IT Times - Review

This is the first computer related magazine in English, published in Sri Lanka. The first issue was released in April 2005, and soon it became a hit among many computer enthusiasts and information seekers.

I've collected all of the issues released up to now, and the review will be based on the last few issues.

The magazine improved very much from what it was in the early issues in every way. Presentation and layout is very impressive. Much more homely for a geek I must say. The content inside is unmatched by any other computer magazine published in Sri Lanka.

I think many PC lovers have tried the 'Wijaya Pariganaka', the computer magazine published in Sinhala. Now it repeats what was published years ago, which I stopped reading. And comparing the two magazines, IT Times is 500% better than that.

The IT Times covers many important aspects of today’s computer needs. For example the magazine covers dot NET (.NET), x-HTML programming, using Linux etc. Also it gives us much info about the latest developments and trends such as the one I'm using right now - blogging. What the people in our country need is info like these, not MS Excel or Word. There are enough books that teach us these at a low price.

So the young team has focused on the right things at right time. I really appreciate the lack of interviews the magazine has, because nobody really reads them unless it is a must. Many people I know skips the interview part. But sadly I must say that the magazine has started to do the same as the early issues.

The magazine began several good articles but now only a few flows like a river. Commenting on articles, the article on dot NET is only understandable to someone who has a prior knowledge on dot NET. I'm saying this because I've a good knowledge about VB 6 but I don't get a single thing what that article says. Also the article on 3D-MAX, it’s an utter confusion to a beginner, and when reading the article you feel that the writer is in some sort of a rush. Teaching in that manner is unsuccessful. The articles on other stuff are much better.

The best articles I've read so far are the ones on Google, Google vs. Yahoo, blogging, Ubuntu Linux and several others more.

The one thing that this magazine annoys me is it’s never on time. Most of the time it’s late about a month, in Kandy. I still haven't been able to find the March issue (today is 29th of March)

If anyone wants to polish their computer skills this is right magazine at the right price. And unlike any other magazine, this even looks professional. So what are you waiting for, go and get your copy now. I'll guarantee that you'll be satisfied with what you have.

Cover Pages, Article Layout &Index Layout of the magazine