BKFRESTF.RVW 960528 "Free Stuff From the Internet", Vincent, 1996, 1-883577-79-9, U$24.99/C$34.99 %A Patrick Vincent pjvincent@coriolis.com %C 7339 E. Acoma Drive, Suite 7, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 %D 1996 %G 1-883577-79-9 %I Coriolis %O U$24.99/C$34.99 800-410-0192 +1-602-483-0192 fax: +1-602-483-0193 %P 624 %T "Free Stuff From the Internet" The one word probably most responsible for the current interest in the Internet is "free". Free email. (Well, distance and usage insensitive. Except for Compu$pend.) Free software. (Well, some public domain and distance insensitive access to lots of shareware.) Free advice. (And worth every penny you paid for it.) In yet another catalogue of stuff on the net, he has definitely added stuff to the first, so if you liked the prior edition you won't have to worry about whether or not it's worth your while to get the second. If, in the first edition, Vincent went overboard with Gopher, this tome is packed with World Wide Web sites. As Vincent, himself, points out, it only scratches the surface of what is available. The entries average about half a page, each, and some might wonder at the need to use that much space in order to give directions on obtaining six utility programs for manipulating your DOS PATH setting. On the other hand, some of the entries could stand a little expansion. It is also very well to point to a directory that contains a bunch of word processors and editors, but could we have some idea of which was which? Also, I noted a distressing number of "sample chapters", demos, and catalogues (the contents of which are definitely not free). The listings are divided by topical chapters. Within the chapters, there is no discernable organization: this is a book for browsing, not for reference. The disorganization is visible in other ways as well. Page 46 has a sidebar which describes Vincent's conversion from virus skeptic to true believer. It suggests checking out more information on viruses in "Computers and Software". It isn't there. Looking up "Viruses" in the index tells you to "See Computer viruses". Looking up "Computer viruses" is a waste of time--it isn't there either. The inclusion of a list of Freenets is a nice touch--but only for those in the US. This time around the book includes a CD-ROM which does actually give you some free stuff--plus a lot of shareware. Diehard downloaders will be delighted: others might be looking for a while to find something of interest. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995 BKFRESTF.RVW 960528 ============== Vancouver roberts@decus.ca | You realize, of Institute for rslade@vanisl.decus.ca | course, that these Research into Rob.Slade@f733.n153.z1/ | new facts do not User .fidonet.org | coincide with my Security Canada V7K 2G6 | preconceived ideas