Diskworld
| Company type | Magazine |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software publishing |
| Predecessor | Softdisk (Apple II), Loadstar, Big Blue Disk |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder | Softdisk |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Disk-based magazine for Apple Macintosh |
| Owner | Softdisk |
Diskworld () represented a disk-based magazine tailored for the Apple Macintosh, launched by Softdisk in 1988. It was part of a family of sister publications that included Softdisk for the Apple II, Loadstar targeting the Commodore 64, and Big Blue Disk designed for IBM PC users. The magazine discontinued its run in 1998.
Overview
The inception of Diskworld was led by Sean Golden as Managing Editor, with Jeff Billings serving as Senior Programmer and Lynda Fowler as Junior Programmer. Golden was responsible for creating the initial "shell" software that allowed users to navigate the monthly disk content and contributed the majority of editorial pieces. Billings and Fowler developed monthly utilities, productivity applications, or games, while also providing some editorial contributions. Additional software was sourced from freelance developers compensated for their work. This product integrated editorials, articles, reviews, artwork, and software within a proprietary shell interface, allowing users on early Macintosh systems to access content without the need to swap system disks. The publication began on 400K floppy disks and later upgraded to 800K disks as hardware capabilities improved.
As hard drives became more common, the shell program was modified to eliminate the redundant Mac OS copy on the disk, which allowed for increased storage of content. Following Billings’ exit, Fowler advanced to Senior Programmer and eventually took on the role of Managing Editor after Golden’s promotion to Publisher at Softdisk Publishing.
Later in its lifecycle, the magazine was rebranded as Softdisk for Mac, but it ceased publication in 1998 alongside most other Softdisk disk magazines due to the company’s strategic pivot toward Internet development. Among its peers, only Loadstar persisted independently into the early 2000s.