An operating system that required considerable knowledge and time to install but offered great flexibility was not within their capabilities to evaluate, and so they dismissed it out of hand. The problem with the exchange of opinion in this format is that there is no place in the traditional media for the outsider, or for true dialogue. Letters to the editor are delayed by inexcusably long publication schedules, which have almost made paper reviews of Internet products obsolete. Zines have stepped into the void left by traditional media in many areas, though their strength tends to be in the smaller niches. They don't exist, and for no good reason.
Production costs are minimal, and it is easy to generate a model using advertising to cover costs.
Out of more than 25 million Net users, it shouldn't be that hard to find a handful of committed people who are truly interested in the broader topics of life. A 'Zine can publish a decent-sized issue on a regular basis far more easily than an individual author can. By combining different viewpoints and different areas of interest, a 'Zine can create something greater than the sum of its contributors. With readership come contributors, for whom little or no pay is not an obstacle when they are given the opportunity to reach tens of thousands. Without the salary pressures of its commercial counterpart, a 'Zine can publish a wider range of opinion from a wider range of contributors than a commercial publication can, while still covering its minimal costs.