BKWNINTG.RVW  951011
 
%A   Michael Fraase mfraase@farces.com
%C   P.O. Box 2468, Chapel Hill, NC 27515
%D   1994
%G   1-56604-081-7
%I   Ventana Press, Inc.
%O   U$24.95 919/942-0220 FAX 919/942-1140 dludlow@vmedia.com
%P   344
%T   "The Windows Internet Tour Guide"
"The Windows Internet Tour Guide", Fraase, 1994, 1-56604-081-7, U$24.95
 
Fraase's book is a real grab bag.  It has some good information, some excellent
writing, some gaps, some errors, some promises and a lot of graphics (of which
the author seems inordinately fond).  It isn't so much Windows specific as
(NetManage's) Chameleon specific.
 
Overall, the discussion of Internet applications and use covers the major
topics, and gives the new user a reasonable understanding of the basic tools. 
The chapter on "Getting Connected" proposes a very broadly based and helpfully
divided overview of the various options.  It starts with talk of the
university, government, and corporate options, of which many potential users
remain unaware.  The difference between dedicated dial-up IP and dial-up
terminal is raised, although the promised discussion of dial-up terminal and
commercial "email gateway" access never seems to materialize.  The personal and
community aspects of the net get a lot of space.   Some important, but often
neglected, aspects of file characteristics and transfer are raised, albeit
briefly.  The "Neat Stuff" section really does have some interesting and little
known resources.
 
On the other hand, the quality of the information is very uneven.  The setup of
the included programs is said to be easy, but I suspect that a very thorough
familiarity with modems would be needed in view of the extremely brief
instructions for the Chameleon software configuration.  (The Chameleon Sampler
software is included with the book.)  The "points of interest" are interesting,
but seldom have anything to do with the surrounding text.  (A pleasant
exception to this are some of the useful and helpful points in the email
section.)  The directions on how to use and access resources on the net are
*not* going to be helpful unless you are using the included software (and that
type of dial-up connection).  Every set of directions assume a full, or at
least dial-up, IP connection.  Interestingly, the heavy reliance on gopher
apparent in "The PC Internet Tour Guide" seems to be somewhat reduced (though
not eliminated) here.  There are a number of dated addresses, as well as some
that are just plain wrong (one suspects through bad editing).  Seasoned
Internauts will be able to correct these errors, but then, seasoned Internauts
aren't likely to be using the book.
 
At one seminar I was told to promote this book because it had software.  The
software included may be useful, depending upon the user's level of access to
the net, but is neither necessary nor unique.  Most local Internet providers
use dynamic address allocation, and that isn't covered in this book.  In any
case, the included materials are demonstration software, and available online.
 
An interesting feature is the promise of an electronic update to the guide,
distributed via electronic mail.  The book has a coupon for two of the
quarterly updates free; regular price is $25 per year.  Although I've reviewed
two other books in this series, I have not seen any of the updates.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994, 1995   BKWNINTG.RVW  951011

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