C't
Encyclopedia
c't – Magazin für Computertechnik (magazine for computer technology) is a German computer magazine
, published by the Heinz Heise publishing house
. Originally a special section of the electronics magazine elrad
, the magazine has been published monthly since December 1983 and biweekly since October 1997. A Dutch
edition also exists which is published monthly.
The magazine is the fourth most popular German language computer magazine with a sold circulation of about 367,000 . With 239,000 subscriptions it is the computer magazine with the most subscribers in Europe.
c't covers both hardware and software; it focuses on software for the Microsoft Windows
platform, but Linux
and Apple Computer
are also regularly featured. The magazine has a reputation of being very thorough, although critics claim that the magazine has been "dumbed down" in recent years to accommodate the mass market.
One of the numerous projects c't initiated is the Offline Update, a set of scripts to download Microsoft updates, combine it with an install script, and create a CD image
. With Offline Update burned to a CD
or DVD
, a technician can update Windows 2000
/XP
/Vista
and Microsoft Office
2003/2007 without an Internet
connection. This is especially useful for people with no or slow Internet connections, or not exposing a vulnerable system to the Internet.
A sister magazine, iX
, focuses on topics for IT professionals.
"Placebo
-Software" in a short test. When the German distributor of the program took legal action to forbid publishing this rating, c't followed up with an exhaustive test showing that the program had virtually no effect other than giving false information about system statistics. The subsequent media coverage forced SoftRAM
not only from the German market, but from the US market too.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, published by the Heinz Heise publishing house
Heinz Heise
Heinz Heise is a publishing house based in Germany.- History :Heise was created in Hanover in 1949 as an address and telephone directory publisher, then later expanded to include magazines and loose leaf collections. In 2001, the company was divided into separate enterprises, all of which came...
. Originally a special section of the electronics magazine elrad
Elrad (magazine)
Elrad – Magazin für Elektronik und technische Rechneranwendung was a popular German computer magazine for a semi-professional audience, published by the Heinz Heise publishing house from November 1977 to June 1997.In 1983, one of elrad's supplements, computing today, was separated into an own...
, the magazine has been published monthly since December 1983 and biweekly since October 1997. A Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
edition also exists which is published monthly.
The magazine is the fourth most popular German language computer magazine with a sold circulation of about 367,000 . With 239,000 subscriptions it is the computer magazine with the most subscribers in Europe.
c't covers both hardware and software; it focuses on software for the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
platform, but Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
are also regularly featured. The magazine has a reputation of being very thorough, although critics claim that the magazine has been "dumbed down" in recent years to accommodate the mass market.
One of the numerous projects c't initiated is the Offline Update, a set of scripts to download Microsoft updates, combine it with an install script, and create a CD image
ISO image
An ISO image is an archive file of an optical disc, composed of the data contents of every written sector of an optical disc, including the optical disc file system...
. With Offline Update burned to a CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
or DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, a technician can update Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
/XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
/Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
and Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
2003/2007 without an Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
connection. This is especially useful for people with no or slow Internet connections, or not exposing a vulnerable system to the Internet.
A sister magazine, iX
IX (magazine)
iX is a German monthly computer magazine, published by the Heise Verlag publishing house since 1988. The magazine focuses primarily on professional IT...
, focuses on topics for IT professionals.
Popularity
c't became widely known in 1995 when it rated the program SoftRAMSoftRAM
SoftRAM and SoftRAM95 were system software products which claimed to "double" the available memory in Microsoft Windows without the need for a hardware upgrade. However, it later emerged that the program didn't even attempt to do what it claimed to do...
"Placebo
Placebo
A placebo is a simulated or otherwise medically ineffectual treatment for a disease or other medical condition intended to deceive the recipient...
-Software" in a short test. When the German distributor of the program took legal action to forbid publishing this rating, c't followed up with an exhaustive test showing that the program had virtually no effect other than giving false information about system statistics. The subsequent media coverage forced SoftRAM
SoftRAM
SoftRAM and SoftRAM95 were system software products which claimed to "double" the available memory in Microsoft Windows without the need for a hardware upgrade. However, it later emerged that the program didn't even attempt to do what it claimed to do...
not only from the German market, but from the US market too.