I'm proud to announce today that WinInfo and the SuperSite for Windows are joining Windows 2000 Magazine, the premier publication for Windows NT/2000 professionals worldwide. Needless to say, this change marks the beginning of some exciting (and yes, scary) changes for WinInfo, which began its life as a casual email-based news update between friends in Phoenix, Arizona in 1995. Over time, the list evolved into its present form as the ultimate daily guide to the Windows news, but the one thing I've always tried to maintain is its personal touch: There's a real person on the other end of the email you get every day. And I hope that comes through in the future as well.
Over the years, readers have occasionally asked me why I bothered to write WinInfo day after day. I had never really gotten paid for writing WinInfo per se, but I've always had a desire to keep up with the latest news, so I'd be exploring this stuff even if I weren't writing about it. But WinInfo has also been an indirect boon to my writing career: To date, I've written over a dozen books about Windows, Web and software development, and other computer-related topics. And though I must credit my first co-author, Gary Brent, for getting me started down this road, many of my books came about because of WinInfo and the exposure it gives me. Indeed, last fall, Windows 2000 Magazine (then called Windows NT Magazine) contacted me about writing the editorial and news items for its UPDATE newsletter, which goes out to hundreds of thousands of readers each week. And this eventually led to a wider relationship: I'll be contributing articles to the print version of the magazine in the future and, starting late this summer, I will assume the title of News Editor, where I will provide a monthly analysis of the hottest news items in the pages of Windows 2000 Magazine.
You may be wondering how the newsletter is going to change. Change it will, though I hope to make the process as seamless and painless as possible. The first step is getting the WinInfo mailing list moved over to the mailing list software that Windows 2000 Magazine is currently using. We're making this change for Wednesday, so we might miss a day or two before the next issue is emailed out, though I'll keep updating the Web site in the meantime. I don't expect the basic format to change much initially, though this will be a new and improved WinInfo in many ways. Editorially, WinInfo has always been a one-man show, at least until now. Going forward, my articles will lose their "seat of the pants" feel a bit since they will be thoroughly edited before publication. This means fewer typos, grammatical errors (I still blame Microsoft Word for most of these), and the like. Trust me, this is a good thing.
And yes, there will be ads. During the list's stay at WUGNET, we had discussed advertising in WinInfo and were, in fact, working towards that goal when the negotiations with Windows 2000 Magazine began. While some questioned the reaction of readers to advertisements, I hope you understand that advertising is vital to the continued growth and success of WinInfo. And I intend to keep doing this for a long time, if I can. Advertising is going to make that a reality.
Beginning today, you will be able to access the new WinInfo Web site, which hasn't changed too much yet. Then the SuperSite for Windows will be converted and moved, probably in about a week. I'll have more updates on the changes as they occur, but the next few weeks should prove to be interesting.
This announcement wouldn't be complete without a rousing "thank you" to Larry McJunkin, Howard Sobel, and Joel Diamond of WUGNET for generously hosting my Web sites and list, sending me to trade shows, and allowing me to continue WinInfo. Without WUGNET, WinInfo wouldn't be here today, there's no doubt about it. Thanks guys, I look forward to continuing our relationship going forward.
And speaking of the future, I'm not sure how things will change over the long term, but I plan to be here, plugging away. In the end, WinInfo is really about the people who take the time to read it every day. And I think you're going to really like the new WinInfo. I hope you'll continue with me.
Thanks for reading,
Paul Thurrott
Windows 2000 Magazin
