I can still remember the first time I'd ever heard of Gen Con - and that was because of an ad in Dragon magazine back in the early 80s. As a teenager, I thought it would be so cool to be able to attend the convention. (However, it wasn't until much later, the last one held in WI actually, that I was finally able to go.)
Often times I'd spend an afternoon pouring through not only the articles, but the ads as well, looking for all the new things for my gaming. Dragon was how I learned about Chaosium and Chessex and my first exposure to Ral Partha and so many other companies and products. And so often, I would go back through old issues for new ideas, or to finally try an idea I'd seen before. As I got older, and my gaming hit huge spans of down time, Dragon would help fill some space until I was able to game again. Though, my attention to the magazine often mirrored whether I was gaming or not.
I never got into Dungeon, probably because I am an ardent homebrewer and didn't really have the time to add another resouce to my collection.
Up through my last campaign in 3.5, my group still had the magazine floating around. Then I had a series of moves, and my gaming has lapsed. When I found out about the end of the print magazine, I didn't think too much of it as the move to electronic format seemed to match what was happening in other venues. However, when I learned that it was going behind the same paywall that was in place to support 4E, I pretty much abandoned it - and I've never looked back. And from what I have heard from others, I haven't missed anything.
For me then, there have been ups and downs, and I will always remember how Dragon impacted my gaming, but as with anything it seems anymore, it's passed into the mists of time and the magazine I knew is no more. I have moved on.