AN ODE TO PCMAG: A PERSONAL COMPUTING LEGACY

I was PC Magazine's editor-in-chief for 14 years, leading the publication through its heyday as the most influential computer magazine in print. And boy, was it a blast.

-  MICHAEL J. MILLER

When I joined PC Magazine as editor-in-chief in June 1991, it had already established itself as the leader among computer magazines. The magazine was founded by editor David Bunnell and publisher Anthony Gold, and the first issue came out in early 1982. It was then (contentiously) acquired by Ziff Davis, which had made its name by focusing on special-interest publications. Jonathan Lazarus next held the editor-in-chief title, and he advanced the magazine. But it really came into its own under editor-in-chief Bill Machrone: He took over in 1984, as the magazine moved from monthly publication to 24 issues per year. Bill built a top-notch team, including editors Mike Edelhart and Paul Somerson.

But what made PC Magazine stand out back then was labs-based testing. And it's still at the heart of everything we do today. Established by William Wong and John Dickinson, PC Labs was devoted to testing and comparing the huge array of products that had become part of the PC ecosystem.

THE EARLY RISE OF PC LABS

In 1991, Bill had plans to start a larger ZD Labs on the West Coast, so along with then-publisher Eric Hippeau and the legendary Bill Ziff, he convinced me to leave InfoWorld, where I had been editor-in-chief, to take the reins. I was fortunate to join a publication that already had an excellent staff, including Frank Derfler, Joel Dreyfuss, Bill Howard, Robin Raskin, Don Willmott, and too many others to name.

At InfoWorld, I'd also focused on a labs-based approach to reviews, but with some differences. When I moved to PC Magazine, we worked hard to elevate the Labs by broadening the range of products we covered and doubling down on delivering as much technical information as possible to readers.