Letters

I enjoyed both Renato Carrara's letter in the December 2002 Linux Journal, and Gary Nickerson's reply in the January 2003 issue. I don't think that it's necessarily dangerous for a (relatively) small-circulation publication like Linux Journal to sell advertising to Microsoft; Bill's money is just as green as anyone else's. However, as a publication grows, it needs to beware of developing a dependency on large, powerful advertisers such as Microsoft. High overhead can make them susceptible to the threat (explicit or unstated) of one or more large advertisers pulling their ads. I hope that LJ can grow at a measured pace and thus maintain its independent spirit and its outstanding content. In the meantime, I appreciate your great work in building a very useful and readable publication. Please keep it up. And, hey, if you're able to siphon off a few bucks from The Beast along the way, more power to ya.

—Ken

Regarding the letter “An Ad Is an Ad” in the January 2003 issue, I think the decision not to run ads from Microsoft is a great one. If I need information from them I know exactly where to find it. The ads in Linux Journal nowadays are really a welcomed break from other “infested” publications. I think it's really important that you guys keep your focus on the values of where you came from, since it really makes a big difference for us readers. Truly, it's a joy to read your magazine, all the fresh people and talk and the lack of all the corporate bull.

—Boris Debic, San Mateo, California