Linux Format

About Linux Format

Overview

Linux Format was the United Kingdom's first Linux-specific magazine, and as of 2013 the best-selling Linux title in the UK. Published by Future plc from Bath, it ran from May 2000 to its final issue, number 329, cover-dated July 2025. Commonly abbreviated to LXF, with issues referred to by that prefix followed by the issue number (LXF102 for the 102nd issue), the magazine appeared 13 times a year and built its reputation on in-depth tutorials, reviews and features covering Linux and open-source software. Its long-time website was linuxformat.com.

Over a quarter of a century, Linux Format chronicled the rise of open-source software from a niche enthusiast pursuit to the foundation of the modern internet. It was exported to many countries worldwide and carried translated editions in Italy, Greece and Russia, making it one of the most widely read Linux publications of its era.

Origins: the Linux Answers pilot

Linux Format began as a one-issue pilot in 1999 called Linux Answers. The pilot tested whether a British newsstand magazine devoted entirely to the Linux operating system could find an audience at a time when Linux was still emerging from its embryonic days. The experiment succeeded, and full publication as Linux Format began in May 2000.

The launch was the work of a small founding team: editor Nick Veitch, art editor Chris Crookes and staff writer Richard Drummond. Together they created the magazine's core values and initial design appearance, establishing a friendly, practical and enthusiast-driven tone that would characterise the title throughout its life.

Editorial approach and content

Articles in Linux Format regularly featured at-length series and practical tutorials designed to teach readers and help them expand their skills in using the Linux operating system and its associated software. Tutorials were published at different difficulty levels, from first steps for newcomers to advanced material for experienced users who wanted to try new things every month.

The magazine's regular sections became familiar landmarks for readers. Its news pages covered developments across the Linux and free and open-source software world, reviews assessed new distributions and applications, and long-running series taught skills ranging from programming in Python, Perl and PHP to command-line use, system administration and hardware projects. Contributions were actively encouraged from readers, reinforcing the community character of the title.

The beloved “Hotpicks” section helped thousands of readers navigate Linux's complexities by recommending software worth trying, while the letters pages gave the Linux community a forum to share opinions, argue and demand justice from the magazine's editors.

The cover disc and subscriber extras

Each issue of the magazine came with a DVD packed with new Linux software to try, a feature that dated back to the cover disc included with the original pilot. Long-term readers prized these discs as monthly snapshots of Linux distributions, software and tutorial example code, and collectors held complete runs stretching back to May 2000.

Subscribers received additional benefits, including access to an online subscriber-only area holding PDF archives of magazine tutorials from back issues, with more than 1,300 PDFs available, and early access to issues before they had been printed. The magazine also ran a website with news and a blog, forums where forum experts answered readers' Linux questions, and a podcast.

Growth and market leadership

Linux Format was the UK's first Linux-specific magazine, and by 2013 it was the best-selling Linux title in the country. It shared the UK marketplace with an English-language version of Linux Magazine and, for much of its life, with Linux User and Developer, which discontinued in September 2018.

Its reach extended well beyond Britain. Linux Format had translated editions available in Italy, Greece and Russia, and many magazines were exported around the world, principally to the USA, where they were sold in Barnes & Noble stores and other large bookstores. Its ISSN was 1470-4234, and its audited circulation for January to December 2014 stood at 19,000.

The 200th issue milestone

The magazine marked its 200th issue with a celebration of fifteen years of GNU/Linux coverage. By that point it had printed more than 20,000 pages and over ten million words dedicated to promoting and celebrating free and open-source software, alongside the smiling penguin that served as its mascot.

To mark the occasion the magazine released two special PDFs: one of the original issue 1 and one of the original Linux Answers preview issue. Looking back at those early pages offered a fascinating view of how much had changed since May 2000, when Mandrake Linux and Corel Linux rode high and names like Ubuntu and Mint did not yet exist, even as core distributions like Debian, SuSE and Red Hat and core projects like GIMP and Apache had survived.

The Linux Voice split

A notable chapter in the magazine's history came when a large part of its editorial team departed to found a rival publication. The team behind the new magazine Linux Voice described themselves as the majority of the editorial team behind Linux Format, saying they had spent years making their title the market leader by interviewing everyone they could think of and cramming each issue full of tutorials, reviews and thought-provoking features.

The departing team said they had quit because they wanted to do something different: to create an even better magazine, bigger, more entertaining and more accountable, for the community they loved to serve. They turned to crowdfunding to launch Linux Voice, a development that reflected both the strength of the magazine's community and the creative tensions within its newsroom.

The final years

In its later years Linux Format continued to publish its mix of news, reviews, tutorials and interviews under the editorship of Neil Mohr. The magazine adapted to a world in which the print media landscape had been transformed by digital platforms, and in which readers increasingly depended on websites and forums for Linux news and information.

The exact reasons for the magazine's closure were not shared publicly, but the pressures on print media were well understood. Two decades earlier, a digital presence had been a bonus for a magazine; by the 2020s the balance had reversed, and the shift toward digital platforms for news and information had caught up with even long-established print titles.

The final issue

Linux Format ceased publishing after issue 329, cover-dated as July 2025. The farewell issue, published on 27 May 2025, served as both a tribute and a grand finale, offering a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Former editors gathered for reminiscing over classic reviews, reader favourites and the “Hotpicks” sections that had guided so many readers.

The final issue's highlights included expert advice on building superior Debian home servers, recommended Linux distributions tailored to Windows converts, insights into how Linux underpins the world's supercomputers, classic Raspberry Pi projects, AI cluster tools, Rust on the Pi, and hands-on features on Cool Term and 3D printing projects, a fitting last survey of the territory the magazine had covered for 25 years.

Legacy

After a quarter-century chronicling the rise of open-source software, Linux Format left behind an archive of more than 320 issues documenting Linux's journey from an enthusiast's operating system to the invisible infrastructure of the modern world. Its tutorials taught generations of readers to use the command line, administer servers and write code, and its cover discs preserved monthly snapshots of the software ecosystem.

As the UK's first and for many years best-selling Linux magazine, it played a central role in building the British Linux community. For readers who kept every copy since the May 2000 launch, the complete run stands as a history of free and open-source software in itself, from the days of Mandrake and Corel to the era of the cloud and the Raspberry Pi.