|
The Whole Internet for Windows 95: User's Guide and Catalog Jack Solock, Special Librarian December 1996 This article begins a series of occasional articles that will discuss great Internet books. Discussing Internet books brings up the slightly paradoxical notion that a good way to learn about using the Internet is reading a book about it. Yet I think this can be one of the best ways to learn to use the Internet, in spite of some inherent caveats that must be invoked with any book about the Net. A good guide through the Net doesn't have to be virtual.
First, the caveats. Almost any book about the Internet will have a very short "shelf life" because of the nature of its topic. Things change so rapidly on the Internet that any book that doesn't contain Net-based updates can become out of date quickly. Secondly, any book about the Internet that discusses only one operating system can be difficult to understand for people who use another platform. In the Internet "Middle Ages" (1992-93), many books were written giving examples based on the Unix platform. Unix commands are arcane and inherently difficult for anyone not familiar with its operating system. Thirdly, any book about the Internet that concentrates on "great sites" is very much subject to the first caveat, on two grounds. The first is that there simply is no permanence of sites. The second is that even if a site is still up six months after a book mentions it, there is no guarantee that the URL given will still be correct. Given these caveats, The Whole Internet for Windows 95: User's Guide and Catalog doesn't look too promising. An October 1995 copyright date in Internet time would be equivalent to reading Allan Nevins' original Ordeal of the Union (copyright 1947-1971), the eight volume history of the Civil War era, and thinking that you now were up to date on Civil War scholarship. Not very promising indeed, and yet when you read this book, which is an enhancement and update of The Whole Internet: User's Guide and Catalog, originally published in 1992, you quickly realize that Ed Krol is the Allan Nevins of his field. The worst thing that can be said about this book is that parts of it might be out of date. The best thing that can be said is that it makes the Internet understandable to the non-computer specialist. In doing that, Krol has provided a monumental service for the Internet community, just as Nevins did for his. In fifteen chapters, readers get a quick tour of all available Internet services at the time of printing. This is done in a breezy, informal style that makes a Net newbie feel at home with a possibly intimidating technology. The book covers a little about the history of the Internet, about how it works, and about the netiquette of its community. But that is only the beginning. The core of the book discusses the six major Internet applications, in the approximate order of their use: email, web, network news (Usenet), telnet, FTP, and gopher. There is also a chapter on WAIS (wide area information service), although this is a somewhat obsolete service. In addition, there are valuable chapters on finding files (Archie) and finding people (several services). There is a short discussion of some ancillary services, as well as a troubleshooting section, list of regional ISP's in the U.S. and Canada, and a glossary. One of the key points made in this book, often forgotten in the gush of publicity about the web, is that the Internet is more than just the web. Even though many of the services discussed are available via the web, the web is not the best delivery method for all of them. The key to each chapter is Krol's systematic and concise description of each service. Although the heart of each chapter contains precise descriptions of how to use the service in the Windows 95 environment and may or may not be applicable to you today, it is the descriptions of the services that are the lasting value of the book. By reading these descriptions, it is easy to see the obvious advantages of web over gopher, but it is also easy to see the advantages of using an FTP client over a web browser to FTP, or using a news reader or email package rather than a web client to read and post Usenet news or email. By demonstrating these advantages, Krol shows us that the well prepared Internaut will have many access tools in his or her arsenal, not just a web browser. After explaining the services, the bulk of each chapter is devoted to a step by step tutorial on how to use the service, explaining a Windows 95 application that was available at time of publication. In addition, for email, Eudora is discussed along with Exchange. For gopher and archie, public clients are also discussed. The tutorials are of varying usefulness depending on your operating system and version of software. However, the underlying simple methodology is useful to everyone. There is no magic to using the Internet. No matter what service you are using, systematically investigate the application's tool bars, drop down menus, and help files to see how they work. The best chapters in the book are those concerning email, FTP, and finding people. They are concise yet thorough. The email chapter includes important information on considerations for choosing an email service, and a listserv discussion that explains the difference between a listserv machine address and a list address (a difference that is still too often misunderstood, as anyone who follows many lists knows). FTP includes specific instructions for logging on and uploading or downloading single or multiple files (text or binary) in five operating systems. The best points made in the finding people chapter is that there are many ways to do it (not just web-based services), that you should use them all, and that you should not become discouraged if none of them works. Not surprisingly, the web chapter is rather weak, with the book being overtaken by the changes in web technology in the last year. And this is not the book to read if you're interested only in creating your own web pages. Perhaps the best aspect of The Whole Internet is the style in which it is written. Krol eschews the "in your face" hot-cool arrogance of the Wireds of the world, which intimidate a new or uncertain Internet user with the attitude that this medium is only for the technologically "elect," preferring instead a gently positive "this is a great thing, check it out, if you make a mistake, don't worry, nobody is looking over your shoulder." It is acceptable to not know everything, and the book encourages you to try everything. Very few people in the Internet community have more experience or know more about it than Ed Krol. What he knows most and best is that the Internet is about people, not machines. It is about sharing information and communication. It is a human thing, and he has written one of the most humane books about it.
Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-1998. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the End User's Corner provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The Internet Scout Project provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712140. The Government has certain rights in this material. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin - Madison or the National Science Foundation.
Comments, Suggestions, Feedback © 1996 Internet Scout Project |
Classic Books on the Internet - #1