Disk magazine

A Diskmag is an electronic journal, which can be read by a computer. The syllable word " Diskmag " stands for "disk magazine" (english disk magazine). Before the rise of the Internet in the mid -1990s was the passing on of personal floppy disks or by using offer sheets as the computer flea market contacts made, the usual way to the spread of magazines mostly autodidactic started by technically interested layman.

Generation and distribution

Diskmags from other electronic publications ( e -Mags, etc.) differ in that they are usually embedded in a unique graphical user interface. This was created by programmers and graphic artists, who belong to the editors. In addition, most diskmags also contain background music.

Diskmags were passed from the start not only on floppy disks, but also by electronic means, for example via mailbox systems (BBS ) or the available time for the respective channels of the Internet ( FTP, etc.). The associated free availability and possibility of duplication was expressly desired in most diskmags.

Target groups

Especially for technically interested subcultures diskmags were a readily available, inexpensive way to create their own medium with an official -looking character as it could, for example, an electronic text or hypertext form. Especially in the demo scene they are popular. Content, it turns up in the store often to computers and computer art. Many diskmags serve very specific interest groups within their scene, such as programmers, crackers or ANSI artists.

Sometimes the term is also used for commercial magazines that only consist of a cover sheet or a few printed pages and their actual benefit is due to the enclosed diskette. A well-known example is Magic Disk 64

Examples

Some well-known in the demoscene PC diskmags in German language are Hugi or later Hugi.GER from Austria and WildMag and Cream from Germany. One of the most popular and longest lasting international diskmags was PAiN from Switzerland. Besides created very many short-lived diskmags of which often only one or two issues were published.

Diskmags is available for many different platforms, from IBM - PC via Commodore 64 and Amiga to video game consoles such as the Dreamcast. The first Diskmag on the Amiga was known as Cracker Journal. The first issue was published in January 1988 by the group Alpha Flight 1970. It was first published in German and then in English.