Very Computer

Is this publication worth reading, let alone the $39/year?

Any comments?
--
===============================================================================
Carl Krasnor, Communications Research Lab, McMaster U., Hamilton, Ont. CANADA

===============================================================================

Roger Marquis

: While not quite on the same level as Open Systems Today or perhaps even
: the much missed 'root' Sys-Admin is my must_read list for Unix systems
: analysts and administrators.

: Roger Marquis

Can someone post an address or phone number so I can find out about this
magazine.

Thanks
Darcy

Quote:>I recently received an adverti*t and offer of a free issue
>from "Sys Admin - The Journal for UNIX System Administrators".

>Is this publication worth reading, let alone the $39/year?

The issue I got consisted mostly of csh script listings for trivial
 functions, roughly equivalent to "adduser" scripts.

But get the free issue, and give it a look.  Only you can decide
 if it's appropriate for you.
--
Todd Masco                    | "life without caution/ the only worth living

SysAdmin, Clinton Group, Inc. |  love for the facts/ protectless" - A Rich

phone 913-841-1631

--
 kevin j brandich, systems analyst      |                                    

Quote:>Is this publication worth reading, let alone the $39/year?

I felt that there were three main faults:
(1) excessive emphasis on pseudo-Unix by SCO just because it was
popular at the time, with many articles meaningless for the rest of
us, with real Unix;
(2) scripts and programs that, because they'd have to be
understood, typed in, and modified for local needs before they
would be useful, might better have been written from scratch;
(3) the wrong format -- the things that are important don't change
very fast, so the book I mentioned and maybe the Usenix manual set
are far more useful than serialized trivia.  ;=)

But the first issue is free if you mark the bill cancel, so why not
see for yourself instead of trusting a man who may think very
differently from you?
--

 Happy Man Corp.  4410 SW Pt. Robinson Rd., Vashon, WA  98070-7399
 We publish SOLID VALUE for the intelligent investor.  NextMail OK

Sys Admin can be reached at 913-841-1631

Code access is ftp.uu.net /published/sysadmin/19XX

Quote:>Code access is ftp.uu.net /published/sysadmin/19XX

Not at all in the same league as OST or Unix Review.  Unix world comes close,
but still too many reviews of products that the user, not the SysAdmin needs.
Guru is too expensive for the information that they present.

The magazine is chock full of articles that are useful to system administrators
for all stages, from intro to wizard.  Examples of useful shell scripts, setup
printers, networking, etc.

Every issue has something that I put to use.  I bought it off the newstand for
almost a year before I determined that it was going to be worth while.  Since
the price is higher than most monthly journals, and it is bi-monthly, it was
what seemed at first, a risk.  When I subscribed, I went for the full three
years.  It was well worth the investment.

For me, as a System Manager, Sys Admin beats them all, hands down, as it
leaves the competition at the starting gate.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Douglas Pavey,                     Wild Card - We Put The TRADE Back
Systems Analyst/MIS Manager                    Into Trading Cards! (tm)
Voice:  513-860-3440 ext 278       10139 Commerce Park Drive
fax: 513-860-3728                  Cincinnati,  Ohio  45246-1335

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, when they started my subscription, they sent me another copy of
the same issue, and so the subscription period was short by that amount
(one issue every 2 months, if I remember correctly). After two calls to
change that on the billing, with no results, I decided not to bother
with them anymore and did not pay the bill, asking them to cancel the
sub.

But this is not a comment on the contents of the magazine. My advice:
When you start your subscription and pay for it, make sure that the
expiration date in your bill is correct. Just in case this is a common
thing with them!

                                                                Z

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Syed Zaeem Hosain          P. O. Box 610097            (408) 441-7021 |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

  For example, the current issue contains an article about using find and
cpio to make master and incremental backups. The recommended script
has a severe race condition which could result in certain files NEVER
being backed-up during the master/incremental process!

  Do you really want to trust your system to this type of "advice"?

--

Kevin Whitaker                       |  The more I know,