Whole Internet User's Guide & Catalog

Very well written! The organization of this book offers the reader the option to learn a little or dig deeper, either way, the reader will gain functional, usable knowledge. Each chapter builds upon itself, making digestion of complex material very simple. I highly recommend reading this if you want more than AOL has to offer!

The first book I ever read about the internet. I got this book way back in '92 (or perhaps the spring of '93). It was one of only two books that were out (at least that people knew about on the net), the other one being The Hitchikers Guide to the Internet, or something like that. I still have the old copy, so I can't vouch for the newest releases, but since the author is the same, I trust his text has only improved. It was a great book to start out learning about the net because it didn't just skim the surface, but got into the nitty gritty of many different aspects, including email, ftp, the web (then in its infancy), usenet news, telnet, WAIS, GOPHER, and even connecting your computer to the net (not an easy task in 1992!), and more, all in just 350 or so pages! It was enough to get me hooked and to make all the cryptic unix commands that you had to deal with if you were connecting via a university (not many other choices back then) seem a little less cryptic. If you are a relative newcomer to the net, this book is a great place to start, unless you are very computer-illiterate, in which case you'll probably have an easier time with a Dummies book which doesn't go into as much detail. Even for those who are not so new to the net, Kroll has a good deal of historical information about the net and some stuff on the actual network systems that connect everything - the mbones and all that - so you will gain a lot from this as well. All in all, a very useful book!

I really liked this book. It was recommended to me by a web-designer friend. He gave me the book to read and told me what was out of date. The parts that are still usable were very informative, but when it comes to computers you must admit that it is better to get a new publication. I hope he writes a third edition soon, I'll buy the first copy.