BKDMGTOU.RVW 930917 Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. Kelly Ford, Promotion/Publicity Coordinator P.O. Box 520 26 Prince Andrew Place Don Mills, Ontario M3C 2T8 416-447-5101 fax: 416-443-0948 or 1 Jacob Way Reading, MA 01867-9984 800-527-5210 617-944-3700 5851 Guion Road Indianapolis, IN 46254 800-447-2226 Dr. Macintosh's Guide to the On-Line Universe, LeVitus/Ihnatko, U$24.95/C$31.95 76004.2076@compuserve.com levitus@aol.com levitus@mcimail.com r.levitus@genie.geis.com 2511.204@compuserve.com At the low end of the computer world there are tremendous fights about "my computer is better than your computer." Most books aimed at the beginner show one sort of bias or another. Only at the higher ranges of computerdom does one realize that it is not what is on the desk that counts, but what you *do* with it. Therefore it is refreshing, and heartening, to find a book ostensibly for the Macintosh user which could be an excellent introduction for *any* computer user. The preface, and chapter one as well, is the pitch. Here the authors (or the verbose one, anyway) extol the virtues of the "online life". Although, as is very often the case, they include some very specific examples which may not convince the, "but what if I'm not interested in *that*?" crowd, it is nice to see a conservative approach to the presentation. A welcome change from those who promise the earth ... and often deliver very little. Chapter two covers the modem side of things. Actually, it is a bit broader than that, as it also deals with phone jacks, and even a bit about phone service (with reference to the missing bits later in the book). Some points are discussed very flippantly, such as the explanation that the modem turns data into "a noise like static" and then back again. At other points the book contradicts itself, for example stating (page 33) that 9600 bps is the highest speed manufacturers agree on and, then (page 34), discussing the V.32 bis standard of 14,400 bps modems. These minor quibbles aside, the level of detail is probably just right for the new user, and yet pretty much all the important topics are covered in sufficient depth to give the newcomer a fighting chance at the modem store. Chapter three discusses software. Not in as much detail as hardware; in fact, it's downright terse. One aspect I would have liked to have seen at least mentioned is the ability to put a comm window in the background ... and still have it operate. (Don't take this for granted: it *doesn't* always work.) Also, while a preference is expressed for shareware, MacKermit isn't mentioned and it's free. (Well, OK. The last version I saw *was* a little shy on features.) Again, however, these are minor complaints in the face of a well- prepared and presented coverage of the features to be examined. There is also a quick set of reviews of the major programs. Most books on computer communications are unwilling to tackle that all important setup and first session(s) on line. LeVitus and Ihnatko have done a very thorough job in ensuring that all the bases are covered. Everything from cabling to command strings to software setup to communications parameters are mentioned. Not always thoroughly, mind you. Getting a full "verbose" result from a modem usually requires two, or even three, different commands. Again, the material contradicts itself, stating that a modem *doesn't* require a "handshaking" cable for data compression on page 77, and that it *does* on page 93. (Most salesmen will likely have difficulty finding a "hardware handshaking cable" at that. More standard terminology refers to "terminal" cables, with four connectors wired, "modem" cables, usually with eight connectors wired, and "serial" or "RS-232" cables with all twenty-five connectors wired. These last, of course, could not accommodate the Mac eight-pin connector.) However, once again, these limitations are fairly minor in comparison to the overall value of this chapter, right down to examples of screens when either the speed or data parameters are mismatched. Chapters five and six cover the two most common aspects of the new users' online life, Messaging (either private email or posting public messages) and downloading of files. Again, the progression and the explanations are both logical and clear. The examples are all taken from a TBBS bulletin board: examples from other systems would likely have been helpful in broadening the concept. The explanations, though, are quite complete, and it should be fairly easy for the reader to extend the concepts to other systems. (Again, one Mac- specific reference reminds me of how little "Mac only" material there is here, and how useful to users, regardless of computer "stripe".) One oddity is the discussion of "real time conferencing" in chapter six, with files, when it might more logically be lumped in with messaging. Chapter seven gives an overview of the various types of online services to which one can connect. Local BBSes, as well as specialized commercial services, are covered, as is the use of Fido technology for networking. Intriguingly, the Internet is lumped in with CompuServe, America Online and GEnie as part of a "big four". (The authors make the common mistake of confusing the Internet with Usenet newsgroups.) Still, for once we have a book that recognizes *all* the levels of services, including private corporate BBSes. The online community, and the etiquette thereof, are discussed in chapter eight. This chapter covers pretty much the whole range of online behaviour, and the different activities that are acceptable on different types of systems. Depth, however, may be lacking in certain areas. For example, users are warned against the different types of unacceptable messages, and specifically against abusive messages, or flames, but nothing is said about the unintentional slights, such as flippant responses to emotionally charged messages, which may trigger "flame wars". (Also, in light of the previous chapter's familiarity with newsgroups, Usenet's standard "This message will be posted to thousands of machines: are you sure?" could have been used in support of the sections on "hogging" - and fits right in with the authors' quirky views.) Chapter nine deals with advanced topics: computer-to-computer communications, for two individuals, running a BBS, scripting and others. Chapter ten talks about security. First is a basically sound overview of the virus situation, and then a reiteration and extension of the discussion of passwords started in chapter five. There are six appendices. The glossary is quite reasonable, as is the "AT" command set listing, although the descriptions are necessarily brief and may not be terribly helpful with the rather bizarre setup contortions that are required to deal with real problems. An overview of the Macintosh Communications Toolbox is interesting, and the vendor address listing may be very helpful, indeed. The "Smattering of BBSes" is just that, while the serial wiring diagrams would be *very* useful - if it weren't for the fact that the two diagrams use completely different terms for the pins that need to be connected. The preface starts out with, "You're standing in the bookstore ... wondering if it's worth buying. The answer is, yes." I can agree with that. The book may very well be the best way to learn to use data communications with a Mac: it certainly is one of the best introductions for new users regardless of the system. For those somewhat familiar with computer communications, the section detailing the guide to the online universe is nothing new, but for neophytes, this is an excellent introduction. (Interesting. Of all the communications books reviewed so far, the best "introductions" are not the supposed generic and basic books, but two very system specific books: "Using MS-DOS Kermit" (cf BKUMSKMT.RVW), and this.) copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993 BKDMGTOU.RVW 930917 ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Oct. '94) Springer-Verlag