Neil McAllister

My Experience

Computer magazines and tech publications had a huge influence on my formative years, so when I was given the opportunity to work in tech journalism, I jumped at the chance. My career studying and writing about tech has now spanned more than two decades. Before PCMag, I spent time as a writer and editor at InfoWorld, and a few years as a news reporter for The Register, Europe's largest online tech publication. Throughout, I've strived to explain deep and complex topics to the broadest possible audience and, I hope, share some of the thrill and fascination I find in this field every day.

My Areas of Expertise

• Business software and software as-a-service (SaaS)

• Cloud computing

• Web hosting and data center technology

• Data security

• Software development

• Databases

• Linux and open-source software

The Technology I Use

My first computer was an Apple ][+, which my parents brought home for Christmas of 1982. Before that, I wrote BASIC programs on binder paper and entered them during leased time at the networked computer lab in the basement of the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California.

It's been a long road since then. As I look around my home office, I see a virtual elephants' graveyard of desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, and phones, spanning nearly every OS you can think of. Ever seen a flip phone that doubles as a PalmPilot? I've got one.

Today, I split most of my time between Windows (on either a Lenovo ThinkPad or a Microsoft Surface Pro) and macOS (on a MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon). And, of course, I spend a ton of time on my Android phone.

I've also been a Linux user since 1996, back when Red Hat Linux came on CD-ROM. My distro of choice today is Ubuntu.

I can program in multiple languages (but don't count on my code to be any good). Between stints at publications, I have also worked at a few tech startups, specializing in technologies like virtualization and Linux containers.

At PCMag, my aim is to bring all this experience to bear to help you find the best technologies to power your businesses, and empower yourself, your employees, and your customers.