6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Gem of a Book!, April 24, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: FrontPage 98 for Dummies (Paperback)
This book is really good. It's actually not for "dummies," because it's a not step-by-step guide. But it has everything about FrontPage 98, and has things that I have not found anywhere else (for example, linking to another FP web, or making a web the Root Web). I recommend this book 110% to everyone who uses FrontPage 98.
The writing style is excellent, too, which means the book is very easy to understand. But again, if you are totally new, buy this book but be sure to read Microsoft's manual first.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's the best FrontPage book ever written!, May 8, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: FrontPage 98 for Dummies (Paperback)
I have bought 5-6 FrontPage books including the ones published by Microsoft Press. However none of them ever came closer to the Dummies on the earth as this one. The author claimed she was not a techno wizard -- probably that's why she knows what can not be left out to an ordinary reader like you and me. Lots lots lots PRACTICAL advices in the book that you can never find in other similar titles. If you wanna really learn FrontPage, this is the best one and the only one bible you need, forget about other books!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Apt Title, February 8, 2000
This review is from: FrontPage 98 for Dummies (Paperback)
(Written as letter to the author) Yes, I bought the frontpage book based on what I saw on your website and the amount of marketing done...I would like to make two criticisms: they might not apply to most of your readers, but definitely did to me. 1. With Photoshop and magazine publishing (from the editorial, not art side, but I have been editor of a magazine so am somewhat familiar with each process) my expectation from a web editor like Frontpage should be that it basically does layout, etc. comparable to other publishing tools. It doesn't, ie it is anything but intuitive. The rudimentary state of frontpage is obviously not your fault but your book does not emphasise this at all, instead you hype the product as something great and finished. From your perspective, frontpage is "better than html", but that doesn't make it a great product, as worthwhile as it might be. I quickly came to realize, while reading the book, that you were resisting from pointing out the myriad of flaws (and arrogance of the product, in that no shortcomings are pointed out in its help command either - such as drawing vertical lines, for starters - conventionally impossible! And quite relevant, don't you think?) that are obvious - once you actually try and design a website. I don't think you were paid by Microsoft, but I definitely felt like I was getting the wool pulled over my eyes by some of your remarks and descriptions. It definitely seemed that Microsoft had paid you or Dummies to write this book in this way, and this should have been disclosed in the book. Everybody likes an Enthusiastic teacher, but nobody likes a used car saleswoman - please distinguish these two characters in your future guidebooks. If a guidebook to San Francisco says something negative, or issues a warning, about that city that doesn't make it a bad guidebook, does it?
2. This is a guidebook! Look, I can't pick at a big-selling author too much, can I? But there are so many supercilious passages included beyond what the reader bought the book for that I literally could not get past them to get the information I really needed. Don't worry about constantly convincing the reader to love internet, love microsoft, think of the whole thing as a superhighway with rest stops etc. or whatever the metaphors, or bond with you, please! These are just products, and I bought your book to learn about them, the book, and the software, I already bought, no need to keep selling half way through, just tell me how to use this stuff quickly and honestly. My loyalty or hatred for Microsoft, Dummies, and you goes as far as they are useful to me, my love is reserved for my family and country. Your appealling personality we can find on your personal website and dustjacket bio for those who need it. If the book was called "Frontpage98 for intelligent people interested in building web sites quickly and need their questions answered honestly" - would your book have been different? I think yes.
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