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   Book: 

The Internet For Busy People, 2^nd Edition

copyright 1997, over 380 pages

by Christian Crumlish

Publisher: Osborne/McGraw-Hill

ISBN 0-07-882283-1 

            The Internet on the World Wide Web - for those who are interested, addicted, frustrated or using it but not as effectively  or efficiently as they’d like,  this book can help.  It is a cyber-book.  Read it all, read only the sections of interest, skip around the book, use it as a reference and guide. Any way used,  it provides good assistance for touring cyber-space.  

            A word of caution.  This book can help the busy person - but that would take self-restraint.  One of the good features of the book is when it explains a way to use the Internet it gives addresses for useful or interesting sites.  In fact, it lists 277 sites, (see http://syx.com/busy/bookmarks/ for a download), and makes them interesting, so there is a tendency to check them.  This takes time, which will be well spent, if time is available. 

            The Internet for Busy People presents its information for Windows 95 but gives differences for Windows 3.1 and Macintosh.  It presents an orderly discussion of the many aspects of the Net.  The writing is pleasantly conversational, set in short sections with extensive headings.  It is full of illustrations of the screen views of various sites, showing the choices to be made or the data presented.  There are many tables summarizing important points and web sites. 

            Internet beginners are directed first to Appendix A which discusses how to Get on the Net and the various related technical terms. Then, all can follow along the Internet trail. The book explains searching using web browsers, with details on using Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.  It offers suggestions to avoid wasting time such as, setting bookmarks, stopping if a web page download takes too long and printing a displayed page.  It also tells how to keep up with changes to the browsers and download upgrades. 

            There are extensive descriptions and screen pictures on  downloading Navigator and Explorer and then installing and customizing them for most efficient use.  While this is most useful for beginning users there are many suggestions that could help the veteran. 

            Information is given on searching the Internet, using sites such as Excite, Lycos, AltaVista and others.  It explains use of “directories” such as Yahoo and shows how to search for people’s or businesses’ regular addresses or E-mail addresses with sites such as Four11. There is a discussion on Gopher, Jughead, Veronica, Archie and HyTelnet programs (though it says these are mostly outmoded). 

            A chapter on  E-mail goes through typical sessions to send and receive messages and create messages off-line for mailing at a later time.  It gives details on using Eudora, Netscape mail and MS I Mail.  Another chapter takes the reader to the next steps: giving Mailing Lists for E-mail discussions; showing where Internet groups can be found, by category and subject matter; describing select lists of potential interest; and explaining the difference between robot-administered and human-administered lists.   

            Usenet newsgroups are explained and differentiated from E-mail mailing lists, with the Usenet categories given.  The book: shows how to join and use groups for receiving information, including limiting to specified information; shows how to send information; and discusses groups such DejaNews, Netscape News and Free Agent. 

            For those who want real-time communications on the Internet there is a chapter on Chatting and Conferencing.  Particular jargon and the special commands are presented.  Lists of networks are presented (irc.stealth.net for New York area).  Unusual sites named include tribal.com/powwow/.  Conferences are discussed, covering those which are text-based only and those including voice and video. 

            There is a general discussion on using FTP (file transfer protocol) for sending files and Telnet for remote connections and running of computers.  The book explains these are now used mainly for management of protected Web sites and gives sources for free FTP programs. 

            Then the book briefly discusses the creation of a Web site, explaining the parts of a Web page and the HTML coding used, with sources for HTML editors.  It also shows how to create Web pages with text editors using RTF files for easy conversion, graphic images and hypertext links and shows how to create a Web page with Netscape Gold (including its download site) and Word97 (or for earlier Word versions - download updates).  There is information on advanced web page design with color, background graphics, tables (visible and not), multimedia, interactive forms and scripting.  Finally the book covers finding a server or setting up your own server (personal or business Intranet) to publish the page and  discusses promotion, including a list of search and directory sites to notify of the existence and location of the page.  

            This book is thorough and informative and is easy to read and use.  It could help anyone who wants to get the most from the Internet.