BKCDRMBG.RVW   960914
 
"CD-ROM: A Beginner's Guide", Sheldon Leemon, 1995, 0-7821-1710-4, U$19.99
%A   Sheldon Leemon
%C   1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA   94501
%D   1995
%G   0-7821-1710-4
%I   Sybex Computer Books
%O   U$19.99 510-523-8233 800-227-2346 Fax: 510-523-2373 info@sybex.com
%P   279
%T   "CD-ROM: A Beginner's Guide"
 
Having been a party to media bits that gushed all over CD-ROMs, I have to warm
to a book that tells it like it is.  A CD-ROM is just a big floppy disk. 
Widely selling "multimedia" encyclopedias are based on the test of limited and
inaccurate encyclopedia sets which sell in grocery stores for a fraction of the
price.  "Photo CD compatible" is a basically meaningless selling point.
 
Which is not to say that the book is perfect.  While Leemon at least touches on
all the necessary points in regard to buying and installing a CD-ROM drive, he
doesn't even attempt to deal with problem areas.  If there is an IRQ conflict
or a problem with the driver as it is set by the installation program, you will
have to find help elsewhere.  Leemon is also somewhat disorganized with related
information: in regard to encyclopedias, the warning about content comes in
chapter three, a note about search tools is mentioned in chapter seven, and
neither of these warnings are mentioned in the reviews in chapter eight.  (On
the same topic, Leemon never mentions one of the most annoying aspects of
CD-ROM references: that of only allowing you to search on pre-indexed terms. 
Many allow you to specify any term you want, but will only actually search on
the "nearest" indexed term.)
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996   BKCDRMBG.RVW   960914

======================
roberts@decus.ca           rslade@vcn.bc.ca           rslade@vanisl.decus.ca
       "In America, freedom of the press is largely reserved for those 
               who own one"    - A. J. Liebling
Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" 0-387-94663-2 (800-SPRINGER)