The very first issue of the very first Linux magazine

Linux Journal was first published in March of 1994 -- that first issue is absolutely fascinating.

Back in March of 1994, Linux was still young (having not yet quite released it’s “1.0” version). Despite that, the first ever Linux magazine was launched — “Linux Journal”.

Linux Journal would go on to be the most recognized name in Linux Journalism (I had the good fortune to serve as the Deputy Editor of Linux Journal for a spell, which was an absolute honor). Unfortunately, the magazine is no longer publishing… the parent company pulled the plug some time back.

Luckily, for historical purposes, the entire Linux Journal collection — from the very first issue, onward — has been archived and preserved over at Archive.org.

And reading that very first issue is an absolute blast.

That first issue contains an interview of Linux founder, Linus Torvalds, by Bob Young. Yes. That Bob Young. The guy that went on to found Red Hat (now owned by IBM).

It also includes an article by Linus himself, talking about the code freeze that would lead to Linux 1.0.

Oh, oh! Get this. There’s also an article in here introducing readers to the Debian Linux distribution… by Ian Murdock. The guy who created Debian.

Plus an article comparing Linux to Windows NT and OS/2! Love it!

There’s even a “Letters to the Editor” section of the magazine. But, being as this was the first issue ever published, all of the answers are “in response to the questionnaire we sent out to Usenet in December, 1993”.

I highly recommend grabbing the issue and giving it a read. There are many (many) great issues — with some seriously, historically significant articles — to follow. But that first issue is a glimpse into another era.

A time before Linux was a huge success. Back when it was a whole lot more of a hobby than a business.

And it sure put a smile on my face.