How it started. How it's going. (Ed Bott's version)

Hello.

It’s conventional to do an introductory post as the first entry in a new publishing project, but I’m just getting around to it.

My name is Ed Bott. If you know me professionally, it’s probably because you’ve read something I wrote about technology. If you know me through social media, you probably follow me on Twitter (and maybe you’ve moved to Mastodon, as I largely have), where you’re more likely to read my thoughts on politics. You might also have seen pictures of my dogs, who are, alas, no longer with us.

I started out working for Hugh Hefner’s Playboy empire a long, long time ago. That only lasted a few (fun) years, after which I moved into tech journalism and edited a magazine for technical professionals in the semiconductor manufacturing sector. I moved to PC World magazine as managing editor during the height of the PC revolution, and then jumped to PC Computing as editor. Both magazines had a circulation of more than 1 million during my tenure. (There was no Internet in those days.)

I started my own blog in 2000 and was doing just fine when Dan Farber of ZDNet called me in 2005 and told me I should be writing for him. The rest is history.

I’ve been a fixture at ZDNet since January 2006. As of December 31, 2022, that gig ends. Well, for six months, at least, as the relatively new owners of the site do a dance called the Mandatory Break In Service For Contractors samba. (The tl;dr version: A landmark Federal court case called Vizcaino v. Microsoft Corporation, told corporate employers they can’t just hire contractors and treat them as PermaTemps. If the contract goes on indefinitely, you have to treat them as employees, with full benefits and other legal protections.) So, I get a sabbatical.

Or perhaps you know me from one of the 25+ books I’ve written over the past 25+ years. I’m wrapping up the final edits for Windows 11 Inside Out right now. It should be available around the end of Q1 2023.

I deleted my Facebook account years ago and have no intention of going back.

I’ve cut my activity on Twitter to the bare minimum. That might change, but Elon Musk is doing a pretty good job of convincing me to avoid the site altogether. My account is, for the time being, protected. If you don’t currently follow me on Twitter, send me a follow request (and a DM to say hi) and I will buzz you in.

You can find me on Mastodon here: @edbott@mastodon.social. If you have no idea what Mastodon is, I’ve written a couple articles for ZDNet that you might find useful:

• Ditching Twitter? How to get started with Mastodon

• You've got Mastodon questions, I've got answers

I have some ideas for what to do with this newsletter space in 2023. Stay tuned.