Customer Reviews

Firefox and Thunderbird Garage

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ever since software stopped shipping with printed user manuals, users new to a software package typically look for an introductory text to familiarize themselves with the program if that program is not self-explanatory. For those new users to FireFox and Thunderbird, this title provides just such an introduction. For the most part, this title overviews the programs from the perspective of the user, covering the basic interface and dialogs spawned by toolbar and menu items. Readers should not expect to get any deeper into the applications than what is immediately available within the Options dialogs.

In regards to the FireFox section of this title, showing the information they do in a straight-forward manner would have resulted a text one third as long as what they printed. To flesh this out, the authors have both taken the position that readers are not only new to FireFox, but new to internet browsing in general, and have added both very remedial information as well as a huge amount of filler. For instance, an entire chapter appropriately titled "Websites to Waste Your Time With" does nothing more than provide you eight solid pages of links to web sites that you can - waste your time with. Another chapter appears to be a dedicated advertisement for a blog managing extension download. And as a last example, one chapter has a two page table that covers what each toolbar button does, including a picture, name, and description (such as "New Window: Does the same as the File | New Windows command").

For the Thunderbird section, much of the same fluffed up information as presented in the FireFox section can be found. However, as an email client is a more complicated application than a browser, this section can serve as an excellent Wizard (if you will) for guiding the user thru the often difficult task of account setup and migration, as well as learning how to use the Thunderbird interface instead of your current email program.

Only those that are looking for a beginners guide for FireFox and Thunderbird should consider this title. The book definitely covers the basics of the applications and does so in a way that is easy for the reader to understand and follow. Those that just want the facts and would prefer not to have to sift thru fluff and personal opinion may find this text trying at times, but will get the information they need. Much of the information presented in the book is also presented for free in the on-line help included with both applications, but readers will find value in the extra programs and links presented throughout the chapters.

This is an excellent volume for newcomers.

Unlike `Firefox Hacks' which has information for beginners, power users, programmers and web designers `F & T' is squarely and firmly a beginner's book - though it has some material useful for those who have been using the software for a short time. `F & T' provides its value by covering both the Firefox browser and the Thunderbird email client with just under two thirds of the book devoted to Firefox.

The book starts with a chapter devoted to the absolute beginning covering such topics as why and what is Firefox as well as installation, importing settings and bookmarks from other browsers and finding your way around the window. `F & T' then continues, explaining in a careful, step by step manner, all that a user might need to know about browsing the net with Firefox.

When I first noticed that `F & T' devoted almost twice as much space to Firefox as Thunderbird I feared that the Thunderbird section had been added to pad the book out without really covering the software properly. Fortunately my fears were unfounded, it is just that Thunderbird is that little bit simpler. Not being a Thunderbird user (I use Google Mail in Firefox) I fired it up and worked through the second section of the book. I discovered that `F & T' covers all the necessary information for getting the best out of Thunderbird for the average user and that little bit more that makes you feel like a power user.

The book finishes with four appendices that cover the shortcuts and menu commands for each program, one on hacking the preferences using about:config and editing the user.js file and a final one that covers digital certificates.

After reading this book and working through about half the chapters I have yet to find any egregious errors or appalling editing. Overall the style is good, though sometimes a little flippant and sometimes a little dry, it feels like there was a good strong hand editing. I find the `dirty' font used in some headings a little hard to read in the sidebars. I appreciate the stylistic quirkiness and `garage' feel but it might have been better a few points larger for my aging eyes. The body type is also a little light for reading in less than ideal lighting.

This is not really a book for geeks. I suspect that anyone who reads Slashdot would think it too basic and too plodding. Having once again found myself supporting "the average user" I'm realising that books for users who have no real interest or expertise in computers need to be basic and step by step. `F & T' seems to me to be perfectly pitched for a book I would recommend to my mother or a friend who wanted a book to help them move away from proprietary `net tools to these open source programs. The `Garage' series seems to be growing as an alternative to that other series of books for beginners, and one that doesn't feel the need to treat users as dummies. While the `Garage' series are definitely pitched at the beginner, they assume a decent level of intelligence and some ability to explore on your own.

If you would like a closer look at the book then you can visit the Prentice Hall site for the book for the table of contents, preface, foreword and two example chapters. Like all Prentice Hall book pages all of these apart from the table of contents are PDF files.

I currently work on a large campus supporting Macintosh users where I find the most common browser unstable and lacking in features and the most common email client just a little buggy and lacking in good support (neither are the free products provided by Apple). I think that a quick install and a copy of this book would solve a number of my problems. I would recommend this volume to all those who want a good beginner to mid level user volume on two excellent pieces of software. I would prefer to recommend this book to a beginner than any other on the topic I have seen as it doesn't attempt to cover too much of the learning curve, rather it goes for width, covering both pieces of software and more of each that might be of interest to the early user.

I started using Mozilla when it was still in beta mode and then progressed to Firefox when that came out in beta. Since then, the only time that I use IE is when there are pages that will not render correctly in Firefox. I have also been successful in converting several people at work including my manager to Firefox. The rumor mill has it that our VP of Information Technology is a big fan of Firefox to the point that he is considering making Firefox the preferred browser.

This book covers Firefox and Thunderbird in two independent sections, which is only appropriate since they're two separate programs. The writing, however, is consistent throughout. Unlike other books that I have reviewed that have multiple authors, this book does not exude a conflict in writing styles. That and the easy-going style indicative of the Garage series make this an easy book to read and follow.

I was impressed that security is considered to be the most important aspect of Firefox, second only the actual installation. Chapter two covers the various aspects of security in Firefox, including cookies, pop-up blocking, passwords, plug-in installation, and others, explaining what each of these bits of the Internet are and how they can affect the user's privacy and security, making most of these issues understandable to novices.

The section about Thunderbird follows the same format. The first chapter explains how Thunderbird differs from Firefox as well as the multi-OS installation techniques. The book even explains all of the libraries that are necessary with Thunderbird on Linux. This is nice considering that libraries are often the bane of new, Linux users.

One thing that's odd is that Firefox and Thunderbird are not included with book. I know that combined they're only about 10 MB worth of downloads, which is nothing compared to service pack 1 for Internet Explorer 6 which comes in at a whopping 61 MB; but what better way to entice people to use Firefox than to give it to them right there? One of the small, three-inch CDs would have been more than sufficient to hold the applications and perhaps some of the plug-ins and third-party utilities. I know that 10 MB is not a lot, but I also know people who will not even download files that are that big when what they have (namely Internet Explorer) already works.

Firefox and Thunderbird Garage is a great book for anyone who wants to get away (or anyone whom you would like to get away) from Outlook and Internet Explorer. Lots of screen shots, an easy-to-follow format, and good organization make this a book that all, new Firefox and Thunderbird converts should have next to them at all times.

When it comes to Internet browser and newsreader software Firefox and Thunderbird are both considered to be one of the best available. Firefox is the browser of choice for me and has been for some time. This book is about getting under the hood and modifying your Firefox and Thunderbird to make them work the way you want them to and make your experience more pleasurable. Just like car enthusiasts will take a stock car and modify it to be their pride and joy, this book explains how to take the stock installation of Firefox and Thunderbird and make them work the way you wish a browser and newsreader would work. Filled with valuable advice and insight, the authors don't waste waste a lot of words trying to explain things you don't really need to know. Basically they point out an item that can be improved, describes how it can work better, and then walks you through how to implement the change. With multiple appendixes that are packed with very valuable information, Firefox & Thunderbird Garage is highly recommended.

If you look at this book for what it is, it is a five-star book. This book is attempting to bring Firefox mainstream. The director of Engineering for the firm is the author. That says a lot.

The use of two-color printing is used very well. It makes for interesting and entertaining reading. Some of the material is elementary, but some of it contains tidbits that experienced users will find helpful. Some of it would take a beginner quite a while to find out.

Firefox is taking the world by storm and this is a good guide for quite a large portion of those new users. Competition is a good thing!

If you've been thinking about switching to Firefox and/or Thunderbird for web browser and email, this book can help you make that switch successfully... Firefox & Thunderbird Garage by Chris Hofmann, Marcia Knous, and John Hedtke.

Chapter List:
Firefox - Getting Started; Protecting Your Security and Privacy; Ridding Yourself of the Annoyances of the Web; Searching the Web; BLOG - Websites to Waste Your Time With; Bookmarks and History; Harnessing the Power of Tabbed Browsing; Customizing Firefox with Third-Party Extensions and Themes; BLOG - Managing Your Blog with Extensions; Other Interesting Features; BLOG - Literary Blogs Through the Ages
Thunderbird - Getting Started with Mozilla Thunderbird; Setting Up Your Mail, RSS, and Newsgroup Accounts Using Mozilla Thunderbird; Protecting Your Privacy and Blocking Spam; BLOG - Phishing; Organizing Your Email Topics; BLOG - My Email Tirade of the Day; Customizing the Look and Feel of Mozilla Thunderbird;
Appendices - Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts for Firefox; Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts for Thunderbird; Menu Commands for Firebox; Menu Commands for Thunderbird; Hacking Configuration Files; Security, Certificates, and Validation; Glossary

There are many things to like about this book. For one, the Garage series is an irreverent style of writing that conveys a lot of information in an entertaining, conversational fashion. In addition to the regular text (that is well illustrated), there are useful sidebars like Tool Kits and Fridges that go slightly off-topic but add some really nice tricks to your computing repertoire. The material on Firefox and Thunderbird is extremely practical without getting bogged down in geeky details that are of little use to the normal user. You could probably figure out a lot of this information on your own if you plugged away long enough, but by taking a little time to read this book, you'll become much more proficient with little effort.

I personally liked the sections on themes and extensions. The extension concept is one of the most powerful features of Firefox, and knowing that you can add functionality to your browser with a simple download will change the way you surf the web. The authors cover a wide array of extensions, so you should find at least one or two immediate "must have" additions that you'll want to investigate. Granted, the world of extensions and add-on software is constantly changing, so what you see in the book will change over time. But still, it will at worst give you an impression of what's available out there.

An excellent book for the new Firefox or Thunderbird user, and one that will give you enough new material to keep you learning for quite awhile. Highly recommended.

I'm not really a fan of the Garage series but this one is surprisingly good. The walktrhough goes from beginner to advanced use. And I found a lot of things that were new to me even as a long-time Firefox user.

There is good coverage of the extensions that you can add in. Graphics are used well but not overused. And there are only a few of the 'survey' style segments that are so frequently used in books that cover browsers.

Definitely worth the look if you think you aren't getting the most out of your browser (and you probably aren't.)

There are many good things about the book and it is an excellent source for those that are looking for a beginners guide for FireFox and Thunderbird. The book most definitely covers the basics of the applications and does so in a way that is very easy for an inexperienced web surfer / reader to understand and follow. The regular text is very well illustrated and the useful sidebars, Tool Kits and Fridges are extremely helpful providing just the right amount of information. The material is extremely practical without getting the reader bogged down in geeky details that are of little or no use to the normal every day user. The majority of the information presented in the book can also be found in the on-line help included with both applications, but readers will find value in the extra programs and links presented throughout the chapters.

I personally liked the sections on themes and extensions and the extension concept is one of the most powerful features of FireFox. Once the reader learns that they can add functionality to their browser with a simple download will change the way they surf the web. The authors cover a wide range of extensions, so you should find at least one or two immediate "must have" additions that you'll want to investigate just in the first few chapters of the book. Granted, the world of extensions and add-on software is constantly changing and what you see in the book may actually be superseded by something even better by the time you go on the web. But, the book will still give you an impression of what's available out there.

No matter which operating system your computer system runs under this book is for you. It gives the individual access to another on-line environment free of the problems troubling Internet Explorer. It is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone ready to surf the Internet.


David G. Newman, Tucson Computer Society

Hopefully, this book will find an audience well beyond hard-core web surfers exploring browser alternatives. Those who do discover it will find that not only is it a fine, well-written guide to the power of Firefox, but is also an excellent introductory textbook for Web browsing in general. The writing style is crisp and faintly humorous, with little or no geek-speak.

The coverage of Firefox's tabbed browsing, extensions, and live bookmarks is worth the price of admission.

What a delightful book! I've been using Mozilla Firefox for a little over a year now, having switched from Internet Explorer because of security concerns and other annoyances (such as pop-up ads).

Converting to Firefox was essentially seamless, so I never felt the need to read up on anything. I basically used the browser in its default setup. I did notice some divergence in how Firefox appeared between my laptop and desktop, although I'd used the same downloaded file to install, but shrugged it off as too minor to bother with.

Well, now I'm armed and dangerous, and Firefox is tuned up to a "T." What did it take? A couple of hours of reading (mostly during television commercials) and then about another hour to implement all the neat stuff I learned.

Thanks to the Firefox & Thunderbird Garage, my security settings are tweaked, my Bookmarks ordered, and my search techniques oh-so-refined. A Firefox Bookmarks Folder is now on both machines, including RSS feeds (ooh, I get all quivery just saying that). I've installed extensions such as AdBlock (which filters images and banner ads), Magpie (which downloads in bulk) and the Googlebar (not just for IE any more).

The book also motivated me to begin using Thunderbird instead of Outlook Express as my e-mail client. I should have done this long ago; it's incredibly easy, and reading the Firefox & Thunderbird Garage was the impetus I needed.

The only drawback to this book is the usual one when dealing with software-trying to keep pace with the product's upgrade cycle.

But while some of the screenshots may have changed, the information was on-target and exactly what the mechanic ordered!
An excellent book, well worth the read!