return to first page linux journal archive
keywordscontents

1996 Readers' Choice Awards

Linux Journal Readers pick their favorite hardware and software.

by Gena Shurtleff

Welcome to Linux Journal's second annual Readers' Choice Awards.

In response to requests for more choices, last year's three categories have been expanded to ten. We've added several categories, including the hotly contested ``Favorite CD-ROM Distribution''.

Our survey was conducted through the Linux Journal web site, where the voting was open for two weeks. The survey, though unscientific, gives us an idea of what our readers are using, what they like and what they'd like to see more of in Linux Journal.

Now, the results...

Favorite CD-ROM Distribution

Winner: Official Red Hat Linux

``Red Hat is second to none in tech support. I can usually expect e-mail response to a question within five minutes. Try getting that level of service from Microsoft for free!''

--Chuck Milam

Runner-up: Debian Linux

Favorite Text Editor

Winner: Emacs

Runner-up: vi/elvis

Favorite Word Processor or Text Processor

Winner: WordPerfect 6.0 for Linux

``Caldera has the RIGHT stuff.''

--Ric Moore

Runner-up: groff

Favorite Game

Winner: DOOM

``Are there any real games for Linux apart from DOOM?''

--Sharon

Runner-up: Quake

Favorite Development Tool

Winner: gcc

``For me it is difficult to decide if I prefer gcc or Perl5.''

--Jan ``Yenya'' Kasprzak

Runner-up: G++

Favorite Serial Interface Board

Winner: Cyclades

Runner-up: Comtrol Rocketport

Favorite Platform

Winner: Intel

``I selected Intel as my favourite platform...Alpha and PPC chips have taken far too long to come out on inexpensive, reliable clone motherboards rather than expensive name brand stuff. I can't wait for the day when superior chips are as inexpensively ubiquitous as the x86 chips.''

--Craig Sanders

Runner-up: Alpha

Favorite New Linux Book

Winner: Linux System Administration Guide by Lars Wirzenius Available at http://sunsite.uc.edu/mdw/linux.html#ldp

Runner-up: Inside Linux by Randolph Bentson Published by SSC

Favorite Overall Linux Book

Winner: Linux Network Administrators Guide by Olaf Kirch Published by SSC Runner-up: Running Linux by Matt Welsh and Lar Kaufman Published by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc

More information about the products included in this article (or other Linux hardware and software) is available through http://www.ssc.com/linux/.