These reviews are Copyright 1994 by Matisse Enzer (matisse@well.sf.ca.us) Matisse Enzer is an Internet consultant specializing in seminars and private consulting, helping peple understand and use the Internet and related technologies to further their own agendas. These reviews were done on the editions available in April, 1994. Wired Magazine Wired USA ISSN: 1059-1028 4.95 Monthly magazine that covers the social and cultural aspects of the digital age. Wired doesnUt dumb down the material, but neither does it indulge in technical blather for its own sake. Very high production values and very high information content make Wired a highly intelligent, fun magazine. Much of the material comes from readers, who seem to be a very literate, articulate bunch. Excellent Cultural-guide ------------------ Doing Business on the Internet Mary J Cronin Van Nostrand Reinhold 0-442-01770-7 $29.95 Excellent overview and detailed discussion of the Internet from a business usersU perspective. An entirely non-technical book, Doing Business discusses the commercial aspects and issues of the Internet: advertising, research, customer contact, etc. Highly recommended. Excellent Cultural-guide ------------------ Zen & the Art of the Internet Brendan P Kehoe Prentice Hall 0-13-083033-X 23.95 Very friendly general overview book. Not really a how-to book, rather a Cultural Companion that explain what each type of Internet resource is, as well as the cultural and traditional uses and issues. Includes a chapter on RThings you will hear about...S this chapter explains many famous (and infamous) Internet events and entities. Excellent Cultural-guide Resource-guide ------------------ The Internet Navigator Paul Gilster John Wiley & Sons 0-471-59782-1 24.95 Includes step-by-step instructions for ftp, telnet, gopher, mail, irc, usenet, etc. Seems very useful for those who want step-by-step instructions for dial-up terminal access. Somewhat academic in tone. Good How-to How-to-guide ------------------ The Windows Internet Tour Guide Michael Fraase Ventana Press 1-56604-081-7 24.95 Step-by-step for setting up and using graphical software for a Windows machine. You must have a SLIP or PPP connection to use this book (not a dial-up terminal or RshellS account) Comes with a disk of all the software you need to get started, and tells you how to get and use additional software. Good How-to-guide ------------------ The Instant Internet Guide Brent Helsop & David Angell Addison Wesley 0-201-627087-8 14.95 Good quick intro to Internet and quick reference sections on using e-mail, usenet, gopher, telnet, file transfers, very basic UNIX, etc. Nice check-list of questions to ask when shopping for Internet access. Oriented entirely towards a dial-up terminal user on a unix system. Good How-to-guide ------------------ How to Connect Chris Shipley Ziff Davis 1-56276-175-7 24.95 Nice big pastel colour illustrations and text on how to install a modem and connect to online services. (Not an RInternet bookS per se). Large format: 8.5S x 11S Excellent How-to-guide ------------------ Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh Adam Engst Hayden Books 1-56830-064-6 29.95 Excellent book if you are connecting your Macintosh to the Internet using SLIP or PPP. Comes with a disk with enough software to get started; the book tells you about tons of cool Mac Internet software, graphical interfaces for almost all the Internet tools you can imagine. Highly recommended. Excellent How-to-guide ------------------ The Internet Companion Tracey LaQuey with Jeanne C Ryder Addison Wesley 0-201-62224-6 12.95 Very nice pocket-sized overview book. Not a how-to book but a nice companion guide that explains what the Internet is, and the various tools available, as well as how to get connected. Written in 1992. Excellent How-to-guide Cultural-guide ------------------ Internet Instant Reference Michelle Nance & Ingar Shu 0-7821-1512-8 12.99 Organized as a pocket reference book (5S x 8S) Good short/medium length descriptions of many Internet terms and tools, e.g. ftp: 11 pages, elm: 9 pages, online magazines: 1/2 page, veronica: 2 pages etc. A good beginner/intermediate reference book. Good design and layout add considerably to readability. Oriented towards a user on a dial-up terminal account on a UNIX system. Excellent Reference How-to-guide ------------------ Netguide Peter Rutten, Albert F Bayers III, and Kelley Maloni Random House Electronic Pblishing 0-679-75106-8 19.00 Catalog of online resources, about half of which are accesible via the Internet. Netguide is divided into catagories by subject, such as RAnimals & PetsS or RArtificial IntelligenceS. In each catagory there are one or more dozzens of listiings for resources with a tiny review and access information. It has been called Rthe TV guide of cyberspaceS. Good Resource-guide ------------------ The 1994 Internet White Pages Seth Godin & james S McBride IDG Books 1-56884-300-3 29.95 A telephone-book style listing of e-mail address for people on the Internet. Only lists about 100,000 people, so not very comprehensive. Since the names and addresses were gleaned from the more public sources the people included are more likely to be active Internet users. Be very very careful when sending unsolicited e-mail. Fair Resource-guide ------------------ The Internet Yellow Pages Harley Hahn & Rick Stout Osborne/McGraw-Hill 0-07-882023-5 27.95 Probably the best printed Internet resource guide. The layout and design is modeled after a regular telephone yellow-pages, including fake Rdisplay adsS for key reources. The design is very readable and the resources covered are very comprehensive (although I did notice they ommited RabortionS from the index...) Excellent Resource-guide ------------------ Whole Internet users Guide and Catalog Ed Krol OUReilly & Associates 1-56592-025-2 24.95 First edition written in 1992. 2nd edition should be hitting the stores any day now. This was the first Internet book, and is still among the best. About 80% of the book covers describing what the Internet is, what is allowed and what isnUt (a subject fraught with uncertainty), and the various tools that are available. The book provides an intermediate-level explanation of almost all of the facets of the Internet and its use. The last 20% or so is a catalog, by subject, of interesting resources on the Internet, as well as listing of Internet access providers. Excellent Resource-guide How-to-guide Cultural-guide ------------------ Internet for Dummies John R Levin $ Carol Baroudi IDG Books 1-56884-024-1 19.95 A trouble-shooting nuts & bolts book for people with direct Internet connections (leased line, SLIP or PPP - not dial-up terminal access). Nice attempt to allow you to choose how much technical info you want on each subject. 1993 version is somewhat dated already but still very good for helping you understand how a lot this stuff works and how to use it. Definitely an intermediate level book. Inaccurately makes Macintosh setup seem overly complicated, but still quite useful for Mac users. Good Trouble-shooting guide book How-to-guide .