PC Pro is a popular UK magazine which still exists to this day.
It's been running on a monthly basis since 1994 through Dennis Publishing Ltd, with distribution
stretching across the globe under various licences.
Since it's inception, it has been promoted as a magazine for "IT professionals", serving
up reviews of hardware, software and helping IT mangers make informed decisions.
Of course, it was also widely read by interested hobbists, who were eager to grab some free
software from the attached cover disk or who just wanted to know what they could do, to
improve their setups.
Back in 1994 and 1995, these magazines were an essential communication method, where you
could find out news on the latest software or even hardware releases.
Most people simply weren't connected to the internet at this time, and even if they were,
quality sources of information were thin on the ground.
Throughout the mid 90s, I bought all manner of PC magazines, from the more casual PC Format,
to gaming specific titles such as PC Zone and of course an array of professional magazines
such as Personal Computer World and PC Pro.
But today I'm focussing on one issue specifically; Issue 11, from September 1995, and my aim
is to pick apart the magazine and discover just what drew my interest back in 1995.
Here's the cover, of course we've got big features on Windows '95.
I mean, it'd only just been released.
We've also got a big feature on the latest Pentium processors, along with some reviews
and a section on Virtual Reality, which sounds right up my alley.
Now at £2.25, these magazines were pretty affordable, and you received a lot of paper
for your money.
But, of course, much of the Dennis Publishing's revenue was from advertising, and that is
what makes up the bulk of this magazine.
Of course it does.
These magazines are here to make profit, and in a distinctly competitive marketplace, adverts
make perfect sense.
But I never looked on them as intrusive or obstructive, in fact, I loved looking at the
offers available, showcasing the latest hardware and software.
A particular favourite was Software Warehouse, who indeed must have had one hell of a software
warehouse.
We've got Compton's Encyclopedia here, Encarta, Ready Set Grow, Multimedia cats or Dogs, and
this is just one page.
Look at all this.
So many options and potential digital creations to play with.
Imagine being locked in the Software Warehouse, it would have been amazing.
Straying from their name, they even served up the odd piece of hardware.
But let's not get too distracted, there's an entire magazine here.
Let's begin with the cover disk.
At this point the magazine was shipping in both HD floppy and CD-ROM versions.
This was the floppy edition, for which we received a demo of Virtek 3D-ware and JASC
Media Center.
JASC being the original creators of Paintshop Pro... which I still use to this day.
Of course, if you were lucky enough to be a CD-ROM drive owner at the time, then all
this wonderful software would be yours as well.
We've even got demos of Micro Machines 2, Space Quest VI and Hi-Octane.
I think I spent most of the 90s playing demos to be honest.
And so to the letters...
much chatter about Windows '95.
The star letter is commending the new long file name structure of Windows '95 for helping
with dyslexia.
It's interesting to get different perspectives.
I remember, I actually found it incredibly irritating.
I was so used to short file names that navigating DOS with all these excessive file names was
a pain in the nuts.
Derek Cohen is making a joke about Windows '95 being a benevolent Virus here.
Also many quips referring to Microsoft stealing Apple ideas.. yet again.
In the News we have more Windows '95 related articles, including a list of incompatible
applications.
Users of Lotus Ami Pro 3.01 better watch out....
do you remember Ami Pro and the Lotus suite?
Look, there are some articles on it here.
It was a rival to Microsoft Office essentially, created by IBM's Lotus Software group.
I think support ended for it in about 2007.
Check this out.
Executions the controversial video featuring people getting killed for real is now out
on video CD.
Do you remember that?
What a time 1995 was!
We've got some more cracking PC adverts here.
I was always a big fan of the Tiny and DAN PC aesthetic.
Also MrPC used to grab my eye too.
Let's check out some Windows '95 POWER TIPS and see what we can learn.
Look, we've got The Recycle Bin here.
Various Icons on the Desktop.
We can send ANY document anywhere - to a fax, printer or directly from the desktop.
We may scoff at this now, but this was amazing stuff then.
Although, come on, these definitely aren't POWER TIPS.
You could do most of the things here in Windows 3.1, with the help of third party apps.
But it shows the cohesion Windows '95 brought to the table.
What tips has Dave got for us?
"You can leave Windows Explorer running all the time and rarely go any where else to carry
out just about all your folder and file management tasks".... imagine that?
"Video clips can now be shown full screen".... amazing stuff.
OK, what about that Virtual Reality section.
Because that's pretty relevant to us today...
some 20 years after it was supposed to take over the earth.
Here they're talking about full body suits to simulate gravity and touching virtual objects.
So that's something we can look forward to in the future.
Oooo, look here, an Escom advert.
These are the guys who bought out the Amiga brand in 1995, but then folded in 1996.
Shame.
There are quite a few PC reviews in here.
Check out this pair, the Viglen Genie P5/133 particularly takes my eye.
A whopping £2,872 for this little baby, but it does have 16MB of EDO RAM, a 1.6GB Hard
Drive, Diamond Stealth Video card and a 16 Bit Vibra Sound Blaster.
Not to mention the bundle of Encarta '95, Musical Instruments and Golf which it ships
with.
What else do we have here...
This was a time when MPEG video was starting to make waves, with cheap accelerators on
the horizon.
We've also got the first mentions of CDs using Blue Light, developed by a Consortium of members
including HP, Xerox, American Crystal and the Universities of Boston and Texas.
Of course, we know what that led to, eventually, although not directly from this venture necessarily...
I mean, DVDs weren't even out at this point.
Anyway, that's PC Pro from September '95.
A huge focus on Windows '95, and many, many adverts.
I think that sums it up nicely.
1995.
What a year.