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A Book Review
by Mike Berman
Review Date: January 2007
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TITLE: The Internet: The Missing Manual
A Guided Tour of the Web's Best Stuff
AUTHORS: David Pogue and J. D. Biersdorfer
PUBLISHER: Pogue Press — O'Reilly
ISBN: 0-596-52742-x
LEVEL: All levels
PRICE: $24.99 USD
FORMAT: Softcover; 442 pages; No CD-ROM. (Would-be CD
material available free at www.missingmanuals.com)
Reviewer's Rating: 5 out of 5 Apples "Very useful information"
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This book is a basic reference manual on the manifold resources available on
the Internet, and how to access and use them. It targets both Mac© OS and
Windows© users. The book's six Parts — with a total of 21 chapters — range from
"Getting Online," through "Finding Information," "Shopping, Travel, and
Finance," "Entertainment and Media," "Communicating with Others," to
"Internet Power and Protection." Most of the twenty-one chapters are
subdivided into several bite-sized parts, each treating a specific aspect or
feature of the Internet.
The authors begin at the beginning, detailing the steps one must take to
access the Internet and navigate to and use its various functions. Starting
with the necessary hardware, it tells how the user must select a type of
connection: dial-up (via standard telephone line); broadband (DSL or cable);
wireless connections; and the several options for finding an Internet
Service Provider (ISP).
To review the entire contents of this book would be akin to writing a
complete review of an encyclop�dia. The book's Table of Contents runs for
eight pages, so even to just enumerate the complete bill of subjects covered
would fill several pages of this newsletter. Suffice it to say that all the
important points, including browsers, search engines, online banking, email,
instant messaging, social and professional networking, Internet telephony,
blogs and web sites, along with a profusion of lesser known aspects,
and — importantly — precautions to take to keep your computer safe from
"Internet pests," and to protect your children from predators and other nefarious entities, are covered.
PROS:
The text clearly and concisely addresses just about all aspects of the
Internet, with step-by-step instructions on how to access and use them.
Screenshots of dialog boxes are clearly rendered and easy to understand. Its
numerous subjects are easily found by a quick perusal of the Table of
Contents and/or the comprehensive Index.
CONS:
Many of the web page screenshots are too small to be of real use, and their
black-and-white rendering contributes to this difficulty.
This "Missing Manual" is a compact and thorough source book of most
everything you need to know about accessing and using the Internet. Once
reading it through, it should be kept handy on a nearby shelf and consulted
as needed. Since the book is so encyclopedic, I did not write about any of
the subjects it covers. There are too many, and limiting the review to some
of them would short-change the others. There is something there for
everyone. All one has to do is look it up.
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About the reviewer: Mike Berman
Mike has used Macs exclusively since 1987 when he got his first computer, a
Mac Plus. Their primary task was to aid in writing reports and to keep cash
accounts for his home inspection business, until he retired at the end of
2002. From then on, his present PowerMac DP 450, running PhotoShop Elements
in OS 9.1, has served well in his photography hobby/profession.
Someday he
might switch to OS X.
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© 2007 by Mike Berman & MLMUG
Posted 12/29/06
Updated xx/xx/06
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