Categories: Devices: History, News and Lifestyle

Travel Books For Cyberspace

First-timers and certifiable scouts alike need a trusty guidebook to navigate the Net. Tin Alban, book review editor of PC Magazine, recommends the following to suit all ranges of experience back in 1990s.

For beginners:

Zen and the Art of the Internet.

Brendan P. Kehoe, Prentice Hall, 1994. The best introductory guide to the Internet. It wastes little time with cute graphics or long lists. It’s strictly a how and where book.

The Internet For Dummies. John R. Levine, IDG Books, 1994. This book is one of the best ways to get started on the Net. It covers everything from getting hooked up to using the myriad search and navigation tools.

Exploring The World of Online Services. Rosalind Resnick, Sybex Inc. 1993. An excellent intro to Prodigy and CompuServe. Includes ways to keep costs down.

For advanced users:

The Internet Guide for New Users. Daniel P. Dern, McGrawHill, 1995. The title is a misnomer this is no beginner’s book. Rather, it’s a top-match reference guide to the history, tools and features of the Internet. Besides the basics, the guide gives plenty of information on using UNIX (the operating system of choice on the Net), and guides to security, commercial services, and software.

Net Guide

Michael Wolff and Peter Rutten, Random House Reference and Electronic Publishing, 1994. One of the more complete, well-organized guides to online topics, it contains listings of over 4,000 special-interest forums available on CompuServe, Genie, and the Internet.

Using Computer Bulletin Boards. John Hedtke, MIS Press 1994. The first half of this clearly written book takes you through the BBS labyrinth and explains how to log on, navigate through the features and conferences. The second half, for more advanced users, introduces various BBS software, such as Fido, Wildcat!, and PC Board.

Magazines

PC Novice $2.95 per issue, $24 for one year (12 issues).

HomePC, $3 per issue; 21.97 for one year (12 issues).

Both of these cover the computer world in a newbie-friendly tone.

Macworld. $2.50 per issue, $30 for one year (12 issues).

Macuser $3.95 per issue; $19.97 for one year (12 issues). Both offer in-depth reviews, along with expert forecasts of where various computer-related markets are headed. The equivalents for PC users are PC Magazine and Windows Sources.

Wired. $4.95 per issue, $39.95 for one year (12 issues). Anyone interested in how computers are affecting the world should read this Full of cultural insights, the skinny on the industry, and reviews of neat stuff.