John C. Dvorak, a pioneering technology journalist, podcaster, and cultural commentator, passed away peacefully on the morning of Monday, July 20, 2026. He was 80 years old. For tech journalists of a certain age, there was a time when everyone knew him.
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I always enjoyed his “Inside Track” column in PC Magazine back in the 90s. The way he used bold text to highlight key words and phrases in a block of text made so much sense to me, really helped me scan a text quickly without missing the important stuff. To this day, this is how I write my emails and anything longer than a chat message.
He was always one of my favourite co-hosts on the TWIT podcast too.
Godspeed John!
@sjvn
I read John Dvorak, Philip Machrone and Steven Manes in PC Magazine in the late 80s!
@sjvn I remember reading his articles as far back as the mid ‘80s. I remember several of his articles from back then.
@sjvn Was on one of his TechTV panels one time. During a commercial he said the panel needed to be more disagreeable because agreeable was boring. He was right.
@sjvn @briankrebs there was no better curmudgeon for the people. #RIP
@sjvn Oh wow, I used to read a lot of his stuff back in the day.
@sjvn I liked his back and forth with Leo
Laporte.
@sjvn RIP John, I remember coming home from school in the late 90s to watch Silicon Spin on ZDTV and reading your opinion pieces in PC Magazine. Always remember you gushing over the Apple G4 Cube and how perfect it was gonna be for you and your spouse.
@sjvn I read his stuff for ages. So many hours of enjoyment. He will be missed. We are not likely to see his kind again. 😢
@sjvn Knew him indirectly (emailed back and forth a few times). He'd "correct me" when I'd poke at him over Linux stuff. He will be missed.
@sjvn oh this is just horrible news 😥. RIP
@sjvn The best ever clip of John was him taking apart an IBM PS/2 on Computer Chronicles and then not knowing how to put it back together (10:55): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoAH1aHmwR0
