otherwise, so I can check it out myself.

    I'm not going to trust people I have no idea about as to the relative worth of a product that wins some "award". I'm going to talk to the 2 dozen friends and collegues that actually do the stuff to find out what works.

    Leave the "awards" to the Entertainment folks. That's about all they're good for.

    -Erik
    (feeling a bit cranky and crotchety)

    --
    There are always four sides to every story: your side, their side, the truth, and what really happened.
  2. Isn't this a bit overdone? by nakaduct · · Score: 2
    ... I mean, I like Linux and all, but doesn't this look like they're purposely puffing up the list of things you can use with Linux, just to justify even having the survey in the first place? If you want to know what columns I read the most, just /ask/; there's no need to dress up your reader survey as some gala awards thing.

    "Favorite Communications Board?" Why not have "Favorite Font" and "Favorite Jumper Style" ("I love the half-height blue ones, but those full height black ones suck!!")? Most of the categories aren't substantive enough for me to even have a favorite, much less take the time to vote for it.

    Oh yeah, and in most every other field of endeavour, it's common for Reader's Choice Awards to feature choices which _weren't_ available last year, and the year before that, and ... you get the gist. 95% of those products existed last year -- they could just reprint the outcome of the 1998 voting.

    That is all. I'm sure this will now be moderated into oblivion by those who see all Linux-related criticism as heresy.

    cheers,
    mike