Books Review
The second edition of
Sams Teach Yourself the Internet in 10 Minutes is informatively written and a good value for your money. The book is split into 18 10-minute "lessons," which cover the usual ground of how to establish an Internet connection, how to use a Web browser, how to send and receive e-mail, how to conduct online chats, Usenet, mailing lists, and file transfer using FTP. Some of the later lessons also talk about online shopping and the benefits and drawbacks of Web-based e-mail. The author, Galen Grimes, has an extensive background in computers and the Internet. His coverage of the latest and greatest offering from Netscape and Microsoft show that the book is reasonably up to date. However, in places it hasn't been updated thoroughly enough, resulting in a few gremlins. For example, there haven't been anywhere near 18,000 newsgroups since about 1997. The book successfully breaks down the key features of each application and explains how they work, with help from useful screen shots and step-by-step instructions. It also includes a comprehensive and well-structured index. This is an ideal book for any Net-newbie looking for a no-nonsense initiation to the
Internet, and a guide to the ways of the Web.
--Josh Smith, .co.uk
From Library Journal
SAMs Publishing has four time-linked series letting the reader choose between 14 days, a week, 24 hours, or ten minutes. The times are more a guide to depth of information than a realistic measure of length of study?anyone ever try to read a 200-page book in 10 minutes? Still, the series provides good material for all sorts of beginners. Whether patrons are new to computers, new to a category (e.g., networking), or just new to program upgrade, they will welcome these well-illustrated introductions. If you have a beginner's technology section in your library, any of these books will find welcoming hands. Generally, the "10 Minutes" and "24 Hours" titles on popular topics are the first choice, and you should realize that even the "14 Days" titles are not substitutes for substantial references.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.