BKINTDUM.RVW 940124 Macmillan of Canada 29 Birch Avenue Toronto, Ontario M4V 1E2 Elizabeth Wilson 416-963-8830 Fax: 416-923-4821 or IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. International Data Group 155 Bovet Road, Suite 310 San Mateo, CA 94402 USA 415-312-0650 fax: 415-286-2740 Brandon Nordin, Marketing and International Sales "Internet for Dummies", Levine/Baroudi, 1993, 1-56884-024-1, U$19.95/C$26.95 dummies@iecc.com Generally speaking, most of this book is a good, basic overview of the primary uses and tools of the Internet. The ordering of material is sound, and the formatting and presentation is friendly and useful. I would, however, note some relatively important tips that are missing, and extensive material that has very limited usefulness. I have some problem with the "... For Dummies" titles, but I have no problems with the intent of providing an easily accessible "leg up" for those who, as the Introduction has it, "have access to the Internet," and, "are not interested in becoming the world's next great Internet expert." With that in mind, I have no idea why the six chapters of part one are even in this book. Nobody except technical historians cares about ARPANET. Nobody even understands the phrase, "network of networks." And I solemnly promise you that nobody except IP routing programmers have to understand the concept of dynamic rerouting. Part one is well written, and it may even be of interest. But it is certainly not required reading and doesn't deserve this prior position in the book. "Not so!" I hear Levine cry (seconded by Ed Krol). "Part one tells you how to get connected!" Well, yes and no. Chapters three, four and five do go over some points, but I think the most apposite comment is the statement that "[g]etting SLIP or PPP configured correctly is a pain in the neck." It is a pain which Levine is obviously not willing to put much space or effort into. Not that I blame him at all, but it does severely restrict the usefulness of these chapters. Following part one, however, the book improves immensely. Part two deals with what might be seen as personal communications: mail, mailing and distribution lists, Usenet news and the real time functions of talk and Internet Relay Chat (IRC). The various tools are well related where they intersect. For example, both BITNET and Internet LISTSERVs, although distinguished from one another, are discussed together. A nice feature is the inclusion of a brief list of recommended resources for the user to try out (such as some well chosen distribution lists when discussing LISTSERVs). Parts three and four carry on to discuss the more advanced tools, first telnet and ftp, and then archive, gopher, WAIS and World Wide Web. Part five is a collection of quick tips for troubleshooting, short cuts, and a little fun. Part six is a set of resource lists. The software listing is very useful, and quite possibly worth buying this book for, in and of itself, if you really want to make your workstation a part of the Internet. The list of Internet providers is less so: very US-centric and woefully incomplete. Chapter twenty-nine, listing sources of further information, gives contact information for three magazines, three organizations--and none of the dozens of related books. A book for beginners cannot be exhaustive. The choice of topics must be made carefully, and you can't include absolutely everything. I am very glad to see a strong emphasis on the interpersonal aspects of communication. Although there is no chapter on netiquette, per se, there are a number of important tips strewn throughout the relevant chapters on mail and news, and they possibly have a greater impact that way. Some omissions, however, are rather odd. The number one newbie mistake on distribution lists is sending administrative messages to the list, itself, rather than the LISTSERV. Levine gives the correct information, but doesn't point out this common error. Ftp-by-mail servers are mentioned but the one specified only works for BITNET systems. Under "cool things to do" is listed "read a book" -- but Project Gutenberg isn't mentioned at all. The suggestions about how to find email addresses on the Internet doesn't mention the most helpful that I've found: the usenet- addresses mail-server at MIT. (It is mentioned in the book--under ftp sites.) Some aspects of the book will be open to subjective reaction. There are numerous "well, maybe" errors, such as the statement that UNIX was developed at Berkeley. The "...For Dummies" format does not fit well with this material. The Internet cheat sheet, for example, is fine for ftp and OK for news, but basically useless otherwise. Although it is evident that Levine is most comfortable in UNIX, the book does not have quite the UNIX bias as that of Krol (BKKROL.RVW) or Dern (BKTIGFNU.RVW). One prejudice that Levine does share with Krol is the "whole Internet" elitism. In a great many ways, the impression is given that unless your machine has an IP connection, and you are running your own gopher, ftp, WAIS and WWW clients, you aren't truly on the Internet. Overall, a good, solid intro to the Internet for beginners. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994 BKINTDUM.RVW 940124 Postscriptum - apparently an "Internet for Dummies Quick Reference" and "More Internet for Dummies" are in the offing. ====================== 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 DECUS Symposium '95, Toronto, ON, February 13-17, 1995, contact: rulag@decus.ca