BKILDCDM.RVW
 
"Illustrated Computer Dictionary for Dummies", Gookin et all, 1993, 1-56884-
004-7, U$12.95/C$16.95
dang@pipeline.com
%A   Dan Gookin
%A   Wally Wang
%A   Chris Van Buren
%C   155 Bovet Road, Suite 310, San Mateo, CA   94402
%C   29 Birch Avenue, Toronto, Ontario   M4V 1E2
%D   1993
%G   1-56884-004-7
%I   IDG Books Worldwide
%O   U$12.95/C$16.95 fax: 415-286-2740 mkoloski@mcimail.com kaday@aol.com
%P   408
%S   ... For Dummies
%T   "Illustrated Computer Dictionary for Dummies"
 
"Fun" comes before "Fact-Filled" on the cover blurb.  This is primarily meant
as a joke.
 
The humour is based on the frenetic style of comedy:  the jokes don't have to
be funny as long as there are lots of them.  Almost all of the sentences are
jokes (most fail to illustrate the word used).  The "illustrations" are
similar, all being cartoons and only rarely supporting concepts.  I *did* like
the illustration of the term "tab".  The jokes are most often "hmm" rather than
"ROFLOL" (rolling on the floor laughing out loud, which isn't defined),
although there are some chuckles, such as the discussion of "machine
independent" illustrated by the sentence "Machine independent programs do not
exist."  (The authors failed to make use of the New Hacker's Dictionary:  "sex"
is not defined.)
 
As a "Fact-Filled" reference, it does have a fairly broad set of definitions. 
Significant information, however, is sometimes missing.  The slash (/) is not
noted for its use in command line switches and the wild card use of the
asterisk rates only minor mention.  The pronunciation guides are sloppy and
sometimes incorrect.  Some of the definitions are the same, such as the
equating of baud with bits per second.
 
An amusing diversion is trying to find the non-computer related items, more
numerous at the beginning than further into the book.  These include references
to the old Batman TV show, an entry for the OK Corral, and an entry for
billclintonrithm.  Then, there are entries such as the one purporting that
"billisecond" refers to a billionth of a second.  I'm not quite sure what
category that fits under.
 
Given the volume, there should be a chuckle in here for anyone.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994   BKILDCDM.RVW

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