BKMOMW98.RVW   981113

"The Mother of All Windows 98 Books", Woody Leonhard/Barry Simon,
1999, 0-201-43312-5, U$39.95/C$59.95
%A   Woody Leonhard woody@wopr.com 72241.2125@compuserve.com
%A   Barry Simon 76004.1664@compuserve.com
%C   P.O. Box 520, 26 Prince Andrew Place, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 2T8
%D   1999
%G   0-201-43312-5
%I   Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
%O   U$39.95/C$59.95 416-447-5101 fax: 416-443-0948 bkexpress@aw.com
%P   829 p.
%T   "The Mother of All Windows 98 Books"

MOM's books are not necessarily for beginners.  Not that they are
demanding, or hard to read, but the sheer volume of data can be
daunting for those coming to the computer for the first time.

Chapter one is, as usual, a "fast track" introduction to Win98 for
Win95 users.  However, it is far from the usual in terms of content. 
Leonhard and Simon have actually looked at the system in action, and
at what is usable and what is not.  USB doesn't get mentioned at all,
dual monitors get some solid research into what will work and what
won't, but a lot of space is given to a number of useful utilities
that most W98 books don't mention at all.  There is also a nicely
balanced opinion piece on the monopoly and antitrust situation.

The concepts and basics are covered in chapter two; and covered, and
covered.  Moving beyond the normal buttons and bars, it also looks at
keyboard shortcuts, directory structures (and important directories,
graphics, fonts, sound, and networking.  Since this would be the
beginner's introduction, it could be a bit overwhelming, but the
content is certainly there.  (Missed one though, guys.  Explorer's
behaviour is radically different in *any* directory called "fonts.") 
Chapter three starts with different ways to invoke programs, but most
of it concentrates on various configurations and settings.  Utilities,
mostly to do with the Internet, are in chapter four.  A grab bag of
utilities not included with W98 are briefly reviewed in chapter five. 
Chapter six deals with installation, but it gives you the real gen,
not just the dialogue boxes you'll see if nothing goes wrong.  Things
start to get more technical in chapter seven, looking at a whole raft
of configuration files that rarely see the light of day, but can do
some interesting things.  Chapter eight reviews the myriad settings
that can be changed under the Control Panel.  The Registry gets a good
airing in chapter nine.

The MOM series has had a very good record for solid and reliable
information not readily available elsewhere.  However, with this book
I think Leonhard and Simon have gone the extra mile, and, for my
money, this is the best thing they've done in the Windows family. 
Easily the best book so far on Windows 98.  If you have Win98 you will
not regret buying this reference.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1998   BKMOMW98.RVW   981113