BKINMCDM.RVW 940915 "The Internet for Macs for Dummies", Seiter, 1994, 1-56884-184-1, U$19.95/C$26.95 %A Charles Seiter %C 155 Bovet Road, Suite 310, San Mateo, CA 94402 %D 1994 %G 1-56884-184-1 %I International Data Group (IDG Books) %O U$19.95/C$26.95 %P 291 %S "... for Dummies" %T "The Internet for Macs for Dummies" 415-312-0650 fax: 415-286-2740 mkoloski@mcimail.com, 5099539@mcimail.com, kaday@aol.com Having finished the book, I wondered for a time what to make of it. There was definitely a Mac "feel" to it, even though there was little technical information to help users get connected. As well, Seiter seemed to have some grasp of the Internet culture and community. While there was much useful material, though, it was oddly arranged, and many references were inaccurate. Then I realized that this *was* a quintessentially Macintosh Internet reference: a GUI view of the net, as it were. >From the perspective of the usual Internet guide, the book is rather sparce. There are two chapters giving background information on the Internet, one (very good) on purchasing a modem, one on email--and only one listing all the remaining Internet applications. This is, of course, because Seiter recommends that you use a commercial service with a graphical user interface. Six chapters are devoted to the offerings of America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, Delphi, GEnie and eWorld. There is also an examination of directly connecting a Mac to the net: basically you will need a sympathetic local service provider. Remaining consistent with the style, the Internet resources are more for interested browsing than for in-depth searching. Seiter's style is light without some of the more flamboyant sarcasm found in some others of the "...for Dummies" series. At times, though, particularly in sidebars, it is difficult to be sure you've understood the point of the comment. For the Mac world, and also probably for a lot of Windows users, this is a "friendly" introduction. For those who must use a command line interface-- don't be surprised if some of the commands don't turn out quite right. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994 BKINMCDM.RVW 940915 ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Oct. '94) Springer-Verlag