BK10MINT.RVW   950323
 
"10 Minute Guide to the Internet", Kent, 1994, 1-56761-428-0, U$12.99/C$16.99
%A   Peter Kent 71601.1266@compuserve.com pkent@lab-press.com
%C   201 W. 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN   46290
%D   1994
%G   1-56761-428-0
%I   Alpha Books/Macmillan Computer Publishing
%O   U$12.99/C$16.99 800-858-7674 75141.2102@compuserve.com
%P   162
%T   "10 Minute Guide to the Internet"
 
There are twenty "lessons" here.  Each could be read in ten minutes.  The
material provides a basic grounding in email, UNIX, Usenet news, mailing lists,
Gopher, telnet, ftp, archie, WAIS and World Wide Web.
 
The book starts out by assuming that you are already connected to an Internet
provider with a UNIX shell account--then, immediately talks about the different
types of connections, the equipment you need, configuring your system, and
navigating menus on the Colorado Supernet.  Most of this material (particularly
the chapter on setting up your modem) is too rushed to be of any use.  The
later chapters are better, though some are disorganized (chapters six and eight
both cover email--first with Pine and then with mail), or limited (chapter
eleven covers BITNET LISTSERVs--and *only* BITNET LISTSERVs).
 
Kent provides definitions, notes and warnings throughout the text.  The
warnings point out valuable information and common pitfalls, such as the delays
you may experience using telnet, or the differences between the DOS and UNIX
command line.
 
After the first five chapters, the book is a decent enough introduction to
basic network services.  It does not, however, have the quality of the
comparable "Zen and the Art of the Internet" (cf. BKZENINT.RVW).  This is a
pity, since Kent has demonstrated his ability to provide better content in both
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Internet" (cf. BKIDTINT.RVW) and "The
Complete Idiot's Next Step on the Internet" (cf. BKCINSIN.RVW).
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BK10MINT.RVW   950323
 
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