AUUGN on the Web - Volume 16, Number 1:

Book Review: Internet CD

by Vivian Neou
Prentice Hall
1994, 260 Pages (180 text, 80 appendices and index)
ISBN 0-13-123852-3

Reviewed by
David J. Hughes
Bond University
< Bambi@Bond.edu.au >

Have you ever got to the end of a book, placed it back on the coffee table and just sat there asking yourself "Why?" ? That's the kind of reaction that Internet CD aroused in me. It's hard to tell exactly at whom this book is aimed. In its introduction the book states that it is intended for experienced computer users who want to learn about the Internet. It then adds to that statement by saying that if you are a Windows user you should have enough knowledge to be able to add a Program Item and run a program from the Program Manager. This loose definition of an "experienced user" jumps from someone who can click on an icon under Windows to someone who understands IRQ settings and base IO addresses of the comms hardware of a PC. In short it's hard to know where this book is supposed to fit in.

Accompanying Internet CD is a CD-ROM containing "All the Internet software and documentation you'll ever need, on one packed CD-ROM". It is pretty much packed to the brim with PC related software including Eudora for Windows, UUPC, WAIS, Gopher, Trumpet, Crynwr Packet Drivers and other bits and pieces. It also includes a copy of Linux, a full set of RFCs from the time of printing, mailing list archives (NameDroppers, BIND and TCP/IP), and various information sources (IETF, IEN, FYI etc).

The structure of the book is basically as follows :-

roughly 15 pages describing various Internet services (FTP, telnet, archie, wais, e-mail, etc.),
35 pages covering the installation and setup of a Windows based PC running a packet driver, an IP stack, and various applications
15 pages on compiling and installing gopher, WAIS and archie on a UNIX box
12 pages on using a text searching tool provided to enable searching of the RFCs etc
about 30 pages on setting up Linux
a 10 page chapter on setting up UUPC
a 25 page reprint of the Gopher User's Manual
Various appendices including a list of service providers and a couple of FAQs.

I can't understand how anyone can describe the functionality of FTP, telnet, wais, archie, gopher, veronica and WWW in 15 pages. The book then spends 12 pages describing how to use a simple text searching utility provided with the RFCs on the CD. There just doesn't appear to be a reasonable balance of information here. This inbalance becomes more apparant when you realise that the World Wide Web is covered in two short pages. I'm still trying to decide how configuring a PC for a UUCP connection fits in to the scheme of things.

When I received this book and noticed the SRI logo on the front I thought that it would be either a good book for someone who doesn't know anything about the net or possibly a good refernce for more experienced users. Unfortunately, it's neither. The lasting impression of Internet CD is of a collection of bits and pieces tossed together like a limp garden salad and lobbed at the growing commercial Internet band-wagon.