Internet Book Reviews

Here are many short reviews and recommendations of books on Internet features and other technical topics

• THE INTERNET: THE OFFICIAL BOOK OF THE PUBLIC TELEVISION PRESENTATION "THE INTERNET SHOW" by Paul Hoffman. IDG Books, 155 Bovet Rd., Suite 610, San Mateo, CA 94402, (800) 762-2974, (415) 286-2740. IDG's home page on the Web is under construction and should be up within 60 to 90 days. Illustrated, index, glossary, appendix. 224 pp., $24.99 paper. 1-56884-461-1
  This is a solid and colorful general introduction to the Internet for those with little knowledge of it, covering basic concepts such as networks, getting connected, netiquette, domain addressing, finding information and playing games, as well as using e-mail, accessing discussion groups, and search tools. When the PBS television show aired, the WWW was still relatively new, so it gets cursory mention. Grade: B.

• SPINNING THE WEB: HOW TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET by Andrew Ford. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 115 Fifth Avenue, N.Y., NY 10003, (800) 544-0550, (212) 254-9499 FAX. VNR's WWW home page is at http:// www.vnr.com/vnr.html. Index, bibliography, glossary, two appendices. 247 pp., $29.95 paper. 0-442-01996-3
  Already popular in England, this guide for potential Internet information providers begins with an overview of the WWW and the HTML markup language, then goes into creating documents, setting up a server, and tips for selecting software, with numerous case studies and sample documents. Grade: B+. International Thomson Computer Press will be publishing "Spinning the Web" online at http://www.thomson.com.

• THE SLIP/PPP CONNECTION: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO GRAPHICAL INTERNET ACCESS by Paul Gilster. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., N.Y., NY 10158-0012, (800) CALL WILEY, (212) 850-6088 FAX. The Wiley WWW home page is located at http://www.wiley.com/. Illus- trated, index, glossary, appendix. 480 pp., $24.95 paper. 0-471-11712-9
  Gilster has complained about SLIP connections in computer maga- zines, saying it's slow-moving and hard to install, so in his new book, he concentrates on the basics such as setting up the Windows or Macintosh computer before software installation, loading and configuring the software (whether it be Netscape, Mosaic, or downloaded freeware), and using e-mail, ftp, telnet, usenet, WAIS, gopher, and the World Wide Web. The book includes several tear-out special offers from service providers. Grade: B+.

• C++ THE COMPLETE REFERENCE, SECOND EDITION by Herbert Schildt. Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 2600 Tenth St., Berkeley, CA 94710, (800) 227- 0900, (510) 549-6603 FAX. Books from the McGraw-Hill Professional Book Group, Medical/Healthcare Group, and College Division are available on the Internet in Titlebank. Gopher to gopher.mcgraw.infor.com 5000. On the WWW point the URL to gopher://mcgraw.infor.com:5000. Illustrated, index, appendix. 692 pp., $34.95 paper. 0-07-882123-1
  The second edition of Schildt's distinguished reference reflects the ongoing work to establish an ANSI C++ standard, with separate sections introducing the C programming language, using the object- oriented features specific to C++, and tailoring its applications to perform individual tasks. The concepts are discussed in Schildt's typical dry style, but there are, mercifully, lots of examples. Recommended for C++ programmers of all levels of proficiency. Grade: A-.

• FREE STUFF FROM THE WORLD WIDE WEB by Patrick Vincent. Coriolis Group Publishing, 7339 E. Acoma Drive, Suite 7, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, (800) 410-0192 (orders), (602) 483-0192, FAX: (602) 483- 0193. The Coriolis WWW home page is located at http://www.coriolis.com/. Illustrated, index. 484 pp., $19.99 paper. 1-883577-27-6
  As I've mentioned before when reviewing "Free Stuff From the Internet," once you log onto the Internet everything is free, so the titles of these books are somewhat of a misnomer. They are predominately guides to areas where users can download shareware and freeware versions of software, hear sound bites or see movie clips, or take a tour of a museum in Europe. The books are arranged by categories such as "Business and Careers," "Health and Nutrition," "Kid Stuff," and "Nature and the Environment." The WWW volume is best used as a guide to Home Pages, rather than a bargain-hunters resource. Grade: B.

• DOING MORE BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET by Mary J. Cronin. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 115 Fifth Avenue, N.Y., NY 10003, (800) 544- 0550, (212) 254-9499 FAX. Index, bibliography, references, list of service providers, list of WWW resources. 381 pp., $29.95 paper. 0-442-02047-3
  Cronin, an Internet business strategist, offers advice for businesses to make the most of Internet resources and technology, and this second volume includes using Mosaic, Netscape and other programs to create their own Home Pages on the World Wide Web. Throughout the book, Cronin relies on case histories to illustrate her two main points: familiarity with one's capabilities and planning ahead. Grade: B+.

• THE USENET HANDBOOK: A USER'S GUIDE TO NETNEWS by Mark Harrison. O'Reilly and Associates, Inc., 103 Morris St., Suite A, Sebastopol, CA 95472, (800) 998-9938, (707) 829-0104 FAX. O'Reilly may be contacted by Telnet or Gopher to gopher.ora.com, or by Ftp to ftp.ora.com. O'Reilly publications may be ordered from the Internet by sending e-mail to order@ora.com. Questions about O'Reilly books may be sent to nuts@ora.com. Illustrated, index, glossary, six appendices. 386 pp., $24.95 paper. 0-56592-101-1
  Usenet is one of the most-complained-about areas of the Internet, yet it is also one of the most-used, and you don't need to have an Internet connection to access it. Harrison provides a history of Usenet and discusses newsreaders (nn, tin, Emacs, gnus, and Trumpet), posting procedures, and where to find all sorts of goodies. Also included is a list of where to get news software and an extremely abbreviated list of available newsgroups. Grade: B.

• DICTIONARY OF COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY by Gilbert Held. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., N.Y., NY 10158-0012, (800) CALL WILEY, (212) 850-6088 FAX. The Wiley WWW home page is located at http://www.wiley.com/. Illustrated. 509 pp., $49.95 paper. 0-471-95126-9
  With more than 12,000 entries, over 4,500 added in the five years since the last edition was published, Held has written one of the most complete compilations of telecommunications terminology to date. Technical writers will find this an especially helpful resource. Grade: A-.

• ONLINE MARKETING HANDBOOK: HOW TO SELL, ADVERTISE, PUBLICIZE, AND PROMOTE YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ON THE INTERNET AND COMMERCIAL ONLINE SYSTEMS by Daniel S. Janal. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 115 Fifth Avenue, N.Y., NY 10003, (800) 544-0550, (212) 254-9499 FAX. VNR's WWW home page is at http://www.vnr.com/vnr.html. Illustrated, index, glossary, appendix. 398 pp., $24.95 paper. 0- 442-02058-9
  This guide is a confusing bundle of mixed messages. Janal warns readers about inappropriate places to post, then says it's OK to post press releases to Usenet newsgroups. He's good at giving advice on interacting with customers and tailoring messages to the target audience and performing market research on bulletin boards, commercial services such as CompuServe, but when it comes to the Internet, always get consensus before posting anywhere not on the WWW. Grade: C.

• HTML SOURCEBOOK: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO HTML by Ian S. Graham. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., N.Y., NY 10158-0012, (800) CALL WILEY, (212) 850-6088 FAX. The Wiley WWW home page is located at http://www.wiley.com/. Illustrated, index, glossary, two appendices. 432 pp., $29.95 paper. 0-471-11849-4
  Creating home pages and their links on the World Wide Web is an exercise, not only in writing coherent programming code, but also incorporating suitable multimedia design elements such as graphics and sound, that many different types of Web browsers can easily interpret. Graham takes the reader from elementary concepts (including places to find software) to advanced composition using real-world examples. Grade: A-.

• BEST OF THE NET: THE MOST USEFUL, FASCINATING, AND (OCCASIONALLY) WEIRD STUFF AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET by Seth Godin. IDG Books, 155 Bovet Rd., Suite 610, San Mateo, CA 94402, (800) 762-2974, (415) 286-2740. IDG's home page on the Web is under construction and should be up within 60 to 90 days. Illustrated, index, appendix. 464 pp., $22.99 paper. 1-56884-313-5
  To Godin, "Best" means "most popular," and his book is a compilation of reader's responses to questions he posed on the net, such as, on the page devoted to books, "What is the best bookstore?" (Powell's). The 208 categories, each given a two-page spread, leave out much important information and are simplistic for net vets and newbies alike, who are better served by the "Internet Yellow Pages" books. Also, the picture for the "A Likely Story" box on page 334 is misplaced. Instead, it's on page 321 in "Sci- Fi." And then there's the question of Godin's ignoring FAQ copyrights in gathering material for the book. Grade: C.

• NETWORK SECURITY: PRIVATE COMMUNICATION IN A PUBLIC WORLD by Charlie Kaufman, Radia Perlman, and Mark Speciner. Prentice Hall PTR, 113 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (800) 947-7700, FAX: (515) 284-2607. Internet users may contact Prentice Hall in the following ways: Gopher to gopher.prenhall.com, ftp to ftp.prenhall.com or telnet to gopher.prenhall.com (login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address), then type cd pub. Purchasers may request an order form from ftp.prenhall.com, login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address, then type cd pub/ptrph_cat/net.comm. Orders can also be placed by e-mailing to orders@prenhall.com. Illustrated, index, glossary, bibliography. 524 pp., $46.00 cloth. 0-13-061466-1
  The authors, all computer security experts, create fictitious characters Bob And Alice, and place them in situations where they need to communicate sensitive information over a computer network. In the process, concepts such as cryptography, authentication systems, and e-mail security are discussed in detail, though there is no mention of Nautilus. The homework assignments at the end of each chapter make this an ideal textbook. Grade: A-

• HUMOR THE COMPUTER, edited by Andrew Davison. MIT Press, 55 Hayward St., Cambridge, MA 02142, (800) 356-0343, (617) 258-6779 FAX. Those on the Internet may place orders by sending e-mail to mitpress-orders@mit.edu. MIT catalogs are available on the Internet by telneting to techinfo.mit.edu (login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address - at the main menu, choose #2, then #21) or by gophering to gopher.mit.edu (choose #5). Illustrated, references, list of related reading. 244 pp., $13.95 paper. 0-262-54075-4
  Over seventy stories, poems, and songs embellish this ode to geek culture, with "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" analyzed in terms of modern complexity theory, a piece on deciding whether to buy a computer or a dog, and a chance to buy a set of thimbles honoring the masters of computer science. An appropriate gift for the programmer or anyone working in the computer industry. Give it along with a copy of Douglas Coupland's "Microserfs." Grade: B+

• HTML FOR FUN AND PROFIT by Mary E.S. Morris. Prentice Hall PTR, 113 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (800) 947-7700, FAX: (515) 284-2607. Internet users may contact Prentice Hall in the following ways: Gopher to gopher.prenhall.com, ftp to ftp.prenhall.com or telnet to gopher.prenhall.com (login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address), then type cd pub. Purchasers may request an order form from ftp.prenhall.com, login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address, then type cd pub/ptrph_cat/net.comm. Orders can also be placed by e-mailing to orders@prenhall.com. Illustrated, index, glossary, five appendices. 286 pp., $35.00 cloth. 0-13-359290-1
  Primarily for those already up to speed on the function of the WWW and who want to quickly jump into creating web home pages and setting up a server, Morris takes the reader through formatting basics, creating hyperlinks, integrating multimedia, use of the Common Gateway Interface (CGI), web page design, and uploading it all to the Internet. The CD-ROM includes sample scripts and pages, as well as software for the Mac, UNIX, and OS/2 systems. Comprehensive and easy to read. Grade: A-.

• USING INTERNET RELAY CHAT: THE USER-FRIENDLY REFERENCE. QUE Publishing, 201 W. 103rd St., Indianapolis, IN 46290, (800) 428- 5331, (317) 581-3500, FAX: (800) 882-8583. Internet users may access QUE Publishing the following ways: gopher to gopher.mcp.com, ftp to ftp.mcp.com, on the world wide web at http://www.mcp.com, and e-mail to order-processing@mcp.com. Illustrated, index, four appendices. 235 pp., $19.99 paper. 0-7897-0020-4
  Pyra has penned one long IRC FAQ that covers choosing a nickname (Pyra's is KidFear), joining a conversation, finding channels suited to particular interests, finding IRC software, playing games, and where to find help, written in an almost too user- friendly style. Grade: B.

• RIDING THE INTERNET HIGHWAY: DELUXE EDITION by Sharon Fisher and Rob Tidrow. New Riders Publishing, 201 W. 103rd St., Indianapolis, IN 46290, (800) 428-5331, (317) 581-3500, FAX: (800) 882-8583. Internet users may access New Riders Publishing the following ways: gopher to gopher.mcp.com, ftp to ftp.mcp.com, on the world wide web at http://www.mcp.com, and e-mail to order-processing@mcp.com. Illustrated, index, five appendices, one 3.5" diskette. 397 pp., $24.95 paper. 0-56205-315-9
  Another general introduction to the Internet which includes WinNET 2.11 (mail and news) on diskette. The book covers finding an account, UNIX commands, where to get help, sending and receiving e- mail, mailing lists, Internet Relay Chat, reading and posting netnews, downloading with ftp, and finding information with telnet, gopher, archie, finger, and a cursory tour of the World Wide Web. Grade: B.

• THE ESSENTIAL INTERNET INFORMATION GUIDE by Jason J. Manger. McGraw-Hill Professional Book Group, 11 W. 19th St., N.Y., NY 10011-4285, (212) 337-6000, FAX: (212) 337-4092. Books from the McGraw-Hill Professional Book Group, Medical/Healthcare Group, and College Division are available on the Internet in Titlebank. Gopher to gopher.mcgraw.infor.com 5000. On the WWW point the URL to gopher://mcgraw.infor.com:5000. Index, seven appendices. 525 pp., $27.95 paper. 0-07-707905-1
  Using a much more straightforward approach than other books for the Internet newbie (Manger wants to get the information to readers, he doesn't care much about befriending them), the "essential" label involves succinct and to-the-point sections on Usenet, ftp, UNIX tools (archie, etc.), file compression, manipulating binary files, IRC, and e-mail, with a meager mention of the World Wide Web that brings down the book's otherwise excellent marks. Grade: B.

• MOSAIC AND WEB EXPLORER by Urban A. LeJeune with Jeff Duntemann. Coriolis Group Publishing, 7339 E. Acoma Drive, Suite 7, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, (800) 410-0192 (orders), (602) 483-0192, FAX: (602) 483-0193. The Coriolis WWW home page is located at http://www.coriolis.com/. Illustrated, index, appendix, one CD-ROM. 523 pp., $34.99 paper. 1-883577-16-0
  The treatment of the World Wide Web left out of the guide reviewed above can be found here, as well as software on the accompanying CD-ROM that contains the means for connecting to the Internet from a list of service providers, a copy of Mosaic, video clips and sound bites to add to pages, and lots of other utilities. The book provides a good introduction to the Web, but is primarily a handbook for using the CD-ROM. This isn't a drawback, and the "Explorer" is one of the best books on the Web I've seen so far. Grade: A. Also available from Coriolis: "Netscape and HTML Explorer with CD-ROM" - same format as above, only using the Netscape browser and creating HTML documents, and "Web Explorer Pocket Companion" - a quick Web introduction and tour.

• JIS-KANJI CHARACTER RECOGNITION FEATURING THE GAIJI METHOD by Glenn Searfoss. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 115 Fifth Avenue, N.Y., NY 10003, (800) 544-0550, (212) 254-9499 FAX. VNR's WWW home page is located at http://www.vnr.com/vnr.html. Illustrated, index, glossary, bibliography, one 3.5" diskette. 441 pp., $49.95 paper. 0-442- 01813-4
  With the Internet allowing a unique opportunity for communication and commerce on an international level, it is important that language not be a barrier. This book presents a new graphic image- based system of character identification, called Gaiji, which enables users to employ Japanese characters without the necessity of knowing the Japanese language, complete on the accompanying diskette. An indispensable reference for anyone doing business with Japan. Grade: A.

• ANNUAL REVIEW OF INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, VOLUME 29 (1994), edited by Martha E. Williams. Learned Information, Inc., 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055-8750, (609) 654-6266, FAX: (609) 654-4309. Index, cumulative index, bibliography. 509 pp., $76.50 (members of ASIS), $95.00 (others), cloth. 0-938734-75-X
  While there is much published information on marketing trends, industry studies, and business performance, there is little on the industries that provide this information. The "Annual Review of Information Science and Technology" fills this gap each year with a comprehensive overview in four key areas: "Planning Information Systems and Services," "Basic Techniques and Technologies," "Applications," and "The Profession." The nine sub-topics in Volume 29 (which vary from year-to-year and are catalogued in a cumulative index going back to 1966), are literature-dependent and address subjects such as emerging information retrieval techniques, healthcare information management (health informatics), developments and enhancements in online catalogs, and library and information specialists as knowledge engineers. Primarily published for members of the "American Society for Information Science" (ASIS), the volume also belongs in libraries and on the shelves of information services, database maintainers, and for the wealth of its bibliography, individual researchers. Grade for Volume 29: A.

• A GUIDED TOUR OF THE INTERNET: UNIQUE AND EASY-TO-READ WITH PERSONAL TIPS FROM YOUR OWN INTERNET TOUR GUIDE by Christian Crumlish. SYBEX Inc., 2021 Challenger Dr., Alameda, CA 94501, (800) 227-2346, FAX: (510) 523-2373. On the Web, the SYBEX home page is at http://www.sybex.com/. Illustrated, index, glossary, list of service providers, list of UNIX commands. 300 pp., $19.95 paper. 0-7821-1619-1
  This Internet guide for beginners makes the "Dummies" series seem like it's written for MIT graduates. A cartoon character presents the basics of e-mail, news, search and retrieval tools, browsing the Web, and other concepts. As he stands in the margin, he has about five poses (reading a map, gesturing to the side, holding up a stop sign, and don't ask me about the one where he sticks his finger up his nose) that are infuriatingly repeated over and over. The information is all there, it's too bad the design keeps it from being accessed without getting a migraine headache. Grade: info: B, design: D.

  OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

• MICHAEL ABRASH'S ZEN OF GRAPHICS PROGRAMMING: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO WRITING FAST PC GRAPHICS by Michael Abrash. Coriolis Group Publishing, 7339 E. Acoma Drive, Suite 7, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, (800) 410-0192 (orders), (602) 483-0192, FAX: (602) 483-0193. The Coriolis WWW home page is located at http://www.coriolis.com/. Illustrated, index, one 3.5" diskette. 744 pp., $39.95 paper. 1-883577-08-X. C and assembly source code from low-level graphics to 3-D animation.

• ROUTING THE INTERNET by Christian Huitema. Prentice Hall PTR, 113 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (800) 947-7700, FAX: (515) 284-2607. Internet users may contact Prentice Hall in the following ways: Gopher to gopher.prenhall.com, ftp to ftp.prenhall.com or telnet to gopher.prenhall.com (login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address), then type cd pub. Purchasers may request an order form from ftp.prenhall.com, login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address, then type cd pub/ptrph_cat/net.comm. Orders can also be placed by e-mailing to orders@prenhall.com. Illustrated, index. 331 pp., $45.00 cloth. 0-13-132192-7. Internet architecture, protocols, and their future.

• MARKETING ON THE INTERNET: MULTIMEDIA STRATEGIES FOR THE WORLD WIDE WEB by Jill H. Ellsworth and Matthew V. Ellsworth. Wiley and Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., N.Y., NY 10158-0012, (800) CALL WILEY, (212) 850-6088 FAX. The Wiley WWW home page is located at http://www.wiley.com/. Illustrated, index, glossary, two appendices. 432 pp., $29.95 paper. 0-471-11850-8. One of the better WWW manuals, written by an Internet business consultant.

• THE OFFICIAL PGP USER'S GUIDE by Philip R. Zimmerman. MIT Press, 55 Hayward St., Cambridge, MA 02142, (800) 356-0343, (617) 258-6779 FAX. Those on the Internet may place orders by sending e-mail to mitpress-orders@mit.edu. MIT catalogs are available on the Internet by telneting to techinfo.mit.edu (login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address - at the main menu, choose #2, then #21) or by gophering to gopher.mit.edu (choose #5). Index, list of recommended readings, appendix. 147 pp., $14.95 paper. 0-262-74017-6. A brief overview of Zimmerman's Pretty Good Privacy encryption software, rather than a handbook on its operation.

• INSTANT INTERNET WITH WEBSURFER by David Sachs and Henry Stair. Prentice Hall PTR, 113 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (800) 947-7700, FAX: (515) 284-2607. Internet users may contact Prentice Hall in the following ways: Gopher to gopher.prenhall.com, ftp to ftp.prenhall.com or telnet to gopher.prenhall.com (login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address), then type cd pub. Purchasers may request an order form from ftp.prenhall.com, login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address, then type cd pub/ptrph_cat/net.comm. Orders can also be placed by e-mailing to orders@prenhall.com. Illustrated, index, three 3.5" diskettes. 239 pp., $24.95 paper. 0-13-210675-2. A concise, and competent approach to Internet travel, with diskette utilities for signup, news, e-mail, search and retrieve tools, a Web browser (requires Windows) and more. This package is a great value.

• INTERNET FOR DUMMIES, 2ND EDITION by John R. Levine and Carol Baroudi. IDG Books, 155 Bovet Rd., Suite 610, San Mateo, CA 94402, (800) 762-2974, (415) 286-2740. IDG's home page on the Web is under construction and should be up within 60 to 90 days. Illustrated, index, glossary, appendix. 455 pp., $19.99 paper. 1- 56884-222-8. The new edition of this bestseller continues to make the Internet entertaining and uncomplicated. Also just published: "Netscape and the World Wide Web for Dummies."

• HOW TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET: YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO MAKING MONEY AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT by Vince Emery. Coriolis Group Publishing, 7339 E. Acoma Drive, Suite 7, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, (800) 410-0192 (orders), (602) 483-0192, FAX: (602) 483-0193. The Coriolis WWW home page is located at http://www.coriolis.com/. Index. 448 pp., $24.99 paper. 1-883577-29-2. A credible guide to starting up an Internet business.

• PROTECTION AND SECURITY ON THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY by Frederick B. Cohen. Wiley and Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., N.Y., NY 10158-0012, (800) CALL WILEY, (212) 850-6088 FAX. The Wiley WWW home page is located at http://www.wiley.com/. Index, glossary, bibliography, case studies. 313 pp., $24.95 paper. 0-471-11389-1 Cohen, a network security expert, cautions readers about becoming computer dependent and how to thwart those who want to take advantage of it.

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